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Old 01-04-2004, 01:10 PM
madgardener
 
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Default My own experience with Lowes Outside Lawn and Garden lately

Hello friends,
Madgardener here. After putting my post from Garden Web here with responses
from others over there, I wanted to be more up front about this situation.
I'm not yet comfortable enough to be 100% up front over on GW.

I work at my local Lowes in the Outside Lawn and Garden department. Last
year I hired on specifically in this department because I love the plants,
working with the plants, taking care of them, and interaction with
customers. I am what I consider an asset to the company because of my vast
knowledge of this merchandise, and my enthusiasm with people spills over
into other areas. I'm smart enough to learn other aspects in regards to
other job performances, and just in general feel that at my age, I'm worthy
of working there. That, and I have been told and learned that Lowes really
is a good company to work for.

Having said that mouthful, I agree. I like working for them. I love the
people they employ. They really do seem to care about the customer as well
as their employees. Yes, there's drama and problems and normal corporate
doings, but all in all I have to say that Lowes is one of the better larger
corporations to work for. Since my induction to the madness of Outside Lawn
and Garden (and Lowe's in general being the home improvement store it is)
last February, I've now passed into my first year and tasted a normal year.
They have what they laughingly refer to as "the 100 days of madness" which
is the onset and surge of home improvement, gardening and lawn care after
winter starts to subside. That whole department is referred to as Seasonal.

In OL&G, it encompasses fencing, pool products, stepping stones,
soils,straw,pine needles, fertilizers,mulches, pots, plants, trellises,
corrorugated pipe for drainage, and retaining blocks. The greenhouse is
part of it, but is part of Inside Lawn and gardening, and that's patio
stuff, more pots, tropical plants, insecticides, fertilizers (specialty),
mowers (yard equipment) and all that encompasses),garden tools, grills,
fireplaces, fans, air conditioners,engine oils for power equipment like
those mowers, weedeaters, chain saws and what not, and winter there is also
the Christmas stuff. trees, ornaments etc.

Having said THAT mouthful, since last year when I was a waterier, plant care
person and customer service associate, I also ran the cash registers when
they needed me to, among other responsibilities. It was grueling. I was
also used as a loader. And was going to be required to learn to operate a
fork lift, which I was looking forward to getting my license for this late
winter.

When the winter season basically ended after Christmas, I was moved inside
to work at the front cash registers, or in Commercial sales or tools. I
didn't mind. It got me out of the cold nursery where there was still a need
for fencing, pavers, pipe, and what not. During my first season in OL&G
last year, I quickly learned there had been way more than what I saw as a
customer of over 8 years there. It meant pushing those towering, heavily
loaded 6-8 tiered racks on wheels loaded with tens of pots of plants across
the concrete from the back of the nursery. This Lowes is one of the newer,
larger ones. And put them out after that. And trees. And load pavers, bags
of rocks, bagged goods etc for customers. Not only watering. And the heat
out there on that concrete is incredible. Last year I got heat stroke twice,
despite that I carry a huge jug filled with tea and later Gatoraid.

As I worked there, customers started coming in looking for me. This was
partially from interaction from me as I was out on the floor, and partially
because the cashiers in the nursery would field their questions towards "the
woman out there in the plants with the flowered hat on, that's Marilyn, the
madgardener" I knew the plants. I knew fertilizers and insecticides, I was
a master gardener (don't flame me for that, I'm proud to be one, but it was
10 years ago I got my papers regarding that. I'm more self educated and
that's a daily process) and I have a way about me that encourages people.

I'm a good salesperson, and as committed as I am regarding my passion for
plants, I'm also good for the department I work in because I'm sincere. I
won't sell you a distressed plant. Or a diseased one or one with pests. I
care. And it's evident when you come across me at the nursery.

When I moved inside, and my part time hours were few and far between, I was
told customers kept coming in looking and asking for me specifically because
I knew the greenhouse plants and such as well on my days off. I also tend to
take the customers where they need to go elsewhere in the store, a practice
I've always done. I'm accommodating. But it's something that is encouraged
by management because it's going out of the way to be helpful and encourages
future sales. I never had to be told this. I treat people like I want
myself to be treated.

Being a cashier was interesting. And I learned quite a bit those short
months, but I was looking forward to getting back out in my department. It
became a sort of joke with the regulars and some that weren't familiar with
me. As they checked out, the regulars who knew me from the nursery would be
surprised to see me up front on the cash register and remark accordingly.
"What are YOU doing HERE??" became a repetative response. Or I'd give out
advice about a tropical plant and they'd really appreciate it. I'd tell
them it was a matter of time and season I'd be back outside and they all
expressed relief because as I was often told "you don't need to be in here,
you need to be outside where you can help US!" g It made me feel needed
and wanted.

Things changed this year. As you all saw in my original post at the top (I
didn't write the Home Despot post, I pasted it to share the thread with all
of you from GW). I posted about the disturbing practices lately of Lowes in
their garden departments. This may not reflect ALL Lowes. That's why I put
it the way I did. They probably do things differently in Arizona or Texas.
Or California. I'm just reporting what I see up close and personal at MY
Lowes and know others in the area are experiencing the same thing.

I don't like it. One of the reasons I work there is because I liked the
plants they carried (they have stopped carrying Stacey's perennials this
year) in the past, the rapport with the employee's, the enviroment and their
compassion. That's another reason I wanted to work for them. This year the
powers that be have decided for whatever reasons to relocate me. Since I
really am an asset to the store, they want to keep me in the nursery, so
they've taken me out of OL& G completely and made me a cashier for the
nursery. I first had been told I was a waterer again this year, but that
things were going to be stricter with the new Miracle Gro plants they were
carrying exclusively this year.

