Lowe's Complaint - District Manager's take on Lowe's

Posted by jktshff1 on 2007-10-23:

Good post. Seems ya gotta handle on it.
It's about the bottom line.

Posted by justcuz3993 on 2007-10-23:

Most companies base the actual bonus amount off company goals and the actual amount paid out depends on the results. Is your bonus a set amount each month/quarter and if so, what was the reason that was given that it was being reduced? That is an important detail.

Posted by captainmike on 2007-10-24:

Justcuz, here is how the bonus structure is laid out for Lowe's managers. Each store is given a sales goal for the year, along with an expense budget. The store manager's job is to attain that sales goal without going over his expense budget. If he reaches that goal, he is awarded 50% of his annual salary as a bonus. If he exceeds the goal by 5%, he then gets 75% of his salary as bonus. If he exceeds the goal by 10% (extremely rare), he gets a whopping 100% of his salary. Sounds amazing right? Now here's what they don't want you to know. The expense budget they lay out is nearly impossible to effectively run the store. Every dollar over your budget you are is subtracted directly off the store sales. So each year, I watch many managers lose thousands of dollars in bonus money because the corporate office sets them up for failure. I just find it funny because in 18 years with the company, never once have I seen an executive shortchanged their bonus. Once again, when it comes to corporate, it really is all about them. And to answer your last question, they do not give a reason why they reduce bonuses. They basically just go ahead and do it because at the end of the day, who can stop them?

Posted by justcuz3993 on 2007-10-24:

captainmike, thank you for the explanation. A bonus should be hard to attain, afterall it's in addition to your regular salary and is intended to drive excellent performance, but I see your point and if you've been with Lowes for 18 years, you have the experience and knowledge to back up your claim.

Just a thought, I wonder if it would be beneficial to put together a document showing the details of what you are seeing/experiencing and ask for a meeting with the execs to walk them through it? Is it possible that they may not recognize that they are setting their employees up for failure?

Posted by Lidman on 2007-10-24:

justcuz, very good idea and good advice!

Posted by DigitalCommando on 2007-10-24:

Captainmike, Thanks for your valuable input. I hope you are using a web browser anonymizer or are running through an encrypted TOR network. It would not be difficult for your company to hire "appropriate people" to determine who you are, if you are running in the open. You also do not want to include any data in your posts which can help identify you. You mentioned 18 years with the company, I wonder how many DM's were hired exactly 18 years ago, Get my point? And, most importantly, I hope you are not doing this on a company computer. E-mail me and I will help you get set up so that you won't be found easily.

Posted by UrFriendlyPirate on 2007-10-24:

DC's right Captain. He'll help you find some free public domain software to mask your identity.

Posted by justcuz3993 on 2007-10-24:

Thanks Lidman!

Posted by Lidman on 2007-10-24:

Hey justcuz, you were right and you are welcome.

Posted by theworkhorse on 2007-10-24:

Captain, my captain, kudos. I had worked for Lowe's for over 11 years, I was terminated for a safety violation 10/20/2007. As a department manager of lawn and garden, my department, as you know, was the hardest and most intense department in the store to manage. I had posted a record of comp sales 8 of the 9 years I managed this area. And to add to this, we finished in the top 10 in comp sales in the region 4 times. Many times we accomplished this in spite of inadequate staffing and management interference. This includes LP making up policies that are totally off the wall and failure to provide staff and tools to be able to adhere to policy.
I feel like that the company tries to brainwash employees beginning with orientation and continuing through having morning meetings. The BS runs fast and deep. I would be hardpressed to return if asked.
And what about the recent dispute over overtime pay for department managers. Lowe's had a chance to make things right by paying the affected employees what was, and is , owed to them. They again show their true colors by not doing so. When senior company management, Bob Niblock, makes the salary he makes, plus bonuses, while the putting the screws to the front line employees, what should one think of the company?

Posted by shawnp80 on 2007-10-24:

Tell us something we don't know!

Posted by captainmike on 2007-10-24:

Thanks for the input guys and the favorable feedback. I don't know if you all are employees or not, but heres a few more thoughts. The Lowes executives are not evil people. But they are a different breed. They are intelligent people (did I just say that? haha.) but extremely concrete in their thinking, and they can't stand being told or being proved wrong, and because of that they are not very open to new ideas (even though they try to make it seem like your opinion counts). Their entire lives revolve around Lowe's, and many of them work 80 to 90 hours each week. Now here is the connection they fail to make. They believe that the "little people" (please nobody take offense) who work in the stores should be as dedicated and hardworking as they are, despite the fact that the Customer Service Associate makes $8.50 per hour and they make hundreds of thousands of dollars per year. I'm not exactly sure why they think like that, but keep in mind that many of them have never actually worked in the stores, so many of them are completely blind to the kinds of things you have to endure in the course of your workday. In other words, they live in a bubble.

