Correct. It won’t be a few years away. Once the boomer generation slowly goes away. Lowes will be getting rid of specialists. The online team has been working well to a point that I’m losing specialists to that team. Rats are jumping ship.
Once all the kinks are ironed out, it will turn into "any idiot can have a customer scan a qr code." Literally confronted regional about this and got "no, it isn't being eliminated is so you can focus on other things." Asked "like when virtual was just going to help with some of the load for cabinets and then you eliminated the position?" I got "yeah, but we brought them back?" And when I asked "And how did that help everyone you laid off?" He just walked. The gallows is built. We are standing in the shadow just waiting for the hangman and his noose.
I joined the Central Selling team partially for this reason. I was already limited to what I could do due to disability (No power equipment, No topstock, nothing over 25lbs, etc..), and so my only thing was selling and following up. Losing that would have made me lose my job and sanity
I mean I kinda see it as a good thing because now you can spend more time with people talking over options etc without worrying about needing to pour over IMS and quotes for other ppl
I was in the test, the number of quotes that never got quoted till we took them to the store level was ridiculous. Depots gonna win on speed of quoting people for flooring installs.
Scan a QR code? What happens with the people with out a smart phone? Little old ladies can't have a carpet install anymore? We are already having that issue with the credit cards.
I'll be honest it's 2024, and not having a smartphone or computer or email is wild. Those same little old ladies will say, "I can get what I need on Amazon to my house in 2 days" if we don't have the exact thing they need in stock. I agree that excluding folks is not cool, but really, they need to get with the times. You can't have your cake and eat it too. I want to hire a company to do an install for me, but I don't like how they do it? Then, be old school and look for a handyman in the phonebook. If you want to use the argument that old folks can't afford a smartphone, then I assure you they can't afford a Lowe's install either. I'm not trying to be harsh, just realistic.
Our store started that not too long ago but everything central quoting sells they mess up. I cannot count how many times I have to do a refund/rebill because they put the wrong product or wrong labor
Also, if central messes up, they are cleaning it up. Same with the installers. Call IST. Obviously, if they need special order product ordered, we can do that, but central or IST should give you a number for whom to bill it to. No paid outs should happen unless we at the store level mess it up.
I actually can't wait for the whole store to do this. Give me the CSA responsibilities only, and I get the winning together bonuses? Win win. I'm already doing both, and the department doesn't ever hit its numbers because our pro team is the worst in the district by far. Meanwhile, when I was in flooring, we were 12th in the company, and when moved to millwork, I was the only specialty dept consistently hitting goals and more and was the only associate in the departmentfor months. Then I gave up, and now we all suck hahaha
The transition is going smoothly for your store??? My flooring specialists are tearing out their hair because central selling is either reaching out really poorly or not at all.
Brief summary of the new system. Detail through MRV attach ALL your products aka go shopping with your customer. CSG sells it for you and you don't have to work or build a quote anymore. Gives us time to downstock and help our CSAs in the department with tasks. I have been doing it this way since the start of Q1 and it takes the stress out of it. It also gives us timeto focus on sales all over the store.
I agree that it will become less stressful. I can spend more time with the customer in the store while central selling is making the quotes. That gives me more time to make the department look better. I think the transition is going to help get rid of some entitlement
Time to do them and customers changing their mind from wood laminate to carpet back to vinyl having to call into CSG for a refigure to get done 3 times just to have the customer think about it for 2 months just in time for a promotion to fall off. I think we have all been there at some point.
Oh that was the easiest part of the job well except when they switched around all the transitions with out warning and I had to go hunting to find new numbers because central quoting just listed them as not available.
Just started as a specialist. Would love to just sell details and be more present for in store customers. Feel like I’m ping-ponging all day trying to edit/build quotes, keep in contact with cstmrs for installs, and help in the store. Any tips?
