I'm starting to do my homework for purchasing replacement windows and
I thought I'd start at the bottom just to get some talking points
down.

After I talked to the millwork guys at Lowes and HD, I asked if I
should come and see *them* should I decide to buy from their store.
(Just being nice.)

The Lowes conversation went like this:

- "Should I order from you? Do you get a commission?"
- "I'm not allowed to say."
- "You've help me with info, I'd like to return the favor."
- "Thanks, I'd appreciate that."

The HD conversation went like this:

- "Should I order from you? Do you get a commission?"
- "No, if you want to come in a see me, that's fine, but we don't get
commissions."
- "You've help me with info, I'd like to return the favor."
- "Thanks, but you can place your order with whoever is at the
millwork desk."

That certainly leads me to believe that the Lowes guys get some type
of compensation for the windows they sell. Anybody know for sure?

On Aug 8, 7:06 am, DerbyDad03 wrote:
I'm starting to do my homework for purchasing replacement windows and
I thought I'd start at the bottom just to get some talking points
down.

After I talked to the millwork guys at Lowes and HD, I asked if I
should come and see *them* should I decide to buy from their store.
(Just being nice.)

The Lowes conversation went like this:

- "Should I order from you? Do you get a commission?"
- "I'm not allowed to say."
- "You've help me with info, I'd like to return the favor."
- "Thanks, I'd appreciate that."

The HD conversation went like this:

- "Should I order from you? Do you get a commission?"
- "No, if you want to come in a see me, that's fine, but we don't get
commissions."
- "You've help me with info, I'd like to return the favor."
- "Thanks, but you can place your order with whoever is at the
millwork desk."

That certainly leads me to believe that the Lowes guys get some type
of compensation for the windows they sell. Anybody know for sure?

Go to Menards, they beat Lowes and HD hands down on most everything.
The Lowes by me doesn't even sell lumber over 10 feet long so they are
useless to me, and they just dont have all that much in the stores.
The HD employees are starting to treat people like crap, and you know
what happened to Kmart a few years ago when their clerks couldn't give
a crap either. Whereas the Menards stores are huge, have a lot of new
products always appearing, and have seasoned/friendly service, I'll
take a Menards any day.

On 08/08/07 10:10 am RickH wrote:

Go to Menards, they beat Lowes and HD hands down on most everything.
The Lowes by me doesn't even sell lumber over 10 feet long so they are
useless to me, and they just dont have all that much in the stores.
The HD employees are starting to treat people like crap, and you know
what happened to Kmart a few years ago when their clerks couldn't give
a crap either. Whereas the Menards stores are huge, have a lot of new
products always appearing, and have seasoned/friendly service, I'll
take a Menards any day.

Don't generalize. The Menards here is tiny, with cramped aisles, and the
ads often say "not available at my store" or "special order at my
store in 2 to 4 weeks."

Menards stores are, AFAIK, only in the Midwest anyway -- Wisconsin is home.

Perce

On 8 Aug, 10:10, RickH wrote:
On Aug 8, 7:06 am, DerbyDad03 wrote:





I'm starting to do my homework for purchasing replacement windows and
I thought I'd start at the bottom just to get some talking points
down.

After I talked to the millwork guys at Lowes and HD, I asked if I
should come and see *them* should I decide to buy from their store.
(Just being nice.)

The Lowes conversation went like this:

- "Should I order from you? Do you get a commission?"
- "I'm not allowed to say."
- "You've help me with info, I'd like to return the favor."
- "Thanks, I'd appreciate that."

The HD conversation went like this:

- "Should I order from you? Do you get a commission?"
- "No, if you want to come in a see me, that's fine, but we don't get
commissions."
- "You've help me with info, I'd like to return the favor."
- "Thanks, but you can place your order with whoever is at the
millwork desk."

That certainly leads me to believe that the Lowes guys get some type
of compensation for the windows they sell. Anybody know for sure?

Go to Menards, they beat Lowes and HD hands down on most everything.
The Lowes by me doesn't even sell lumber over 10 feet long so they are
useless to me, and they just dont have all that much in the stores.
The HD employees are starting to treat people like crap, and you know
what happened to Kmart a few years ago when their clerks couldn't give
a crap either. Whereas the Menards stores are huge, have a lot of new
products always appearing, and have seasoned/friendly service, I'll
take a Menards any day.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Thanks for the response. A few points...

First, I didn't say that I was planning to buy from either Lowes or HD
or any borg...I'm just doing my homework.

