If I was in charge of Lowes training and management....

I would have every employee start off at least their first month or so in their store as a cashier!

For that matter, I would not hire people to be CSA's right off the bat, if a CSA position opened, I would open it up to cashiers and loaders first, then if none of the cashiers/loaders wanted the position, I would look outside of the store (after asking myself what is so wrong with the position that no one in store wanted it).

I would say that 75% of the cashiers want off the register, and want a chance to grow with the store. But they are not given the chance, because the position that they would like to try has been filled by a new hire.

The new hire who has no clue about how Lowes is ran, what Lowes expects from them, or how to ring up that big sale that they just got, so that they get credit for the sale.

I am tired of hearing from CSA's that they do not know how to run the register so there by they can not help out when the cashier has to wait on an item number or an override.

I am tired of CSA's telling me that if someone orders/buys something "big" from their department to call and get their man number for the sale, even if they did not help the customer at all!

My favorite line from customers is: "This guy back there in the plumbing department told me to give you this card. I don't know why." Normally this is accompanied by a large order of some kind.

When I respond that it is so he gets credit for the sale, even though its not a special order.

Then the customer 9/10 times says, "But he didn't help me, he just saw me leaving the department with my cart and asked me to give you the card."

AND

I don't think that its fair that just because we are cashiers that we can not benefit from some of the special order comps and other spiffs ($)! There should be a way to designate in the computer when we actually "sell" the product, verses just ringing up the product.

I personally have sold 6 riding lawn mowers for the guys in seasonal since April, when I have been getting buggies, or running returns. Which I know is not a lot, but considering I am not even supposed to be in that area, its more than 2 a month.

I have been the one to answer the questions, to look up information all of that, but I don't get crap for it. Where as one of the CSA's or specialist would have gotten a spiff for it. Depending on who is working the department, determines if I finish the sale or if I turn it over to the department so they can get the spiff for it, because if they treat me like crap for being a "lowly" cashier, I am not going to pad their paycheck for them.

Maybe if they had, had to start out as a cashier, they would realize how hard we work!

CSA's, specialists, and even department managers don't realize that most days cashiers do not get a 15 minute break. Plus just to run to the little girls room is a production, because someone has to watch your register. Cashiers can not just pick what time they are going to lunch, and if your replacement is late, you are not going to get off work on time.

Cashiers get the grouchy customer who is ticked because there was no one in the department to help them.

Cashiers are the ones to get the brunt of the customers bad day, because a pipe busted, that was made worse because instead of helping them, the CSA/specialist was on the phone.

Cashiers are the ones that have to tell the customer that the CSA quoted them the wrong price, and then try to sort it out, while the CSA doesn't answer the department phone or overhead page.

Cashiers are the ones that look like idiots when trying to figure out what screw, nut, bolt, pipe, pvc elbow, plant, fan belt etc it is that doesn't have an item number, because as always when the CSA/specialist is called they are "busy with a customer" but while we are still trying to sort it out, they come out of the break room, or training room.

Cashiers are the ones left making appologies for a pick up later that should have taken them 10 minutes at the most turning into an hour, because none of the CSA/specialist will go pull the order out of recieving. Or even better yet, the CSA/specialist that was supposed to put the order back in recieving "forgot" so now the front end loader has to go pull the order, and we have to cross our fingers that the merchandise is still in the store.