LOWE’S workers are coming clean about a trick they use on customers, and it’s sparked some backlash.
It comes after a viral clip exposed the sneaky move, but the staffer insisted it only happens in certain scenarios.
In a TikTok by user @itsminimade that’s now been seen over 500,000 times, a staffer is seen picking up a store phone and paging a coworker to assist a shopper.
The video, which currently has over 69,000 likes, was filmed at Lowe’s location, though the specific store hasn’t been named.
“Can I have an associate for inside garden grills, thank you,” she says into the phone.
Text across the video reads, “Me knowing darn well the inside garden associate went home 30 minutes ago.”
Her caption summed up the tactic: “Sometimes you just gotta tell the customers you’ll call them someone over knowing no one is coming.”
quickly exploded with over 200 comments, and most weren’t holding back their frustration with the worker.
“I’d much rather you tell me they aren’t there than waste my damn time,” one shopper snapped.
Another added, “Just tell me straight up that no one is at that department then waste my time, I could go somewhere else within that time frame.”
Some users jumped to her defense, saying she did the right thing.
“The ppl in the comments saying ‘why waste my time just tell me no one can help with that’ have never worked retail or fast food,” one wrote.
“Most customers would lose their minds if we told them the truth.”
“I work at Lowe’s,” another chimed in.
“It’s better doing this rather than getting cussed by the customer. Not associates’ fault that management can’t schedule anyone.”
Others weren’t as understanding – and said they got their revenge by going to a rival retailer.
MYLOWE'S REWARDS TIERS EXPLAINED
Here are the tiers included in the Lowe's rewards program:
Bronze Key: Earns 1 point per dollar spent and offers free standard shipping on eligible purchases of $35 or more. Silver Key: Earns 1.25 points per dollar and includes free standard shipping on eligible items with no minimum purchase required. Gold Key: Earns 1.5 points per dollar and provides free standard shipping on eligible items with no purchase minimum.“And that’s how I ended up dropping $15k on home appliances at a different store the same night,” one said.
“I hate workers that can’t be honest with customers,” one said.
“If you’re short-staffed, say so. Don’t try to waste my time.”
“Just tell me straight up that no one is in that department,” another added.
“This is beyond inappropriate and insulting. Waste my time? Why?” said one frustrated user.
TikToker @itsminimade didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment by The U.S. Sun.
WORKERS WEIGH IN
Lowe’s staff continued to admit the sneaky behavior is nothing new.
“I’ve did this many times,” one confessed.
“Gotta make the customers think we are being helpful,” another commented.
“Getting help at Lowe’s is like asking a gas station worker for help on taxes,” a user joked.
“Literally no one listens when I page sometimes,” someone else wrote. “It’s annoying.”
“Even if I know they left, I’m still gonna page so the customers can’t yell at me because I ‘didn’t do my job.’ Ma’am, I’m a cashier,” one said.
“They didn’t schedule anybody the last two hours of the day in paint,” another person revealed.
“I had to stay, making my day 11 hours.”
Some said the underlying issue is due to understaffing.
“As someone who works customer service at Lowe’s, it’s so fun trying to find someone for a department once they go home,” one employee wrote sarcastically.
“As a former head cashier, this was a daily thing,” another added.
“Real. And they get mad at ME because there’s no one over there to help,” another agreed.
One commenter summed it up, “As a Lowe’s customer service associate I lie to them customer all the time. ‘Yes ma’am somebody will be right over’ — knowing full well nobody been in that department all day.”
LOWE’S INSIDE STRUGGLE
According to a 2023 report by Truthout, chronic understaffing in retail has fueled growing frustration among customers and contributed to widespread burnout among employees.
While executives claim they can’t afford to hire more staff or raise wages, their spending tells a different story.
A 2023 report by the Institute for Policy Studies found that Lowe’s poured nearly $35 billion into stock buybacks over three and a half years, money that could have been used to ease staffing shortages or boost worker pay.
Instead, it helped inflate the company’s stock price and padded executive compensation tied to shares.
In 2022 alone, Lowe’s shelled out $14.1 billion on stock buybacks, enough to give each of its 301,000 U.S. workers a $46,923 bonus.
Instead, the company’s median employee pay was under $30,000, while the CEO held stock valued at roughly $108 million.
Lowe’s did not respond to a request for comment from The U.S. Sun.
TikTok/itsminimadeTikToker @itsminimade said she pretended to call for assistance while working at Lowe’s[/caption] TikTok/itsminimadeBut the retail workers say that there is nothing new about pretending to call a coworker[/caption] Read More Details
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