Second, the closest Menards to me is 2 states and 380 miles away and
while I'm usually up for a road trip, I don't think buying windows
from a store that's a 6 hour drive from my is the way to go. ;-)

Third, while I appreciate the comparison of employee attitudes at the
various stores, my question related only to whether or not Lowes sale
staff received commissions on their sales. If they do, I would tend to
worry that their pockets were a higher priority than my utility bills.
I know that even independent contractors could have a "me first"
attitude, but the Lowes millwork guy doesn't have any ownership in
what he sells me, and isn't impacted if I'm an not happy. It's just
another piece of data to consider when weighing my options.

Again, Thanks!

On Aug 8, 8:10 am, RickH wrote:
On Aug 8, 7:06 am, DerbyDad03 wrote:



I'm starting to do my homework for purchasing replacement windows and
I thought I'd start at the bottom just to get some talking points
down.

After I talked to the millwork guys at Lowes and HD, I asked if I
should come and see *them* should I decide to buy from their store.
(Just being nice.)

The Lowes conversation went like this:

- "Should I order from you? Do you get a commission?"
- "I'm not allowed to say."
- "You've help me with info, I'd like to return the favor."
- "Thanks, I'd appreciate that."

The HD conversation went like this:

- "Should I order from you? Do you get a commission?"
- "No, if you want to come in a see me, that's fine, but we don't get
commissions."
- "You've help me with info, I'd like to return the favor."
- "Thanks, but you can place your order with whoever is at the
millwork desk."

That certainly leads me to believe that the Lowes guys get some type
of compensation for the windows they sell. Anybody know for sure?

Go to Menards, they beat Lowes and HD hands down on most everything.
The Lowes by me doesn't even sell lumber over 10 feet long so they are
useless to me, and they just dont have all that much in the stores.
The HD employees are starting to treat people like crap, and you know
what happened to Kmart a few years ago when their clerks couldn't give
a crap either. Whereas the Menards stores are huge, have a lot of new
products always appearing, and have seasoned/friendly service, I'll
take a Menards any day.

Your are over generalizing. Both the HD and Lowes here in Pocatello
are great. Customer service and product selection are great. A little
store like Menards wouldn't survive here.

John

On Aug 8, 9:26 am, "Percival P. Cassidy" wrote:
On 08/08/07 10:10 am RickH wrote:

Go to Menards, they beat Lowes and HD hands down on most everything.
The Lowes by me doesn't even sell lumber over 10 feet long so they are
useless to me, and they just dont have all that much in the stores.
The HD employees are starting to treat people like crap, and you know
what happened to Kmart a few years ago when their clerks couldn't give
a crap either. Whereas the Menards stores are huge, have a lot of new
products always appearing, and have seasoned/friendly service, I'll
take a Menards any day.

Don't generalize. The Menards here is tiny, with cramped aisles, and the
ads often say "not available at my store" or "special order at my
store in 2 to 4 weeks."

Menards stores are, AFAIK, only in the Midwest anyway -- Wisconsin is home.

Perce

I have to apologize for hijacking the thread with my little rant, I'm
just saddened by the way HD has gone downhill here in Illinois when
compared to Menards. I would go with the commission-free purchase,
it's just construction commodities, there is no reason for anyone to
have to pay a commission for materials.

RickH wrote:
....
it's just construction commodities, there is no reason for anyone to
have to pay a commission for materials.

If a sales person is working on commission as a part of their
compensation package, it is simply a part of the distributor labor
overhead and the total cost is unlikely to be significantly different
from a supplier with that business model than those with all-salary
compensation plans.

It really has no bearing that I can see other than perhaps an unethical
sales person pushing a higher-priced product for the commission
advantage (which appears to be what the OP is concerned about). But,
what's to say the salary-only sales person isn't pressured by his
organization to push the higher-margin product because his year-end
bonus may be tied to profit margins, at least in part?

The end line is you can't avoid the tendency for distributors/retailers
to market what is advantageous to them in some fashion. After all,
they're in business primarily to make a profit and doing that by serving
a need is simply a technique to the goal...

--

DerbyDad03 wrote:
On 8 Aug, 10:10, RickH wrote:
On Aug 8, 7:06 am, DerbyDad03 wrote:

Third, while I appreciate the comparison of employee attitudes at the
various stores, my question related only to whether or not Lowes sale
staff received commissions on their sales. If they do, I would tend to
worry that their pockets were a higher priority than my utility bills.
I know that even independent contractors could have a "me first"
attitude, but the Lowes millwork guy doesn't have any ownership in
what he sells me, and isn't impacted if I'm an not happy. It's just
another piece of data to consider when weighing my options.


Your conclusion is not always appropriate.

First, all employees are judged on sales. Even check-out clerks at Walmart
are evaluated on how much retail is rung up at their register. A police
supervisor knows how many citizen contacts (tickets or warnings) a trooper
should be writing on a given shift. Sales is one way of evaluating
productivity and is uniformly used.

