Thread: Working in a hardware or home improvement store

I need some inside knowledge of what working in a place like Home Depot or Lowe's is like. (I know, pretty mundane.) Anyone ever work in either of these places (or somewhere similar)? Anecdotal experience would be welcome... if anyone is inspired to share any knowledge whatsoever about working at a place like that it would be most appreciated.

I was wondering about things like:

Do you have different duties on different days or do you get set up at one post and then stay at that post all the time? I see workers at cash registers, of course, but also there seem to be the guys that are wandering about the store that you see customers asking questions all the time. What are these guys doing when they're not directing customers? What other types of positions would there be besides the two that I'm mentioning?

How do you do jobs like inventory and receiving of goods? Would this be something that a manager would typically do, or would common employees be assigned to do it?

What is a typical shift, time-wise? How long of a lunchbreak would you get?

Thanks for any answers anyone can provide.

If you are researching for your story, which I assume that you are, in addition to getting information from the forum members, why don't you interview a few workers in the type of store you are writing about. Tell them you are researching for your novel. Most people love to talk about themselves and their jobs. Not only would you get a lot of information, you'd get a feel for the smells, sounds, and the setting in general.

Also, I wouldn't assume that every employee views their work at a home improvement store as mundane. Imagine if 'Tim the Tool Man' worked there. He'd be in Hog Heaven helping customers with the creations of their projects.

Script Girrl

Thanks, Script Girrl. I guess you are right about some people not considering their work in a hardware store mundane... Tim the Toolman Taylor would be a good example! I know there are people in every field that find their work fascinating and fulfilling, so I guess my comment was a little callous. I worked in restaurant kitchens for years, and I would definitely describe that job as mundane, although there were people that would come to work there (usually people on the management track) that seemed excited and "gung-ho" about the work.