Lowe's "leaders"pretend to be a customer and sandbag as many random unsuspecting associates as available and if they donot say "hello" then they are summarily fired in the next few days.
18 replies (most recent on top)
Scare tactics... very simple..
So, very simply go to your closest Home Depot, ask to speak to their store manager...
They’ll him/her you work for Lowe’s, and tell your position....and that you’d like to work for them...
They most likely will hire you in a few days time.... they did me
Fxxk Lowe’s.....
Someone please post store number this has actually happened in and the actual circumstances if known. This is looking like corp. may have started this rumor themselves. the stores are very short staffed, customers are likely complaining to corp. about it at this point, so they start this rumor to get all of the overworked employees greeting every customer to make it seem that we have staff that we don't have, preception is reality.
AT Zz96KIf-9ves I DISAGREE!
I for one am inclined this COULD happen (being fired for not greeting customers) We were told by our SM at the time 7 month's ago in the a.m. meeting that we could/would be WRITTEN UP (and I wouldn't doubt in SOME cases be terminated) if we didn't greet customers
Funny how no one has actually seen this themselves. It’s always something they heard from a friend or manager at some other store. Instant termination with no context doesn’t make any sense. This is nothing but the Topix terrorists out to scare everyone again. They’ve been doing this for years. Nothing new, and their rumors never turn out to be true.
dont attempt to twist the argument. no documented history of poor performance, no history of being poor with customers, no understanding of the circumstances (perhaps you have a medical situation and were rushing to the bathroom).....could have greeted 99 of 100 customers....wrong place, wrong time, great associate....and because you didnt greet that one "customer" youre fired?!
yes customer service in retail has become inadequate, but this goes way too far. let the stores manage their employees. protect the GOOD ones! chance encounters NEVER trump the body of work!!!
ANYWAY....the mod on the lowes sub-reddit is ACTIVELY deleting all topics talking about this new corporate directive. he no longer works for lowes....honestly has no reason to be deleting these topics. i rarely, if ever, see topics get deleted. sometimes see a disclaimer that they are rumors or speculation but never deleted. i cant believe he is doing it all on his own accord. really points to corporate not wanting it to be known that they are acting this crazed. firing someone for not greeting a customer turns into wrong termination lawsuits real quick. incredibly bad PR to be this destructive to your employee base.
4th time the topic has been brought up only to be deleted/archived from main page. i got a 2 day ban for going into detail about it on here....hhhmmmm https://www.reddit.com/r/Lowes/comments/c2hb9b/greet_or_on_the_street/
I'm not a fan of corporate but, if you are standing next to a person undercover from "executive row" and he politely asks you for help in front of tool world and you just walk away, what do yo think is going to happen? They started secret shoppers again and an executive couldn't believe the results and wanted to find out for himself, the intention was not to go and fire someone. The video is unbelievable to say the least ( I dislike corporate but even I cringed) I do not know the specific details but customer interaction infractions can be considered class A violation now. Yes, all the staffing, pay scale, hiring, training, elimination of positions, third party use, outdated software have created most of our problems at the store level but its not an excuse to walk the other way when a customer comes down an aisle and makes eye contact with you? C'mon guys....it's certainly the worst year I can remember at Lowe's because of corporate but, if a customer walks into a store and is passed by a dozen associates that don't even acknowledge them, we are going to be at fault, corporate will not see it as their mistake with all the changes.
They are spying on people and trying to catch them doing something wrong so they can write you up and fire you. Mostly targeting full time employees because they want to get rid of full timers. They will attempt to hire one part timer to replace a full time employee and wonder why no coverage. Plus impossible to find any part timers since they already know Lowe's is not a good place to work. You can flip burgers for more money per hour.