Second, a good salesman looks for repeat business and recommendations. The
worker at HD or Lowes is not repairing flat tires on the interstate - he
wants you back!

Third, even if motivated entirely by commission, you may nevertheless get
steered to the best possible deal. In other words, the commission may not be
based entirely on selling price! The store may be overstocked on Acme
Widgets and there's a bonus for pushing them. Acme may be running a special
sales promotion. Who knows?

Point is, if you can, pick a product based on its worth to you, without
consideration of how your selection may affect others.

"DerbyDad03" wrote in message
ps.com...
I'm starting to do my homework for purchasing replacement windows and
I thought I'd start at the bottom just to get some talking points
down.
Snip

That certainly leads me to believe that the Lowes guys get some type
of compensation for the windows they sell. Anybody know for sure?

Why would you want to rely on an 'expert' at the big box stores? If they're
smart enough to guide you in your purchase, why are they working at next to
minimum wage, instead of making real money in the field?

on 8/8/2007 12:08 PM HeyBub said the following:
DerbyDad03 wrote:

On 8 Aug, 10:10, RickH wrote:

On Aug 8, 7:06 am, DerbyDad03 wrote:

Third, while I appreciate the comparison of employee attitudes at the
various stores, my question related only to whether or not Lowes sale
staff received commissions on their sales. If they do, I would tend to
worry that their pockets were a higher priority than my utility bills.
I know that even independent contractors could have a "me first"
attitude, but the Lowes millwork guy doesn't have any ownership in
what he sells me, and isn't impacted if I'm an not happy. It's just
another piece of data to consider when weighing my options.



Your conclusion is not always appropriate.

First, all employees are judged on sales. Even check-out clerks at Walmart
are evaluated on how much retail is rung up at their register. A police
supervisor knows how many citizen contacts (tickets or warnings) a trooper
should be writing on a given shift. Sales is one way of evaluating
productivity and is uniformly used.

Second, a good salesman looks for repeat business and recommendations. The
worker at HD or Lowes is not repairing flat tires on the interstate - he
wants you back!

Third, even if motivated entirely by commission, you may nevertheless get
steered to the best possible deal. In other words, the commission may not be
based entirely on selling price! The store may be overstocked on Acme
Widgets and there's a bonus for pushing them. Acme may be running a special
sales promotion. Who knows?


My Acme does not carry widgets. :-)
Point is, if you can, pick a product based on its worth to you, without
consideration of how your selection may affect others.





--

Bill
In Hamptonburgh, NY
To email, remove the double zeroes after @

On 8 Aug, 12:58, "1D10T" wrote:
"DerbyDad03" wrote in message

ps.com... I'm starting to do my homework for purchasing replacement windows and
I thought I'd start at the bottom just to get some talking points
down.

Snip

That certainly leads me to believe that the Lowes guys get some type
of compensation for the windows they sell. Anybody know for sure?

Why would you want to rely on an 'expert' at the big box stores? If they're
smart enough to guide you in your purchase, why are they working at next to
minimum wage, instead of making real money in the field?

You included a major point of my post in your response, and then
(apparently) completely ignored it.

I said (and you quoted) "I thought I'd start at the bottom just to get
some talking points down."

You asked "Why would you want to rely on an 'expert' at the big box
stores?"

What in my post lead you to think I thought they were 'experts' and
what lead you to think I was going to rely on them?

By calling both HD and Lowes, I learned a few things which gave me a
chance to do a little deeper research.
Prior to those calls I didn't even know what I didn't know.

Did I know that there was a difference in the spacing between the
glass panes and why that matters? Nope.
Did I know that foam filled frames were an option? Nope.
Did I know that certain brands change their lines so often that the
lifetime warranty might be worthless? Nope.

Now, armed with that information, I spoke to a few other distributors
in a more intelligent manner. Since I now knew a few things about
windows, the conversations went even deeper and I learned even more.

In fact, this morning a co-worker gave me the name of one of his
client's who had just retired as a salesman for a local contracting
supply house. I was able to discuss windows in a manner that led him
to say "You sound like you know what your looking for. Call Brian at
(his old firm) and tell him I sent you. I'll call him and tell him to
treat you right." I can't be sure, but my gut feeling is that if I had
stumbled through my requirements and desires, he wouldn't have been as
willing to help out.

The bottom line is that I accomplished my goal: I started at the
bottom, learned a few things, used that info to learn some more and I
now feel that I am on my way to making an intelligent purchasing
decision..

On Aug 8, 2:20 pm, DerbyDad03 wrote:
On 8 Aug, 12:58, "1D10T" wrote:

"DerbyDad03" wrote in message

ups.com... I'm starting to do my homework for purchasing replacement windows and
I thought I'd start at the bottom just to get some talking points
down.

