customer service representative

caissier

cashier

department manager

agent de vente et de service à la clientèle

Rona Hardware

The most brutal retail job I've ever worked.  

They're big on their corporate culture here and make the employees participate in a group cheer every single morning, which is intended to psych you up for your day serving customers but is really demeaning as everyone knows that Lowe's doesn't give a diddly about them.  Just because one successful retail big-box has a group cheer doesn't mean that EVERY big-box store needs to cheer to be successful.

I asked five times for a name tag that had my name spelled correctly on it and never received it despite being told I would.  I had to edit my own name tag so that it properly showed my real name.  That's just my little tidbit for you to remember when you go in for training and they make you watch the factually-incorrect and historically inaccurate anti-union propaganda video.  Lowe's is SO pro-employee that they don't need unions, don't you see?!?? 

When there was a flood at the store that ruined the tiny kitchenette area that regular staffers used every day to reheat and prepare their lunches they'd brought from home, it took them over a month to get it fixed.  During that time there was one single microwave in the room to serve over 180 employees.  There was no sink to wash your hands, dishes, or anything.  Gee... I wonder where they might be able to find a new sink and cheap-o countertop??  When it finally was repaired, we were told that all of the supplies and labour to have it installed were gifts from vendors and volunteers.  That is because the management of Lowe's is so caught up in keeping their store budget low so that they can come out on top with a big bonus every year.  Laughably, none of the management in the store eat lunch with the regular staffers or use the kitchenette, so their lunches were never affected (thank heavens!).  Despite all of the mess with the kitchen, which is arguably a bonus in a workplace (but not a workplace that you'd think was really "pro-employee"), staff regularly do not have the supplies or resources to do their jobs well or serve customers quickly and accurately because, again-- supplying these items and resources would drive up the store budget, cutting in to management's bonuses.

The assistant store managers are second-worst to only the store manager, herself.  They are cowards who regularly are made to deliver bad news with a big, fake smile on their faces.  One of the assistant managers at the store in question doesn't bother learning anyone's name or even reading peoples' nametags: he just calls everyone "bud" or "buddy," which is probably not good practice but whatever, right?  

There's a bit of racism and other bigotry that gets paraded around as funny jokes in the staff lunch room in particular by two or three staff that no one ever thinks to tell to shut up.  

Cool final thoughts: if you're still within your probationary period they don't even have to tell you why you're being let go.  They (management) will call it "a business decision" and will tiptoe around like the terrible cowards they are.  Hopefully that means management will get their bonuses that were made on the backs of the average working stiffs who're just waiting to reheat their leftovers.

Lowe's is an absolutely incredible environment to work in. Their values include creating open positive spaces for both employees and customers. I really enjoyed partaking in the initiative to enhance sales and to provide outstanding customer service to ensure returning customers. A typical day as a head cashier would be to assign cashiers to their duties and create the break schedule in the morning.  I would clean the whole front end due to minimal customers between the hours of 6-10 AM. Once I was finished writing the schedule and cleaning, I would create a list of duties for the front end loaders to split amongst themselves for the day. Our rush at the front end would normally begin around 10:15 AM where I would stand on the mat and supervise cashiers and make myself available to assist cashiers and customer service associates. I would answer employee and customer questions, give discounts to customers and help with any technical difficulties. I would be responsible for online orders as well as phone orders and making sure that the front end runs as smoothly as possible. I would assist in loss prevention, by ensuring that big-ticket items have been paid for and deactivated.  I was responsible for managing the front end activities by proactively visiting customer service, returns desk, front line registers, commercial registers, lawn and garden registers, vestibules and parking areas. I would provide direction and support to associates. I would help to ensure customer service needs are met at all times. I was also responsible for responding to all customer and employee generated EAS alarm activations. I would greet and acknowledge customers in a friendly, professional manner and I would provide quick responsive service to maximize the customer s shopping experience. I would coach cashiers in providing great customer service. 
     I essentially learned how to become an effective leader and how to speak with associates and customers in a way that is sensitive to each persons different needs. I learned patience and how to listen carefully to customers. Something very memorable about my work experience at Lowe's would be the associates energy change once I came into work. I really enjoyed making a difference in peoples days just by my positive energy and willingness to listen to any issues and providing insight and advice to become better associates for the company. 
     Management was amazing, each member of management was proactive and all had different strengths and weaknesses. I liked the open door policy and it really felt like we were a family team all attempting to achieve the same goals of providing excellent customer service. The hardest part of my job was leaving Lowe's. I left to pursue further opportunities although I will always remember the positive working experience that I have gained along with the skills and knowledge.

