I went to Lowe's yesterday and the Bush economy was sadly apparent.

[blm]

Most of the employees were older men. And I mean MUCH older men. There were at least a half-dozen I saw that were well past 60 and some that looked to be in their 70s.

This is in NC, and I have to conclude that this is due to mills closing and older employees losing their pensions.

Incredibly sad.

[HereSince1628]

1. There are no programs for "retraining" over 50 employees

My general take on this is that it is seen as a bad profit/cost ratio.

So displaced, these people fall from the middle class into the working poor.

If you look, the retraining programs and all the great futures seen by the bright eyed experts preaching the restructuring the economy are for those under 50.

It leaves me depressed, too.

[reprehensor]

2. Lowe's, part of the problem.

Not as bad as Home Depot, though.

http://www.buyblue.org/detail.php?corpId=38

"Lowe's currently has a 0% BuyBlue rating due to political contributions for the 2003-2004 election cycle. The rating is based on minimal contributions by Lowe's executives and the activities of Lowe's Political Action Committee during the 2003-2004 election cycle. It appears that for the most part Lowe's stayed out of politics in the last election cycle but the contributions that were made went to Republican candidates."

http://www.buyblue.org/detail.php?corpId=83

"Home Depot currently has an 18% BuyBlue rating due to political contributions for the 2003-2004 election cycle. Home Depot's executives contributed solely and hevaily to Republican candidates and committees. Home Depot also has a political action committee which contributed $337,500 (24.00% D, 76.00% R). Home Depot's total contribution to politicians in the last election cycle was $448,500 with the vast majority of that going to Republican candidates."

[blm]

10. I am well aware of that, but, we had a plumbing disaster and needed

a faucet. Lowe's was the only place other than Home Depot. We drove an extra 12 miles just to avoid Home Depot which was only 2 miles away.

[reprehensor]

13. Good job!

I know some Democrats/Progressives who shop at Wal-Mart because it's 'cheaper'.

They shall reap what they soweth.

Dude.

[jmowreader]

14. Lowe's is a serious part of the problem

Lowe's personnel policies make Wal-Mart look generous. And you people shop there?

[reprehensor]

15. Really?

Got a link or resource handy on that?

Like Indiana Jones, I too, hate Nazis.

[jmowreader]

18. Start here:

http://www.youareworthmore.org

Look for Lowe's and "chinese overtime."

Another resource I use is my co-workers. Quite a few of them used to work for Lowe's, and they'll be happy to tell you about the Chinese overtime, the lack of support from the management, and the rather constricted benefits package compared to ours. (The 2005 Benefits Summary was issued last month. It's an 8.5x11 book that's an inch thick and printed on thin paper.)

[reprehensor]

19. Cool resource, thanks. N/T

[EC]

3. And because these employees

are ideal. They will not be asking for more hours or increase in pay, because they don't want to also lose part of their Social Security for earning too much income in a years time...

[datasuspect]

4. "they should be grateful they have a job!!!!!"

welcome to the service industry explosion prophesied (touted/spun?) in the late 80s and and 90s.

i thought we were all supposed to be subcontractors by now?

no, it's sad. i wouldn't want to an impoverished senior citizen in this country. that thought scares the living shit out of me.

[mojavekid]

5. Our family and friends are mostly contractors,

electrical, plumbing, framing, etc. and not just a few of them, following retirement, have taken jobs at Lowe's, Home Depot and OSH to stay busy. The extra money helps, but they do it because they have all this knowledge and hands on experience, and it feels good to them to use it.

I also don't doubt the * economy is also to blame, in many areas, So. California has not felt it as badly as No. Carolina.

[MsUSA]

6. I love older guys working at home centers they're so much more

knowledgeable, even though I have a husband who is very handy, it's nice to see and talk with "older" guys who know what the heck we're talking about. In fact we search out the older guys in home centers, we don't shop at Lowe's, but at our local Hardware Hank store, we always look for the mature guy who has experience in home renovations etc. The young ones don't have the experience, or the know how of a lot of the questions we ask. I think it's ok, may-be they just want to keep busy or something.

[blm]

12. To just stay busy is one thing, and to make ends meet is another.

There were just too many MORE older guys than I ever saw just a few years ago when we were renovating our older home.

Staying busy wouldn't explain the NOTICEABLE increase.

[AutumnMist]

7. My Husband

is going through the process to hire new tech people for his office. One of the men who he interviewed has a masters degree and worked in the dot.com world for years. He is now working at Kroger's (a grocery store) for much less then he made before. It broke my husbands heart. He came home and told me he would like to hire all of these men/women who are having such a hard time. Sadly however, he cannot. Some of our friends have been out of work for four or five years still looking for decent wage computer/tech jobs in Columbus. Sad all the way around.

[Blue Wally]

11. While tragic

The Dot.Bomb bubble and the Y2K effort were all a gigantic binge in which salaries were ballooned up to wild levels. That all crashed in 1999 putting a whole lot of people on the streets. It was hardest on the older guys. We had the same thing in the aerospace crash of 1970. Fifty-ish engineers with a long track record of high salaried jobs ended up being restaurant managers. No way are those jobs coming back to that level and younger guys will fill the openings.

[bullimiami]

8. there are no programs to retrain anyone

just more minimum wage jobs selling cheap crap and cheap food for big corporations.

[ClintonTyree]

9. Why it's "Uniquely American".................

they only have ONE job? Slackers.

[mwb970]

16. I can't stand Lowe's.

It's too big. I can never find what I'm looking for.

[radfringe]

17. I'm still waiting to be Trickled Down On

so far it just feels like I'm be tinkled on...

and I'm not at all fond of golden showers...