Snip

That certainly leads me to believe that the Lowes guys get some type
of compensation for the windows they sell. Anybody know for sure?

Why would you want to rely on an 'expert' at the big box stores? If they're
smart enough to guide you in your purchase, why are they working at next to
minimum wage, instead of making real money in the field?

You included a major point of my post in your response, and then
(apparently) completely ignored it.

I said (and you quoted) "I thought I'd start at the bottom just to get
some talking points down."

You asked "Why would you want to rely on an 'expert' at the big box
stores?"

What in my post lead you to think I thought they were 'experts' and
what lead you to think I was going to rely on them?

By calling both HD and Lowes, I learned a few things which gave me a
chance to do a little deeper research.
Prior to those calls I didn't even know what I didn't know.

Did I know that there was a difference in the spacing between the
glass panes and why that matters? Nope.
Did I know that foam filled frames were an option? Nope.
Did I know that certain brands change their lines so often that the
lifetime warranty might be worthless? Nope.

Now, armed with that information, I spoke to a few other distributors
in a more intelligent manner. Since I now knew a few things about
windows, the conversations went even deeper and I learned even more.

In fact, this morning a co-worker gave me the name of one of his
client's who had just retired as a salesman for a local contracting
supply house. I was able to discuss windows in a manner that led him
to say "You sound like you know what your looking for. Call Brian at
(his old firm) and tell him I sent you. I'll call him and tell him to
treat you right." I can't be sure, but my gut feeling is that if I had
stumbled through my requirements and desires, he wouldn't have been as
willing to help out.

The bottom line is that I accomplished my goal: I started at the
bottom, learned a few things, used that info to learn some more and I
now feel that I am on my way to making an intelligent purchasing
decision..

Meanwhile, like the OP, I am still wondering about the original
question: Does anyone know whether the sales staff at Lowe's are paid
on commission or not?

Not buying windows or anything else at this time, just wondering....

Jo Ann

On 8 Aug, 15:36, "hillacc at yahoo.com" wrote:
On Aug 8, 2:20 pm, DerbyDad03 wrote:





On 8 Aug, 12:58, "1D10T" wrote:

"DerbyDad03" wrote in message

ups.com... I'm starting to do my homework for purchasing replacement windows and
I thought I'd start at the bottom just to get some talking points
down.

Snip

That certainly leads me to believe that the Lowes guys get some type
of compensation for the windows they sell. Anybody know for sure?

Why would you want to rely on an 'expert' at the big box stores? If they're
smart enough to guide you in your purchase, why are they working at next to
minimum wage, instead of making real money in the field?

You included a major point of my post in your response, and then
(apparently) completely ignored it.

I said (and you quoted) "I thought I'd start at the bottom just to get
some talking points down."

You asked "Why would you want to rely on an 'expert' at the big box
stores?"

What in my post lead you to think I thought they were 'experts' and
what lead you to think I was going to rely on them?

By calling both HD and Lowes, I learned a few things which gave me a
chance to do a little deeper research.
Prior to those calls I didn't even know what I didn't know.

Did I know that there was a difference in the spacing between the
glass panes and why that matters? Nope.
Did I know that foam filled frames were an option? Nope.
Did I know that certain brands change their lines so often that the
lifetime warranty might be worthless? Nope.

Now, armed with that information, I spoke to a few other distributors
in a more intelligent manner. Since I now knew a few things about
windows, the conversations went even deeper and I learned even more.

In fact, this morning a co-worker gave me the name of one of his
client's who had just retired as a salesman for a local contracting
supply house. I was able to discuss windows in a manner that led him
to say "You sound like you know what your looking for. Call Brian at
(his old firm) and tell him I sent you. I'll call him and tell him to
treat you right." I can't be sure, but my gut feeling is that if I had
stumbled through my requirements and desires, he wouldn't have been as
willing to help out.

The bottom line is that I accomplished my goal: I started at the
bottom, learned a few things, used that info to learn some more and I
now feel that I am on my way to making an intelligent purchasing
decision..


- Meanwhile, like the OP, I am still wondering about the original
- question: Does anyone know whether the sales staff at Lowe's are
paid
- on commission or not?

- Jo Ann


Jo Ann,

How dare you attempt to get this thread back on track. Shame on you!

DerbyDad03 wrote:
On 8 Aug, 15:36, "hillacc at yahoo.com" wrote:
On Aug 8, 2:20 pm, DerbyDad03 wrote:

....
That certainly leads me to believe that the Lowes guys get some type
of compensation for the windows they sell. Anybody know for sure?
....