Anyone from a store that this actually happened in? If so, please list store/market/region thank you.
exactly. not based on a refusal to complete a task, a poor work ethic that has been documented over time. but a chance encounter between strangers that may or may not have happened. how often do customers themselves lie to get what they want. how often do humans in general embellish situations. is there a quota with these id--ts that they MUST find at least one person in every store?! a chance encounter, a blip in time, wrong place, wrong time. no competent leader does this sort of thing. these are the actions of a dictator. he reminds me of the dictator of north korea. he gets fat while the people starve. he is ill-informed on how the real world works. he must be praised at all times. his picture is plastered everywhere via podcast and puff pieces sent out through UNC media. this "hello" game theyre running is like when the NK dictators dad died and the country was ordered to sob and mourn for weeks on end....if you were caught not doing it they k--led you. only dictators think chance encounters matter more than the body of work. but hey.....big Joe was able to tell the investors after Q1 that HE has trained ALL associates on S.M.A,R.T. customer service. Only a dumb--s would call it smart.....only an even bigger dumb--s would actually believe anyone using that acronym actually IS smart. No where in the transcripts did i read that smart training involved firing or writing people up for one chance encounter of not saying hello.
“or that some corporate twit could....oh i dont know....get the name wrong and mis-identify the one theyre targeting. or literally make it up because they think this is funny..... or....i dont know....you might actually think you already talk to/helped that customer because they look similar to someone else......”
Or how about they target a person that didn’t greet them. Unless that person gets really close they won’t see a name. So odds are they will use a staffing schedule. Some guy or girl could be working plumbing, but is using a reach to help flooring. Random associate walks by plumbing doesn’t greet one of the accusers. But gets the plumbing associate written up or terminated.
That’s how Lowe’s has worked over the years... allegedly.
Marvin probably calling in as secret shopper for a garage door and you must mention installs are available... The MST LEADER racing up travel miles and his slaves getting unlimited overtime..
Ok Marv. You want a fear based workplace? You got it. Here's the rub...I don't fear you. As a longterm employee, I will be your worst nightmare. Game on!
or that some corporate twit could....oh i dont know....get the name wrong and mis-identify the one theyre targeting. or literally make it up because they think this is funny..... or....i dont know....you might actually think you already talk to/helped that customer because they look similar to someone else......
just read this article on Forbes.....this is lowes to a T!!!! This needs to be posted in every breakroom and emailed to corporate by every associate.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/lizryan/2017/03/07/ten-unmistakable-signs-of-a-fear-based-workplace/amp/?fbclid=IwAR38lTnxrChz_Cs7RnGcuIDF8OtjbFfn961_DrkkZY2MU4Wy6arJ7ZyNAKg
There are numerous times on a daily basis where I first see a customer and greet them, but then as we pass each other 4 or 5 more times, I don’t greet them again. That would be weird to say the least if we say hello 10 times to the same customer....
Very simple argument to use if approached by management about this issue. Just remember, the majority of stores have horrible camera coverage so any chance they had of validating the “did not greet” is out the window. Then it comes down to a my word vs theirs.. If you still get fired, get a lawyer involved immediately. Easy win.
corporate is the prob. let em fire you. lowes isnt worth any decent persons time or energy. lowes is complete chit.
And remember to say good bye, like some were told after forgetting.
Hello Mr Ellison, nothing better to do today?
apparently this is a very real, and very concerning thing. a lot of people in the Atlanta area are going nuts about how many people this has happened to.....store management where im/far far away from atlanta/ has issued a dire warning that corporate is sending people out to stores to spy and see who isnt following their "s.m.a.r.t. training". i assume that is the excuse they will be using when the lawsuits begin. seems for any lawyer worth his weight you can easily spin this that this is some twisted corporate layoff where they go into the stores and target specific associates based on age, pay, gender, etc. etc.
WTF is wrong with people when theyre firing individuals for simply not issuing a hello to a "customer". plenty of circumstances could easily go into why you might pass a customer and not talk to them. stores are already dangerously understaffed and cant find people to want to work for lowes. any other stores just filling higher positions with people already in the store?! theyre not even trying to find competent bodies...just next man up from the lower ranks. this is getting really scary.
why the hell would you want to demoralize a group that is already living in fear, scared about the continual changes, overworked etc. etc. ?!?!
WTF is going on at corporate when they think this is a good idea?! ramp up the distrust, ramp up the Us vs them to insane new levels. theyre literally begging for a mass walk out of associates.....class action lawsuits....unionizing.....a hard worker getting canned for not saying hello then leading to a mass shooting because they lost everything.....theyre begging for any good worker to just quit....
sorry kids we cant buy groceries because i lost my job for not saying hello......marvin i can only pray God judges you sooner than later for the continual hell youre unleashing on our families.