From a single hardware store to a chain of 2200 leading home improvement retailer stores serving around 19 million customers per week, Lowe’s Inc has come a long way in the history of successful enterprises. Lucius. Smith. Lowe in 1921 started a hardware store at North Wilkesboro a small town in North Carolina. His son, James Lowe continued the legacy when he took over the business in partnership with his brother-in-law, Carl Buchan. Know more about Code 50 At Lowes
If you hear Code 50 on the intercom at Lowes stores, it notifies the employees that a bulk delivery has arrived and so, some of the staff must reach the dock urgently to help unload the goods. Intercom codes are meant to instruct or notify the staff to act upon some urgently needed services. Every business with a huge chain of stores and a vast team of staff has its own set of intercom codes along with some universal ones.
Lowe’s At a Glance
Currently, Lowe’s Inc is rated as the second largest in the USA among Home Improvement retailers. Their stores are spread across 24 states and claim around 400 stores to their credit with sales that scaled to $96.3billion in 2021. Let us glance through the historical journey of Lowe’s stores spanning a century –
- Though after the death of L. S. Lowe, James Lowe and Carl Buchan took over the business run through the hardware store, Lowe’s mother and sister had to take care of it when they took part in World War II.
- Carl Buchan returned in 1943 and partially helped take care of the hardware store. In 1946 he sold off most of the inventory and reorganized the store into a wholesaler of building supplies.
- When James Lowe returned from war, both of them started another store and invested the profits in a cattle farm and automobile dealership.
- Buchan invested his profits of these two new businesses to start the third store in Asheville, North Carolina(1952).
- The same year the stores were incorporated into the company called Lowe’s North Wilkesboro Hardware, Inc.
- Until 1959, Buchan had expanded its sales from $4.1 million in 1952 to $27 million capitalizing on the post-war construction boom.
- Their onus point was that they could avoid the higher prices set by other wholesalers by conducting sales directly from a freight car on the railway siding which ran alongside their store and thus could buy directly from the manufacturer. This helped them sell the hardware at lower prices.
- By 1955 the company had six stores flourishing profitably.
- In 1960, the company went public under the name Lowe’s Companies, Inc after the death of Buchan.
- By the end of the 1960s, the company hadKnow more about Code 50 At Lowes running with sales almost touching the $100million mark.
- Throughout this phase, the primary customers of Lowe’s consisted of construction companies and contractors. The store layout also remained the same with a lumberyard out near the railroad tracks behind the small retail floor with limited inventory.
- From 1971 to 1979 their sales revenue increased from $170million to $900million despite the fluctuating house construction market.
- When the construction boom came to a standstill during the 1970s the company was spearheaded by the new President Leonard Herring with a new marketing strategy with the acronym RSVP which stands for retail, sales, volume, and profit. The stores were remodeled with a layout similar to supermarkets.
- Owing to the new strategy sales reached $1.43 billion by 1983.
- When their competitor Home dEpot Inc entered the scene with its big-box modeled superstores, Lowe’s began to remodel its small chain stores into the current large warehouse-style stores during 1991-95.
Today, they also offer different products like Plumbing, Garden Supplies, Home Appliances, Flooring, Paints, Hardware Accessories, etc.
Why Intercom Codes are used at Lowe’s stores?
With the Lowe’s store sizes as large as 112,000 sqft of retail area apart from almost 32,000sqft of outdoor area like garden, parking, etc – interaction among the staff and between the superiors and their wards, require an intricate yet easy system of communication. That’s the reason the Intercom system was introduced within the vast area of the Lowe’s stores. All the new employees are instructed to learn Intercom code because this system helps to –
- facilitate easy and effective communication among the staff to impart the duties efficiently and smoothly
- enable the employees to understand the requirements without wasting the time elaborating each time
- It also enables to carry out instructions discreetly without the customers getting involved.
Some important Codes consistently used at all Lowe’s stores
Code 50 – this is used when a large delivery arrives or during the restocking phase, to intimate the executives about the shortage of staff in the loading areas and that they need extra support.
Code 3 – this also instructs about a shortage of staff in any particular area of the store where the customers may need some support, for example, the cash registers area during rush hour.
Code 75 – this code is to urge the staff who are not helping the customers to proceed towards sections that need extra staff, like where the carts are collected.
Code Adam – this code is universal for all stores across the globe and is used when a child goes missing.
Conclusion
All in all the Intercom code 50 is for the staff to lend help in the loading area. Code 50, 3,75 may not be used in all Lowe’s stores. Usually, the codes vary depending on the location and the discretion of the local superiors.