- Meanwhile, like the OP, I am still wondering about the original
- question: Does anyone know whether the sales staff at Lowe's are
paid
- on commission or not?

....

How dare you attempt to get this thread back on track. Shame on you!

Here ya' go...sign on and let us know...

http://www.lowes.com/lowes2/AboutLow...reers_opp.html

--

In article om,
DerbyDad03 wrote:
That certainly leads me to believe that the Lowes guys get some type
of compensation for the windows they sell. Anybody know for sure?

Note that even if a place doesn't use commissioned salespeople, they may
still track sales closely. Best Buy, for example, makes a point of
their people not getting commissions, which is supposed to make
consumers feel that Best Buy salespeople therefore have no incentive to
steer customers toward over-priced items.

But those Best Buy salespeople are very closely tracked. Their managers
keep track of exactly how much each has sold, how many extended
warranties they've convinced people to take, etc. Convincing you to buy
a $2000 TV with an extended warranty, over a $1000 TV that exactly meets
your needs, won't get that non-commissioned salesperson any more money
that month--but it will help ensure promotions and raises later, and the
continued existence of his job.

So take lack of commission with a large grain of salt when using it as
an indicator that the salespeople don't have a strong incentive to push
needless or expensive items on you.


--
--Tim Smith

On Aug 8, 2:36 pm, "hillacc at yahoo.com"

Meanwhile, like the OP, I am still wondering about the original
question: Does anyone know whether the sales staff at Lowe's are paid
on commission or not?


When I worked at Lowes 2 years ago, the only sales people that got a
commission were the ones that worked in commercial sales. Some
departments got a bonus if their overall sales were really good.
However things at Lowes change constantly so an answer to the question
this week may not be true next week.

KC

On Wed, 08 Aug 2007 10:51:56 -0500, dpb wrote:

RickH wrote:
...
it's just construction commodities, there is no reason for anyone to
have to pay a commission for materials.

If a sales person is working on commission as a part of their
compensation package, it is simply a part of the distributor labor
overhead and the total cost is unlikely to be significantly different
from a supplier with that business model than those with all-salary
compensation plans.

I don't disagree with anything you say, above or below.

It really has no bearing that I can see other than perhaps an unethical
sales person pushing a higher-priced product for the commission
advantage (which appears to be what the OP is concerned about). But,

I don't know about the OP, but I ask the same sort of questions he did
sometimes, to glean whether they are on commission. Sometimes i just
ask, "Should I look for you when I come back?"** and usually I only do
that wehn I've taken up a substantial amount of their time, and I just
want to think about it over night, and I want the clerk who waited on
me to get the commission, if commissions are involved.

**And if he says yes, I ask what hours he is there. That doesn't mean
I'll rearrange my whole day or week to get there when he is there, but
if he works 40 hours a week, it's not hard to get there during those
hours. Although I don't promise him that I will. I presume they get
a reasonable base salary and commissions are only part of it (where
commissions are used.) I doubt it is like when I canvassed for
aluminum siding. Most of those guys only get paid, I think, when they
find a sale.

Has anyone mentioned that the advantage of commissions is that it
makes it more likely that a clerk will be eager to wait on you. We've
certainly had complaints here about lack of service at these stores.

The disadvantage is that I like it when the clerks leave me alone,
although if I were spending hundreds of dollars on something, I might
look at it differently.


what's to say the salary-only sales person isn't pressured by his
organization to push the higher-margin product because his year-end
bonus may be tied to profit margins, at least in part?

The end line is you can't avoid the tendency for distributors/retailers
to market what is advantageous to them in some fashion. After all,
they're in business primarily to make a profit and doing that by serving
a need is simply a technique to the goal...

mm wrote:
On Wed, 08 Aug 2007 10:51:56 -0500, dpb wrote:

RickH wrote:
...
it's just construction commodities, there is no reason for anyone to
have to pay a commission for materials.
If a sales person is working on commission as a part of their
compensation package, it is simply a part of the distributor labor
overhead and the total cost is unlikely to be significantly different
from a supplier with that business model than those with all-salary
compensation plans.

I don't disagree with anything you say, above or below.

It really has no bearing that I can see other than perhaps an unethical
sales person pushing a higher-priced product for the commission
advantage (which appears to be what the OP is concerned about). But,

I don't know about the OP, but I ask the same sort of questions he did
sometimes, to glean whether they are on commission. Sometimes i just
ask, "Should I look for you when I come back?"** and usually I only do
that wehn I've taken up a substantial amount of their time, and I just
want to think about it over night, and I want the clerk who waited on
me to get the commission, if commissions are involved.

