Double Amputee Veteran's Wheelchair Breaks In Lowe's, Workers Drop Everything To Fix It

Hopefully these 3 great guys wont get fired. Ya know, for taking time out of their job. Great story!
Firepiston

a reply to: snarky412

Wonderful story.

Now if Lowe's would treat its employees as well as the employees treated the Veteran . . . it would be even better.

IIRC, Lowe's was not even allowing its cashier's in its home city breaks. They had to stand on their feet 4 hours straight unless they begged for a toilet break. I'd thought that was illegal. Evidently not.

Supposedly things have loosened A BIT . . . DEPENDING on the mood or sensibilities of the manager on duty at the time.

The other corporate culture I've long deplored about so many such org's is the horrendously absurd double bind's they put their managers in--all their mid-level and I assume the store manager. There's typically been tons of impossible ~DEMANDS! And then cheeky punishments for not meeting the impossible demands.

Part of that stems from cost-cutting by cutting employee numbers and employee hours. AND THEN !DEMANDING! that the remaining employees do the work of 2 people . . . too often in half the time. THAT'S TERMINALLY STUPID.

Such organizations fail to realize that such treatment of experienced employees is DESTRUCTIVE TO THEIR BOTTOM LINE.

A lot of the impact is hard to measure so the bean-counters don't monitor and bird-dog it like they do petty things.

1. Poorer than necessary treatment of employees causes more sickness as well as foot-dragging and sometimes worse from a beleaguered to disgruntled employee.

2. Turnover is costly. Some experts think it takes 2 years before an employee is truly earning their way and profiting the company.

3. Happy, overtly and obviously valued employees treat customers better with a better attitude and a better mood. Well treated customers tend to buy more and return more faithfully.

4. Happy, overtly valued and treasured employees bend over backwards benefitting the company with cost saving suggestions and innovative ideas in a list of ways of lasting and significant benefit to the corporation.

I hope Lowe's rewarded these employees grandly. The publicity they've gotten from it is worth millions.

a reply to: roadgravel

As I understand it from my students, that company treats its employees worse than Lowe's does.

However, it does hire disabled etc. sorts of folks. I commend them highly for that.

I've been following this story and the employees did not get in trouble and got high praise from both management and corporate.

I often see stories where folks help other folks in need that aren't vets even though some folks here seem to think that I s not the case. I think the reason these Vet stories are getting more notice now is because of all the VA scandals coming to the fore. Right here in Shreveport, Louisiana, the VA Hospital here is coming under fire and being investigated because of their poor treatment and/or no treatment for vets. The appointment scandal is very real here at this hospital. A relative of mine has to wait anywhere from 6-8 months between appointments. One wheelchair allotted to him. Had a cancer spot removed and a radium packet put in and then the ball got dropped relevant to follow ups/treatment for Cancer. He doesn't want chemo anyhow but wasn't consulted relevant to it and appointments, more and more appointments became few and far between. This crap that Vets are having to put up with should get plenty of attention.

Any folks that are having a hardship should get help of course....not just saying Vets. However, that is going to get more and more difficult...helping our own in need when so much time, money, and effort is being spent on the immigrant invasion. Now, Barksdale Air Force base is opening up base housing to civilians for the first time ever...what with immigrants being sent to military bases, one has to wonder what that dealy is all about. Sure, they say they will "screen" folks and it won't be free but who knows...I can't help but wonder if it will be for the new influx relevant to the "crisis". Of course that wouldn't be made public at first. AF folks at the base are not happy at all relevant to it...regardless of the reason.

Our local news websites, ktbs.com and ksla.com are covering both stories...the VA Hospital fiasco and the AFB housing situation. It all sucks.

a reply to: snarky412

I could not understand how they serve and end up in dire situations as if services/sacrifices forgotten. Nice to see some showed efforts of support for another.

a reply to: shrevegal

I've been following this story and the employees did not get in trouble and got high praise from both management and corporate.