Cashiers are treated differently from employees in the departments. Cashiers have supervisors breathing down their necks and other departments do not.

Cashiers are often left alone with no security in an environment filled to the brim with aggressive customers. There is supposed to be an actual security officer to watch the functioning cameras but they haven’t employed one for a long time. Supervisors usually hang out at the customer service desk located at the other door.

Cash employees have been threatened, harrassed and one was even struck in the face when she was working alone while a number of supervisors were at the customer service desk.

When supervisors are around they micromanage the cash employees. They periodically check that cash is asking customers a ridiculous amount of questions on each transaction. If the questions are not all asked the cash member gets a poor grade.

They unhelpfully remind the cash to look as if they’re busy even when there is nothing to do. There are no customers, the cleaning is all done and the front shelves are all stocked, they either need to look busy or stand like horses in a stable at the front of the cash and not allowed to talk, until a customer comes by. Supervisors chat amongst each other about non-work topics all the time.

Cash is not allowed anything to drink but water. Not allowed snacks. Supervisors and customer service desk are allowed allowed coffee, pop, timbits, and anything else they can hide from view. 

Several supervisors are against doling out breaks. Granted they’re not legally required but most employers don’t have this issue. And cash employees have been threatened to have breaks denied if they ask for break too many times. No one specified what counted as ‘too many’.

During my time there more than one colleague working other departments have remarked it seems like the supervisors “really hate” cash employees, and I have to agree. Granted, the supervisors have a lot of duties to tend to and many seem stressed out. But they seem to enjoy taking their frustrations out on cash employees by treating them like lesser being, somewhat beneath them. And the management allows this behaviour. More than once a cash employee raised concerns about supervisors only to be brushed off and have no action taken.

If you ever apply to work for Rona, my friendly advice is to NOT opt for a cash position. The department employees have their own issues to deal with but they don’t know the disrespect of cash.

Working at RONA turned out to be a regrettable choice for me. From the outset, the promises made during the interview process quickly evaporated once I began working there. Here are some of the reasons why my time at RONA was disheartening:

Poor Management: The store I worked at seemed perpetually understaffed, which led to chaotic workdays. Managers were often inaccessible or uninterested in addressing our concerns. This lack of support made it difficult to perform tasks efficiently and professionally.

Low Pay and Benefits: The compensation at RONA was below average, especially considering the demanding physical labor and the extensive product knowledge required. The benefits package was minimal, and raises were rare, which did not motivate employees to stay long-term.

Unpredictable Scheduling: The scheduling was erratic and often changed at the last minute, making it challenging to plan personal life or even make arrangements for childcare or other responsibilities. This lack of consistency added unnecessary stress to an already demanding job.

Lack of Training and Development: Despite promises of training opportunities, new hires were often left to figure things out on their own. The initial orientation was cursory at best, leaving many employees feeling unprepared and unsupported in their roles.

Unhealthy Work Environment: The physical conditions in the store were subpar, with outdated facilities and inadequate climate control. This made working conditions uncomfortable and, at times, unsafe.

Limited Opportunities for Advancement: Career growth seemed almost non-existent unless you were part of the inner circle. Positions were rarely advertised internally, and promotions were typically based on favoritism rather than merit or qualifications.

Lack of Recognition: Hard work and dedication were seldom acknowledged or rewarded. This lack of appreciation demoralized employees and contributed to a pervasive sense of disillusionment.

In conclusion, my experience at RONA was characterized by frustration, disillusionment, and a sense of being undervalued. The company's disregard for its employees' well-being and professional development was evident throughout my tenure. I would caution anyone considering a job at RONA to carefully weigh their options and be prepared for potential challenges.





A typical day at work would usually be in the greenhouse, unpacking plants, and putting them away on shelf, watering plants, repotting plants for customers, trimming, and pruning plants (cutting off dead leaves) stocking shelves, setting up displays in garden centre and seasonal department, making labels, printing signs, learning about the different departments and products we sell through online computer testing , stacking bags of soil, and bricks, answering phones, filling in for tools and hardware when 3 people quit in that department at one time, learning about that deparrtment, and products we sell, doing inventory mainly for seasonal, lighting depeartment and paint section,  helping customers find the products they need , and properly guiding them with their projects.

