Working at 84 Lumber — Reviews by Employees

I also interviewed there recently. I was given a lengthy questionaire which was apparently meant to test whether or not I was a candidate to be A) stealing from the company, or B) kicking anybody's ass. Very strange. They also gave me an accounting test, which is odd considering that I have two decades of accounting experience and a CPA. Strike two.

The pay was going to be somewhat middling...and I didn't particularly care to spend my days answering to the doddering old man and his sycophants.

I read a lot of reviews on this company, and I can agree with many of the people. I can sit here and tell you so many stories. I started with the company out of college. I worked as a manager trainee for about 8 months. Then I got promoted to an Outside Sales Coordinator about 100 miles from the store I was working at. I found out on a Monday, that the following Monday I started at the new store. Hey, a weeks notice, not half bad....but I had to work everyday that week. So Sunday, I had to drive up to the new area and find a hotel to stay at because I did not feel like commuting 2 hours to work and 2 hours home each night. I spent a week at the hotel, and the "moving expense" did not even cover the cost of the hotel, and the Area Manager said he would pay a few nights, but I would have to stay at a different hotel. (which to this day I still don't know were the nearest one in that chain is located) After about 2-1/2 years at that store, corporate eliminated that position. Lucky for me, they moved me to a near by store, demotion in rank, but keeping my pay. Now corporate is cutting back and lowering the number of manager trainee's in each store and hiring part time people and paying them next to nothing. I was later moved back to the Outside Sale Coordinator position in my new store. Then, after about 5-1/2 years with the company, my Area Manager comes into me at the end of the day and said "Sorry, corporate eliminated the position at the store I was working at they are letting me go.

When I first started with the company, you were promised the world. Easy promotions, good pay (which it was pretty decent when I started, and did make decent money, but lots of hours working) a family oriented company. I had some really good managers that really cared about me, but other than them, the company does not care for you. I do not like to "toot my own horn" but I can run circles around those part time people they hired. I could do anything and everything in that store. ( I could even mull windows which some people in the company don't even know what that is)

In the 5+ years with the company, I saw the culture of the company change completely. We used to run for the phone, drop everything for customers and co workers, we were loyal. Corporate also took away all the bonuses you could get too (possibly why peoples attitudes changed)

I agree with everything everyone has said. The company is running itself into the ground, and I wouldn't be surprised if in 10 years, people will say "84 who?" When I left, they were having trouble keeping vendors. They wanted to extend when they had to pay these vendors, and wanted contractors to pay them right away. We lost a lot of good vendors that really cared about us. Customer service is a must. Some of these vendors would bend over backwards (at least for me they would) and help me out in whatever ways possible. I'd rather pay a little more for good service..........oh wait, isn't that what 84 taught us when we started working there? Some of our products may cost more than the competition, but you are paying for knowledgeable employees that can answer any of your questions and load you up quickly and save you time. Now I wonder if they even have some knowledgeable employees. I also remember them getting rid of an employee with years of experience because he was "non-promotable". Oh wait, that just meant he wasn't willing to relocate somewhere else and uproot his family. I don't know about you, but someone with his knowledge and experience is a huge asset to any company. Good job Maggie and the higher ups. I bet Joe is proud of you. Changing the entire culture of his life long work into a company of lazy, useless people, and eventually running it into the ground. Getting laid off was the best thing to happen to me.

i was a contract driver and i tell you it was a daily battle to get paid for anything plus the incompotent employees and the self sorbed idiot for a manager whom would leave at dif times of the day and not come back he was to busy playin golf than to care about his store and the other employees were so lazy, they didnt liked being inturupted when they were either playing cards or twittering and if you asked for help they'd tell ya its over there just go get it yourself.. the place is a shit hole too, very filthy specially bathroom, covered in mold trash and colapsing ceilings. treat your self to some respect goto lowes,home depot or any place but 84 specially the baldwinsville location......

