Has Anyone Worked In Home Improvement Retail Stores? (job, company, full time)

[Me0987]

Hello everyone. I would just like to ask all of you if there are anyone that post here on this forum that have worked in home improvement stores such as Home Depot or Lowe's. The reason I ask is because I would like to get some insight on what to expect when I start my training next week.

A few weeks ago, I was hired at Lowe's Home Improvement for a cashier position. I had been a cashier before but it was for grocery, which is much simpler, obviously. At first, I was having second thoughts about being hired here as the location was far away from my place of residence, but I had since abandon that way of thinking and now don't have that much of a problem with the commute, but that's another story.

Just this week, I had finished my online tutorials about how to provide customer service and what to do about safety in the store (Lowe's is big on the safety part itself, it's like it's more important to them than sales). I finally got to the cashier tutorials and it was as if my head exploded at how complex it all was. Like how to give discounts to army personnel or how to sell display products or make deliveries. I understand that all of that can be complicated but I'm perfectly willing to tackle all of it.

So, has anyone reading this worked at Lowe's or any other big box home improvement store like Home Depot? What should I expect from the company that I work for and what are your experiences with home improvement. Is there anything helpful that I should know before I start my cashier training? Are there any negative experiences that you've had? Please let me know.

[oregonwoodsmoke]

Some of the clerks there don't seem very smart, so if they can learn to do the job, you should not have any problems.

There is probbaly no job anywhere that you don't have to learn their system. It'll all be second nature to you soon enough. At least their scanners there seem to work (minus the very annoying malfunctioning self checkout lines).

All the safety concerns are one of the things I admire the most about those stores, and I would think that the people who work there would also appreciate it.

Best luck to you with the new job.

[Me0987]

Originally Posted by oregonwoodsmoke

Some of the clerks there don't seem very smart, so if they can learn to do the job, you should not have any problems.

There is probbaly no job anywhere that you don't have to learn their system. It'll all be second nature to you soon enough. At least their scanners there seem to work (minus the very annoying malfunctioning self checkout lines).

All the safety concerns are one of the things I admire the most about those stores, and I would think that the people who work there would also appreciate it.

Best luck to you with the new job.

Well thanks. I just hope that as a clerk, I won't run into any problems as I've had a pretty bad experience as a cashier when I was working grocery. The more complex system of a retail cashier does scare me but the instructional video did say that the cashier should have an instruction booklet to the side of it. I kind of wished that Lowe's would of had instead given me a booklet of all the procedures of how to operate a cashier instead of online tutorials, that way, I can learn on my own time and always have the how to ready when I'm at work.

And part of me kind of wishes that the store didn't have self check out machines. In that case, I'd be able to get more easy to scan products and be able to give great customer service 100% without having to worry about doing anything too complicated.

[mdovell]

Well I was there for 3.5 years. Personally I think it can be great for part time but not so much for full time.

Take some of the test lesson things for other departments. Being a cashier can be fine but only to a point. If you want to move up you pretty much have to get into another department.

The growth has slowed so keep in mind anything you hear of opportunities for those leaving for any reason.

[Me0987]

Originally Posted by mdovell

Well I was there for 3.5 years. Personally I think it can be great for part time but not so much for full time.

Take some of the test lesson things for other departments. Being a cashier can be fine but only to a point. If you want to move up you pretty much have to get into another department.

The growth has slowed so keep in mind anything you hear of opportunities for those leaving for any reason.

Well for as much as I would be happy to work at Lowe's full time, I know that I have to be realistic about the situation. My job is only a part time gig, and I am considering getting a second job possibly, that is if the bosses are okay with it. I am also considering hopefully changing departments if I can (I had a terrible experience as a cashier when I was working grocery), I wish that I could of had been hired as a sale associate but apparently that's not the case. In any case, 3 and a half years is a pretty good amount of time, let's see if I can last that long.

[hymangaines]

Hello,
I have worked approximate 1.4 years with retail store. Recent housing data including existing and new home sales, builders’ confidence and housing starts point to a strengthening housing recovery: Couple that with a continued declined in mortgage rates and the trends bode well for home improvement retailers.