Jronman Posted October 14, 2019 Report Share Posted October 14, 2019 Lowes is Revamping their stores to be more pro oriented. Their goal is to make it easier for the pro. This may include more pro oriented tools, a pro loader to help with loading material so only one guy has to make a material run instead of two, demo tables to try tools and whatnot, and a new pro desk supervisor. Dan, Eric, and Stanley went to an event to see what it was all about. It reminded me of the Home Depot events. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mordekyle Posted October 14, 2019 Report Share Posted October 14, 2019 Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mordekyle Posted October 14, 2019 Report Share Posted October 14, 2019 They Didn’t help this guy. I guess he’s not a pro.Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jronman Posted October 14, 2019 Author Report Share Posted October 14, 2019 1 hour ago, Mordekyle said: They Didn’t help this guy. I guess he’s not a pro. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk The new Lowes thing isn't fully implemented. The first stores just started the transition process. It is unlikely that they had the new pro oriented features yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mordekyle Posted October 14, 2019 Report Share Posted October 14, 2019 I just had to post that picture, taken today at Lowe’s.Good news on them trying to make themselves more pro-friendly.They only recently started emailed receipts, which helps me.Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulengr Posted October 14, 2019 Report Share Posted October 14, 2019 Pro tools? So they are going to sell brands other than Craftsman crap? Or wait for it, going above 1” electrical fittings as an example?How about wrenches exceeding 3/4”? Ok here’s an easy one...will the new pro desk clerks be picked the same way Menards does it? Maybe sort their lumber once in a blue moon so their “top grade” or whatever they call it isn’t all the crooked and knotted ones? Is it too much to ask to carry professional tool brands not made by SBD?The only pro moves I’ve seen so far is they added parking spaces around the lumber entrance making it even more crowded, clearanced out the remaining Kobalt tools I used to actually buy once in a while, shrank the Dewalt section to smaller than the one at Tractor Supply, and changed from Southwire to more Crescent or Ideal (forgot which) labeled tools in the electrical aisle. No Klein, Greenlee, or Milwaukee to be found, except at HD. I even had to buy Schlage locksets at HD because all Lowe’s carries now is plastic Qwikset and some off brand and equally cheap line. I don’t even comparison shop there anymore. They’re ok for maybe light bulbs and charcoal when I don’t want to deal with Walmart but no serious contractor bothers. Meanwhile if you need anything and I mean anything not in the stores chances are HD Supply carries it. Or you can check HF or Northern or your flavor of supply houses. While HD has become less and less homeowner oriented Lowe’s seems like they don’t even know who their customers are. I’m sure converting all their employees to hourly and cutting hours so no benefits either was a winning move with the employees that don’t give a crap either now. They used to be able to hire semi-retired or injured contractors. Now it’s just kids out of high school that don’t know what a 3/4” elbow is other than a skinny part of the body.Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fm2176 Posted October 14, 2019 Report Share Posted October 14, 2019 (edited) Oddly enough, five years ago Lowe's was my preferred store. It helped that it was the only big box home improvement store within 30 miles but I genuinely enjoyed shopping there. It seems as though 2013-2014 was when they finalized their shift away from attracting pros. I missed the Knipex clearance in 2013 due to being in a nice mountainous country with primitive rocket technology. 2014 saw them clear out Wiss and Ideal for Southpaw and Fatmax. Late 2014 was when I started making the drive to HD instead. Edited October 14, 2019 by fm2176 Semantics 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jronman Posted October 14, 2019 Author Report Share Posted October 14, 2019 What was shown at the event was commercial grade Husqvarna, Bosch, Metabot HPT (particularly multivolt), Kobalt, and Spider accessories. Interestingly enough they had no SB&D unless I missed something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reddawg60 Posted November 1, 2019 Report Share Posted November 1, 2019 Pro tools? So they are going to sell brands other than Craftsman crap? Or wait for it, going above 1” electrical fittings as an example?How about wrenches exceeding 3/4”? Ok here’s an easy one...will the new pro desk clerks be picked the same way Menards