As always guys, if you have questions or complaints, feel free.

Posted by Alain on 2007-10-25:

Captainmike, excellent review. The corporate folks are completely (by choice) unaware and uncaring about the hourly employees. It's too bad. Some of us used to be great employees doing a fantastic job. Many of us have found better employers that really appreciate us. I've heard customers say we are missed when we leave.

Posted by theworkhorse on 2007-10-26:

captainmike, I wish I could get into a closed chat room with you. You sound like you could be one of my old store managers, one of the few good one's we had. If you happen to be one of these gentlemen, there are only 2 of 11, I am sure that your peaople love you, and go the extra mile. I would have.

Posted by mdovell on 2007-10-30:

I'd have many questions for you captainmike. I'm there (at least for the time being) and have seen many things...if I may ask what do you know on the "settlement" so to speak. If you'd like to email me instead of posting I completly understand.

Posted by captainmike on 2007-10-31:

mdovell, legal matters are a soft subject, and unfortuneately, are EXTREMELY confidential. Any company official could get into a universe of sh** over discussing details, so my hands are tied on this one. I would still like to hear from you if you have concerns or just want to blow off steam though. I get dozens of emails each day (pretty popular for a district manager, haha) so it might take me a few days to respond, but I never ignore anyone.

Posted by hangingout on 2007-11-03:

this is insightful I was just offered a team leader position with good pay with chance to move into a department head in 6mo. I have been debating weaqther or not this would be a company I could make a career with. I was worried about quality off life, you know, if I would ever get a weekend day of ever or if they treat their employees well, or treat them like nobody's. Get at me captain if you can, would like to talk with you.

Posted by Bunker on 2007-12-01:

Capt. Mike,

Kudos for your post. I share your views as a former Lowe's management and Corp. person. We posted a link to this on our website:

http://groups.msn.com/LowesRedApron

"Bunker"

Posted by Irish17 on 2007-12-24:

Ah, I can see clearly now! Thanks

Posted by Coorsdawn on 2007-12-30:

I came across this forum just today and appreciate the insight from CaptainMIke. I have many similar feelings. I was with Lowes for 11 yrs...started hourly and left as Store Manager. Lots of good things aobut Lowes, but th last couple of years were hell. Company and upper management did not really care about employees , family life etc. I am currntly a manager with another company...make just as much money and spend much more time with my family. My wife saw my outlook improve and my stress drop immediatly upon leaving Lowes.

Posted by onmyown on 2008-02-03:

As a widow of a Kansas City Southern Railroad Lower-Eschelon Executive who worked his way up..... Lowes is not the only company that STOMPS on the very people who GET them get those wondeful large bonuses that "Corporate" enjoys!
I keep hoping that there is a special place in Hell for these Corporate Bigwigs that basically rape and pillage their way through their employees lives, they do not care if they have family,if they are ill, just move them ooout and get annother one! Lowes Big Wigs are really showing their greed in their treatment of employees and customers too, but you know, we pay the bills and the check is coming due. The sad thing is when the check comes due, is the Rank and File will pay the bill because the Greedy Ones have theirs!!!!!!!!!!!

Posted by onmyown on 2008-02-03:

Capitanmike, WATCH YOUR BACK!!!! You sound like one of the good ones!

Posted by katnkitchen on 2008-08-03:

Reading the review written by Captain Mike, I would like to address a strategical issue for you. I work for the competition and have also worked for Lowe's in the past. I have come into some "attention" recently because of my sales. Lowe's has been in my store recruiting and I have considered crossing the road again. I would bring a considerable amount of sales potential with me. Would you recommend my move or would you say just "stay put". Any thoughts from your position of DM is greatly appreciated.

Posted by youcallyourselfaDM? on 2008-11-10:

I cannot believe you can call yourself a District Manager after making a post like that. I wonder how big your bonus was last year, or what your salary is....you call Lowe's a hypocritical company, but I think YOUR namebadge should say Hypocrite. Maybe you could 3.3 that, sir. I think you should email your RVP this link.