I interviewed at this company and immediately got a bad feeling when I had to take a test on their computers, which had a black screen with green letters. Their computer system looked as if it was the same programming they used in the late 80's. In the interview the manager told me he worked their for 12 years. In talking with him, I could tell he was a frequent koolaide drinker. I cannot stand people who get brainwashed by their employer, so that was strike two. They wanted me to work for $32,000 a year 48 hours a week and for the first six months, I would have three hours of self study at home, strike three. Lastly, it was obvious the company does not reinvest in itself. Being a sales company, you want to have the most cutting edge programming to better manage customers. They had a glorified notebook in which to report customer interactions. That technology has been around since people first learned how to make paper. The only way I could move up in this company was to wait until someone above me quit or move to wherever an open position was. They called me back for a second interview and I politely said no. If I could get these impressions from a simple interview, God knows how bad it is to really work there.

the company is mis -managed at every level. there is no job security .84 lumber is a company that quits on itsa its self and on its people

I've spent the last several years working for 84 Lumber and I have to say I'm glad its over. From the very begining I was assured good pay and the fast track to management. Instead I was jerked around with every different position they could possibly come up with. On paper the pay doesen't look to bad, except you have to work between 52 and 60 hrs a week to get 32,000 a year. They also don't tell you the store will be so under staffed that you will end up doing everyones job at some time or another. One minute your doing a quote for a customer, the next minute your out in the yard building loads cause there isn't much of a yard crew. They want you to sell sell sell, but there is zero staff support.

Respect - As far as respect goes, there isn't any. Within the stores I worked at, the people I worked with and managers were good knowledgeable people. I learned alot from my co workers. Thats where the respect ends. From the Area manager up the ladder you are viewed as a piece of meat. They are always looking to can anyone and everyone. If that isn't bad enough they will want you to just pick up and move across the country in a matter of days. This is there idea of a big promotion. Move without help and a dollar or two pay raise.

Benefits - They seemed pretty normal compared to other companies I have worked for. Nothing great but not terrible either. My only complaint was the lack of a vision plan.

Job Security - This is the worst company I have ever been with as far as job security. Every monday morning I would drive into work hoping not see a white corporate rental with a guy waiting at the gate to shut us down. Sales guys and managemnet were always getting fired or they would offer a horrendous pay cut and expect the employee to just quit. If they could save a penny in anyway, your were on the chopping block. They pretty much take any human element out of it.

Work Life Balance - I had no life outside 84. I would work all day everyday and holidays that were a total waste of time. Sales people were the only ones who could vary there hours, and that was only if they were selling lots of materials. You have to work a minimum of 48 hours a week, but I rarely stayed to that number. Heck I couldn't afford to work anything less than 48 hours.

Career growth - This is another joke. They promise the moon and stars but they never live up to it. The few people i witnessed get promoted were loud mouth people who would agree with everything corporate. They never liked new ideas and or school training. Basically they promoted any brain dead fool that would make the area manager laugh and not share any ideas to make the company better.

Any person looking to get into the Lumber industry should avoid 84 like the plague. They don't make it worthwhile to start a career with them, and your always a day away from getting fired or let go. Once you start 84 it seems there is never a way out. Stay away.

84 Lumber as a corporation is one of the most poorly managed operations I have ever seen. Their recruiting department and upper management have become excellent liars and do a fine job of getting new people in by selling the dream and falsely advertising the salaries as well as the career advancement opportunities. I have been with the company for nine months and let me tell you, there are no opportunities. If you request to move into the csr side of the business you are avoided, lied to, and three months later you will be told no by an area manager who does not care one bit about you or what you want to do in the company. Instead they counter offer with a co-mgr spot in another state that will probably be shut down two weeks after you sell your house, uproot your children out of their school, have your wife find a new job, and leave all your friends and family behind. In addition they want you to do all that for a two dollar an hour raise which will still leave you making under forty thousand a year. Sounds great doesnt it! There is no job security or loyalty. We all have to worry about an area mgr showning up and closing us any given day so you just have to hope on your way to work every morning that there isnt a little white focus sitting in the parking lot waiting for you. I have one of the best managers I ever worked with right now. One who has many years experience in the industry and unlike 84 lumber actually does care about the well-being of his employees. I have watched this sorry excuse for a lumber company slowly take away pay and benefits until they have pretty much cut his salary in half within one month. How can they do this you ask. Well, they know they have you by the balls because it is a tough market right now and most companies are not hiring. Especially managers. So they just take and take and take from their employees but leave you just enough to say "well, some job is better than no job so I have to stay here. Theres nowhere else to go." Way to go Maggie. Thats a wonderful way to keep the company going. This daddy/daughter operation will eventually reap what it is sowing. Most vendors dont even deal with 84 anymore so the ones that do jack up the prices on us because they know we cant go anywhere else. Employee wise, my heart goes out to all those managers and their families who are getting bent over the table right now and having to find a way to survive and keep their sanity with half the salary and twice the headaches. My advice to anyone wanting to get in to this business is that you run as far away from 84 lumber as possible. Once you get sucked into this company it seems there is no escape. I personaly have never felt worse emotionally about my job than I do here. It has changed me for the worse and made my outlook on life very dim.

