Came into Lowe’s on a slow Friday evening (May 15th around 6:30 PM) needing 18 pieces of 1-in x 4-in x 8-ft Spruce Pine Fir furring strips cut for a bed slat project. I even brought one of the original slats from home as a reference to make the measurements simple and quick. After sorting through multiple moldy and poor-quality boards to find usable pieces, I loaded everything onto my cart and went looking for assistance because there were no employees around in the lumber yard.
As I walked toward the front, I noticed two young associates standing around smoking, joking, and on their phones. I asked one associate, Nick, if he could help cut the wood. Before I could even explain the cuts or the project, he immediately responded with, “I can only cut 5 pieces,” followed by an awkward explanation about how I could just buy a saw from the store because “it’s easy.”
There was zero effort to understand what I needed, no customer service, and no willingness to help. He seemed far more interested in getting back to his phone than assisting a paying customer. I explained that I had the sample slat with me to make the measurements easy, but he continued repeating the “5 pieces only” statement. When I asked if that was actually store policy, he simply said “yeah.”
At that point, I thanked him for his “help” and left without causing a scene in front of my pregnant wife and 1-year-old daughter. As a disabled veteran, I don’t expect special treatment, but I do expect basic customer service and professionalism.
I called Home Depot on Power Rd and Germann Rd and asked if they had a cutting limit. The associate immediately said no, asked about my project, what kind of wood I needed, and told me to come in because they would take care of me.
That’s exactly what they did.
The Home Depot associates went above and beyond. They helped me choose better wood options, explained cost differences, recommended a more efficient solution instead of individual slats, cut every piece I needed, and even helped me pick the correct screws for the project. I left there feeling valued as a customer.
Unfortunately, Lowe’s lost my business that night. Lowe’s used to be my go-to store for plants, cleaning supplies, and lumber, but after this experience, I now know which company actually values customer service.
If “I don’t know, I just work here” was a person, Nick would be the face of it.
Do better, Lowe’s.