Lowe's closing 50 stores !

[Diggin It]

Can anybody explain why the 1 x 6, 8, 10, 12 clear boards and other dimensional trim boards (eg 1x3 Red Oak or Birch) are stocked separate from lumber and millwork/moldings?

 

[Turbys_1700]

Just to add again the the discussion...
I went the other day to Lowes to pick up some MDF for a project...
It was around 1PM or so...
Bet I was asked 3 or 4 times if I could be helped...
Those focus surveys and questionnaires must have been read by management...
Typically when I go in there I know what I want and where it's located...
Just let me get my stuff and leave...

 

[PILOON]

Just to add again the the discussion...
I went the other day to Lowes to pick up some MDF for a project...
It was around 1PM or so...
Bet I was asked 3 or 4 times if I could be helped...
Those focus surveys and questionnaires must have been read by management...
Typically when I go in there I know what I want and where it's located...
Just let me get my stuff and leave...

I experienced the opposite.
Cruising the aisles I still could not locate my object and came upon 4 clerks chatting, I excused myself to ask for assistance but was told they were in conference.
Yep, I overheard them as I approached, they were comparing last nights dates! (serious conference)

But Sears took the winning place.
Not a clerk in any aisle and huge line ups at the one working cash only to find the cashier chatting with a clerk that should have been on the floor.
The only clerk that would be found was in appliances as they are on commission.

Electronics was a better deal as that floor space was leased to a major electronics outlet. Those guys cared.

Couple years back a McDonalds wanted to unionize as the poor clerk could not make ends meet.
That hamburger flipper wanted higher wages because he had trouble supporting his 3 kids and wife all while paying his mortgage.
WTF, change jobs, go back to school but don't expect me to pay U what U want.

 

[300UGUY]

This is just something a employee told me - The local Lowe痴 has cut back their staff, getting rid of a lot of employees. The store isn稚 closing, it痴 just the corporate way of cutting cost. This isn稚 seasonal, this is management and other permanent folks. I don稚 think I壇 like to own their stock right now.

 

[Oaktree]

Just to add again the the discussion...
I went the other day to Lowes to pick up some MDF for a project...
It was around 1PM or so...
Bet I was asked 3 or 4 times if I could be helped...

I experienced the opposite.
Cruising the aisles I still could not locate my object and came upon 4 clerks chatting, I excused myself to ask for assistance but was told they were in conference.

Never fails. When you need help there's no one around but if you're just browsing or know what you're after clerks are everywhere!

 

[Oldoak]

Never fails. When you need help there's no one around but if you're just browsing or know what you're after clerks are everywhere!

Isn't that the way it always works! And not just at Lowes.

 

[2manyrocks]

I went into Lowes today looking for a set of socket wrenches. There was a $79 set of Craftsmen wrenches and some $35 Kobalt wrench sets. I'd already been to Harbor Freight and looked at theirs which were $20-$25.

One thing that stood out to me was Lowes had a display rack full of a wide variety of different hammers. There has to be a boat load of cost associated with stocking 40-50 different kinds of hammers not to mention all of the other stuff they are carrying in inventory just in their tool department. That doesn't seem very efficient inventory management to me.

 

[bcp]

About 15 years ago a Sears store near here had over 60 electric drills on display. Store closed a month or two ago.

Bruce

 

[tjkubota93]

The worst part about HD and lowes is all the losers that work there. I have a better knowledge of trades and the inventory of the store than most of them. Whether they are 60 or 20. They used to hire retired or slowing down tradesmen with knowledge. Now it's just a bunch of idiots taking up space.

 

[aczlan]

The worst part about HD and lowes is all the losers that work there. I have a better knowledge of trades and the inventory of the store than most of them. Whether they are 60 or 20. They used to hire retired or slowing down tradesmen with knowledge. Now it's just a bunch of idiots taking up space.

That's because in today's economy, even "retired or slowing down tradesmen with knowledge" can make a lot more working side jobs than working for Lowe's or Home Depot.


Aaron Z

 

[Budweiser John]

In my trading area we have Home Depot, Lowe’s, and Menards. Menards being the last big box store to compete in the area.
For my buck Menards is the store if choice as their inventory depth and selection is superior. Home Depot runs a close second and Lowe’s a distant third. Granted it may be local astute management, but asking a Menards sales associate where to find a product or fitting will result in that associate walking you to it’s exact location in the store.
Some time ago I was in Lowe’s and witnessed a conversation between a sales associate? and a DIY guy about the difference between IC (insulation contact) recessed fixtures and common recessed fixtures. The sales guy told the customer “no neeed to pay the higher price for the IC cans as the’re interchangeable”.
WHOW, I simply had to jump in and set the record straight. That dude could have burned his house down.

