Sept. 8
September 8, 2009
Wilda Marie Boudreaux Molaison
September 10, 2009
On Independence Day, we celebrate freedom. On Thanksgiving, we give thanks. On New Year’s Day, we greet the new year.
And for most retailers, Labor Day means having to work. All 1,675 Lowe’s locations, including the Houma and Thibodaux stores, were open.
Houma store manager Wes Postlewaite said Labor Day is one the busiest days of the year with do-it-yourselfers.
“This is when people have the day off to do repair projects around their house,” he explained.
Barbecue grills were among the fastest selling items sold on Monday along with painting and gardening supplies, and lumber
For 16-year Lowe’s employee Donna Daigle and 14-year employee Mark Dupre, working on Labor Day is nothing new. They have done it their entire careers.
While most workers might complain, they said they enjoy helping customers on the federal and state holiday just like any other day of the week.
“We’re open for the community,” said Dupre, a millworks specialist. “We definitely want to keep people coming to Lowe’s. My father was just in here buying something for his weed eater.”
Daigle, a commercial sales specialist, said her family understands why she is needed to work on Labor Day.
“In retail, we have to be here when everybody else is off. We want to give them a chance to get what they need,” she said. “We get a lot of phone calls from customers saying, ‘Wow, I can’t believe ya’ll open. Everywhere else I tried is closed.’ They almost expect us to be open after all these years.”
For Steve Catoe, 10-year employee and one-year manager of the O’Reilly’s Auto Parts store on West Tunnel Blvd. in Houma, business tended to ebb and flow throughout the three-day holiday weekend.
“We had a very busy weekend. Things started slow on Monday morning and then business quickly picked up,” he said.
The retail side of the business boomed with increased sales in car wash and general maintenance items, according to Catoe. However, the commercial side, like tune-ups, was nonexistent.
He said the store operates like on all holidays. O’Reilly’s is open every day except on Christmas.
“I ran a skeleton crew (five employees, no more than two at a time, rather than the usual seven) because we have to pay them holiday time (50 percent above regular wage),” he explained. “We do have to adjust work hours for the rest of the week so things even out.”
Lois Voisin, 10-year employee at Mr. Ronnie’s Famous Hot Doughnuts, was at work by 5 a.m. to serve customer favorites – glazed doughnuts, Community Coffee and chocolate milk.
But like Catoe, Labor Day weekend was more hectic than the actual holiday.
“Mondays are very slow for us. Labor Day doesn’t change that,” Voisin said. “We hardly saw our regular customers. On Tuesday, they were all back.”
Some store managers try to keep the mood of the workplace lighter than normal since it was a holiday.
Postlewaite does his part to make the day a little more laid back. In the past, he has been known to barbecue for employees. This year, he decided to have catered meals for day and night shifts.
“I have a great crew. I’m really blessed,” Postlewaite said. “I like taking care of these guys.”
Lowe’s Commercial Sales Specialist Donna Daigle (right) copies a key for Carlton LeBouef on Labor Day. The holiday is one of the busiest retail days of the year for do-it-yourself home repair enthusiasts. * Photo by KEYON K. JEFF
