Associates Mulching the Parking Lot

Joined: 09 Mar 2006 Posts: 37

Our SM is making the DM's put out mulch around the parking lot and what a few of us were wondering if that was part of their job description.
And on top of that it has to be done during the day when we have more help to cover the store. Tempertures are around 94+ and something seems wrong about that.
We apprarently can't efford to hire some people to do it and th SM is tring to save $$$$. Evil or Very Mad

If there are any Mgr's out there, please give us a feedback.

Joined: 09 Jul 2003 Posts: 722

As my old Boss used to say ... "it all pays the same"!

Joined: 01 Jul 2006 Posts: 16

I just resigned today myself. 5 Days was enough for me.....

Joined: 16 Jul 2006 Posts: 12

Why wouldn't you want to help out and mulch? As for affording someone else to do it, that cuts into your NBT, which in turn cuts into your bonus potential. It sounds like you have a good SM who is aware of how to correctly control expenses. Your a Dept. Manager, in case you didn't realize, MANAGER is in your title. Suck it up and quit complaining. Sooner or later we all have to do things that we don't like to do, that's why WORK is called WORK. As for wanting someone else to mulch, I do agree that perhaps hiring grounds keepers would be a better way to allocate the payroll you absorb.

Joined: 07 Apr 2006 Posts: 15 Location: Tallahassee, FL

Typical Lowes Management. Let's see, Send Managers who are under staffed and more than likely STRESSED about the other 101 things that don't get done INSIDE the Store. Send them to Mulch the Parking Lot. You have me FK'ed up.
Each Store has a budget to maintain the store, along with payroll ect. Most MGR's are NO longer salaried. Now does it make sense to send someone making $11 - $14/hr vs someone making $6-9/hr, Or hiring a ground crew. Most stores have people to cut the grass, vacuum the lots, but you would rather send your SALES Force to do this. In terms you may under stand, how many sales are being made while mulching? How many complaints are going unresolved while your staff is playing in the dirt? It may be true, the mulcking needs to get done. THERE are better alternatives. And to tell someone to suck it up because they are a Manager, and not question a waste of Sales Productivity is just as bad.
Typical Lowes Mentality......follow the Herd, don't question and don't think.

Joined: 27 Oct 2005 Posts: 49

Joined: 16 Jul 2006 Posts: 12

Defending a manager's position is neither brainwashed or foolish. It's not following the herd, it's about making solid business decisions. If you feel strongly that Lowe's " messes people up" why do you work there? There's tons of things that everyone who works for the company can complain about, the 40 hour transition, diminishing coverage, etc... the fact of the matter is, when you complain about all the small stuff, no one listens when a major concern arrises. In our line of work, your own work ethic and your own committment to your career is what creates progress. You can't ask that a pity party be thrown in your honor everytime you feel slighted. Committment to any job (whether it be scrubbing toilets or being a CEO) is what matters in the real world, not attempting to undermine other's hard work. If you can't take pride in your own work or the company you work for, than you're not in the right place. That doesn't equate to me being brainwashed, it equates to you not chosing the right career path for yourself.

Joined: 27 Oct 2005 Posts: 49

Thats why I left that place after 3 months Razz

I make twice as much money now and have a set schedule selling motorcycle helmets and streetbike gear.

Heck the dealership I work for is indepentantly owned so they are nowhere near the size of a single Lowes let alone the whole company-yet they can even afford a grounds crew and a cleaning crew. SO there managers can actualy do their jobs and their sales specialist, like myself, only have to sell and not deal with that other BS Rock on!

Joined: 16 Jul 2005 Posts: 18 Location: cincinnati

ever here of the word team player???
i mean come on now you are there to work it doesn't matter what the job is.. i hate unloading the truck but i do it? yes i do.. too many whiners out there maybe give your job to someone who needs it and wouldn't mind pitching in every once in awhile

Joined: 30 Apr 2006 Posts: 3 Location: Home

You know... when I joined the Lowe's workforce... I agreed to do anything for the betterment of the company.

If my SM tells me to grab a broom, and head to the parking lot, I am going to ask for a dustpan, and do just as he asks... after all, my check is issued by Lowe's not the department that I work in.

