Pros
They have a somewhat lighthearted work environment.
Cons
On my 9th day working for Lowe's Distribution warehouse in Milton Ontario, I was asked to unload a truck all by myself because the previous night shift had packed it poorly. As I was pulling a box out from the very top of the trailer, another relatively heavy box fell down and hit me squarely on my head, right on the corner of the box - OUCH!!! A few minutes later, a co-worker told be there was a bleeding welt on top of my head and that I should report it immediately to a Manager. I immediately told the Loader Manager I had a bleeding gash on my head. He casually told me to keep him updated on how I felt and didn't seem too concerned. The agency that sent me to Lowe's told me specifically not to lift anything over 50lbs by myself. But as a General Loader, I was routinely expected to move items weighing up to 170lbs. Further, inside the tractor trailers I was loading I was expected to climb up to 10 feet in the air to pack boxes,and almost fell several times. Lowe's had steps for us to stand on but they were only 2 steps high. I was told by another worker that the reason they were so short was because Ontario Ministry of Labor had rules that climbing higher was unsafe. When I started wearing an elastic elbow brace and told a Manager that my elbows were starting to get sore from all the heavy lifting, he told me to ask for help from the other loaders. When I asked another loader to help me lift, who at the time was helping a Senior Loader, the Senior Loader suddenly got agitated because I had asked his helper to help me. A few minutes later, the Loader Manager and another Manager, came to me and said I'm not a good fit for the job - I was then immediately let go and walked to the front door with the gash on my head still bleeding. My head started to ache later in the day and as I was driving home I felt woozy and had to stop the car to be sick. I'm still surprised they fired me though, was because I worked "really" hard and loaded lots of product for them. Further, I did all the unsafe things they told me to do without a single complaint. I didn't even complain when my elbows got sore and I spent $50 of my own money on an elbow brace. I believe the managers at Lowe's acted unprofessionally. Although, from what I understand, they all started as loaders and worked their way up so are not necessarily professional managers. I could tell they are under huge pressure to hit deadlines, budgets, KPI's, etc. The vast majority of their workforce are landed immigrants who are less likely than me to complain. This is probably why they are able to get away with their unsafe work practices. My first thought when I was fired was actually one of relief. I would not personally recommend anyone else work at Lowe's Distribution Warehouse in Milton ON - that's just my opinion.
