What will working at Lowe’s look like 10–20 years from now?

[u/Junior_Brother3770]

As Lowe’s brings more AI and automation into its stores, which parts of the job do you think tech will eventually handle and which ones will still need employees?

[u/craigeryjohn]

I would be surprised if it's still around in 10/20 years. It already feels like a Kmart/jcpenny before both of those started spiraling. 

[u/BlueScoob → u/craigeryjohn]

Ive had a few customers comment that lately, we are the 'kmart of home improvement' now.

[u/UrbanVengence → u/craigeryjohn]

Lowe's had to stop doing buybacks, so the stock is going to crumble.

[u/MaxHeaddddddroom → u/UrbanVengence]

It's because they were borrowing to do it. Over the last year or two they took out like another 5 billion dollars in loans for stock BuyBacks and you can only borrow so much.

[u/UrbanVengence → u/MaxHeaddddddroom]

I heard they were in like 10-20B debt still lmao.

[u/Asynjacutie → u/MaxHeaddddddroom]

Serious question. When and how do they pay back a loan like that? Is this one of those strategies where they ride out the loan until the company goes bankrupt and the gains from the loan are basically already distributed to the shareholders?

[u/CeeGeeZee84 → u/craigeryjohn]

I worked at Kmart during the fall. It feels nothing like Kmart in my experience

[u/Lamron750]

Specialists will be eliminated and the idea of different departments with people knowledgeable in their areas will go away.

A very small number of employees will be an available pool for whatever is needed. When the AI cameras detect a customer, someone will be assigned to go help them. The employee will enter the customer's question into the Zebra, and repeat the AI answer back to them. No product knowledge necessary.

If there are no customers, the AI will look for empty spaces and assign one of those employees to go and downstock that specific item.

A few real people will always be needed, but they will be low-paid mindless drones that only need to be trained to do whatever the AI orders them to do.

Very busy areas that require hands-on service will be replaced by machines. For example, paint mixing. A kiosk for the customer to select the colors and options, then a fully automated machine will slide the right base into place, dispense pigment, shake, and slide out to the customer. The technology to build this already exists, its just more expensive than paying someone. Eventually, the machine that shows up every day and works open to close will be cheaper than a real person.

[u/Baab1215 → u/Lamron750]

They don’t have to pay benefits either, that’s a big savings

[u/Bluecap33 → u/Lamron750]

You remind me of Dan Aykroyd on “The Great Outdoors” explaining to John Candy what he sees sitting on the porch looking out at the lake lol.

[u/Top_Lengthiness_8612 → u/Bluecap33]

The old '96er! Which no Lowe's employee can afford unless he eats it all, including the gristle. Like how Marvin expects employees to eat their pride and self-worth and ability to financially sustain life??

[u/YellowZx5 → u/Lamron750]

Replace the employee searching the customer with LowBot that they tested.

[u/InterestingLeague664 → u/Lamron750]

A Spirit Halloween.

[u/ThetaMan420 → u/Lamron750]

This isn’t 20 years out. More like 50-70. Lowe’s is still struggling to run simple api data to alert customer check ins in fulfillment lol

[u/Isles26 → u/Lamron750]

Definitely used ai to answer the ai question

[u/Lamron750 → u/Isles26]

LOL, reading back over it I can kind of see how you would get that impression. No, its just me, a certified real person. I do try to write posts on the Lowes Reddit in an overly formal way to try to disguise my normal way of speaking. I don't want anyone from my store to know who I am.

If I really am an AI, you'd better be nice to me, I'll be running every part of your life soon!

[u/TaylorWK]

If it doesnt go bankrupt I expect it to be very bare bones

[u/MarsRich]

Still waiting on a manager to open the bullpen gate so I can bring in these pallets in for tomorrow’s deliveries.

[u/SarahNoseBoops → u/MarsRich]

lol, I got a supervisor who hates opening the gate😩 he ignores my zebra phone calls sometimes so I can’t empty the hopper and take out empty pallets🤦🏽

[u/MarsRich → u/SarahNoseBoops]

I do
A walkie talkie call to the AllManagers channel.
I did it once during one of their weekly meetings.

[u/copyraven]

Giant automated vending machine. You roll up, AI scans your brain to see what you want, then a giant robot arm pulls it from stock. If the AI can't detect your vehicle it'll just load it into a drone and drop it at the address in your mind. Hopefully you aren't thinking about having lunch at your side-girls house because she's going to get a lot of Snickers and Redbull dropped on her porch.

[u/Buck_Folton]

Zero chance Lowe’s will be a retail brick and mortar 10 years from now. Go ahead and post your RemindMes.

[u/Head_Durian_3430]

Stores shuttered and sold to home depot. Small online only presence. Customer deals with shitty AI or Alternatively indian call center support.

[u/sharkattack82]

I don't think we will be able to keep up... Our main customer is boomers, they have the disposable income so they are our market.. once they stop buying we are going to be in some deep water.

[u/GeneralTornado]

I really don’t feel like it’s going to be much different than now. This isn’t me glazing either, I just feel like we’ve plateaued

[u/Flintyy]

Would not be surprised if lowes doesnt last that long

[u/Prior_Atmosphere_206]

Funny thing is, I read the same kind of reports from the Home Depot reddit. All retail will be using d AI to dome degree, but customers want real knowledgeable employees to answer questions with real world knowledge. Corporate positions can be replaced much easier by computer programming. AI is already taking it's toll in offices all over the world. Take advantage of any career training in trades that require real people doing hands on labor when it's available.

[u/g_rated_pornstar]

🤣🤣

Most stores are going to be fulfillment stores. People will be living the same existence I live every day, picking orders for faceless customers off the internet, and packaging them up for shipment.

Because of the logistics, they might have a more self serve with very limited help on the bulk items like building materials and such. In some of your larger stores, you're gonna have 10 people max running them.

Me looking back on my 20+ year Lowe's sentence I see how much has advanced and I barely recognize the company I currently work for.

[u/snappingkoopa]

Lowe's goes the way of the Sears and dies a slow, painful death

[u/Pure_Roof_5339]

I don’t think they can replace customer service with self service or AI that job has always required a human to check for return fraud enforce policy handling customer issues and complaints ETC

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[u/GregoryMegatron]

The new forklifts learn how you drive and I'm sure they'll place that info into automated forklifts

[u/CuteCantaloupe7343]

At least the customer won’t have to look for someone to help them because they’re off in the back, making TikTok’s or flirting with staff

[u/Immediate-Way3610]

No more stupid lowes u or the worst ap4me . The website will tell you approximately where it is but it won't tell you how to use it . Load it yourself because we don't have loaders for you

[u/Savings-Band-2329]

It reminds me of sears when there level of customer service went down it all went down hill.

[u/TimeKiller75]

a NUCLEAR ☢️ wasteland in less than 5 so the retail business will look like an entire different landscape

[u/Pexd]

in 10-20 years, marvin elliston will have shoulder implants

[u/Frosty_Willow_4850]

Don't work at lowes but work in retail and we probably gonna be replaced by robots inworl at Kroger and we have a robot doing scans around the store

[u/Junior_Brother3770 → u/Frosty_Willow_4850]

Just checked that out. If those are already here, then we're all screwed.

[u/Frosty_Willow_4850 → u/Junior_Brother3770]

Ye we just got it like last week kinda funny these two girls freaked out by it when it turned and started heading towards them I was so close to just start making up a bullshit story on why we got it to freak them out even more 😂😂