What do you make of this job situation?

I’ve been looking for a part-time nights/weekends job for a little over a month. I’m a college student with bills to pay, so I’m getting pretty desperate.

I had an interview on Tuesday at a car dealership for a office assistant position and I was told they’d call me, so I’m waiting on that. Well, on Wednesday, I got a call from Lowe’s offering an interview on Thursday. I went, and was told this by the HR lady:

“This is how the hiring process goes: First, you’ll interview with me, and then you’ll interview with [some other lady]. We’ll make a decision, call you for a drug test, and make the offer from there.”

I did both interviews that day, and they went pretty well. This morning they called me in for the drug test. I went in (and yes, I will pass it) and was told this by the same lady:

“I’ll give you a call when we get the results back to make the offer.”

So, it sort of sounds like a done deal. But when I got there, she was flustered and said she’d been doing these tests every 30 minutes since 9AM. At this time, it was 4PM, and I saw a stack of applicant forms on her desk. So, I casually asked her if they were filling more than one position. She says:

“Oh yeah, a bunch. That’s what I’ve been doing all week—hiring. We’re hiring an assistant manager, store manager, three [some other position], seven cashiers (the position I applied for)...” and a few other things.

I asked if a bunch of people recently quit, and she told me that they had to let “a lot of people go”.

My first thought—new management wiped everyone out. But then, they’re hiring a manager, so that doesn’t fit. I’m not sure that many people could get fired on their own doing all at once. I really need a job, and the pay there is good, but I’m worried that I’ll take the offer and they’ll wipe everyone out again in a few months.

I shouldn’t not take the job for this reason, right? I mean, I need it. But this just sounds really fishy.

What would you make of that if you were in my shoes and what would you do?