Starting pay, raises, work hours, and Best Departments to work in
Pros
I've worked as a cashier, return's associate (customer service representative), and paint/electrical/plumbing/seasonal associate while at Lowe's. My greatest recommendation is to stay away from cashiering and customer service if you do not like confrontation. The best department to work in is paint followed by plumbing and electrical. Seasonal can be a hit or miss depending on if you like constant change. Once you're in cashiering and customer service (returns desk) they will try 99% to not let you move into a department. The only lateral movement is to become a head cashier.
Cons
Just turned 18, still in high school, I was started off at $10.13 an hour. One of my male co-workers (who started 4-5 months after me, did not have previous work experience, and went to the same school I was at) got a starting pay of $12.00. Unfortunately, this was a common theme when working for Lowe's. Also, we were made to work 40 hours for 3 weeks, then the forth week we couldn't exceed 38 hours. Later found out the reason behind this was so we wouldn't be moved from part-time to full-time. I never received a pay raise while at the company, until I left the company for personal reasons since they do not offer FMLA if you've worked under a year. When I came back I received $11 and some change. My most increased amount I earned at Lowe's was $12.01.
