management trainee

forklift operator

builder

production associate

entry level manager trainee

84 Lumber

On a typical day, I'll start by reviewing emails (particularly notifications from my apps that ran overnight) and checking to see if there might be any issues that need attention.

Otherwise, I'll typically review my notes and project boards to help me plan the rest of my day.

Once I have a plan, I get started on the task at hand - typically research, development, testing, or documentation for one of the applications I developed and maintain/extend.

I have a (very brief) daily scrum meeting for a large project that I have a hand in, but otherwise meetings are (thankfully) an anomaly. 

When something comes up and I need guidance or support, I provide details to my manager and he helps in whatever way is needed.

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I started at 84 Lumber after making a career change - without any major expectations of the company (good or bad) and little practical experience with the specific languages or frameworks that I would be using for my job.  Honestly, I just felt extremely fortunate that they gave me a chance.

Starting off, I was brought into projects, introduced to those involved, and given whatever background info was available - then basically turned loose to research, develop a plan, and work things out. 

Since I've been here, I've learned pretty much everything that I needed to know (in order to get things done) while on the job - that appears to be the norm from what I've seen, and "grit" (i.e. taking the initiative to research and "figure things out") is recognized, supported and appreciated.

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While at 84, I've had the unique opportunity to work through (and occasionally rewrite) a lot of legacy code across a number of languages & frameworks (best way to learn is by example, IMO), as well as use the latest & greatest tools & frameworks - easily 4x the exposure to different technologies than I would have had most places.

At no point in time have I ever felt like other developers were dumping their busy work on my plate - the opportunities that I've had working with others have all been appropriate and collaborative.  This was true even when I first started (as a legitimate "junior").

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Ever since I started, management has been extremely supportive - including of me as a person (i.e. work/life balance), as well as my own project ideas, suggestions & requests.

84 leadership also supported me personally during onboarding (verbal promise was honored, despite being contrary to what was in writing later) and multiple times over the years since then (during some other personal accommodations and personal matters).

In my experience, they put their money where their mouth is and stand by what they say.

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The hardest part of my job at this point is probably planning - there are a lot of different projects and details, so deciding how to scope and prioritize things properly can be a challenge.

I'm happy to say that it hasn't been management or company policies.

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By far, the most enjoyable part of my job is that craftsmanship is recognized and supported - period.

In my experience - regardless of the sector, it is rare to find support for craftsmanship outside of the group that might produce a company's "core" product (i.e. where craftsmanship can make or break sales).

It is rarer still to find a company that values craftsmanship & grit across the board (i.e. even in IT, where I've worked for decades).

So, frankly, the most enjoyable part of my job is being able to figure out a good way to do something for the long-term, and then working hard to make that dream come true.

Subsequently being supported, recognized & rewarded just makes it even more worthwhile & enjoyable - and that's why I have absolutely no plans to go anywhere else (I've seen what's out there...).

WORKDAY

The workday consisted of opening up the store, all of the sheds, putting the cash in all of the cash drawers, and whatever comes after that could be different depending on how the day goes. It's definitely not a routine career; your day will consist of meeting different customers every day, dealing with projects you may or may not want to work on, dealing with vendor reps, counting stock, ordering stock, making sure your area is well stocked and counted correctly, and much more. It's actually a very enjoyable job. 

ADVANCEMENT

The best part about the "Manager Trainee" position is the fact that you move up to the "Co-Manager" position rather quickly. Usually within 8 - 18 months. They'll send you to Pennsylvania twice, once for "Lumber Camp", which is an initial training that familiarizes you with doing project takeoffs, and another time for "Sales Camp", which is another training for, well, sales. Unfortunately, I didn't make it to Sales Camp before I got let go, although I was scheduled to go, but COVID kind of screwed that up for me. 

COMPENSATION

The pay was decent, I grossed about 35k/year; they'll start you at 11/hr with sales bonuses, for an M.T., your bonus is $250 for a Level 1, $375 for a Level 2, and $500 for a Level 3. Your levels depend on how much you sold that month. You get a personal bonus if you hit quota and a store bonus if your store hits quota. Checks are biweekly, I brought home an average of $980~ biweekly.

