Lowes of Lloyd

Up at O’Day camp we have a lot of gardening to do. And, wanting to make healthy food for my plants, I was on a search for a composter. If you have a composter you can rake up your old leaves, your grass clippings, your garden scraps and even take vegetable and fruit scraps from your kitchen, put them in the compost container, tumble it regularly, and in about two weeks you have great fertilizing material for your garden.

None of the Mom and Pop stores in the area carry them, because they are too large to keep in stock.

A new Lowes opened up recently in Lloyd, a little town about 20 miles from O’Day Camp. I figured Lowes is always advertising their helpful, friendly and knowledgeable service, so I thought I’d give them a call. Plus I hear the local economy was hoping for a big boost by having the superstore in the area. Lots of people would be employed, and that’s a good thing.

The first time I called I spoke to a man who identified himself as the manager of the garden center. He said I should call back the following week, because he was going to order composters.

I called back the next week and asked a young man in the garden center if the composters had arrived. He asked me to hold, which I did, for eleven minutes. The young man then got back on the line and asked me if composter was a name brand or some kind of a garden tractor. “Do you know what a composter is?” I asked him. “Uhhh. No.”

Now, this usually wouldn’t bother me, but since the guy was working in the garden center and not in window treatments it kind of ticked me off. Especially since I had been on hold for so long.

“May I speak to your manager?" I asked.

I waited another eight minutes, being bounced from one department to another, when a man identifying himself as John from the garden center got on the line. He sounded very much like the manager I had spoken to the previous week.

“Hi, I spoke with the garden manager last week. He said he was ordering some composters and I’d like to pick one up. Could you check and make sure they’ve arrived?”

John put me on hold -- for another 11 minutes. He then got back on the line and told me rather than keep me waiting, he’d call me back with an answer.

He took my number -- and never called me back.

I called back a couple of times over the next two weeks, but no one at Lowes of Lloyd could answer my question as to whether or not the composers had arrived -- or if they had even been ordered.

I ordered my composter online.

I think the local economy is a victim of its residents.

I look forward to hearing your stories of immense personal struggle and will continue to inspire you.