Posted by yeaaaahbaby on 2009-04-21:

Let me give everyone some advice about lowes and there open door policy. The second you submit your claim . lowes will have an investigation team go around the store and see whats really happening, they will try there best to seem like customers and do so for a week before somebody will contact you. If its about a manager doing the wrong thing, they will see if they can get away with it. they will check everything about you. education, finance ( to see if you could afford a lawyer), have coworkers pretend to be your friend and talk to you, while at the same time report what you say to the manager. If they need witnesses , they will get witnesses. they will do what they can to fire you. you work or shop at a company that breaks the law and fires people who speak up or have a different opinion. You have to play by there rules and they change when they start to lose. My advice, find a different job , an honest place of work. people you don't know who have worked for this company know and hide the truth. those who speak out are here on the net. you have a multi billion dollar company with every resource against you. hire a private investigator immediately. lowes ruins lives, i plea to you , dont be next!

Posted by noreally on 2009-04-26:

Captainmike...are you still on here?

Posted by ljshaw on 2010-01-02:

I'm hoping that some of you may be able to help me.

I posted this elsewhere on the site, but apparently this thread is where all the people-in-the-know hang out. I need a way to get some satisfaction. Any suggesstions are appreciated.

My post is long, but I could really use your help.

At the end of November, I visited the Lowe's in Rutherford NJ to purchase flooring for my new home - carpet and engineered hardwood.

Flash forward to December 14 and I'm told that a 2 day job is now a 3 day job because the installer booked a job in the middle of my job.

The installers arrived on time but the owner of the subcontracting company left shortly thereafter.

Day 1 - The carpet installers scratched and marked my walls with the rolls of carpet. The removed my stove to put flooring under it (even though I had told them otherwise) and left the oven in the middle of the kitchen.

Day 2 - they worked 1/2 a day

Day 3 - I had to take a day off of work to be there. The stove was still sitting in the middle of the floor, now covered in filth.

I received 3 calls from the installer pressuring me to sign off on the job. I refused until I was able to inspect it.

I went to inspect it and found a dented board that I asked to be replaced. My decorator found a number of other issues, including both nailing and gluing of the floor - which nullifies the manufacturers warranty.

My stove was still sitting in the middle of the floor, just outside my kitchen.

That night, I got a call from my painting contractor, telling me that the Lowe's crew had damaged one of his tarps, had shoveled garbage into one of the bathrooms, and damaged the bi-fold doors near my bedroom, had ripped out my phone wires, had removed a piece of base molding and had dripped coffee and left sugar packets on the freshly painted window sills.

I called Lowe's immediately and was assured that they stand by their installers and their work, and that on the following Saturday, they would send a rep to inspect the work.

A woman named Michelle came, took pictures and assured me that any fix up work could be done by my painting contractor, and that Lowe's would pay for the repainting, what ever repairs were needed, and a new oven if it had been damaged by the dirt. She also saw the garbage that they left on my front lawn, including chunks of wood and lunch packaging.

I also pointed out that personal items of mine that were stored in the garage had been tampered with.

I confirmed the discussion in an email to her and her boss.

Then I got the nastiest phone call I've ever had - from a man named Chad from their regional office, basically telling me that the problems are minor, and implying that since I didn't see his guys drip coffee on the window sills, that I have no proof that his guys did anything. The Lowe's team also damaged equipment owned by my painting contractors for no reason.

Using logic (why would a painter ruin his own work?) didn't seem to matter.

In addition, the painters had been there for almost a month and not a thing had been damaged, moved or tampered with. The problems arrived the same time the Lowe's flooring guys did.

In the meantime, I had my contractor move the stove back into place and hook it up, and imagine my surprise when I found a damaged piece of flooring that had been hidden by the stove when it was sitting just outside my kitchen.

Yet another inspection was scheduled, and who shows up, but the same rude, condescending guy (Chad) who tried to bully me and once again imply that my painters had ruined their own work.

When I mentioned the promises that Michelle had made to me, they told me that she told them she never said that.

As the left my home, I removed a heating vent so I could put on a new one and discovered about 2 inches of wood chips, wood chunks and other debris that the flooring installers had shoveled down there.

I called the "inspectors" back and watched their faces as their installer pulled out the garbage.

I called Michelle at Lowe's - she is no longer working in the flooring department. Imagine that! She tried to work with a customer and to make a customer happy and apparently they don't like that.

