I’ve received a few requests lately asking about what the career of a Home Improvement Store employee is like. So I sat down with a friend of mine who is a Home Improvement employee to see what a day in the life is like. Here is what he said goes on in typical day:
Having a job at a home improvement store is great fun. Aside from working with my hands, I get to meet a bunch of great people on a daily basis. Aside from all this, the knowledge that I gain with this job saves me a lot of money whenever it comes to home improvement things I have to do around my own house.
I should mention that I work in a midsize home improvement store. We are bigger than your corner store that only has a few hammers and nails, but not quite as big as the big box stores that have every product you could ever imagine. There are a lot of benefits that come from working at a franchised store and I enjoy the camaraderie that I make with my coworkers, as well as our customers.
If you are interested in a job at a home improvement store, here’s an idea of what I do on a daily basis.
9:30 AM – More often than not, I get to the store about 30 minutes before opening. This time does vary a bit, depending on the amount of work before I have to do before we can open. Sometimes, like when we run a promotional event of are having a big sale, I must show up even earlier than 30 minutes. I will use this extra time to put up new signage, make sure we have enough products on the shelves, and assure the store is looking good.
With the 30 minutes before opening I also check our cash register to assure that we have the correct of money that is supposed to be left over from the previous night. Each day we start with $500, which is broken up in an assortment of dollar bills (ranging from singles up to twenties). Often times, we will have early bird shoppers show up a few minutes before the store opens. If I have completed all of my pre-open tasks, I will usually let these early shoppers in. I believe it shows a sense of customer service they seem to greatly appreciate.
10 AM – For about two hours in the morning, we usually have our regular customers. Many of these are contractors, construction workers or other people who shop at our store regularly. I use these few hours before noon to make great conversation and connections with these regular shoppers. Often times, I know exactly what they are looking for and I can get it ready for them.
During this time, we also have a few new customers, and if we are slow I can dedicate individual attention to them to find out why they’ve come to our store and how I can help them with their home improvement project. It is these first-time shoppers that I believe are very important. If I can convert these first-time shoppers into regular customers, this is a huge benefit for a mid-sized store like the one I work at.
Noon – Around noon is when we have a rush that consists of an assortment of people. I assume this is because this is lunchtime for many people and they can come to our store quickly to get whatever materials they need to work on a project at night. This rush can last for about an hour and a half and can be quite hectic, considering we have many people who need to get in and out in a timely manner to get back to their own jobs. I do my best to serve these customers as best possible. But I will mention that often times this lunch rush is a whirlwind and I am just happy to make it through.
1:30 PM– Usually around 1:30, or whenever the lunch rush is over, I take a break. This is simply 30 minutes to myself, where I enjoy lunch and catch up on some news on my smartphone.
2 PM – When I get back from my lunch break, work is typically much slower for a few hours. My coworkers and I will use this time to restock shelves and work on tidying up the shop, while also dedicating attention to the handful of customers that come through our doors.
4 PM – At 4 PM, we begin to see a lot of the same people that were there earlier in the day. Often times these contractors and other workers want to get all of the equipment that they need for the following day. It is at this time that we can catch up with a lot of them and see how their days went.
Throughout the rest of the afternoon and evening, it is hit and miss with the business of my schedule. Most days our traffic is pretty consistent, but nothing extreme. On the rare occasion, it can even be quite slow in our store. Nonetheless, we work hard to assure that we are always ready for whenever a customer comes in.
Most of the time I leave work at 7 PM. I should mention that this is because I am the opener for our store. However, there are some days that I work the later shift, which requires I come in at 1 PM and close the store at 9 PM.
Closing consists of assuring that all of our products are stocked and shelves look clean and tidy for the following day. Furthermore, I must close down the register and assure that all of the money for the day’s sales are accounted for. Once that is all done, I can lock up and head home for the day, get a good nights rest and do it all over again the next day!
Sure, each position at a home improvement store can be different, but I’m willing to bet that most people experience the same type of day that I do. I really enjoy my job!