I learned many new things working at RONA, and I guess thats what kept me interested and enjoyed comming to work everyday. It was a really great oppurtunity to get to work there, and learn about all the different departments, including flooring, paint, tools and hardware , etc. the products sold , and their uses. 

Management was good, they occasionally checked up on us, but usually didn't have any jobs they needed us to do , and seen everything was running smoothly in our department, and looking good, so there were never any issues. 

I enjoyed every minute working with my co-workers, they were all quite a lot older than me, but I learned many new things about my job, and looked forward to comming into work everyday, and see what the plan was for the day, and what needed to be done, and it was always alot of fun working with them. 

the hardest part of my job would be moving the paving stones and sidewalk blocks , and bringing in all the plant racks at the end of the night shift (there were about 20-30 of them, and they were quite heavy to push) some were on pallets, and some were on the 6 tier metal shelf 

the most enjoyable part of my job was watering plants, and talking to customers about their projects, and brainstorming ideas with co-workers on how to make things look better in the store, or change things around, and following through together with our ideas.

-Management sucks!

-Never enough people on the floor.

-Management abuse workers(verbally), in front of customers too.

-people have quit in tears.

-Always short handed.

-new hires are not the best.

-New drama everyday.

-disorganized company.

-not enough hours.

-Management doesn't care about employee issues or concerns.

-Management only cares about making their bosses happy not there employees.

-Company is cheap overall.

-Management is disrespectful.

-Abusing of management power.

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The good workers/managers move on to better places. This is the a company were no one should work. People here are in a term "political", and care about themself, this is not a team, more like a dictatorship. The store manager, only cares about results, and when those results cannot be met, well you should look out for your job, he runs a business based on fear. I have seen people model there business, based on his leadership abilities/techniques.
And we'll let's say it's the worst one out there.

If a problem were to come up well, first thing you would do is go to your manager, we'll these guys say we will fix it and nothing ever happens. The only time they fix a situation is when it becomes a big problem.

I have seen good/hard workering employees, leave due to the pressure always being on them for the results. These are the people who make a company great. All that is happing now is the company is going downhill. With that being said, there have been employees cheated out of a good/better position, due to management, either for there gain or favortisim.

Trust dosen't exist in this store.

And for anyone who is up in the ladder for rona, let me ask you this why do you think everyone is leaving. The new and old workers?

This is a place known for its disrespect. So apply some were else. Don't just look for an opening, really thing about what you are Appling into.

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To fix this place is to replace the store manager. Fix all of management. But at the end of the day no one will care, cause all this place cares about is results and money. The day will come when there will be no one qualified to help this store. And the store will fall in sales. And when that day comes, they will all put there hands up and say we don't know what's going on.

job started off pretty OK, worked as Night Associate working Monday - Friday 10:30 - 6:30AM. the Night Manager seemed fine at first, weekly meetings, a fairly no stupidity attitude, relaxed when the was basically no workload. however i learned the hard way that this was a farce, along with me she hired he friend and another senior employee literally said she bought his trust by buying him shoes. she held a meeting about the 2 women on our team getting their power equipment license along with some of the men who who didn't have it as well. that never happened. She would also preach equality and fairness however she would constantly send me to help her friend because she was extremely slow and talked more than worked, i also had to work her overhead section, then the next night i would be assigned to the section she previously "worked" and she would be assigned to the section i already did so she would just relax all night. she was also fine with standing and talking while other people worked despite preaching fairness, i was assigned the Lumber department without being asked, and during one shift after we had a meeting where she expressed her ideals about fairness i had the most work out of all other workers and received no help, however her friend received help from every other team member and i had to work alone while she got to talk and laugh and have fun like always, and was told i received no help due to the other team members having morning jobs. all in all if you are hard working then she makes you do all the work. i was terminated for complaining to the Assistant Store Manager(ASM) 2 times about the lack of speed and thus lack of fairness going on though they lied to others about me not being a good worker, this was confirmed by some people i know who work there, had i known the ASM had previously lived with the manager i wouldn't have said anything, thought it was clear that skin color was important as both were more kind to people of the same race.

