Lowe’s Cos. told thousands of store workers this week their jobs were being eliminated as the company outsourced tasks such as assembling barbecue grills and janitorial services.

The home-improvement chain notified maintenance staff and assemblers that put together grills, wheelbarrows and other products that they were being laid off, according to the company and employees. Those roles will be taken over by third-party companies.

Each of Lowe’s roughly 1,800 U.S. stores has several staff members doing these jobs. Laid off employees, including full-time staff with years of service, aren’t being paid severance. Instead they are being offered “transition pay” totaling up to about two weeks for full-time workers, one employee said. All workers are able to reapply for open positions with the company, employees said, but aren’t guaranteed the same hourly pay.

Lowe’s employed 190,000 full-time and 110,000 part-time workers as of Feb. 1.

“We are moving to third-party assemblers and facility services to allow Lowe’s store associates to spend more time on the sales floor serving customers,” said a spokeswoman for Lowe’s.