B. John

 

[2manyrocks]

About 15 years ago a Sears store near here had over 60 electric drills on display. Store closed a month or two ago.

Bruce

In the back of my mind, I was thinking that Lowes seems to be following the recent Sears model on tools: carrying lots of overlapping tools at high prices resulting in shoppers going elsewhere for more competitive deals.

The whole reason for shopping at Sears back in the day was getting a good deal on a quality tool. I don't mean their prices were cheap. There was a time when their prices were competitive, and the tools were good quality at reasonable prices.

 

[tjkubota93]

In the back of my mind, I was thinking that Lowes seems to be following the recent Sears model on tools: carrying lots of overlapping tools at high prices resulting in shoppers going elsewhere for more competitive deals.

The whole reason for shopping at Sears back in the day was getting a good deal on a quality tool. I don't mean their prices were cheap. There was a time when their prices were competitive, and the tools were good quality at reasonable prices.

Sounds logical to me.

So, craftsman is the new albatross to wear around your neck?

 

[Ford850]

In my trading area we have Home Depot, Lowe’s, and Menards. Menards being the last big box store to compete in the area.
For my buck Menards is the store if choice as their inventory depth and selection is superior. Home Depot runs a close second and Lowe’s a distant third. Granted it may be local astute management, but asking a Menards sales associate where to find a product or fitting will result in that associate walking you to it’s exact location in the store.
Some time ago I was in Lowe’s and witnessed a conversation between a sales associate? and a DIY guy about the difference between IC (insulation contact) recessed fixtures and common recessed fixtures. The sales guy told the customer “no neeed to pay the higher price for the IC cans as the’re interchangeable”.
WHOW, I simply had to jump in and set the record straight. That dude could have burned his house down.

B. John

Your first couple paragraphs are similar to an earlier post of mine. Menards is our first choice most times.

 

[looch]

Sounds logical to me.

So, craftsman is the new albatross to wear around your neck?

Rona (owned by Lowes up here) now has signs outside of their stores declaring with pride that they are now the sole retailer of Craftsman Tools. Yeah - anyone who cares knows that Craftsman jumped the shark at least 10 years ago. Good luck with that.

 

[looch]

In my trading area we have Home Depot, Lowe’s, and Menards. Menards being the last big box store to compete in the area.
For my buck Menards is the store if choice as their inventory depth and selection is superior. Home Depot runs a close second and Lowe’s a distant third. Granted it may be local astute management, but asking a Menards sales associate where to find a product or fitting will result in that associate walking you to it’s exact location in the store.
Some time ago I was in Lowe’s and witnessed a conversation between a sales associate? and a DIY guy about the difference between IC (insulation contact) recessed fixtures and common recessed fixtures. The sales guy told the customer “no neeed to pay the higher price for the IC cans as the’re interchangeable”.
WHOW, I simply had to jump in and set the record straight. That dude could have burned his house down.

B. John

I overheard a client being advised that if they used 12 gauge wire on a 15A circuit that their house would burn down. "14/2 is the correct wire/gauge for a 15A circuit, sir." Yeah, that's the standard - but going thicker certainly won't cause a problem.

 

[dgl24087]

Several years ago Lowe's closed a few stores in my area. A few years later new stores were being built just a few miles from the closed stores.

 

[goeduck]

I overheard a client being advised that if they used 12 gauge wire on a 15A circuit that their house would burn down. "14/2 is the correct wire/gauge for a 15A circuit, sir." Yeah, that's the standard - but going thicker certainly won't cause a problem.

They must have thought 12 gauge was smaller than 14 since the number is lower. :banghead:

I wonder what other pearls of wisdom that employee offered up to other people.

 

[HillStreet]

Rona (owned by Lowes up here) now has signs outside of their stores declaring with pride that they are now the sole retailer of Craftsman Tools. Yeah - anyone who cares knows that Craftsman jumped the shark at least 10 years ago. Good luck with that.

I don’t even look at Craftsman tools anymore, watered down junk.

 

[HillStreet]

I went into Lowes earlier this week to but 1 x 4 PVC boards to use for trim. The store worker asked me if he could help and I said where are the PVC boards, and he brought me to the aisle where they are located. He kept searching the labels and I finally asked him what he was looking at. He told me these boards were 3/4 x 3-1/2, not 1 x 4 and would that be alright. I was astounded that this 30 something guy did not know nominal dimensions. Then when I checked out I asked for shrink wrap to wrap the 19 boards together. They had tumbled in the cart and a different kid came over to wrap them just as they tumbled, no stacking, and the shrink wrap wasn’t even tight. I had to rewrap when I loaded them. Both asked me if there was anything else they could help me with. It was all I could do to tell them their help was not very good. This is sad, very poor service.