Good, thanks for sharing that---^^^^^^^


As far as the man being a Vet, it fits in with the VA fiasco being as he was denied a wheelchair for 2 years
It's not like he was asking for bionic legs, just a newer wheelchair

Evidently he was waaay past due
At least it happened at Lowes where they had all parts necessary to fix it!! LOL

originally posted by: PhoenixOD
Only in America is it ground breaking news that one person helped another when they didn't have to. lol

What's with the negativity? I don't think this counts as ground breaking news, it is a feel good story, which media try and use to balance out all the negative stories about crime and death.

Would you rather they didn't report this, as to not waste your time or something?

a reply to: sputniksteve

Here in the UK if someone needs help like that then we just do it, its not a big deal. In the US it seems its something out of the ordinary worthy of a news report.

One time in the US we got a blow out from one of your fine American potholes in the road and had to change a tire but there was no tire iron. We tried knocking on a few doors to see if anyone would lend us one but gave up after the 10th person said no (at one house they were working on a car in their driveway)! 2 people stopped in cars and asked us for directions and refused to help. We thought we were saved when a cop pulled up but they just wanted to check us out to see if we were trying to steal the car..of course they didn't help. In the end we had to call friends to come and help us.

2 Weeks later we were back home in the UK and the same thing happened but we couldn't find the tool to get the locking wheel nuts off. We had 6 offers of help within 15min and one guy who was a mechanic broke off the wheel nuts and gave us new ones for free. My girlfriend who is American was utterly stunned!

So maybe you are right..someone helping someone in the US is a major news event worthy of being the current events forum but like i said here in the UK its not a big deal, in fact it would have more of a big deal if they didnt help.

a reply to: PhoenixOD

Am curious . . . was that in the Eastern 1/3 of the USA?

Or in a major crowded city?

a reply to: BO XIAN

Just outside Jackson MS, we were heading to NOLA. so much for southern hospitality lol

a reply to: PhoenixOD

Interesting.

Southerners can be quite parochial . . . but tend to be more helpful, as a rule, than not.

I'm not familiar with that specific area, though.

Sorry for such ill-treatment.

. . . reminds me of my overnight in London at the new, barely open [major chain hotel] in 1973 . . .

I can't recall a more rude or useless staff in any establishment.

a reply to: BO XIAN

Yeah i agree Londoners can be real Aholes.

This is one of the greatest things I have read all month. Definitely glad to be hearing that there are still good people in this world.

Makes me sick to my stomach that people that have fought for there country and even lost limbs for there country have to struggle like this, this guy was willing to give up his life yet the government are not willing to provide him with a working wheelchair.

a reply to: PhoenixOD

You are just wrong about that, I don't know how else to tell you. This wasn't reported because it is a spectacular event that never happens and needed to be celebrated. It was reported because it is a feel good story. That's all.

So you are assuming all Americans are jerks because a few in Mississippi didn't help you out with a tire iron? But just some Londoners are jerks?

OK.

a reply to: sputniksteve

Did i say just some Londers? Now you're just making things up.

I work in Commercial Sales at a Lowe's. Believe it or not but I feel well treated at Lowe's. I would say that things like this happen at our store often. We are a giant hardware store and people need help fixing things. It's nice to see a positive story for once. People should stop being cynical long enough to perhaps be inspired. Pay it forward!!!

a reply to: PhoenixOD

I stand corrected, sorry.

a reply to: lambs to lions

I trade there faithfully and a lot.

A housemate worked there in a variety of positions and still works at a different store.

They are far from all bad. They could be a lot better to their employees, imho.

The first manager my housemate was under was humping everything in the store that wiggled that he could coerce into such a position.

A student of mine who also worked there was once handed some meds by the manager's mother and told that they were his "schizophrenia meds" to please give them to him.

The fellow was harsh and arbitrary to those under him--particularly if he was not bedding them at the time. Oh, and he was married with kids, I think near puberty.

And I still think that the impossible demands put on dept managers and many employees is destructive.

And the business on the East Coast in at least one State of not having breaks for Cashiers for 4 hours on their feet . . . is unhealthy and cruel, imho.

I've just tried most of my adult life to trade where folks are well treated. And to give feedback to the organization when it seemed warranted.