So, I was curious about the high volume stores with multiple department heads for each department and how they work. Take grocery for example, how do they divvy up grocery manager responsibilities? It seems like it'd be a debacle. Having multiple people ordering, seems like conflicting opinions, display ideas, etc. would create issues. I know a couple $2M+ stores with double trucks everyday seem like it'd be very difficult to have control over. Even a local 1.2M store has 2 department heads/leads for everything.
Our store is nowhere that volume(300,000 a week). We have 4 different people who write orders during the week. The actual department head writes 2 of the 3 Peyton orders and none of the 4 grocery orders. He never leaves any suggestions on orders for sale items. So we have 3 regular clerks doing what I see as his job.
Our store is one of the largest in the Southeast and I typically have three or four Front End "bosses" not counting the woman whom I wish was not my manager.
The thing is, it's a problem many times, because I have to try to figure out who the Floor Supervisor is if I need him or her (usually requesting for break).
Sometimes we have two of them on the floor officially as 'Floor Supervisor' at one time.
Other times I've had one of my "bosses" be U-scan, so I'll see her, and go to her, only to find out she's on U-scan for the day or the moment and I have to go to someone else.
It's damned confusing and I really wish that there was something in place to allow the lowly courtesy clerk like myself to know who to go to and when.
But that would make sense and making sense is against Kroger policy.
Communication. Also, usually there's only one top department head in each department who has the final say on things. However, with multiple department heads, each one is responsible for a certain sub-section of that department. Floral, salad bar, and nutrition all fall under produce but each one of those has its own department head. The produce department head lets those people run their departments on their own while he takes care of just produce. Meat can be divided into meat and seafood. Deli is divided into deli and bakery. Grocery can be divided into several departments: dry grocery, dairy, frozen, bread etc.
Our store is one of the largest in the Southeast and I typically have three or four Front End "bosses" not counting the woman whom I wish was not my manager. The thing is, it's a problem many times, because I have to try to figure out who the Floor Supervisor is if I need him or her (usually requesting for break). Sometimes we have two of them on the floor officially as 'Floor Supervisor' at one time. Other times I've had one of my "bosses" be U-scan, so I'll see her, and go to her, only to find out she's on U-scan for the day or the moment and I have to go to someone else.
It's damned confusing and I really wish that there was something in place to allow the lowly courtesy clerk like myself to know who to go to and when. But that would make sense and making sense is against Kroger policy.
Each day when you clock in just ask one of them "who's running the floor?" Also find out what time that person is leaving and who is coming in next.
These departments are led by leads. They are typically given a premium instead of a wage jump. If you're a dairy lead in my store, for example, you get an extra $1.50 an hour. So technically you could be making a worst-case-scenario $8.90 an hour and be responsible for ordering, scheduling, and every other aspect of the dairy department. The good part about being a lead though is that it's a full-time position, so typically your pay will go up because of that. All-in-all, being a lead is pretty good because you'll get your 40 hours and benefits without being responsible for managing a dozen people.
I wasn't meaning sub departments under the main umbrella, I was literally meaning 2 grocery managers, 2 produce managers, 2 front end managers, 2 drug gm managers 2 dairy leads 2 frozen leads etc etc. As in, same pay, same title. I know some of the biggest volume stores do this because of the sheer volume and the necessity to order every day of the week. It still seems like it would create issues though.
-- Edited by DeltaGrocery on Saturday 13th of December 2014 06:57:43 AM
I work in a 1.2M store. We only have one Day Grocery manager and one night grocery manager. The Day grocery manager orders peyton 4 days a week. Each person has their aisle on nights. 3 of us order the aisles we run. The night manager orders the grocery for the other aisles 6 nights a week . The night and day manager communicate daily to find out what needs to be ordered for the endcaps and promo aisle.
With two managers running a department, they need to communicate well and work together setting aside any drama.
I work in a 1.2M store. We only have one Day Grocery manager and one night grocery manager. The Day grocery manager orders peyton 4 days a week. Each person has their aisle on nights. 3 of us order the aisles we run. The night manager orders the grocery for the other aisles 6 nights a week . The night and day manager communicate daily to find out what needs to be ordered for the endcaps and promo aisle.
With two managers running a department, they need to communicate well and work together setting aside any drama.
That's interesting. Thanks for the insight. Is there a day crew that stocks as well? Or is there only the grocery manager that works during the day?
I work in a 1.2M store. We only have one Day Grocery manager and one night grocery manager. The Day grocery manager orders peyton 4 days a week. Each person has their aisle on nights. 3 of us order the aisles we run. The night manager orders the grocery for the other aisles 6 nights a week . The night and day manager communicate daily to find out what needs to be ordered for the endcaps and promo aisle.
With two managers running a department, they need to communicate well and work together setting aside any drama.
That's interesting. Thanks for the insight. Is there a day crew that stocks as well? Or is there only the grocery manager that works during the day?
I just got a full time bid at my new store. I used to be a back-up at my old store and did the orders when necessary. I like ordering my aisle.
There is a Day Grocery manager, a full time back-up for him and I think two part timers. The day manager comes in and runs shippers, fills ends and orders peyton. He might even do the DDP reports. The back-up might be the person that does bread, cookies and crackers but I am not sure. I am not sure what the two part timers do. I think they run stock that we don't finish on rare occasions. They tried running the the backstock for my aisle and what a mess.
We have 9 people on nights including the night manager. We run Grocery and Peyton back to back 3 nights a week. Groc (only) 3 nights and Peyton (only) 1 night. If everyone shows up and the work is done, we try to run backstock. After the holidays, it will be easier to keep backstock under control.
In my store we only have a day grocery manager. We have a night crew leader, and it sounds like under some contracts, he could be making a LOT more money.
In my store we only have a day grocery manager. We have a night crew leader, and it sounds like under some contracts, he could be making a LOT more money.
Yup. I have volunteered in a store that only had a night lead. The day manager did all the ordering. Most stores here have a night grocery manager that does the ordering and makes the same payrate as the day grocery manager. But, the day grocery manager makes final decisions.
