A woman is demanding answers from Lowe’s after a routine shopping trip left her feeling confused and disappointed in the home improvement retailer. Was the Lowe’s worker just doing their job, or was the shopper right in feeling she was slighted?
In a TikTok, Rebekah (@coping.with.coffee), who is a veteran, shares the upsetting experience she had at Lowe’s after going in to color-match some Sherwin-Williams paints. She also decided to grab a mop that was on sale, and took a photo to prove its price in case there were any issues at self-checkout.
While checking out, Rebekah says the mop’s sale price did not scan, so she called over an associate to help with the issue.
This is where the problems began.
According to Rebekah, she got married after she left the army, and it has never affected her veteran status before. At places like Lowe’s or Home Depot where she is eligible for the discount, she only has to input her phone number and scan her driver’s license to get the benefits. Because her last name changed, however, Lowe’s point-of-sale system wouldn’t allow her to use the 10% discount.
“Getting married does not disqualify me or negate the fact that I’m an army veteran,” Rebekah says. “But at Lowe’s, for whatever reason, it does not compute in their system.”
Once she explained to the Lowe’s employee what was going on, Rebekah says she received “scoffs” and “eyerolls” from the “aggressive” worker.
“If it doesn’t match, it won’t work,” the worker reportedly kept telling Rebekah. However, Rebekah wouldn’t take no for an answer. She politely told the worker that she still deserves the same benefits as her male counterparts.
Is it a sexist policy?
When Rebekah told the worker this “wouldn’t affect men,” the Lowe’s employee assured her the outcome would be the same for a man. But Rebekah clocked her real quick.
“No, because the vast majority of men aren’t changing their names when they get married and women oftentimes do when they get married,” Rebekah recalls telling her. “It’s quite a sexist policy.”
Finally, the worker goes to fetch a manager, and the issue of the mop’s price is resolved. The worker said nothing of the veteran’s discount to the manager, though, until Rebekah brought it up.
Again, the worker “starts freaking out.” At this point, Rebekah is certain the worker has something against Rebekah using the discount.
“I still served in the military, I can tell you all the super fun and equally horrible stories that I’d rather not do right here and now,” Rebekah says.
When the worker again said it would affect men, Rebekah reiterated that it only “affects women” and she doesn’t have a problem anywhere else.
The worker refused to rectify the issue, and eventually, the manager fixed it and Rebekah’s discount went through.
This isn’t the first incident at this Lowe’s
Rebekah left the store feeling “very upset,” and let viewers know this wasn’t even her first incident at that Lowe’s. The TikToker reveals how “not too long ago” she was chastised for parking in a veteran’s spot.
“I don’t have this problem anywhere else,” Rebekah says. “And it really inherently is a women’s issue.” Rebekah says she could report the worker to her superiors, but says the “root cause is Lowe’s.”
Rebekah calls on the mega-retailer to “do better” and to acknowledge that “it’s not just men who serve in the military.”
Lowe’s responds
Rebekah’s intent may have been to vent about the situation, but it reached Lowe’s and the company’s TikTok account left a comment on her video.
“We apologize for this experience. We appreciate your service and agree that you deserve to use the benefits you’ve earned,” they wrote. “You can DM us the store location so we can share this feedback with management.”
Rebekah replied that she sent them a message.
As of Sunday, Rebekah has not provided an update on the situation or whether Lowe’s will compensate her in any way. The Mary Sue reached out to Rebekah via TikTok message for comment.
Was it Lowe’s fault or the cashier’s?
Several viewers assured Rebekah that this turn of events had nothing to do with Lowe’s as a company and was entirely the cashier’s fault.
“This is not a lowes policy issue, its an issue with that cashier, our lowes knows how to handle these types of issues,” one top comment read.
Another wrote, “The Lowe’s by my house never has me scan my ID when I use my husbands military discount. I just verify the phone number. I’d for sure contact corporate! That’s not fair to you! Thank you for your service!”
One user advised Rebekah to just go straight to Sherwin-Williams instead.
@coping.with.coffee Hey @Lowe’s ♬ original sound – Rebekah G
“Sherwin Williams does a 15% Military discount and has way better paint and service,” they said. Rebekah replied, “Noted.”
The Mary Sue reached out to Lowe’s for comment via email.
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