Going the extra mile: Associates deliver product on foot, in the snow

Feb 20, 2020

Lowe’s delivery drivers pull appliances through the snow to complete delivery on time

A layer of snow covered the ground in Idaho Falls, Idaho within the first few days of 2020. While it made for a beautiful winter sight, it also presented a challenge for Lowe’s delivery drivers Keith Maw and Randy Martin.

Maw and Martin had just made it to the base of the Grand Teton Mountains on a delivery run. They were scheduled to deliver a dishwasher and a cooktop to a loyal Pro customer who lived on a winding road with a steep incline.

“We got to the end of her street and it was so steep,” Martin said. “During winter, it’s hard to drive regular vehicles up it let alone a 24-foot box truck.”

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With snow already piled up over 12 inches deep, they knew the truck wouldn’t make it to the customer’s home. But instead of wasting their 100-mile delivery trip and delaying this customer’s appliance delivery, Maw and Martin parked the truck and devised a plan.

The pair remembered a water heater pan they had in the truck. Using the few supplies they had, they created a sled out of the pan, attached the appliances to it and walked the products up the drive.

“Randi was pulling it and I was pushing it. It was super wet snow,” Maw said. “We’d go 100-200 yards and then have to stop for a second and then proceed on. It took us about an hour and 15 minutes from start to finish.”

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After dragging the sled half a mile, Maw and Martin finally made it to the customer’s home and completed the delivery. The customer, they said, was thrilled.

“She said, ‘You’re the most dedicated delivery guys ever!’”, Maw said.

But Maw and Martin said they just did what they had to do to get the job done and make sure the customer could complete her project on time.

“What we don’t see on our side is their building timelines. All I know is I have a delivery for a Pro customer and if she doesn’t get it on time, it may mess up her timeline where she can’t get it done,” Martin said. “It was just a dishwasher and a cooktop to me but to her it might have been the final appliances that she needed installed.”