BAD EXPERIENCE WITH LOWE'S FOR AN ENTIRE WEEK

I was just in Lowe's today as a matter of fact to buy paint for my
garage. I was not there even two minutes and an associate asked if he
could help. He even helped me match the color of paint I wanted with
the sample I brought.
I always go to Lowe's...the one in our area has very helpful employees
and I never have had to leave there without being asked if someone
could help me.

But I do agree with you...it sounds this location must have the
majority of horrible employees.
And I believe you have said it as much as you can.

The days of the helpful hometown hardware store are LONG gone -
replaced forever by the Mega-Glomerate "Home Improvement" store.

The people who work there get paid minimum wage and do nothing but
stock shelves. If you're lucky (and I mean REALLY lucky!) you might
find someone who took the time to figure out a little bit about the
products he or she has been stocking and they can speak somewhat
intelligently about what you need.

But more often than not, you're on your own. Thats why so many small
hardware stores went out of business because they couldn't afford to
compete with the HD's and Lowe's of the world.

You get what you're willing to pay for.

"Moron's"? "Plumping"?

Irony makes me snicker.

If you want employees that know their products, you will need to go to
a real hardware store. Think "locally". Lowe's, Home Depot etc. will
hire anyone and zero training is provided.

Another plus is you will be helping your local economy much more than
shopping at a national chain where most of the profits go back to the
home office.

You know what the problem is in general? Most places say "let our
knowledgeable, friendly ,expertise staff assist you".Thats all a
gimmick! And really, the cause of it is that these employees receive
absolutely NO TRAINING!They get thrown out there on their first day,
with no experience, no knowledge and is expected to help a customer
who wants answers. It's not fair to the employee..if you wanna blame
someone for the lack of knowledge, blame the company for being cheap
and not paying for their staff to be trained!

What you describe regarding plumbing fixtures is what the
do-it-yourselfer faces when they dive in themselves. Perhaps you are
referring to a basin wrench. I have dabbled at plumbing as a jack of
all trades, but I am not proficient with one of those. Or maybe you
mean using an adjustable wrench in a tight space. That is tough. Or
perhaps an open box wrench that allows you to go around a pipe and get
on the nut. You can use various wrenches if you are mechanically
inclined.

If you want a job like this done right, hire a professional. Or, go
to a Plumbing Supply House and they can sell you the right tool at a
high price to get the job done correctly. The people at home centers
have limited experience and thus can only provide limited help. I'm a
pretty decent handyman, and I have a tough time getting consistent
help. I sometimes have to talk to a few people before I get an answer
that makes sense. They are not MORONS, but they aren't typically
people who just locked the toolbox up after working on a jobsite.

You are a victim of putting too much stock in their advertising. What
does Home Depot say, "You Can Do It We Can Help"? If you have used
them for help in the past you know that advertising is more than a
little optimistic. Lowe's must do the same thing in their own way.
But this isn't unique to home centers - if you believed every
company's advertising claims verbatum you would be a very disappointed
person.

Paint and its application are actually sciences. I learned this from
a paint shop owner several years ago. He was quizzing me about acids
and bases and such, knowing I had taken a college chemistry class.
You think most of the CSR's at a home center know that? Nope. And
you need to carefully select a finish for outside use, prepare the
surface properly, and apply under the right conditions or you WILL be
painting again in the next year or two. Go to a hardware store with a
good paint department, and there should be someone there who can give
you good advice.

As far as paint matching, I have had decent luck with that at both
Lowe's and HD. It isn't perfect though. You didn't say exactly what
you meant by they couldn't match it.

I think your expectations of the help you might receive at Lowe's are
excessive. Calling the people there morons shows ignorance and worse.
I have spoken with many CSR's at home centers, and never once have I
thought the individual was lacking in the intelligence required to do
their job. This term should be very offensive to the average reader.


If you want professional advice, hire one. I wonder what the pay is
at a home center. I bet it doesn't come close to what a tradesperson
earns.

Moron (from Dictionary.com)
1. a person who is notably stupid or lacking in good judgment.
2. Psychology. a person of borderline intelligence in a former
classification of mental retardation, having an intelligence quotient
of 50 to 69.

That is awful customer service, Pam. The ads try to convince you the
staff is knowledgeable and helpful, so I understand why you are so
disappointed and annoyed. You were merely trying to receive the
services they claim to offer, and they really let you down. And your
point about color matching is well taken. If they can't do it, then
they shouldn't claim that they can. Since these home improvements
stores pretty much offer the same merchandise and prices, I think the
business is hinged on customer service, and in this case Lowe's failed
you miserably.

is that the OP is accusing the employees of being morons. No, of
being MORONS. They don't even know about plumping.

Elaine: It's ironic.
Women: What's ironic?
Elaine: This, that we've come all this way, we have made all this
progress,
but you know we've lost the little things, the niceties.
Woman: No, I mean what does 'ironic' mean?
Elaine: Oh...

Pam Self,

Your character assasination and constant reference to associates as
Morons will get your letter as much attention as it deserves. Zilch.
Nada.

BillR.