Millworks

Well, surprise of the century, I am actually enjoying being department manager of millworks! First off, it is so much easier than Seasonal because I only have to do paperwork for 1 department and I only have 2 Sales Specialists and no CSAs to take care of. But, really, it's just so much fun to be in a new department, learning new stuff, and finding new challenges. Where in Seasonal the challenges were: too much freight, top stock, keeping displays clean constantly, keeping blue carts full, NOT selling displays, etc-in Millworks the challenges are" keeping stock numbers correct, selling SOSs and installs, and making sure my Specialists realize that they need to do the work as well as the selling. Of course, many of the things I learned in Seasonal are coming in handy in Millworks-like learning bin locations and grey tape, labeling top stock, working all the correct paperwork to keep the department running, etc. Don't get me wrong, I've got my work cut out for me, but it's all about the little things rather than the overwhelming things. I'm learning all kinds of new stuff too-I've realized I want to build a house instead of buy an older one and fix it up because it is WAY too hard to put doors and windows into existing frames!:) And I have all kinds of great ideas about which types of doors and windows I would like to get. I Guess I'll have to work at Lowes at least until we build a house because I want only the best doors and windows, of course.:)

Store 2536 is so very different from store 0712 in Pascagoula-they are so much more laid back, but the store is actually much cleaner, the customer service is better, and all the associates work together better-they don't really have a choice because most of the time there is only 1 person in each deparment-if that. Last night I had the phones for Millworks, Electrical, and Lumber all at once! Also, the closers in each department work the freight that comes in at night instead of leaving it for the stock crew in the morning-if there IS a truck (they come in 2 or 3 times a week only). We have so few employees that there really ISN'T much of a stock crew and delivery does multiple jobs (like zamboni-ing the whole store at night) as well as cashiers helping out on the floor...if only Lowes 0712 could see how few people we have up here!

I've been told that things will get crazier as summer comes on, but, right now, I am enjoying learning, getting things organized, and making the department my own. I'm even putting doors into topstock with the picker (my muscles should be bigger soon!) and using star wars INSIDE the stoor to get down pallets of doors! How odd to be living this type of life.