I went to work for 84 lumber as a contractor sales rep which was the worst company I ever work for in contractor sales.

Besides the yard, showroom, and cubicals in the back were a mess. If you were a customer would you buy a lumber package, order doors or windows, or millwork from a company that was a mess. It really a bad image to portray to the customer. Never could find the yard men so if you made a sale you had to load it. Our yard was not that busy where the yard men could have pulled the orders.

Then the contract outside hauler service had control of making deliveries when they wanted. Granted the owner was a really super guy, did help me out, but in business you need a more professional run company. I guess I am use to yards owning their own trucks where the company controlled when they would deliver the products. If my commission was reduced by a very high outside hauler fee it should be top notch not the based on if the hauler felt like doing it. They need to change this.

If you wanted to special order something some companies are refusing to do business with 84 lumber. 84 lumber must
1. Have financial problems
2. Trying to beat down vendors when some vendors have figured out its not worth doing business with them.

Then they required you to buy your required uniforms. Bottom line I always dressed professional in contractor sales you want me to wear your uniform you pay for it. Then don't forget the stupid 84 lumber training in Eighty Four, PA. Try to get out of it due to its worthless and you have to pay for your own meals. For someone starting out with what 84 lumber pays people its a struggle. No other lumber yard has ever required me to buy a uniform. My last employer gave us 3 shirts and said you want more you buy them, but they invested in us.

Bottom line finally I would like someone to tell me when am I going to get my check. I signed up for direct deposit 15 days before I started and they still did not have it activated. Had to call payroll and hopefully I will get both the checks they owe me.

The best advice I can give if you like the lumber business 84 lumber is not a company that you want to grow with. Get the experience and move on to a better company which won't be hard to find once you get the experience due to 84 lumber compensation package for contractor sales reps is not competitive. Most the people I know that have worked for 84 lumber that is still in the business wouldn't go back. They laugh at how bad 84 lumber treats people and how lousy the stores run.

84 Lumber is the worst place on Earth to work. After 32 Years of service a close family member quit because of there nonsense. He was being relagted to work 6 days a week split shifts with no saturdays or nights off....after 32 years. He traveled all over the place in those 32 years bouncing from store to store as the company saw fit, and there thank you was to tell him you are not valued enough to pay more than $30,000 in base pay, you aren't valued enough to work normal hours, and you aren't valued enough to get you to stay here. We don't care if you are miserable and have no life, here is the door, please step thru it. I hope this place goes under like all their employees think it is. These jerks aren't even paying their bills, and are being cut off by suppliers. Its just a matter of time before they implode on themselves. Meanwhile Maggie can sit at the corporate office and continue to get fatter as senile old Joe bangs the help. Bunch of jerkwads.

My husband works for this company and it was miserable.
Pay was awesome, as were the benefits.
But the upper management (AM, RVPs, etc) have no respect for the lower management. Job security SUCKS. We were ALWAYS worried he would be without a job.
Growth is okay if you are fine with travelling all over the dang country every other day.
Coworker competence was awful b/c they hire a bunch of young guys who dont' care.
Al in all. Not good.