Tweet
This is not my own story. It comes from Lowe's in Florida iirc. It's a wonderful little story, which made me smile when I worked for the company.
Now, Lowe's is a home imporvement store. Meaning they have lumber (usually inside) in huge banks on either side of a long ailse. Due to the weight of this lumber, they also have large heavy duty forklifts to move it around. Lastly, they have these funky carts called "lumber" carts. Blue things designed to carry heavy weight.
As the story goes, this one poor zone manager (asm) was stuck down in lumber by himself. His Cashier can't help (not allowed to leave the register), and his DM was off for the day. The Associate stationed down there had just been ordered to leave due to overtime hours; so the ZM was on his own until relief came in. Relief wasn't due in for another 20 minutes.
At one point, the ZM finds himself slammed. Here he's got three or four customers waiting while he helps this other one. (first come, first serve). The ZM is busy helping the one family when this man walks up to him. The SC says to the ZM. "I need help." and then starts to rattle off this list of what he needs. ZM looks up and says honestly "You'll have to wait sir. There's 3 people ahead of you and I can only help one at a time."
The SC does not want to hear this, and gets annoyed. ZM heads out to load, comes back to find his relief has come in. Still, he can't help the SC; but turns to the next customer in line. All the while, SC is seen "hovering" around a forklift.
Turning to the ZM the customer says "Why don't I just get it with this myself? I know how to drive them." The ZM balks but says to the customer "That's for employees only sir. I can't let you on it." and then Zm turns to help the other customers. Now, at some point along this line, ZM hears the forklift start up. He doesn't look back right away, figuring the other associate was on it. It's only when the customer HE is helping says something the ZM looks back.
SC has hopped up on the lift, started it, and is monkeying around with the controls trying to get it moving. ZM turns to the SC, grabs the handle and pulls himself partly up. "Sir, you need to get off the equipment." he says firmly. The SC refuses. "You won't help me, I'll do it my own D*mn self." he says and then puts the lift in forward. This causes it to lurch, nearly spearing associate number 2. (Who wet his pants I'm told.)
ZM reacts. He hits SC with a haymaker that has enough force to knock SC completely out the other side of the lift onto the concrete below.
SC comes around, calls the cops and tries to have ZM arrested. Corporate suspends the guy for a week (with pay) while they sort things out. In the end, the ZM recieved a minor reprimand for quote "Causing a customer to fall." The reprimand makes no mention of the punch, and the SC is served papers by the DA. Why? Why, simple. Endangerment. The Police had seized the tapes and saw the lurch and the near miss of the associate. SC ended up having to pay a HUGE fine and was banned from that store.
Now, I got this second and third hand, still, It's a great story.
Now, Lowe's is a home imporvement store. Meaning they have lumber (usually inside) in huge banks on either side of a long ailse. Due to the weight of this lumber, they also have large heavy duty forklifts to move it around. Lastly, they have these funky carts called "lumber" carts. Blue things designed to carry heavy weight.
As the story goes, this one poor zone manager (asm) was stuck down in lumber by himself. His Cashier can't help (not allowed to leave the register), and his DM was off for the day. The Associate stationed down there had just been ordered to leave due to overtime hours; so the ZM was on his own until relief came in. Relief wasn't due in for another 20 minutes.
At one point, the ZM finds himself slammed. Here he's got three or four customers waiting while he helps this other one. (first come, first serve). The ZM is busy helping the one family when this man walks up to him. The SC says to the ZM. "I need help." and then starts to rattle off this list of what he needs. ZM looks up and says honestly "You'll have to wait sir. There's 3 people ahead of you and I can only help one at a time."
The SC does not want to hear this, and gets annoyed. ZM heads out to load, comes back to find his relief has come in. Still, he can't help the SC; but turns to the next customer in line. All the while, SC is seen "hovering" around a forklift.
Turning to the ZM the customer says "Why don't I just get it with this myself? I know how to drive them." The ZM balks but says to the customer "That's for employees only sir. I can't let you on it." and then Zm turns to help the other customers. Now, at some point along this line, ZM hears the forklift start up. He doesn't look back right away, figuring the other associate was on it. It's only when the customer HE is helping says something the ZM looks back.
SC has hopped up on the lift, started it, and is monkeying around with the controls trying to get it moving. ZM turns to the SC, grabs the handle and pulls himself partly up. "Sir, you need to get off the equipment." he says firmly. The SC refuses. "You won't help me, I'll do it my own D*mn self." he says and then puts the lift in forward. This causes it to lurch, nearly spearing associate number 2. (Who wet his pants I'm told.)
ZM reacts. He hits SC with a haymaker that has enough force to knock SC completely out the other side of the lift onto the concrete below.
SC comes around, calls the cops and tries to have ZM arrested. Corporate suspends the guy for a week (with pay) while they sort things out. In the end, the ZM recieved a minor reprimand for quote "Causing a customer to fall." The reprimand makes no mention of the punch, and the SC is served papers by the DA. Why? Why, simple. Endangerment. The Police had seized the tapes and saw the lurch and the near miss of the associate. SC ended up having to pay a HUGE fine and was banned from that store.
Now, I got this second and third hand, still, It's a great story.
)
but, he should have not been punished at all. Not even a minor reprimand. He prevented the SC from doing severe damage with that thing that could have literally killed someone! 
Comment