**And if he says yes, I ask what hours he is there. That doesn't mean
I'll rearrange my whole day or week to get there when he is there, but
if he works 40 hours a week, it's not hard to get there during those
hours. Although I don't promise him that I will. I presume they get
a reasonable base salary and commissions are only part of it (where
commissions are used.) I doubt it is like when I canvassed for
aluminum siding. Most of those guys only get paid, I think, when they
find a sale.

Has anyone mentioned that the advantage of commissions is that it
makes it more likely that a clerk will be eager to wait on you. We've
certainly had complaints here about lack of service at these stores.

The disadvantage is that I like it when the clerks leave me alone,
although if I were spending hundreds of dollars on something, I might
look at it differently.

The other disadvantage it is likely (especially in the case of a big box
store because their salary is low) they will try to push whatever has
the bigger commission.

Two of my relatives kids got jobs at Best Buy during college. The
intense training for their knowledgeable associates (thats what they
claim in all of their adds) consisted of them having to show up early
and being briefed in the training room about what items had commissions
that day and the key points to sell them.




what's to say the salary-only sales person isn't pressured by his
organization to push the higher-margin product because his year-end
bonus may be tied to profit margins, at least in part?

The end line is you can't avoid the tendency for distributors/retailers
to market what is advantageous to them in some fashion. After all,
they're in business primarily to make a profit and doing that by serving
a need is simply a technique to the goal...

mm wrote:
On Wed, 08 Aug 2007 10:51:56 -0500, dpb wrote:

RickH wrote:
...
it's just construction commodities, there is no reason for anyone to
have to pay a commission for materials.
If a sales person is working on commission as a part of their
compensation package, it is simply a part of the distributor labor
overhead and the total cost is unlikely to be significantly different
from a supplier with that business model than those with all-salary
compensation plans.

I don't disagree with anything you say, above or below.

It really has no bearing that I can see other than perhaps an unethical
sales person pushing a higher-priced product for the commission
advantage (which appears to be what the OP is concerned about). But,

I don't know about the OP, but I ask the same sort of questions he did
sometimes, to glean whether they are on commission. Sometimes i just
ask, "Should I look for you when I come back?"** and usually I only do
that wehn I've taken up a substantial amount of their time, and I just
want to think about it over night, and I want the clerk who waited on
me to get the commission, if commissions are involved.
....

If a sales person is on commission and doesn't let you know that firmly
in some manner, he won't be a sales person long...

--

On 8 Aug, 22:03, KC wrote:
On Aug 8, 2:36 pm, "hillacc at yahoo.com"



Meanwhile, like the OP, I am still wondering about the original
question: Does anyone know whether the sales staff at Lowe's are paid
on commission or not?

When I worked at Lowes 2 years ago, the only sales people that got a
commission were the ones that worked in commercial sales. Some
departments got a bonus if their overall sales were really good.
However things at Lowes change constantly so an answer to the question
this week may not be true next week.

KC

When I worked at Lowes 2 years ago, the only sales people that
got a commission were the ones that worked in commercial sales

Did commercial sales include the millwork desk?

Since contractors often deal directly with the millwork desk as
opposed to shopping the aisles and talking to the downsized systems
analyst trying to bridge the gap until true retirement, I can easily
see the millwork desk being part of the group that get commissions.

On Thu, 09 Aug 2007 09:02:19 -0400, George
wrote:


Two of my relatives kids got jobs at Best Buy during college. The
intense training for their knowledgeable associates (thats what they
claim in all of their adds) consisted of them having to show up early
and being briefed in the training room about what items had commissions
that day and the key points to sell them.

Dang. Now that I know this, I'm going to continue with my current
policy of only buying harddrives and floppy disks from them.

No commissions for anyone at Home Depot. Hell, employees don't even get a
discount!!

"George" wrote in message
. ..
mm wrote:
On Wed, 08 Aug 2007 10:51:56 -0500, dpb wrote:

RickH wrote:
...
it's just construction commodities, there is no reason for anyone to
have to pay a commission for materials.
If a sales person is working on commission as a part of their
compensation package, it is simply a part of the distributor labor
overhead and the total cost is unlikely to be significantly different
from a supplier with that business model than those with all-salary
compensation plans.

I don't disagree with anything you say, above or below.

It really has no bearing that I can see other than perhaps an unethical
sales person pushing a higher-priced product for the commission
advantage (which appears to be what the OP is concerned about). But,

I don't know about the OP, but I ask the same sort of questions he did
sometimes, to glean whether they are on commission. Sometimes i just
ask, "Should I look for you when I come back?"** and usually I only do
that wehn I've taken up a substantial amount of their time, and I just
want to think about it over night, and I want the clerk who waited on
me to get the commission, if commissions are involved.