does it? Maybe sort their lumber once in a blue moon so their “top grade” or whatever they call it isn’t all the crooked and knotted ones? Is it too much to ask to carry professional tool brands not made by SBD?The only pro moves I’ve seen so far is they added parking spaces around the lumber entrance making it even more crowded, clearanced out the remaining Kobalt tools I used to actually buy once in a while, shrank the Dewalt section to smaller than the one at Tractor Supply, and changed from Southwire to more Crescent or Ideal (forgot which) labeled tools in the electrical aisle. No Klein, Greenlee, or Milwaukee to be found, except at HD. I even had to buy Schlage locksets at HD because all Lowe’s carries now is plastic Qwikset and some off brand and equally cheap line. I don’t even comparison shop there anymore. They’re ok for maybe light bulbs and charcoal when I don’t want to deal with Walmart but no serious contractor bothers. Meanwhile if you need anything and I mean anything not in the stores chances are HD Supply carries it. Or you can check HF or Northern or your flavor of supply houses. While HD has become less and less homeowner oriented Lowe’s seems like they don’t even know who their customers are. I’m sure converting all their employees to hourly and cutting hours so no benefits either was a winning move with the employees that don’t give a crap either now. They used to be able to hire semi-retired or injured contractors. Now it’s just kids out of high school that don’t know what a 3/4” elbow is other than a skinny part of the body.Sent from my iPhone using TapatalkThis and then some!!!! I have a lowes 10 minutes away and hardly ever go there, I make more trips to HD that is over an hour away and not anywhere close to most of my jobs!!Quite frankly lowes stinks for the most part!! Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-T377A using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Illini Posted November 6, 2020 Report Share Posted November 6, 2020 I’m just A DIY guy, but I couldn’t tell you the last time I set foot in a Lowes. It would be nice if they stepped up their game so as to give me another option other than making the haul down to HD. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fm2176 Posted December 20, 2020 Report Share Posted December 20, 2020 On 11/6/2020 at 12:42 AM, Illini said: I’m just A DIY guy, but I couldn’t tell you the last time I set foot in a Lowes. It would be nice if they stepped up their game so as to give me another option other than making the haul down to HD. I feel you. I'm fortunate to have a Lowe's about a mile away from the house and a Home Depot less than two miles. I almost always go to the latter, though, as they have more of the brands I want (DeWalt and the TTI power tools), a better Special Buy layout (most Lowe's stores crowd their holiday specials in the center aisles or by lawn and garden), and more predictable--but still hit or miss--clearance deals. When I stop by Lowe's these days, it's usually in hopes of finding clearance items. It seems like they clear out the tool section overheads and hardware section every once in a while, and I've scored some great deals on both hardware and miscellaneous tool accessories (likely from since-replaced display tools) such as an OMT accessory kit for $1 or a package of Tapcons for $2. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rod Ango Posted August 26, 2021 Report Share Posted August 26, 2021 We used to have a Builder's Square, but they lost the battle to HD and closed their stores here. Now Lowes is deep into that battle. HD might be winning, but I think they could retrench and make a comeback. With no competition, HD raises prices through the roof, and good service was never their game. Neither is selection. Klein may be a good, lower-mid-level brand, but there are alternatives. But not at HD. They are so expensive for things like dewalt batteries ($200+ for 2x 4.0Ah, in store @ HD, recently-2021.07!) that I buy on the 'net. It often seems that they don't clear old inventory so that a lot of shelf stock has been filtered by remaining after the rest was sold. The upshot is to shop at Lowes, try to keep the competition strong. We, constractors and DIY's benefit! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fm2176 Posted August 29, 2021 Report Share Posted August 29, 2021 Builder's Square, Hechingers, both gone (in the '90's, IIRC), while Lowe's moved from a Dollar General sized store to a true big box (in my area). I'm heading to HD once they open to pick up some more Orbi WiFi extenders (on clearance from $200 to $50). Their prices aren't too bad, especially considering the 10% discount that's given for military and contractors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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