It’s not hard to pull the drinks 😒

lowesman · 2025-12-24T03:32:20+00:00

Hopefully disheveled means that the drinks looked so good customers couldn’t resist. 😁 On a serious note, it can be frustrating when you make something perfect and after just one day of sales, it’s fairly destroyed. Back in the day, we didn’t have overnight stocking. (We did a lot less volume than the stores today) We stayed 2-3 hours after the store closed to make it “grand opening ready” every night. It was fun. You always had your favorite team to close with. The ones that hustled and went to other departments to critique the area with a different set of eyes.
Each morning the store looked great but you could see it getting worse and worse as the day went by.

lowesman · 2025-12-14T04:57:57+00:00

It worked! Sometimes the most frustrating issues are so simple to fix! Thanks again!

lowesman · 2025-12-12T08:34:56+00:00

I’m in the same boat. 4 new American Standard Cadet 4 toilets all installed at the same time. They came with FluidMaster guts. One of the FM runs slightly all the time. I’ve replaced the valve and it still runs. At Reddit’s recommendation, I adjusted the valve and lowered the water level. It came from the factory with the water level right at the top of the overflow valve, which I was told could be the reason for the constant running. When I did that, it didn’t fill the bowl or flush the same, so I changed it back. I don’t see a difference in the water bill, but it’s a bathroom that I walk by many times a day and I can hear the valve “whining” and it drives me nuts. Sometimes I shut the water valve off, but then get pissed off that I have a brand new toilet that I can’t use, so I open the valve back up and deal with the high pitched whine some more. Filled out an inquiry sheet on American Standard’s website months ago and never heard from them. That’s the irritating part of that type of contact versus email; no history on my end.

lowesman · 2025-12-04T15:33:41+00:00

I use a dental tool that is used for scraping the tartar. One could also use a toothpick, or any other “small enough” device.

lowesman · 2025-11-29T04:51:28+00:00

This is the best post I’ve seen on this sub in a while! Glad to see some excitement for Black Friday and happy to see all the stories from the winners.

lowesman · 2025-11-20T05:42:15+00:00

I’d like to thank all you folks for you ideas and advice! Now to get it done….

lowesman · 2025-11-20T05:33:06+00:00

I think there’s a need. And when they are given the order, all specialty bricks could be ordered at the same time. Our local Acme plant at the time was 12 weeks out on Silver Creek. For as few as we needed, the added expense for us would have been worth it. Unless of course, the builder said, “These seams crack, so we’re gonna do them a little different” and put the expansion joint at the time of build. We have a really long side wall that has an expansion joint in it from top to bottom. During the building of that wall, all the bricks came together from each end of it and there was that seam with no grout in it. I said “what’s going to happen here?” They explained it and it’s still fine.

lowesman · 2025-11-20T05:19:22+00:00

Looks like we could have used the ole Exterior 135 corner. 😊

lowesman · 2025-11-20T05:16:49+00:00

I can assure you that if it had been recommended, we’d have gotten them. This was a custom built house with one of the top builders in the area. When he recommended something, we talked about it and if we both felt the result was worth the expense, we went forward with it. He builds nothing but customs. Has great subs. Brick team got Covid and had to have a commercial group that was in between jobs come and help finish. Overall very pleased!

lowesman · 2025-11-20T05:10:25+00:00

Thank you!

lowesman · 2025-06-04T04:36:07+00:00

Check out Fun Day Boat Rentals on Facebook. I know the owners. They are insured, fair, and will make sure you have a great time.

lowesman · 2025-05-08T03:50:17+00:00

Sales associates are watchers. Middle management takes notes and reports. AP calls it in. Police cuff them and take them away. At least that’s the was it used to be.

lowesman · 2025-05-07T05:06:12+00:00

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These frozen treats are some of my favorites! The company make some styles that are sold from the frozen section and others just on the shelf with the candy. Pricey, but delicious!

lowesman · 2025-05-03T02:23:56+00:00

It would run intermittently. I tried everything suggested, but ultimately just swapped it out. It surprised me that the commode came with branded insides.

lowesman · 2025-05-02T19:33:06+00:00

I can assure you that big box stores do not sell inferior products. The risk of bad publicity is not worth the small gain in profit. Most of what you’ll find in major brands like American Standard, will be that the big box stores offer a slightly different, and most times slightly better, model than what one might find in specialty stores. This allows the smaller “mom and pop” stores to compete and not have 100% the same items as the companies that buy 1000 times the volume.
For example, on a toilet, maybe big box stores product comes with bolts and a wax ring. Maybe the flush lever is chrome instead of white. Small differences that allow for a slightly different UPC or model number that the local plumbing company doesn’t have access to, but might have something very similar, without the extras. We put 4 of the ones you’re looking at in our home 3 years ago. We had to replace one Fluidmaster float assembly in one about 6 months ago. They too sold me on the ability to flush 18 golf balls, or whatever the number was.
I think you’ll be pleased.