My thoughts were "ho boy, Miracle gro plants......grown in specialized
Miracle gro soil, nurtured with Miracle gro to make them grow even faster
than normal, in a soil less mix, getting rootbound faster, and higher priced
than the plants we carried last year" I also knew that this year the MG
plants were going to be "billed back" if some didn't sell or died. No mark
downs, no discounts, no throwing them away. At all. BUT there was also
another policy put into place. First time this happened. Of plants getting
distressed and becoming unsellable, we'd get 100% credit for them. But the
second time this happened, the nursery would be reimbursed 50%, and a third
time this happened, no credit and corporate would come down and rip
someone's ass. The department manager, and probably even the zone manager.
And I'd say from there it would go further up the store ladder with the
store manager if it went past that. (there is an outside garden manager, a
team leader, and what is called a zone manager who is over both inside and
outside gardening and plumbing...........).

At the meeting before I was moved a week later, I told the loss prevention
manager that I would not take responsibility for the death and loss of
plants that were rootbound and incapable of maintaining moisture. when
plants were rootbound and in soil less mix, they didn't hold moisture at
all. And if I was the official waterer, I needed more than 4 hours every
other day or every two days to do an efficient job. Watering was a full
time job once the season started. I knew and expressed this that there would
be at times from 3-7 trucks loaded with plants coming every other day once
the spring season started. We were right on the edge there at the end of
February. And I was right. Two days later, we got three trucks with fruit
trees, ornamental spring bushes, more tropicals for the greenhouse as well
as forced pots of bulbs, shamrocks for St. Patty's day, and orchids. It had
started.

But worse, there arrived on a day I was off, trucks ladened with ANNUALS.
And these were Miracle gro annuals. And some asian lilies potted up in wide
mouth plastic containers with four bulbs each in the MG mix and bud tight.
The first were red lilies. As soon as I saw them on the outside table, I
knew disaster was about to occur. It was just the end of the first week of
March.

Then I was informed I no longer worked in OL & G and was a nursery cashier
starting the 13th and even though I was confused, I accepted grudgenly my
change in position and went to my post. I was told by a manager that I was
still desperately needed in the garden center but to maintain peace (some
store politics) someone else was made a waterer and I was now officially a
nursery cashier.

They did me a favor. In sorts. I would still be able to advise plants and
such to the customers only not go out on the floor to show them plants. I'd
have to familarize myself with what we had, keep abreast of where things
were placed and stick to my cash register and do those duties involved. I
was no longer a waterer. I wasn't even on the OL & G schedule. I was posted
with the cashiers. Oh well..........I also didn't have to lift heavy bags
of rocks, mulch, pavers, load straw, put out plants, push heavy racks of
plants, lift trees, be out on the scorching concrete or run all over the
garden center or store now.

I dealt with the inner politics and despite my anguish over not being "out
there on the floor" doing what I loved, I also knew this would affect the
garden center eventually as all those regulars and others started trickling
in, and then coming in in droves and floods. I KNEW it was a mistake but
kept my mouth shut.

Kinda. Their new plant specialist was hired because they knew how to do the
job, but didn't know doodle about plants........ but they turned to me and
someone else who had done it for 3 years until they got tired of corporate
over seeing and over stepping the plant orders and then they quit and moved
into the infrastructure. She helped the new specialist a lot and I offered
my complete cooperation and knowledge. They expressed deep gratitude for
this.

But then along with the too early arrival of annuals, and those Asian
lilies. And when I saw them there on the tables in the beautiful Spring
weather, I advised my customers who were clueless about them to plant them,
enjoy their flowers if they opened up, and to cover them if threat of frost
or freeze came up in the near future because they'd lose the buds but the
bulbs and stems and leaves would be fine and come next year, they'd come up
when they were really supposed to because I had raised beds and my lilies
were just poking outa the soil...........

I did this for the days they had me scheduled, and even advised a few who
asked to wait on purchases on annuals they saw because it was a bit too
early for here.................

the madness continued. I came in to see more and more plants arriving and
placed out. And sure enough, we got a hard freeze. A VERY hard freeze. One
that defied frost cloths that were put out the first night, but since they
have all new people out in the OL& G department this year with exception to
two people, no one covered anything the other two nights and it looked like
a cooked turnip green display. The carnage was awful. And they had the new
waterer watering the shade plants the night of the worst freeze and even
those plants that were protected by that got hit because of the overwatering
and freezing of the soils and such. It was sad and pathetic. I kept my mouth
shut.

I knew it was going to happen. And it would happen again. Well, I didn't
work in the department anymore. I was now a cashier. but it was starting to
affect the customers. I started hearing complaints about the appearance of
the plants. And the absurdity of some plants so soon for this area. The
worst was after the post I made about the Columbines. Three days later we
got in Pelargoniums or geraniums and I am over this stupidity.

Apparently whomever they have in the upper eschelons of the company who
oversees the plant purchses and whatnot and decides things is more
interested in getting them visual and sold. I will remain on the cash
register, buy plants from them as I see them, advise my customers as best I
can until the pace restricts me from doing more than ringing up sales (it
will get totally insane once the season starts for real. These past three
days of beautiful weather has proven that with the mass of new house owners
and new residents who are moving to this area by the droves. Last year we
didn't have to open the third register until mid April. this year we had to
do it last weekend because it was georgous and the people were out in masse.

This is all I wanted to tell ya'll. And I ain't starting crap. I still work
for Lowes, but things have changed is all. I might eventually even change
that, but I;ll let you know if that happens. A garden update is coming soon.
thanks for letting me talk about these things. I appreciate it.
madgardener up on the ridge, back in a rainy, cold Fairy Holler overlooking
English Mountain in Eastern Tennessee zone 7, Sunset zone 36


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