HOURS / BREAKS

The negative piece to being a Manager Trainee at 84 is the fact that you work 12 hour days regularly. I've worked a 23-hour shift working at 84, literally. No breaks, nothing, 23 hours STRAIGHT. You may think I'm exaggerating, but I'm not. And right after that 23-hour shift, we went home for an hour and came back to work another 11-hour shift immediately following. 84 sort of breaks my state laws in terms of breaks; you don't get any except a 30-min lunch. If you don't mind working 11-hour shifts regularly with one 30 minute break, you won't mind this job; if taking a break is important to you, DON'T work here. They expect a lot out of their management team at 84 Lumber, so don't be that guy who wants to sit down every 3 hours, because they don't like that at all. It's a very demanding position.

NEGATIVES

One of the biggest negative things for me was the "cash box". As an MT, you have to take the cash box home every night, which is the money that fills the cash registers every day. So if something happens at home, like a health emergency, and you have the box, guess what happens? You have to get that box to your store before you get to the hospital. It's a very stressful part of the position. Transporting and holding on to hundreds, maybe thousands, of dollars belonging to a company every day is a stressful thing to deal with anyway.

SUMMARY

So, if you're a single guy in your early-to-mid 20's with no health issues or children, this position has your name written on it. There are amazing long term benefits to sticking with this company, there are opportunities to make HUGE money with 84 as a manager. If you have a family that you enjoy spending time with or have many health problems that you must see a doctor regularly regarding, I would look elsewhere. The job is great, in my opinion. I'm a single father with many health issues, and I had a great time working here, regardless of the harsh hours and demands that came with the position. It's worth giving a try, nonetheless, even if you don't plan on staying for long. You get to travel to another state, get paid training, meet tons of people, learn about construction, sales, and management, and more. Go for it.

The industry and thereby the company are certainly a "mans world" environment; which results in a male dominated company, with females primarily being relegated to clerical and support roles.  At this particular location, the manager has done a fair job of trying to hire more females, but they consistently seem to be placed in non-managerial positions.  Males are also promoted to managerial positions more frequently than their female counterparts, when comparing individuals who have started in like roles at the company.

Employees are entrusted to complete their work with minimal supervision and allowed to propose improvements to the methods where they see challenges.  The downside of this is that people quite often are permitted to find their own methods to resolve conflicts, which are not always constructive.  Mid-level management does not involve themselves in resolving these issues, thus they often exacerbate to drawing the attention of upper-level management.

The current store management is approachable and understanding with workplace concerns, or personal conflicts.  The manager is very considerate of situations and works with employees towards an acceptable resolution.

Employees are expected to work thoroughly, which can include working more than 40 hours a week, but the management is very flexible in allowing employees to set their hours that work best for them while still completing all of the work with which they are tasked.

Compensation is not competitive with like businesses, and there is a significant difference in pay between support staff and mid-level management.  There are monthly incentivized payments, depending on the employee's position.  Raises are typically done on a yearly basis, but are more in line with a cost of living increase instead of performance based.

Benefits are decent, including profit sharing, health, vision, dental, and other standard insurance policies.  Employees also get a favorable amount of PTO and management generally approves these requests.

Training is not offered consistently for all employees.  There are specific positions which can attend in-depth training courses, but most employees rely on finding intranet based tutorials or learning from other employees.  This extends to employees not being cross-trained, where they may find another position is better suited for their skills.

84 Lumber is clear about what it cares about as a company and what they look for in a successful team member. 

Their promotional system is built into their training, without the need for a college degree or some other form of experience. In fact, they expect advancement sometime within the first 6-12 months. They train from the ground up while acknowledging and rewarding performance. I think this is a main selling point for the company. 84 doesn't just advertise that they are a career like some other big box stores, they actually are a career.

There are multiple directions you can take within the company including management, corporate office work, operations, and sales.

While experience with upper management can vary at any company, depending on who you work for, my experience has been very positive. They help you if you need anything and actively want you to perform well. 

 I'm not aware of any upper management that didn't have to work their way up from Manager Trainee. This makes it easier on the people below because you aren't having to deal with someone who was cross-hired from another company/is fresh out of college with a business degree, yet knows very little about how to successfully operate a business.

The hardest parts of the job are the hours and working outdoors. Forty-eight hours are the weekly expectations for new hires and most everybody at the store level besides the salesman. If you move to a position outside the store level those requirements may not apply. This company isn't a great fit for people who are looking for a part-time job or who prefer part-time performance at a full-time position.