**And if he says yes, I ask what hours he is there. That doesn't mean
I'll rearrange my whole day or week to get there when he is there, but
if he works 40 hours a week, it's not hard to get there during those
hours. Although I don't promise him that I will. I presume they get
a reasonable base salary and commissions are only part of it (where
commissions are used.) I doubt it is like when I canvassed for
aluminum siding. Most of those guys only get paid, I think, when they
find a sale.

Has anyone mentioned that the advantage of commissions is that it
makes it more likely that a clerk will be eager to wait on you. We've
certainly had complaints here about lack of service at these stores.

The disadvantage is that I like it when the clerks leave me alone,
although if I were spending hundreds of dollars on something, I might
look at it differently.

The other disadvantage it is likely (especially in the case of a big box
store because their salary is low) they will try to push whatever has the
bigger commission.

Two of my relatives kids got jobs at Best Buy during college. The intense
training for their knowledgeable associates (thats what they claim in all
of their adds) consisted of them having to show up early and being briefed
in the training room about what items had commissions that day and the key
points to sell them.




what's to say the salary-only sales person isn't pressured by his
organization to push the higher-margin product because his year-end
bonus may be tied to profit margins, at least in part?

The end line is you can't avoid the tendency for distributors/retailers
to market what is advantageous to them in some fashion. After all,
they're in business primarily to make a profit and doing that by serving
a need is simply a technique to the goal...

But it does appear that they get performance-based bonuses. I walked
into my local HD soon after opening a few days ago when there seemed to
be a staff meeting in progress by the Customer Service desk. I heard
somebody informing people that the bonus was 24% (IIRC -- or heard
correctly). I don't know whether bonuses are calculated for each store,
for each region, or for the whole chain.

At Lowe's I am sure I have seen badges indicating that the wearers are
"owners"; I forget the exact wording.

Perce


On 08/10/07 10:04 am curmudgeon wrote:

No commissions for anyone at Home Depot. Hell, employees don't even get a
discount!!

On Aug 8, 3:45 pm, DerbyDad03 wrote:
On 8 Aug, 15:36, "hillacc at yahoo.com" wrote:





On Aug 8, 2:20 pm, DerbyDad03 wrote:

On 8 Aug, 12:58, "1D10T" wrote:

"DerbyDad03" wrote in message

ups.com... I'm starting to do my homework for purchasing replacement windows and
I thought I'd start at the bottom just to get some talking points
down.

Snip

That certainly leads me to believe that the Lowes guys get some type
of compensation for the windows they sell. Anybody know for sure?

Why would you want to rely on an 'expert' at the big box stores? If they're
smart enough to guide you in your purchase, why are they working at next to
minimum wage, instead of making real money in the field?

You included a major point of my post in your response, and then
(apparently) completely ignored it.

I said (and you quoted) "I thought I'd start at the bottom just to get
some talking points down."

You asked "Why would you want to rely on an 'expert' at the big box
stores?"

What in my post lead you to think I thought they were 'experts' and
what lead you to think I was going to rely on them?

By calling both HD and Lowes, I learned a few things which gave me a
chance to do a little deeper research.
Prior to those calls I didn't even know what I didn't know.

Did I know that there was a difference in the spacing between the
glass panes and why that matters? Nope.
Did I know that foam filled frames were an option? Nope.
Did I know that certain brands change their lines so often that the
lifetime warranty might be worthless? Nope.

Now, armed with that information, I spoke to a few other distributors
in a more intelligent manner. Since I now knew a few things about
windows, the conversations went even deeper and I learned even more.

In fact, this morning a co-worker gave me the name of one of his
client's who had just retired as a salesman for a local contracting
supply house. I was able to discuss windows in a manner that led him
to say "You sound like you know what your looking for. Call Brian at
(his old firm) and tell him I sent you. I'll call him and tell him to
treat you right." I can't be sure, but my gut feeling is that if I had
stumbled through my requirements and desires, he wouldn't have been as
willing to help out.

The bottom line is that I accomplished my goal: I started at the
bottom, learned a few things, used that info to learn some more and I
now feel that I am on my way to making an intelligent purchasing
decision..

- Meanwhile, like the OP, I am still wondering about the original
- question: Does anyone know whether the sales staff at Lowe's are
paid
- on commission or not?

- Jo Ann

Jo Ann,

How dare you attempt to get this thread back on track. Shame on you!- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Mama always said my curiosity was bound to get me in trouble
eventually, LOL!

Jo Ann

Percival P. Cassidy wrote:
But it does appear that they get performance-based bonuses. I walked
into my local HD soon after opening a few days ago when there seemed to
be a staff meeting in progress by the Customer Service desk. I heard
somebody informing people that the bonus was 24% (IIRC -- or heard
correctly). I don't know whether bonuses are calculated for each store,
for each region, or for the whole chain.

