I recently visited this Lowe's for some yard project supplies, and while it wasn't a terrible…read moreexperience, it definitely had some frustrating aspects worth pointing out. This is especially true if you're planning a visit or relying on product reviews.
First, the store was reasonably clean, and we managed to grab a cart that was in good shape (not one of those decades-old, squeaky, impossible-to-push types), which I appreciated. The hardscaping section was a bit of a letdown. They didn't have nearly as many options as I was hoping for, but I still ended up purchasing a few things to test at home, including a huge plant, several pots, and a bunch of miscellaneous items. Our cart was overflowing by the time we reached checkout.
The checkout process itself needs serious improvement. Aside from the contractor desk, it's basically all self-checkout, which is usually my preference. But if you're buying anything without a visible barcode, like loose stones or landscaping rock, it quickly becomes a hassle. The rocks weren't marked, and I hadn't taken photos of the barcodes for every sample. I scanned the ones I had photographed and searched the Lowe's website for the rest. An employee passed by and said she'd be back to help after assisting someone else. We managed to figure most of it out on our own, and eventually, another employee helped us with the final rock that we couldn't identify.
Here's the deal: if Lowe's wants to push self-checkout (which is fine), they really need to provide customers with the same item lookup book that employees use. Expecting people to self-checkout without giving them the tools to look up unmarked items is just a bad system. From now on, I'll be photographing every barcode before heading to the register. That's my hot tip for you.
While I was there, I also found a hose reel I wanted to buy. It was the Style Selections steel 100 ft container hose reel. I looked it up on Lowe's website and saw that it had great reviews. I noticed there was also a 125 ft version with similarly glowing reviews. Since my cart was full and I'd injured my back the day before, I figured I'd just order it online and have it delivered.
Once I got home and looked at the reviews more carefully, I realized almost all of them are incentivized. Many were written through influenster.com or started with some variation of, "I received this product for free in exchange for my honest review." Lowe's also has its own program called the "Lowe's Incentivized Reviewer Program." This program offers customers a Lowe's e-gift card for posting reviews for items they have previously purchased. These are marked with a little "Loop" icon.
The problem is, when hundreds of reviews for a product are incentivized, the entire system becomes meaningless. These aren't like Yelp reviews, where people volunteer their time to provide honest, unpaid feedback. These reviews are made in exchange for some kind of benefit. To get an actual sense of what customers genuinely think, you'd have to manually sift through the entire list and sort out the non-incentivized ones--maybe even create a spreadsheet. It's absurd.
Lastly, while I didn't have too much trouble scanning everything myself, I can't imagine how difficult it would be for someone who is elderly or has a disability. Some of the items are large, heavy, or awkward to handle. There was only one employee overseeing multiple checkout stations, and she was elderly herself. My mom, for instance, would've just given up and walked out. Even if most people prefer self-checkout these days, the store should still have at least one or two full-service lanes available for customers who need extra help--whether due to physical limitations or just having a cart full of difficult items.
All in all, I don't hate Lowe's--and I'll probably be back out of necessity--but they could make some easy improvements that would go a long way. Better checkout support, honest product reviews, and more customer-friendly policies would make this location a lot more pleasant to shop at.