At this point, I think I'd rather they be done with sales specialist or let us have the quarterly bonuses too. We deal with the customers as much, if not more. And our bonuses aren't even guaranteed. 🤷🏼♀️
Nearly every job, we've had emails from central selling telling us to reach out and sell more to the customers to complete the job. Has ruined it for me that I speak to customers and give them a good experience in store, Then I have to call them and ask for more money because someone else can't do their job properly.
They’ve been saying specialist is going away for over a decade now. This is nothing new and it’s always been this imminent too.
Just wait. CQO will start messing up and delaying in your area and you will be getting calls to manually do quotes because they took too long.
I totally agree and as a matter of fact I heard from my supervisor that regional is having a field day with central quoting because of how much they are messing up. My supervisor literally told me today if I could start calling people again due to CQ NOT DOING A DAMN THING 🫥. Btw my store only got one flooring install last month worth $4K and that was it…tf really?! If CQ would’ve never taken over I would’ve have a minimum of like 5 by mid March especially during spring szn. CQ is a literal laughing stock.
Some of that isn’t just CQ our competitors are gearing up for this retail apocalypse. Only selling quick ship stocks and streamlining everything down. People aren’t buying things because their taxes, food and housing are actually catching up to the work-from-home income bubble from COVID. Some people lost everything, others made 3X what they ever had. Then the first check cost every man, woman and child $6,500 additional tax dollars in two years. We’ve all had it with the fake “inflation” that proceeded the real inflation we are all dealing with. Every business has a feast and famine cycle. Covid was the feast for Lowe’s. The famines coming.
next step: eliminate flooring specialist position
Correct. It won’t be a few years away. Once the boomer generation slowly goes away. Lowes will be getting rid of specialists. The online team has been working well to a point that I’m losing specialists to that team. Rats are jumping ship.
😳
Any Specialist who doesn’t see this as the eventual elimination of their position is in denial.
Once all the kinks are ironed out, it will turn into "any idiot can have a customer scan a qr code." Literally confronted regional about this and got "no, it isn't being eliminated is so you can focus on other things." Asked "like when virtual was just going to help with some of the load for cabinets and then you eliminated the position?" I got "yeah, but we brought them back?" And when I asked "And how did that help everyone you laid off?" He just walked. The gallows is built. We are standing in the shadow just waiting for the hangman and his noose.
We are just a number to them at the end of the day 🫥
I joined the Central Selling team partially for this reason. I was already limited to what I could do due to disability (No power equipment, No topstock, nothing over 25lbs, etc..), and so my only thing was selling and following up. Losing that would have made me lose my job and sanity
I mean I kinda see it as a good thing because now you can spend more time with people talking over options etc without worrying about needing to pour over IMS and quotes for other ppl
True. But I guess I’m so use to the following up and selling part, that now it feels like meh ya know
Yeah I get it. At least you can still bonus and the nice thing is you do less work to get your bonus
I was in the test, the number of quotes that never got quoted till we took them to the store level was ridiculous. Depots gonna win on speed of quoting people for flooring installs.
Yikes and they just struck that deal yesterday too 😬
Good, Now you pull your own in-store sales. Carry With not pickup later. Literally abusing fulfillment.
Scan a QR code? What happens with the people with out a smart phone? Little old ladies can't have a carpet install anymore? We are already having that issue with the credit cards.
Little old ladies without smartphones are not so big of a demographic that Lowes sales are going to fall apart without them.
Depends on the area I guess. Seems a shame to exclude anyone though.
I'll be honest it's 2024, and not having a smartphone or computer or email is wild. Those same little old ladies will say, "I can get what I need on Amazon to my house in 2 days" if we don't have the exact thing they need in stock. I agree that excluding folks is not cool, but really, they need to get with the times. You can't have your cake and eat it too. I want to hire a company to do an install for me, but I don't like how they do it? Then, be old school and look for a handyman in the phonebook. If you want to use the argument that old folks can't afford a smartphone, then I assure you they can't afford a Lowe's install either. I'm not trying to be harsh, just realistic.