The compensation as a manager trainee is fair and gets exponentially better the farther up the promotional ladder you go. 

Bonuses are given out for just about everything at the store level. Manager trainees get monthly store quota bonuses. Co-managers include quota, safety, training, and year-end store performance bonuses. Store Managers get those and many others. All in all, there are plenty of opportunities to make good money for someone who takes the job seriously.

I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a fresh career start or someone who hasn't had the luxury of college but has the drive to do well.










As an Mt you will will start your day by opening the front doors at 6:45 am. You'll count the money in the cash box that you have to take home with you at night due to the fact that it has been stolen from the building before and they refuse to get rid of the folks that did it. After that you will probably end up building a load for a salesman that didn't let you know about it the day before. You will then go back inside and clean the restrooms, sweep the show rooms and mop the floor all while dealing with customers coming in and out the door and you will be responsible for pulling their orders from the yard, not the yard guys who are on forklifts all day. A little while into the rush you will have a truck come in full of stock or special orders that you will also have to put up while continuously assisting customers. You're supposed to do 5 quotes a day so you'll have to find time while answering phone and running back and forth from the yard to inside the store building loads for your customers, your other mts customers, your comanagers customers and the outside sales customers. You will then take a "30 minute lunch break" while steadily answering phones and assisting customers. Then it's time to sweep the warehouse again and finish putting up stock that you didn't get to. While you're ready to do a quote you will need to contact several vendors and get the price right which isn't a big deal until you get customers needing you during that time or you have to go build another order for a salesman. Soon a window truck or a panel truck will show up, you will have to hand unload the simi and put in location. They are not light. You may also have a return from when a salesman over quoted and you will need to go put that up for him. You do not sit down all day at any point, buy good boots. You will be there from 6:45-6:00pm. After your day you will be responsible for dropping the company deposit off at the bank of their choice which most likely will not be close to the direction of your home. Your are not compisated for your time or fuel for doing this.

Working at this job involved a range of tasks on a typical day, including stocking shelves, cleaning, inventory management, answering phone calls, and heavy lifting during the loading and unloading of lumber and doors. Additionally, cashing out customers and painting the store was part of the routine. In terms of learning, the role exposed me to a diverse range of products like shingles and doors, although mastering the extensive inventory proved to be an ongoing process.

Unfortunately, the experience with management was less than ideal. The manager's presence was minimal, often secluding himself in the office and leaving training responsibilities to other trainees. This lack of leadership impacted the overall learning and development process.

The workplace culture was challenging, marked by a competitive atmosphere among coworkers vying for the same position. I felt a sense of being pushed out and was informed that my tenure would be short-lived. This, coupled with unfriendly coworkers, created a less-than-welcoming environment.

The most challenging aspect of the job was the multitude of responsibilities coupled with inadequate compensation. The physically demanding nature of lifting heavy doors, combined with juggling various tasks simultaneously, made the job strenuous. The long 10-hour workdays, five days a week, with early morning shifts further added to the difficulty.

Regrettably, there wasn't much that I found enjoyable about the job. Strict grooming standards and delays in obtaining a uniform added to the dissatisfaction. The overall compensation did not align with the demanding nature of the work, particularly for those aiming for a management trainee position with expectations of avoiding relocation.

In conclusion, while the job exposed me to various tasks and products, the lack of effective management, competitive workplace culture, and the strenuous nature of the work made it a less-than-ideal experience. The compensation did not match the level of responsibility and physical demands, leading to an overall dissatisfaction with the position.

A typical day of work is unpredictable. One guy could come in and want a couple of pieces of material or an entire deck worth of material.  If you like physical work this is the job for you. I learned a lot about the industry and how things are constructed. If you come in with the knowledge of knowing what a 2x4 is then be prepared to be blown away. This company did a great job of showing and taking the time to mold you into being able to comprehend “construction talk” however it still  can be difficult to understand. The management is very patient and very open with you. They are wanting to see you succeed and try to grow in your career. This company offers growth however only if you are willing to relocate. If you want grow within that store be willing to stay at the same position for a long period of time if a position does not open up with no annual raise in wage or bonus. This location in specific is the largest yard of them of all and looks great for those who plan to transfer in or out for growing their career for 84. This store comes with its own way of doing things and being managed certain ways by the store manager. The store manager is someone highly respected in the company and it shown throughout the site. However his respect can only earned and can seem a bit harsh if not earned. The hardest part of this job is the schedule especially the position of a manager trainee. It is a very well under pay position hourly and capped commission. This position pay is something that hinder the growth and motivation  for me. If I sell and hit the quota I need too and go above and beyond that quota there is no reward for me. Therefore if I sell way more than I’m rewarded I have no benefit in selling. The most enjoyable is the people you work with. You will create relationships that can hope to last a while, however as every other place you work you must keep this professional relationship because others may look to take advantage of that. 