They told me that they have workmen who could fix all the issues, and didn't understand how I would be afraid to use any of their sub contracters after the incredible lack of care their "best" flooring guys showed me and my home.

I had been planning on using Lowe's to install a new kitchen. They lost any possibility of that when they treated me as though I was something that had to be scraped off the bottom of their shoes.

So - how do get to the corporate level to tell them what happened? Do I have to go to my local TV station to complain in order to be treated with dignity? Or is it Lowe's way to bully women?

Posted by 7771 on 2010-07-08:

Well I wasn't a g.m. by any means butr did interview and was accepted to a store manager position whenever the possibilty came about back around 2001.I noticed that from that time on as a a.s.m. that I was severly being harrased by my store manager.He would give myself and my dept.manager impossible task top do and tell us we could not hire ( our sales were by far the best in the district by far and never slowed down .His pitch to me was we had to maintain payroll leverage - o.k - then shift some personel to us in( lawn and gardren ) my jest is this and it is the fact that I and my dept manager working 12 plus a day and alll he would ever talk about was his bonus and how we were going to screw it up.He would even have morning meeting and talk to all the employees about his bonus.Moral never was good after he started that and I hope this manager is no longer with Lowes for when I left the company so did 1 of dept managers as well as our live nursery specialist.

Posted by SCM on 2011-07-17:

My husband works for Lowes now for 2 1/2 years starting the silly system temporary then p/t then earning his way up to a PE.. I have owned my own small business for 20 years he owned his own small retail business for 30 before selling them.
HE is 58 years old. I keep telling him Lowes is the worst offender of your a name in a computer box to them and a social security number. MY husbands sales he is always in the top 4 in his district. Thats not good enough HE is not selling enough Lowers extended warranties and is being threatened to be fired for it now. They offered him another position in the store but he can't take it per his doctors because of his knees and it is to heavy of lifting for him. This is how stupid they are he is a WC claim if in that positon. They hired a little group of one the favored boys there and all his friends now are being hired in that store. I suspect they want a younger guy in my husbands position so this is why they are now pressuring him. I will get a lawyer and I do plan on suing them for wrongful firing if they fire him for not selling the Lowes extended warranties. WE went on line and saw the compliants and why folks won't buy the warranties and my husband is going to the store managers who is the one threatening him they are going to fire him if he does not get his warranty sales up. WE do have money and I am a very knowledgeable business woman as is my husband however he is very easy going so they think he is a gomer pyle type. I told him honey they think your stupid they are in for a rude awakening.. The stress he has been under is tremendous this is the first job he has ever had in his life outside of his owning his own business since he was 19 years old. What an eya opener this is. Lowes does not care for its people and treats them horrible its a sin I can see now a need for unions. I am going to report them to the wage and hour board and I am going to file many complaints with as many organizations as I can because the way they treat people is very very sad and wrong. MY poor hubby was to ashamed to tell me what was going on because they have brow beat him and he was embarrassed to say honey I might get fired he finally could not hold the stress in anymore and I am so relieved he told me what is going on. I am now on a mission. Lowes needs to watch who they knock around they need to be stopped and I am a women on a mission now this is so wrong.

Posted by trmn8r on 2011-07-17:

You and your husband have a lot of experience running your own businesses.

Moving to being an employee at 55 years old is a culture shock. I would expect there to be a large amount of stress in this job, and there would be physical requirements. It is a home center.

You say that you have money. Once I decided I had enough, I quit. I hated working for others. Hopefully your husband's situation will work out or maybe he can just stop working.

Posted by ript on 2011-07-17:

Prety much the norm for businesses these days who offer credit cards and extended warranties is to sell them to at least one out of every 3 customers. Employees who don't meet the goal are often let go. If your state is an at-will state there may be no recourse if Lowe's lets your husband go for not meeting the expected sales quota.

Posted by SCM on 2011-07-22:

Interesting to see that if your over 55 your to old to work?? Sad society to think that.
Right to work also has three conditions of firing one is compensation so if your not compensated on the sale or if its not in the handbook?? NOw you tell me is it in the handbook your required to sell so many Lowes extended warranties and we won't pay your to do so????
Fifties is not old I can't wait til you all get there then lets see how you feel the man likes to work... geeze unbelievable..

Posted by late hd on 2012-09-01:

Do you know who the DM is in Indianapolis In? was a store manager for Home depot for 5 years and tring to get into Lowe's.