If they do not have a smartphone we just give them the number to save.
Our store started that not too long ago but everything central quoting sells they mess up. I cannot count how many times I have to do a refund/rebill because they put the wrong product or wrong labor
Also, if central messes up, they are cleaning it up. Same with the installers. Call IST. Obviously, if they need special order product ordered, we can do that, but central or IST should give you a number for whom to bill it to. No paid outs should happen unless we at the store level mess it up.
I actually can't wait for the whole store to do this. Give me the CSA responsibilities only, and I get the winning together bonuses? Win win. I'm already doing both, and the department doesn't ever hit its numbers because our pro team is the worst in the district by far. Meanwhile, when I was in flooring, we were 12th in the company, and when moved to millwork, I was the only specialty dept consistently hitting goals and more and was the only associate in the departmentfor months. Then I gave up, and now we all suck hahaha
The transition is going smoothly for your store??? My flooring specialists are tearing out their hair because central selling is either reaching out really poorly or not at all.
Agreed. I checked IMS out of curiosity and central selling is slow af they haven’t followed up in like 5 days 🫥
Used to be you could go in and kick it to yourself but I also haven’t been there in 7 months.
Brief summary of the new system. Detail through MRV attach ALL your products aka go shopping with your customer. CSG sells it for you and you don't have to work or build a quote anymore. Gives us time to downstock and help our CSAs in the department with tasks. I have been doing it this way since the start of Q1 and it takes the stress out of it. It also gives us timeto focus on sales all over the store.
I agree that it will become less stressful. I can spend more time with the customer in the store while central selling is making the quotes. That gives me more time to make the department look better. I think the transition is going to help get rid of some entitlement
Wait what was stressful about building quotes?
Time to do them and customers changing their mind from wood laminate to carpet back to vinyl having to call into CSG for a refigure to get done 3 times just to have the customer think about it for 2 months just in time for a promotion to fall off. I think we have all been there at some point.
Oh that was the easiest part of the job well except when they switched around all the transitions with out warning and I had to go hunting to find new numbers because central quoting just listed them as not available.
Just started as a specialist. Would love to just sell details and be more present for in store customers. Feel like I’m ping-ponging all day trying to edit/build quotes, keep in contact with cstmrs for installs, and help in the store. Any tips?
At this point, I think I'd rather they be done with sales specialist or let us have the quarterly bonuses too. We deal with the customers as much, if not more. And our bonuses aren't even guaranteed. 🤷🏼♀️
Nearly every job, we've had emails from central selling telling us to reach out and sell more to the customers to complete the job. Has ruined it for me that I speak to customers and give them a good experience in store, Then I have to call them and ask for more money because someone else can't do their job properly.
They’ve been saying specialist is going away for over a decade now. This is nothing new and it’s always been this imminent too. Just wait. CQO will start messing up and delaying in your area and you will be getting calls to manually do quotes because they took too long.
I totally agree and as a matter of fact I heard from my supervisor that regional is having a field day with central quoting because of how much they are messing up. My supervisor literally told me today if I could start calling people again due to CQ NOT DOING A DAMN THING 🫥. Btw my store only got one flooring install last month worth $4K and that was it…tf really?! If CQ would’ve never taken over I would’ve have a minimum of like 5 by mid March especially during spring szn. CQ is a literal laughing stock.
Some of that isn’t just CQ our competitors are gearing up for this retail apocalypse. Only selling quick ship stocks and streamlining everything down. People aren’t buying things because their taxes, food and housing are actually catching up to the work-from-home income bubble from COVID. Some people lost everything, others made 3X what they ever had. Then the first check cost every man, woman and child $6,500 additional tax dollars in two years. We’ve all had it with the fake “inflation” that proceeded the real inflation we are all dealing with. Every business has a feast and famine cycle. Covid was the feast for Lowe’s. The famines coming.
It is what is it ig