A typical day at work starts at 630am and doesn't end until 6pm. Most times I had to work through my 30 minute lunch break even though you're not compensated for lunch as an hourly employee. You'll have face to face interaction with customers and vendors daily which helps you learn the industry and the product offerings quickly; a huge positive. You're required to keep the store stocked with merchandise. This can be difficult because stock orders placed through the corporate office are many times delayed as corporate purchasers try to get the least expensive material before selling it to the store at an upcharge. Higher management gives the aura of being a group that doesn't look at an individual's overall contribution to running the store; merely a group focused solely on what their sales numbers are. Their comparisons amongst individuals is also problematic as some stores are geared toward a home owner market (lot of walk in customers) where others are strictly successful on the professional contractor front (outside sales dominates because there is no walk ins). If you're store is successful financially one year budgets and quota targets increase drastically making bonuses much harder to acquire the following year. I had the privilege of working with great colleagues that made the mental and physically grueling days tolerable. There is no pay increase at all and in order to be promoted you are required to uproot and move to a different city where in my case was financially crippling as the pay doesn't offset cost of living for a single individual. There are quite a few positives to the job. You get the opportunity to network with a ton of different suppliers. You gain valuable knowledge about the building industry which is beneficial to owning/renting later in life. For me I created great friendships with my co-workers both at work and outside of work.

-One great thing about working at an 84 Lumber store is that everyday is different. Any day can consist of strictly customer sales, unloading freight trucks, or just handling daily operations.
-I have learned a lot in my five years at 84 Lumber such as building product knowledge, managing my own store, selling techniques, managing and training new employees, and more importantly becoming an outgoing person when it comes to dealing with customer service.
-Management with 84 Lumber has been a great route to take. It as given me the opportunity to learn more about my self in terms of becoming a leader. I have gained skills in managing employees, training them to set the same goals as me, understanding our stores monthly income statement, scheduling, and dealing with customers questions and concerns. I has probably been the most rewarding route with 84 Lumber thus far.
-Just about every co-worker I have had with 84 Lumber has been exceptional. I have been at four stores now and every one we have all put in a team effort to achieve success. A lot of stores don't have too many employees working there so everyone seems to always get along and become part of a small family.
-Despite every aspect of the job, 84 Lumber is a sales first job and I would the hardest part is closing a sale. Figuring and estimating material for someone can be easy but building the trust of customer can be difficult. People invest a lot of time and money in building project in which they put a lot of trust in their local sales person to make sure they have everything they need to complete the job.
-My most enjoyable part of working with 84 Lumber is just dealing with customers on a daily basis. The opportunity to listen and assist with issues they may be having with their home can be very rewarding.

As an entry level associate, I learned a lot about the building industry from Vendors, materials, and how items are implemented. The company as a whole offers a lot to there employees, however your growth highly depends on your location's management.

When i was relocated for a promotion, the company compensated well for moving costs, covered the Uhaul, and provided an incentive to boot up a new living situation. 

My first location ran very well, the management to worker relationship was good and very constructive on shaping employees. mistakes were used as learning tools and ideas were always considered then if poor, the explanation for why was shown. supportive management. strong focus on employee development.

My second location was the opposite. management treated everyone like worker bees, requested time off was often questioned and sometimes denied despite how in advanced it was requested. The store did not follow corporate standard for promotion and hiring. (Employees were promoted from MT all the way as far as becoming the new store manager within the same location). Employees were not equally compensated for same position and same level of work responsibility, did not follow corporate compensation. The replacing manager hired a family member from outside the company to take over as second in charge without interviewing current qualified employees. Mistakes were recorded but not addressed with the one who made it resulting in recurring mistakes that are cause for termination. Highest turnover of employees from quitting than I have ever seen in my life.

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