At Lowe's I am sure I have seen badges indicating that the wearers are
"owners"; I forget the exact wording.

Perce

Thats just the normal big box "associate" BS. If they have one share of
stock they are an owner.

On Aug 9, 8:46 am, DerbyDad03 wrote:
On 8 Aug, 22:03, KC wrote:

On Aug 8, 2:36 pm, "hillacc at yahoo.com"

Meanwhile, like the OP, I am still wondering about the original
question: Does anyone know whether the sales staff at Lowe's are paid
on commission or not?

When I worked at Lowes 2 years ago, the only sales people that got a
commission were the ones that worked in commercial sales. Some
departments got a bonus if their overall sales were really good.
However things at Lowes change constantly so an answer to the question
this week may not be true next week.

KC

When I worked at Lowes 2 years ago, the only sales people that
got a commission were the ones that worked in commercial sales

Did commercial sales include the millwork desk?

Since contractors often deal directly with the millwork desk as
opposed to shopping the aisles and talking to the downsized systems
analyst trying to bridge the gap until true retirement, I can easily
see the millwork desk being part of the group that get commissions.

I think I know someone who still works in millwork. I'll check.

KC

On Aug 10, 5:31 pm, KC wrote:
On Aug 9, 8:46 am, DerbyDad03 wrote:





On 8 Aug, 22:03, KC wrote:

On Aug 8, 2:36 pm, "hillacc at yahoo.com"

Meanwhile, like the OP, I am still wondering about the original
question: Does anyone know whether the sales staff at Lowe's are paid
on commission or not?

When I worked at Lowes 2 years ago, the only sales people that got a
commission were the ones that worked in commercial sales. Some
departments got a bonus if their overall sales were really good.
However things at Lowes change constantly so an answer to the question
this week may not be true next week.

KC

When I worked at Lowes 2 years ago, the only sales people that
got a commission were the ones that worked in commercial sales

Did commercial sales include the millwork desk?

Since contractors often deal directly with the millwork desk as
opposed to shopping the aisles and talking to the downsized systems
analyst trying to bridge the gap until true retirement, I can easily
see the millwork desk being part of the group that get commissions.

I think I know someone who still works in millwork. I'll check.

KC

OK, finally an answer to your question straight from a local Lowes
millwork employee. It applies to all Lowes departments.

-They do not get a commission on store stock items.
-They do get a commission on special order items and installation.
-The commission is not on total sale price. It is a percentage of the
markup percentage. In other words, two items both priced at $500, one
having a markup of 15% and the other having a markup of 30%, would
result in a diffferent commission for the employee.
-Based upon that info, employees may be inclined to push installation
and when special ordering items they may recommend the higher markup
items. But buying in-store doors & windows would not make any
difference.
Hope this helps.

KC

On Aug 11, 11:28 am, KC wrote:
On Aug 10, 5:31 pm, KC wrote:





On Aug 9, 8:46 am, DerbyDad03 wrote:

On 8 Aug, 22:03, KC wrote:

On Aug 8, 2:36 pm, "hillacc at yahoo.com"

Meanwhile, like the OP, I am still wondering about the original
question: Does anyone know whether the sales staff at Lowe's are paid
on commission or not?

When I worked at Lowes 2 years ago, the only sales people that got a
commission were the ones that worked in commercial sales. Some
departments got a bonus if their overall sales were really good.
However things at Lowes change constantly so an answer to the question
this week may not be true next week.

KC

When I worked at Lowes 2 years ago, the only sales people that
got a commission were the ones that worked in commercial sales

Did commercial sales include the millwork desk?

Since contractors often deal directly with the millwork desk as
opposed to shopping the aisles and talking to the downsized systems
analyst trying to bridge the gap until true retirement, I can easily
see the millwork desk being part of the group that get commissions.

I think I know someone who still works in millwork. I'll check.

KC

OK, finally an answer to your question straight from a local Lowes
millwork employee. It applies to all Lowes departments.

-They do not get a commission on store stock items.
-They do get a commission on special order items and installation.
-The commission is not on total sale price. It is a percentage of the
markup percentage. In other words, two items both priced at $500, one
having a markup of 15% and the other having a markup of 30%, would
result in a diffferent commission for the employee.
-Based upon that info, employees may be inclined to push installation
and when special ordering items they may recommend the higher markup
items. But buying in-store doors & windows would not make any
difference.
Hope this helps.

KC- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I forgot to add one thing. Lowes does train a few select individuals
for commission sales and occasionally you may run into one of these if
you are a high volume buyer. But that is the exception rather than the
rule.

KC