Lowes Letter

Hello.

         I have been a long time Lowes customer, switching away from Home Depot
after some generally unsatisfactory experiences there.  However, after the last
time in Lowes, I may just be willing to give Home Depot a chance again.

         First, I have always been annoyed how Lowes caters to the Hispanic
community.  I find the signs to the contents of each isle cluttered with both
English and Spanish.  Fine, perhaps a number of the customers are Spanish-
speaking, but we live in America.  While we don't have an official language of
the country (like Denmark, and many other European countries), we do have de-
facto standard, English.  Learn it or leave.  That's a pet complaint of mine.

         Now you've added Spanish to the overhead call system.  "Customer needs
assistance in the paint department."  Followed by "El cliente necesita ayuda en
el departamento de la pintura".  The overhead call system is annoying enough to
customers.  I know this because I've asked 6 of my friends who also shop at
Lowes, and they don't like it either.  This overhead call system is for the
benefit of the employees.  Now you're hiring employees that can't understand
enough English to work there, and need the call system in Spanish also?  This
is absolutely absurd.

         While there, I commented on this to an employee at the customer service
counter, where I was paying for my product.  I spent 10 minutes talking to
eight different employees who all joined in the conversation, and not a single
one of them liked it.  While there was some mild dissent from two of them that
people who live and work in America should speak enough English to be useful,
they ALL agreed that the overhead call system in Spanish was going too far, and
was very irritating.  Two of your own employees commented that a number of
other customers had also remarked on it.

         Making exceptions for handicapped people is a fine and noble thing.
Employing people who refuse or are incapable of learning enough passable
English for a relatively simple clerk position is ludicrous.

         I will continue to shop at Lowes for the next month or so.  However, if
this issue has not been remedied, I WILL take my business elsewhere, most
likely to my local hardware store.  They do cost a few percent more, but employ
English speaking people, and do not require an overhead call system.

         The call system is in English and Spanish now.  What's next, ethnic
Albanian?  How far is Lowes going to cave in to being "politically correct"?
Will an announcement for help in the paint department take 10 minutes, in 22
different langauges?

    Thank you for your time,
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