Posted by HDSpy on 2013-02-13:

Good ethics on your part, But you are not the typical DM, or MD as they are now. Here's my 3 cents. Lowes in the past 2 years has started down a path of destruction. They are becoming the KMart of home improvement. They (Moresville) have crammed it down our throats that they have invested a billion dollars in the company to upgrade it to today's standards. Unfortunately they are not waiting for the investment to pay off. The stores are reducing staffing to bare bones to recoup that money. Thus service suffers greatly, and they hire the cheapest people they can, thus the quality of service suffers. Next, they don't want managers at any level who care about people. Here's and example. We are in our second EOS corporate visit in 2 years. Yes we took the survey and now we are lower than we were before, thus the corporate intervention. First thing said by an employee to the MD and HR, If you were serious about taking care of employees, we would not be having this conversation. They went off and the meeting was over. Guess where the Store Manger went. To another store with an even lower EOS score than us. Guess that will show them!!!!

Posted by courtney on 2013-03-16:

I am a wife of a Lowe's employee. I have seen the effects of all of these things. They will use and abuse whoever is willing to take it. Management says I can not make you do x, y or z (not take a lunch, work off the clock, whatever) but they certainly encourage it, and employees who have work ethic and want to excel are essentially forced into doing whatever seedy management dictates. My husband has been moved to a few different departments to bring them up in their performance levels, is frequently assigned tasks that his zone should be doing and has been asked if he wants to move up in the company. Yet when positions come open, he is passed over. Lowes instead hires people like his current zone who harass people about calling in sick and where they are spending their time (ones who actually get work done like my husband) and openly threatening to fire people for things like taking too long of a bathroom break. Apparently, fifteen minutes is too long and we aren't talking someone who does this all the time, I mean what if they had some stomach troubles. There is no work life balance, stores are always way understaffed and employees expected to do the work of three or more people. To the person who commented about bonuses being a challenge, yes they are but they aren't supposed to cause you to run yourself or your employees ragged in order to achieve them. It's too the point where not only do the employees need counseling, the families do as well. Because when

Posted by bobbet on 2013-04-01:

well now.. that explains things like why my market director has been in the store up everyones butt like it was a popularity contest... with the market directors its all about what they observe in the momemnt..my dh came to me and said that the md came in and took photos of the the associates standing around not helping customers...but the inverse had happened the md observed customers not intersted in buying talking to the vendor rep but they want to hold my specialist accountable what kind of company punishes its sales people??

Posted by unknow on 2013-04-14:

I was in the back and since i was at the new store closer to my house nothing but problems. If your trying to make a living go to school. I was harss also and treated unfiar and found after a year and half later alot of people and store manger gone. Lowes is better then walmart but not by much, the harder working people are expected to work harder while the others arent. I would have stayed with the company if they knew how to treat and deal with employes and they dont care. Lowes is a 2faced company with certain stores. The mangers need more trainging. lowes i worked at was 2788 Pensacola

Posted by The True Lowes on 2013-04-26:

I have read all the complaints on this post and all I can say is that everything here is the truth, I have seen it in my local store. I have seen the harassment, the threats, the lies, the wrongful firings, the customer abuse, when I first started at Lowes it was great, but Tillman was the CEO. In the past 4 years or so I have seen nothing but evil in the store, managers are abusing employees like crazy, it is inhumane the way that they treat the people. Even customers make comments about the moral in the store. It is as if Lowes is trying to drive the company into a death spiral. The employee opinion surveys have gone down drastically in the past few years. I wonder if the board of directors see what is going on or are they behind all of it. I have never seen any company that hates their employees like Lowes does. Most managers that I see and hear about and read about are incompetent, we have a HR manager that is sleeping with an associate and protected by the Area HR because she is her buddy. Not only is she doing that but she is the worst HR manager in the world, another department manager in the store has to straighten out all the problems that she causes. She has threatened people and they have reported her and nothing is done. It is really sad that we live in a world where the companies in America have become like the dictators in Iraq, Syria, Libya, and they punish people like they are slaves. We have regressed back to slavery days in America. Lowes has more evil, hateful people than any other company in the history of the United States. The bible says "Lust For Money Is the Root of all Evil" well that has never been more apparent than it is in today's world....God Help Us All!!..The Devil will have a lot of company when the world ends one day, a lot of Lowes and Walmart people, especially managers.

Posted by Mark on 2013-05-22:

Business is not always fair, and bonuses are just that, bonuses - I've never "expected" one, and always treated it as a "bonus" when I got one.