Cutting Hours and Letting Seasonal Folks Go Already

Joined: 08 Jan 2006 Posts: 26 Location: ny

Here in my store, we have already let 7 of the college/seasonal people go and they are cutting the part time people back too. Isn't this too early to start that? We still seem to have a lot of customers who are angry because they can't find the help on the floor and have to wait in line at the check-out. Plus...they're haveing some other folks going to help with a new store opening near Buffalo.
Are they protecting their bonuses or what????

Joined: 01 Feb 2008 Posts: 546

I don't believe that "they" are protecting their bonuses. I believe that sales are soft and down nationwide. That could be the reason for letting the seasonal people leave the store. It does put an unnecessary burden on those working and covering multiple departments when customers come into the store. But for those hours that there is only one person working in a department and 2-3 customers all day in that department kind of works out.

Let us know how many people are leaving your store. Also, it's back to school time for college students. They could be leaving to return to school.

Joined: 19 Oct 2003 Posts: 2801

Don't worry, Impact hours will make things better for the customer! Rolling Eyes

Joined: 01 Feb 2008 Posts: 546

Yeah the sad thing is though that in my city people don't shop between 10-2, they're out on the farm. They shop in the evening.

Joined: 07 Feb 2008 Posts: 210

It's gotta be some Corporate cost-cutting measure. We hear it every week during the mangers meeting on how the customer count is the same, if not up, yet sales are down. Well duh, last year I might have had three people in the dept. selling something, this year it's just me. No people to sell=lower sales.

Joined: 14 Mar 2009 Posts: 8 Location: east texas

In the past 10 days at my store they have fired the store manager, the entire installed sales dept with one exception, 6 cashiers, a head cashier, every seasonal and even part time workers. About 20 people have left so far. Sales are down in just about every department. I left Home Depot to go to Lowes three months ago because of the lack of coverage in the store and weird scheduling like 3-midnight. Its beginning to look a lot like Home Depot at this Lowes store. I am full time CSA in appliances. Wonder what my chances are of keeping my job?

Joined: 18 Mar 2005 Posts: 256 Location: 3rd coast

Hey there in East Texas. I wish life were good up where you are. In Houston it's a down market, currently glutted with foreclosed homes and projects in mid-completion that lost financing due to the credit crunch.

Unless (and I shudder to write this) another hurricane comes through here, home improvement retailers will probably see down sales through December.

I wish you well and hope your store settles down.

Joined: 18 Jul 2008 Posts: 146 Location: Region 1

Joined: 13 Mar 2005 Posts: 464

Sales are down, several Part-Timers have been cut down to 10 hours a week, several of the Seasonal people stayed, yet you still have days when you're covering 2 or more depts.

Our current store hours are 6AM to 10PM on Mon-Sat and 8AM to 8PM on Sun. If they'd change back to our old store hours, 7AM to 9PM on Mon-Sat and 9AM-6PM, that'd save a lot on payroll and many of those Part-Timers probably wouldn't get cut back so much and there just might be more coverage on the floor. Even if sales are down this little change could save us a lot of money, eh?

Joined: 31 Jan 2008 Posts: 23

I couldn't agree more. I don't understand why they aren't discussing reducing the amount of hours the stores are open. There is absolutely no reason for our store to be open from 6-10 anymore. It seems the logical and easy way to reduce costs.

Joined: 13 Mar 2005 Posts: 464

Joined: 08 Jan 2006 Posts: 26 Location: ny

Apparently they cleaned house at a store near Buffalo.....fired 6 upper menagement types and are trying to fill those spots from other NY area stores. Also, our HR manager got walked out about 3 week or so ago. (finally).
I would love shorter store hours...very seldom does anyone shop before 7am outside of contractors.
We'll have to see but right now they're only staffing the same as they do in January.
That being said , we still have a few folks who sit on their rumps and pretend to manage their department (like the PSA manager).

Joined: 13 Mar 2005 Posts: 464

Joined: 08 Jan 2006 Posts: 26 Location: ny

I hear ya there...they cut people and still want us to play Survival.....all during the massive code 3's. We had a CS cashier, Returns and Lumber cashier scheduled...but if one had called off..we would have been SOL.

Joined: 13 Mar 2005 Posts: 464

Joined: 19 Oct 2003 Posts: 2801

Just as long as WALL STREET is happy Rolling Eyes