Lowe's Blue Vest Service manager program

Any comments on the newly implemented "Lowe's Blue Vest Service manager program"???

bunkersblogger.blogspot.com/2008/10/lowes-new-blue-vest-service-manager.html

here's my comment. I currently work for Lowes and I'm over it. Anyway I feel the Service manager is a glorified babysitter. They come around every two hours, ask if I have a work list and I have to show it to them so they can see the date. If the "Call Buttons" go off and no one is able to get to them, they run to your desk and ask why you don't run around to other departments to turn them off. I thought part of their job was to take up the slack and go turn off call buttons and locate someone who can help the customer.

What is the Blue Vest Service Manager? Well that is the big question many customers and employee's alike feel that the program is useless. How does a service manager greet a customer? They may say things like "Hey how are you doing today?", "Can I find/get someone to help you with that?", "Were you able to locate what you were looking for today was everyone helpful?" or "Can I help you with that?", "Can I help you find what you are looking for". But which is most effective after greeting the customer when the customer ask for help/assistance either answer and help the customer since after all you do know what the customer is needing/looking for or have the customer wait while you try and locate another associate in the department that is not with a customer to go and help them. If you page overhead for assistance someone may or may not show up for 3-5 mins. If you try to call them on their phone it may be busy or just ring with no answer or you might try and get someone in the next department to help them though they may not be very familiar with the product to free you up so that you can keep circling the floor or get a call button on the other side of the store. Many times when the service managers could easily take care of the customer but pass the customer on to another employee instead it leaves the customer thinking that the service manager just did not want to help them and to make it worse the employee that the customer was handed over to ask the service manager why couldn't they help them is the service manager to reply that is not my job?, or I have other things to do I have to keep walking the floor, or lie and say something that maybe will not offend the customer like I have another customer waiting. I mean the customers do not truely understand or care for that matter what the service manager is suppose to do to them we are suppose to help them in a timely fashion to get what they need to complete their projects so that they can get on to completing the

"What Difference Does It Make", Blue, Red, Green, Purple there aren't enough peple on the sales floor to take care of the customers that they have. Lowes managers are operating the business instead of going after sales. Look at the number of Depot Ads on TV as opposed to Lowe's. Don't get me wrong I'm not a big fan of either but because of the media exposure, I would be more likely to shop at Depot.

I've Been-There and Wore that Blue Vest. What a complete wast of a reasource that is so badlly needed elsewhaere. It has been stated here several times over. Staffing, Scheduling and Proper Coverage. That is what will ensure your customers are recieving the attention that the companies vision and mission statement proclaims it to be. Putting a Department Manager or Senior Manager in a Blue Vest, is just a cover-up for what is seriously lacking in the asiles. I know of on serveral occassions that the Senior Manager wearing that Blue Vest was in fact the coverage for a particular department. When it was quite. He would be either downstocking, attempting to complete IRP or in fact Assisting Customers making a selection. The Front End of the stores remind me of Stop & Shop never any coverage just bearly enough to cover minimum areas. Self Check-Out, CMB, One Register, Customer Service, Returns and OSL&G. and by 6-7PM we would at times be closing Returns, OSL&G to simply satisfy coverage on the Fron-End. The stress level would peak after my 55-60th working hour.
Someone said it earlier. Corporate is running these stores through the use of numerious EMS Tasks, Audits designed to keep you on-track, Mandatory OPS-Talk, Military DM Walks and those un-invited un-announced corporate visits all designed to keep your stress level well above deamed healthy by any streach of mind. Turn-and-Burn..

A Couple of things that you have forgotten. Value and Advertising drw customers to the store and once they enthe store, there better be someone to help them or they'll walk out the door. If you have noticed Depot ads are powerful indicating that they have dropped the price on over a thousand items where has Lowe's shown value in anyone of their ads? So they sell paint big deal. You can see it in employees faces when you walk into any Lowe's store in the Boston Market they've been beaten done and kicked to the corner particularly the Asst. Managers who work anywhere from 6 to 9 straight 12 hour days before a day off. The District Manager in the Boston Market (F.R.) if he's still there, turns a blind eye when he walks into the stores and doesn't care to hear any imput from the managers. Talk about morale, there isn't any it's all negetive.

