If I remember correctly this is your last day being enslaved -- err -- employed by Kroger. I have a few questions for you if you don't mind:
1. What was the driving reason for quitting?
2. From when you were hired, did it seem to get better or worse working there?
3. Did any employees/managers really stick out to you (not asking you to name names) as being either an inspiration or a total waste of life?
4. Do you foresee ever returning?
5. If not, what kind of work are you considering?
Just a few questions I had to ask to satisfy my curiosity. If finances permitted, I would have totally put my two weeks notice in months ago.
1. School. I'm a student taking classes at a university. I have classes for six days, including labs and examinations. In no way will the mandatory 12-hour workweek fit in my schedule.
2. It honestly had it's ups and downs. I "outlasted" the co-managers who were originally there when I was hired (in terms of my year-long employment, meaning they were gone before I left). Two moved to a different store, one retired (bless him), and one received a promotion. The manager was the same, if not got better. Like when I was working at the back, days sucked when people called in and we get slammed, or if the morning trucks were running VERY late (we once got our milk truck at 1 PM). Since I'm part-time, it was also kind of frustrating that they dump 8 hours' worth of work on my within 4.5 hours. The longer it went on though, the more I knew about what I can get away with and what needs to be done.
3. In my opinion, none of the heads/managers were a waste. They're doing their best to earn what they've currently got, and sustain it. The most who stick out to me were my FES, Store Manager, Dairy lead, and a co-manager. However, if we're talking regular employees? Perhaps half of the deli need to be fired for failing to follow the CRUCIAL parts of Key Retailing (shocker, right?). What crucial parts? How about putting a label on a newly-opened chunk of ham so they'll know when to toss it out. I've gotten sick with the sandwiches around the same time I overheard the customer service people that deli was still serving bad ham. And yes, I can smell it whenever I check those out at the register, especially if I open the big ziplock that contains the large orders. They're a waste of payroll and can be let go of.
4. Most likely. There aren't that many stores hiring around my area. I live in a suburb where the only positions open are store cashiers and stuff. I'll have to put in a year or two within my degree program to get an internship within an affiliated university hospital. The store manager has expressed his gratitude and extended an offer for me to return at any time. Then again... there's a new Kroger Marketplace opening just a tad bit closer to where I live, and it might be nice to be one of the first/senior cashiers there (gotta nab that union seniority BS, right? xD).
5. If I don't come back, I might end up pursuing other similar jobs aside from that internship I'm really after. Coscto pays well, and would like to work with them, too. I've also put in an application to be a library assistant (hey, I get to work AND study, right?), or even see if the university has any staff openings.
I hope that answered your questions, Anon, and feel free to ask any more questions.
I should amend the answer to the first point of order:
People ask why I couldn't just work AND take classes? I did that the entire time. I was hired during the summer of last year, and took classes during the Fall and Spring semesters. It wasn't easy, having to take night classes, Fridays, and other odd times for exams. I could manage it because at most, it was four days out of the week. Not to mention that I was capable of paying for those classes out of my wages since it's a community college.
However, now that I'm in a university, I absolutely will NOT risk a $6,000 dollar investment (tuition) for the sake of a minimum-wage job. It's expensive to fail in college, I'm sure many of you are aware of that. The $30,000 (perhaps 25% less, since 1/4 of that estimate has been paid off) debt that I'd be saddled with will be nothing compared to a starting salary of $70,000/yr (at the current rate) after I get my degree. Yes, that's what I'm aiming for at the bare minimum, and the university hospital I mentioned earlier offers more. I'll take that over a paltry $7.55/hr wage.
I'm not the one to even spend a whole lot of money on myself, anyway. I still have the 1st generation iPod touch from when I was in middle school. Still works fine though. xD
-- Edited by NutritionWhore on Sunday 17th of August 2014 12:54:47 AM
I should amend the answer to the first point of order:
People ask why I couldn't just work AND take classes? I did that the entire time. I was hired during the summer of last year, and took classes during the Fall and Spring semesters. It wasn't easy, having to take night classes, Fridays, and other odd times for exams. I could manage it because at most, it was four days out of the week. Not to mention that I was capable of paying for those classes out of my wages since it's a community college.
However, now that I'm in a university, I absolutely will NOT risk a $6,000 dollar investment (tuition) for the sake of a minimum-wage job. It's expensive to fail in college, I'm sure many of you are aware of that. The $30,000 debt that I'd be saddled with will be nothing compared to a starting salary of $70,000/yr (at the current rate) after I get my degree. Yes, that's what I'm aiming for at the bare minimum, and the university hospital I mentioned earlier offers more. I'll take that over a paltry $7.55/hr wage.
-- Edited by NutritionWhore on Sunday 17th of August 2014 12:53:13 AM
Cancer will be cured by then!
__________________
Would you like fries with th... I mean, your milk in a bag?