I am a co-op student currently working with the business and I have to say that I have never in my life worked for such an incredible company as this one. Everyone is friendly, outgoing, extremely helpful, and is there to support you in whatever you need. They take learning styles very seriously within the company as well to ensure that when you learn the duties related to your job, it is being done to your learning style and preferences to ensure your success. Overall, my learning experience within the company has been top notch incredible.

Management is amazing as well. They are there if you need help, and if you feel like you are overwhelmed or need extra help with something, they are right there to assist you. Since this company is also family run since it's inception, they are extremely family focused. If you need anything at all, or if anything comes up family wise, you have the opportunity and support to take care of the things you need to do. 

The workplace culture is also the best I have ever worked in. Everyone works as a team, there are no stupid questions ever, and are there to help you if you are struggling. The experience I have had, is that you are a part of another family. I truly feel so fortunate to have become a part of this little family because I know that the work I do is truly appreciated. I can see the direct connection that my work has to the company mission, so I also know the importance that my job holds to the company's success.

Being completely honest, I have never had 1 bad day here. Yes, I have had tough days where I got overwhelmed because there were a lot of things to get done, but overall, never a bad day.

My suggestion, if you have the opportunity, work with this company. The options are endless and they are absoultely incredible to work with. You will get support like never before, and we welcome anyone into this little family with open arms!



My experience at RONA is not what I had thought. I thought I would be brought into a structured and guided work environment, however this is not what I had experienced. 
Firstly, training was terrible. We were required to sit in front of a computer for 8+ hours to complete training videos and modules. This may be sufficient training for some people, but for me, I do not learn that way. I felt extremely unprepared for actually working on the floor. I wasn’t also provided much customer service training either. 
I wasn’t able to give customers correct information and was often confused on what they needed as I didn’t have much product knowledge. I would often ask my manager and other team members for their help, but I was often left alone. 
This leads me into my second point. I was often left alone on the floor. My department manager would often take my other team members in my department to other sections of the store and have them complete other tasks, leaving me a new team member alone on the floor having to attend to multiple customers with very little assistance. It was a very overwhelming experience for me. 
Next, the management team was very unprofessional and lazy. Many times when I had to deal with a customer complaint, management would not want to get involved and want me a NEW EMPLOYEE with very little experience to deal with the issue, even though I needed their authority to make decisions. It was not fair to me at all. There was also a manager who was very rude to me since my very first day for no reason at all. 
Lastly, my hours were unpredictable each week. I was never given a set amount of days to work. It would vary all the time. 
This entire experience would give me a lot of anxiety, and lead to my departure from the position. I would not recommend anyone to work here unless you don’t feel like you need any direction and guidance in your work. 

A typical day at work would include punching in at 12 pm everyday, putting on my work boots and walking to the paint desk where I would find a list of tasks that had to be done throughout my shift. It was insisted that I'm constantly working on a task to benefit myself. I would have to clean up around the desk and keep the working environment as tidy as possible. 
I would have at least 3-4 carts of products that had to be either tagged or put in their rightful home. It would take me a good 45 mins to an hour to finish all the carts. 

I learned how to work quick and efficiently with minimum supervision, I learned how to help out customers find products around the store and the other employees in my department get tasks done, if I was unsure about something I would immediately ask for help from my department head, they were always willing to help me out, which brings me to management. 

The management crew were all very friendly and always offering to help me out if I was unsure about something and if I had any problems with customers and or other employees to ask no matter what. This ties along with my co-workers, they were all very friendly as well. 

The hardest part of my job would probably have to be all the heavy lifting, yes I was able to get the job done, but if the loads were a bit bigger and a bit heavier it seemed it always took me a bit longer to finish and that frustrated me a bit. 
Another thing that frustrated me was confrontation, I'm not very good with being put on the spot, so for the most part if a problem was to occur I would go off and work on a cart and just take a breather, but I would always find a solution to my problem and make sure the same mistake wasn't made twice. 

The most enjoyable part would have to be my co-workers, I found it very easy to get along with everyone and that definitely helped relieve some of the stress from the amount of tasks that had to be done throughout my shift.

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Customer service representative 270 salaries reported	$18.63 per hour
Caissier 142 salaries reported	$18.80 per hour
Cashier 133 salaries reported	$18.71 per hour
Department manager 83 salaries reported	$52,063 per year
Agent de vente et de service à la clientèle 134 salaries reported	$18.53 per hour

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