Joined: 27 Oct 2005 Posts: 49

So I see your attitude is Lowes first, customers second

Thats nice to know while your out mulching lots, your customers arent getting the help they need inside.

Because Lowes is just there to look pretty, not to sell or offer outstanding customer service

Joined: 05 Jun 2006 Posts: 32

I see Both sides of this clearly. All management cares about their NBT and so on because it effects their salary bonuses at the end of the year. Like your store managers 150% base salary bonus for 110% of his NBT goals. The fact of the matter is that if it's close these kinds of things happens. it's part of making the store profitable. I myself put up all the steal in my store during rack set and built it from the ground up the same as I stocked it. It gives me a certain pride and then a certain part of me sayhs I really don't give a shit

I on the other hand see that there is nothing in any type of job description that would require you to go outside and do this unless you are a loader. It is not a daily work task and was something Lowes used you to save money on. The point here is that theres two different goals. Managements goal of trying to make the store more profitable and also trying to make his own bonuses, in which he's worked however many years in the company for.

You also have your goals whatever they may be. Obviously doing outside work isn't what you consider a goal. I myself sat out the entire saturday a couple weeks ago during our sidewalk sale because it's something my store manager asked me to do. It's something that would help out. It's also something that may be rememebered in the ffuture of how I went above and beyond my job description when they look to move a person up into a position.

Joined: 27 Oct 2005 Posts: 49

PSA you knida made my point for. Its about the SM pinching anything they can, to make "thier" store more profitable, so THEY can collect the bonuses. Bottom line is- Its not about customer service, its about them making money or doing it to move to the next level, DM

The whole structure of Lowes has no customer service in it, well maybe on the botttom end, CSA's just starting. From then on, its what can I do to make myself better or more money. Then the higher you go, the less costomer service or you fellow workers mean to you

"Hurdle the dead, Trample the weak!"

Joined: 27 Dec 2005 Posts: 35 Location: Wisconsin

While mulching the parking lot may not be the "best" use of a department manager's time, I don't see it as being a problem for a store manager to ask an associate to do it. The outer appearance of our stores does impact customer service. Do you want to go into a store whose parking lot looks like it is never taken care of? I don't usually shop at stores that don't appear to be taken care of, if they don't care about their building or parking area, why would I think they would care about my needs? Now granted, hiring a company to come in and take care of that is the ideal, but if the store isn't making budget on a regular basis, it may not stay open and I may not have a job much longer. So, if asked to go out and mulch the parking lot, I would say "Just let me know what needs to be done".

Joined: 10 Apr 2006 Posts: 18 Location: Nobelsville

I would like to add my $.02 to this.

As a former employee of Lowes ( 7 years total) I have to agree with some of what you all are saying. Yes its good to help out when your store needs it and it might get you some brownie points. BUT the instant you screw up or your Dept. has a bad week,month, or walk IT'S YOUR ASS that gets sent into the wood chipper. I worked my ass off for the last 4 years in my store from rack set up to mass reciving to being jack of almost all trades in my store. While I was runnig the plumbing dept I was asked to take over outside Lawn & Garden in the month of May. I did it and ran that dept very well. I did everything that was asked of me ( I stayed late worked overnights came in on my days off to order things etc....). Life was good and I was on the SM good list. Fast forward to this year spring hits like a ton of mulch, the SM drags his feet getting me help, my zone mgr is working himself to death trying to keep mine and the inside guys a float. The Sm pulls me aside one day and says " I've noticed a drop off in the apperance of your dept, and a lack of motivation on your part...". We'll one thing lead to another and I was moved in side to be a CO-manager with the inside mgr. Guess the Sm felt we both were'nt doing our jobs. Two weeks after that I was moved down to team leader and the othe mgr was moved to Home decor as a Sales Spec.

So what I'm saying is you can work your ass off and impress the boss' but as soon as you drop the ball, your on your way out the door... But thats just my $.02

Joined: 30 Apr 2006 Posts: 2

Joined: 09 Mar 2006 Posts: 37

And our SM tells the DM's that she doesn't want any excuses, like no help and not enough people or time in the day to complete her work lists.

I think we are turning into HD... they are just like that and look where they are now. Customers are running away from HD.