I should amend the answer to the first point of order:
People ask why I couldn't just work AND take classes? I did that the entire time. I was hired during the summer of last year, and took classes during the Fall and Spring semesters. It wasn't easy, having to take night classes, Fridays, and other odd times for exams. I could manage it because at most, it was four days out of the week. Not to mention that I was capable of paying for those classes out of my wages since it's a community college.
However, now that I'm in a university, I absolutely will NOT risk a $6,000 dollar investment (tuition) for the sake of a minimum-wage job. It's expensive to fail in college, I'm sure many of you are aware of that. The $30,000 debt that I'd be saddled with will be nothing compared to a starting salary of $70,000/yr (at the current rate) after I get my degree. Yes, that's what I'm aiming for at the bare minimum, and the university hospital I mentioned earlier offers more. I'll take that over a paltry $7.55/hr wage.
-- Edited by NutritionWhore on Sunday 17th of August 2014 12:53:13 AM
OP here. It sounds somewhat similar to my situation. I never got any grants or scholarships so I had to enroll at the local JC. Costs about $4500 a year (tuition + books (nobody ever got around to explaining to me why college books should somehow be $200)) and with Kroger wages I can pay that and still have a little bit of money to pay for gas, food, and hygiene. The big challenge will be when I have to pay that much per semester . Like you, I don't have many employment options in my area. The only places that might pay me more are Costco, Aldi, or a distribution center. These bleak job prospects are the reason I'm going to college. Thanks to a population of materialistic cheapskates, all the cushy manufacturing jobs have moved overseas.
OP here. It sounds somewhat similar to my situation. I never got any grants or scholarships so I had to enroll at the local JC. Costs about $4500 a year (tuition + books (nobody ever got around to explaining to me why college books should somehow be $200)) and with Kroger wages I can pay that and still have a little bit of money to pay for gas, food, and hygiene. The big challenge will be when I have to pay that much per semester . Like you, I don't have many employment options in my area. The only places that might pay me more are Costco, Aldi, or a distribution center. These bleak job prospects are the reason I'm going to college. Thanks to a population of materialistic cheapskates, all the cushy manufacturing jobs have moved overseas.
That's... quite a bit less than what I paid for in JC. It cost probably $5,000/year (I'm surprised I managed to pay it off!). Always wait until the first day of class to ask your professor for any alternatives for the textbook. If you're not gonna use it much, just borrow the library's.
I'll admit, I have my parents backing me on this one, mainly because I'm the last person to have to go to college until my brother's in like... 12 years? So they're willing to help me subsidize tuition + books. All I have to pay for is personal expenses, gas, and car payments.
I also didn't get much grant/scholarship opportunities (still looking though) and a student loan is my LAST resort. However, there's no shame in taking a loan out, since nowadays you'll have to. I just refuse to accept the $6,000 Stafford loan because of interests. >.>
Always be on the lookout for new places opening up. I know there's a few outlets as well as a respected furniture store that's opening up around here, so I've got those in my sights, though they're a town over.
I should add: Get as much out of JC as you can. Take any prerequisite class that you can take, as well as credits that will transfer to your degree plan. It will save you quite a bit of money when transferring to a different institution.
OP here. It sounds somewhat similar to my situation. I never got any grants or scholarships so I had to enroll at the local JC. Costs about $4500 a year (tuition + books (nobody ever got around to explaining to me why college books should somehow be $200)) and with Kroger wages I can pay that and still have a little bit of money to pay for gas, food, and hygiene. The big challenge will be when I have to pay that much per semester . Like you, I don't have many employment options in my area. The only places that might pay me more are Costco, Aldi, or a distribution center. These bleak job prospects are the reason I'm going to college. Thanks to a population of materialistic cheapskates, all the cushy manufacturing jobs have moved overseas.
That's... quite a bit less than what I paid for in JC. It cost probably $5,000/year (I'm surprised I managed to pay it off!). Always wait until the first day of class to ask your professor for any alternatives for the textbook. If you're not gonna use it much, just borrow the library's.
I'll admit, I have my parents backing me on this one, mainly because I'm the last person to have to go to college until my brother's in like... 12 years? So they're willing to help me subsidize tuition + books. All I have to pay for is personal expenses, gas, and car payments.
I also didn't get much grant/scholarship opportunities (still looking though) and a student loan is my LAST resort. However, there's no shame in taking a loan out, since nowadays you'll have to. I just refuse to accept the $6,000 Stafford loan because of interests. >.>
Always be on the lookout for new places opening up. I know there's a few outlets as well as a respected furniture store that's opening up around here, so I've got those in my sights, though they're a town over.
I should add: Get as much out of JC as you can. Take any prerequisite class that you can take, as well as credits that will transfer to your degree plan. It will save you quite a bit of money when transferring to a different institution.
Yea, a loan is my last resort too. Not that it's really shameful at all (it's no less shameful than accepting a grant based on... I'll just shut up now). I just don't like the idea of being in debt. I think I'll be getting roughly 60-70 of my credits from the JC, but anything over that might affect my ability to work or study effectively. And while education IS my top priority, work is a close second because I gotta pay for this somehow. Like I said I'm searching for grants and scholarships, but it's not nearly as easy as anyone makes it out to be. I'm not homeless, a veteran, or the child of school faculty, so my chances are pretty low. And I never really took interest in a particular sport or club in high school, because I was too busy slaving away at good 'ol Kroger so I could pay for gas and save for college.