Been There As Well In Boston.

Ihear you loud and clear and its only folks like you and I who have encountered these experiences could possibly understand. Lowe's is what makes retail very ugly a turnoff to a lot of new bees entering retail for the first time. This is not your typical retail environment. It is people like the (F.R.'s) and yes, he's still the DM that put the "U" in ugly in retail. Yes, look into the faces of those employees when you come through a Lowe's Store. I wore a frown myself. The stress level was so great that I experienced two associates who left due to severe stress. I too, got out before I would be victom number three. I haven't been back not even as a customer as I do not want to add to that stress level.

You and I couldn't be any closer in our feelings towards Lowe's. The younger folk are attracked by the salary until they realize that the hours they're scheduled to work "can" exceed 55 to 60 hrs as a Senior Manager. Of course, these hours go unappreciated as well. I was attempting to discribe the work week schedule to those that didn't believe that a Senior Manager could actually work 10 straight 12 hour days or 120 straight hours without a day off at not be in anytype of violation regarding these hours. The key is that the week ends on a Friday and that Saturday is the first day of the week. For example if you were to have Saturday and Sunday off, which does in fact happen at least once a month, you would begin working on Monday, and work Tuesday, Wednesday Thursday and Friday, a five day work week right? Now the new week begins on the next day Saturday, so you work Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday,before having Thursday and Friday off. A total of 120 straight hours!! This situation happened to all of my peers in management as well, all except the Store and Ops Manager who actually make up the schedules. Niether one followed the Corporate Staffing schedule. No one else however, brought up the topic because they were new and only saw the salary they were being paid when if they broke down, it was closer to minimum wage. If I continued to work at Lowe's I not only wouldn't have had a life outside of Lowe's, but my wife of 30 years was going to divorce me if I continued working there. It's kind of legalized slave labor and as you, I'm glad that I left.

In addition to the extensive amount of work hours before reciveing your next days off (120+Hours) Let's keep in mind that when your days off reached you, you were in fact again cheated Let's say you were scheduled off Saturday & Sunday. Friday you or at least I would be scheduled to CLOSE meaning getting out just after midnight after (Zone Recovery) and being worse off scheduled for opening on Monday Morning. meaning getting to bed late on Friday or shall I say Saturday Mornings and having to get to bed by 8:00PM on Sunday evenings thus taken away of up-to 15-18hrs. of your/may scheduled days off. WOW, was this so trying, depressing and stressful. No I don't miss it a bit. The end result was to get to at least an OPS position. However, under the Lowe's ( Lets Build Your Career Together ) program and the (F.R.) T.G.I.F (Thank God Its Frank) I must like you program promotion opportunities just simply did not exsist. Glade to be gone.

Without question. When I closed I was the lasy one to leave the building anyware from 11:30PM to 12:00AM each night and that's if there weren't any problems. Evem though I lived a short distance from my store, I didn't unwind until 1/1:30AM before I could fall asleep. I know exactly what you mean.

In addition, have you ever noticed or paid special attention to the (posted & Recored Managers Scheduling) All Seniors are scheduled for and (11 Hour) shift minus an hour for lunch or dinner leaves you scheduled for (10+ Working scheduled Hours Per Shift) right. Now have you ever compaired those hours to the hours Posted and Recorded which accounted toward your benefit package to your bi-weekly paycheck. If you have an old pay-stub hanging about Please take note that you were credited with working ONLY ( 80 Hours ) within that pay period relefting on your vacation benefits all while they were screwing you out of 40-hours on a bi-weekly basis totaling some 1,040 Hours a year out of our benefits. That is nothing short of exstortion and modern day slave labor. Can you imagine a company like Lowe's with its make blief employee vision and engagement policy. Talk about (Chinese Overtime) or better still lets call it what it really is ( Legalized Exstortion ) Theft of payroll.

Great Point! and yes I have and you're correct but yet, Lowe's isn't breaking any laws according to my attorney. It's hard to believe isn't it. All that I can suggest to those who are considering Lowe's as a career, don't buy into their promises of career advancement and how important one is as part of the time unless of course one likes to be kicked to the curb on a daily bases with your efforts going un appreciated.