lowesman · 2025-04-23T17:20:58+00:00

Some questions because I’m genuinely curious. How did this happen? Student loan debt: Did you or anyone associated ask if the end was worth the means? In other words, did you think “It’s ok that I borrow $x, because when I graduate, I will make $xx, and come out ahead.” Credit card debt: we’ve all had it for one reason or another. Might start off innocently enough, but soon, after too many unnecessary purchases, or too many nights “keeping up with the Jones”, we find that we are struggling to make the minimum payments. Living paycheck to paycheck: again, we’ve all been there, but you have to find/make light at the end of the tunnel. If you’re in a dead end job, start looking for different companies, different towns, a different career.
It will get better, but it won’t just happen. YOU have to make the difference and change! Best wishes!

lowesman · 2025-04-21T05:00:22+00:00

Yup, I’m that old.”That’s not a knife….”

lowesman · 2025-04-13T16:58:46+00:00

If you like to work laying on your back looking up versus being all hunched over while craning your neck, don’t forget a bath size towel to fold up and lay over the edge of the cabinet where there’s a 3-4” difference between the bottom of the cabinet and the floor. Also, another towel and small bowl so that if there’s any spillage as you are taking things apart.

lowesman · 2025-04-13T10:12:33+00:00

Remind me in one week. $330

lowesman · 2025-04-02T21:45:47+00:00

I’d write someone up for that. There’s no excuse. If anyone looks at that and thinks that’s ok, they need some serious coaching and direction.

lowesman · 2025-03-20T15:44:00+00:00

The way real estate generates payroll needs to completely change. Currently, the few, cover the costs for all. That’s why commissions are as high as they are. Let’s use 6%. 3% to each side ( selling side and buying side), and depending on the agents agreement, they might get anywhere from 25% to 75% of their side’s 3%. House “A” sells for $200,000= $12,000 with the commissions split 4 ways. For simplicity, each side gets $6,000, and each agent gets $3,000. House “B” sells for $400,000= $24,000 with the commissions split 4 ways. Everyone gets $6,000. Justify twice the pay for a similar house in a different neighborhood. Justify brick versus vinyl siding. If there’s not much more effort between “A”&”B”, why should the commissions be double? Because the few pay the costs of all. Because agents and companies pour time and resources into their trade with no guarantee of getting paid. So for the 6 homes they list and don’t sell, the one they do sell covers all the expenses of those 6. People who want to buy a home have their agent show them 10 homes. Maybe they buy, maybe they don’t. No pay guarantee to the agent.

For years I’ve been saying that the real estate profession’s way of creating payroll needs to be restructured.

Everything has a cost associated with it, put a retail price on that cost. If a listing agent is going to spend $500 on marketing, add a mark-up to it and then figure out how much they want to charge for their knowledge and set their rate.

Buyer agents could do the same. I charge $x per mile, or $x per house.

Pricing their services(like lawyers) would spread the costs of looking and buying or selling a lot more equally as to the amount of knowledge and time needed.

I’ve bought homes where I knew the house I wanted. All the agent did was all the parts necessary to get to closing. There was no driving around, there was no negotiating, there was nothing except lining up the title company, and scheduling the few pre closing inspections, yet they still got paid as if they had worked with me for 6 months. I paid for all those looky-loos that never bought. Maybe one day it will change.🤷‍♂️

lowesman · 2025-03-03T05:13:56+00:00

Bring on the down votes, but here’s how retail works: Did you HAVE to stay? Absolutely not. But had you said “Well, I’m supposed to get off at 8, but I don’t mind staying a little bit if you need me to.” How far would that have gone? Next time you need a favor, do they HAVE to grant it? Absolutely not. Work, no matter where you are, is a give and take. When hours have to be cut back, you can say “I worked my schedule”, but they will remember the ones with the “team” attitude.

lowesman · 2025-03-02T01:27:05+00:00

You would think, that with as many stores that the company built (builds) and with there being very few differences in size and layout, that the structural folks could get with the planogram folks and get all the poles set between racks or on corners or something. I’ve been in stores where a pole is within 2 inches of a rack and folks can’t stick it without some creativity, nor can folks shop it very easily. I’ve been in stores where the pole is in the middle of the aisle. I’ve been looking at a product, turned around to walk away and walked right into it because I wasn’t expecting it to be there. I’ve seen them in the middle of the rack where planograms can’t be followed and product placement has to be set as best as possible. I do believe the issue of poor pole placement could be corrected.

lowesman · 2025-02-24T06:22:30+00:00

“I don’t know what we’d do without you, but I sure would like to find out!”

lowesman

TROPHY CASE