No shame about what kind of scholarships you get. :P
I know a friend of mine who had a member of family working as faculty in a university. Since it's a direct family member, my friend got to go for a ridiculously low tuition. And what does that person spend that opportunity on? A freakin' degree in International Studies.
That friend's current job is nowhere what that degree is. Talk about wasted opportunity, in my opinion.
No shame about what kind of scholarships you get. :P
I know a friend of mine who had a member of family working as faculty in a university. Since it's a direct family member, my friend got to go for a ridiculously low tuition. And what does that person spend that opportunity on? A freakin' degree in International Studies.
That friend's current job is nowhere what that degree is. Talk about wasted opportunity, in my opinion.
But, enough about that.
You'll be fine. Explore every option you have.
It amazing the degrees out there that are offered that mean nothing when you get out there in the real world. Education/a college degree doesnt hold the same value as it once did.
No shame about what kind of scholarships you get. :P
I know a friend of mine who had a member of family working as faculty in a university. Since it's a direct family member, my friend got to go for a ridiculously low tuition. And what does that person spend that opportunity on? A freakin' degree in International Studies.
That friend's current job is nowhere what that degree is. Talk about wasted opportunity, in my opinion.
But, enough about that.
You'll be fine. Explore every option you have.
It amazing the degrees out there that are offered that mean nothing when you get out there in the real world. Education/a college degree doesnt hold the same value as it once did.
When everyone had a bachelor's degree, nobody does. That's why it's important to pick the right degree that has potential job growth.
Mine has a potential growth rate of 60% because it's a relatively new field.
No shame about what kind of scholarships you get. :P
I know a friend of mine who had a member of family working as faculty in a university. Since it's a direct family member, my friend got to go for a ridiculously low tuition. And what does that person spend that opportunity on? A freakin' degree in International Studies.
That friend's current job is nowhere what that degree is. Talk about wasted opportunity, in my opinion.
But, enough about that.
You'll be fine. Explore every option you have.
It amazing the degrees out there that are offered that mean nothing when you get out there in the real world. Education/a college degree doesnt hold the same value as it once did.
When everyone had a bachelor's degree, nobody does. That's why it's important to pick the right degree that has potential job growth.
Mine has a potential growth rate of 60% because it's a relatively new field.
just because it has potential doesn't mean it's stable and will always be fruitful... which was why I made my previous statement. I'm a devil's advocate if you haven't realized by now :P
__________________
Would you like fries with th... I mean, your milk in a bag?
No shame about what kind of scholarships you get. :P
I know a friend of mine who had a member of family working as faculty in a university. Since it's a direct family member, my friend got to go for a ridiculously low tuition. And what does that person spend that opportunity on? A freakin' degree in International Studies.
That friend's current job is nowhere what that degree is. Talk about wasted opportunity, in my opinion.
But, enough about that.
You'll be fine. Explore every option you have.
It amazing the degrees out there that are offered that mean nothing when you get out there in the real world. Education/a college degree doesnt hold the same value as it once did.
When everyone had a bachelor's degree, nobody does. That's why it's important to pick the right degree that has potential job growth.
Mine has a potential growth rate of 60% because it's a relatively new field.
just because it has potential doesn't mean it's stable and will always be fruitful... which was why I made my previous statement. I'm a devil's advocate if you haven't realized by now :P
Oh of course, but hey, all I need is a year and I'll have a legitimate job/internship that actually pays twice than what I'll make in Kroger. :D
you suffered through middle school with only a first generation Ipod? good lord you are so brave, you've proven your modesty to us all. have fun when you get out of college and enter the real world, you wont be makin 70K salary long pussy
Going to miss you nutritionwhore, I've enjoyed reading your posts. But of course you could still drop in and bring some levity to our sorry lives
Noted! :)
Anonymous wrote:
you suffered through middle school with only a first generation Ipod? good lord you are so brave, you've proven your modesty to us all. have fun when you get out of college and enter the real world, you wont be makin 70K salary long pussy
...
Says the anon who works at Kroger for.... reasons? It's hard to take you seriously, mate.
If it helps any, I'll go through your check out line to get your ring tender up with some yogurt.
you suffered through middle school with only a first generation Ipod? good lord you are so brave, you've proven your modesty to us all. have fun when you get out of college and enter the real world, you wont be makin 70K salary long pussy
I don't get where the ipod comment came from.
Jealous because she's doing something with her life so she's not stuck.... at Kroger forever? O_o
Gonna see how long my employee discount sticks around.
I had a Kroger card before "joining" Kroger as an employee. I still have it. I wonder if it would register anything.
My very first Kroger card from 2004 still worked this year, though I was issued a new Kroger card when I became an employee, which has my employee discount.