Lowes Comedy.... Ground Stake

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Twoskinsoneman

Senior Member
Location
West Virginia, USA NEC: 2020
Occupation
Facility Senior Electrician
Wife and I went to Lowes to get a replacement stake for our low voltage path-lighting. (Light got knocked and broke stake)

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After the associate in the electrical department insisted they did not carry them we found them.
Of course my wife wanted to go find and show the associate his mistake... The conversation was funny and disturbing:

Wife: "Here is were we found them."

Associate: "I've never seen these before."

Wife: "Well now you know."

Associate: "Oh wait, those are not for mounting path-lights"

Me: (puzzled look) "huh?"

Associate: "Yeah see the box says 'Metal ground stake.' They use those for grounding."

Me: (even more puzzled look) "Grounding?"

Associate: "Yeah."

Me: "Grounding what?"

Associate: "You know grounding wires."

Me: "Uh, no they don't."

Associate: "They don't?"

Me: "No, please don't tell that to anyone else."

Associate: "What, are you an electrician?"

Me: "Yup."

Associate: "Well it said 'ground stake' so I just assumed."

Me: "Have a nice day"


I laughed all day....
 

charlie b

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Lockport, IL
Occupation
Retired Electrical Engineer
Good story! :D

I would have to say that the word "ground," along with its close associates (e.g., grounding, grounded, EGC, GEC, etc.), is one of the top two words that are (1) Well defined within our industry, and (2) Most misunderstood and misused by the general public. The other word is "emergency."
 

SiddMartin

Senior Member
Location
PA
was he the actual employee workin in the electrical dept?? I thought that they requir. the employee to have a electrical license to consider employment for that dept.


thats scary!
 

Twoskinsoneman

Senior Member
Location
West Virginia, USA NEC: 2020
Occupation
Facility Senior Electrician
was he the actual employee workin in the electrical dept?? I thought that they requir. the employee to have a electrical license to consider employment for that dept.


thats scary!

Don't know for sure. He was just walk down that isle. I would be shocked to learn that they needed an electrical license.

You know I can't help but keep laughing at this story but man...Got to wonder... I have a hard time blaming a HO who gets lead astray by these guys...
 

ultramegabob

Senior Member
Location
Indiana
I thought that they requir. the employee to have a electrical license to consider employment for that dept.

your kidding right? the bozos that work in the electrical dept in the Lowes where I live bounce from one dept to another, the standard response to any question is "this isnt my regular dept." yesterday they were selling toilets, tomorrow they may be selling weedwackers..:mad:
 
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SiddMartin

Senior Member
Location
PA
Don't know for sure. He was just walk down that isle. I would be shocked to learn that they needed an electrical license.

You know I can't help but keep laughing at this story but man...Got to wonder... I have a hard time blaming a HO who gets lead astray by these guys...



thats true, imagine the mess you get when you have DIY HO goin to big blue or big orange and get talkin w/ a guy like this! end up running plumbing pipe for pvc and purple glue
 

Jim W in Tampa

Senior Member
Location
Tampa Florida
Most 1 year helpers know as much as the typical big orange or blue. Look at the pay and you will understand. Love it when you need a plumbing fitting they don't carry, they will sell you 3 or 4 pieces to make one. Still without them just where would we get supplies to fix home.
 

Twoskinsoneman

Senior Member
Location
West Virginia, USA NEC: 2020
Occupation
Facility Senior Electrician
Most 1 year helpers know as much as the typical big orange or blue. Look at the pay and you will understand. Love it when you need a plumbing fitting they don't carry, they will sell you 3 or 4 pieces to make one. Still without them just where would we get supplies to fix home.

Hey I got no problem with Lowes. I have real problem with the associates pretending to be experts and giving people inaccurate info. There should be signs stating opinions of employees are not those of Lowes and and building codes should be consulted blah blah blah... at least give dumb people a CLUE that these guys are not experts.
 

Jim W in Tampa

Senior Member
Location
Tampa Florida
Hey I got no problem with Lowes. I have real problem with the associates pretending to be experts and giving people inaccurate info. There should be signs stating opinions of employees are not those of Lowes and and building codes should be consulted blah blah blah... at least give dumb people a CLUE that these guys are not experts.
They would never sell anything that way. Maybe make them wear shirt that says "NOT AN ELECTRICIAN"
In fairness i have seen a lady in plumbing department that really knows the job. Found out she was a plumber. Did go onto HD web site and told them she is great.
 
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augie47

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Tennessee
Occupation
State Electrical Inspector (Retired)
They would never sell anything that way. Maybe make them wear shirt that says "NOT AN ELECTRICIAN"
In fairness i have seen a lady in plumbing department that really knows the job. Found out she was a plumber. Did go onto HD web site and told them she is great.

now they will move her to the garden center. can't ruin the system.
 

ceb58

Senior Member
Location
Raeford, NC

Sounds like a typical trip to Slowes too me.
I have made the mistake of going in wearing my shirt with my logo and get attacked by DIYers that have NOOOO clue. Like the guy that was staring at the wire rack and ask me "which wire is rated for 240volt?" All of it. Grabbed my stuff and ran.
On the other hand I have got some deals. Last weekend ofter coming back from vacation I was faced with buying a new washing mach. Wife and I were looking at the front loading machines. They had a Bosch she liked for about $950.00. The floor model we were looking at had a scratch on the bottom corner. Time to deal:grin:. Talked to sales associate. He couldn't sell the floor model because they had more in the back. He said "let me check something" got on the computer and said I have one in the back that was a special order that was never picked up. It is a Bosch, and has more features than the one you were looking at. I can let you have it for $600.00 to get it out of the way. Truck is in the parking lot:grin:
 

hillbilly1

Senior Member
Location
North Georgia mountains
Occupation
Owner/electrical contractor
was he the actual employee workin in the electrical dept?? I thought that they requir. the employee to have a electrical license to consider employment for that dept.


thats scary!

Never heard either big box require a license to work in that department, if they are licensed, they apparently were not too good of an electrician, or they are retired just making some extra cash:smile:
 
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