Does anybody by chance know how to open Deli? I've got to do it two days in a row. And although I asked to be on one of the days that one of the more experienced Deli people is there to show me a few things. And for sure I will be taking notes. But still I have NEVER done this before and although I will have my notebook to take hella notes. I'd still like a few tips, if anybody have any before I go in.
In my deli, I'm the opener, I go in at 6AM. First, I make sure deli is clean enough to start work. Second, I make sure I have a trash can at each slicer. Third, I start grab & go. Of course, watch for customers and wait on customers as well as they trickle in. Of course, opening duties vary by store. This at least should get you started, hope it helps.
Opening is pretty easy. I certainly prefer it to closing!
Pull out mats, make sure trash cans have bags, wash up, then get the slicers set up.
Then focus on getting the grab & go ready for the day. Personally I like doing 5 packages or one loaf of each item, whichever comes first. Then move onto the next item. Makes the grab & go presentable faster, I don't worry about taking time to make new bags, and it keeps management off your back if they're particular about the grab and go being stocked immediately. Once you got all items for the case, then you go back and finish off the proper count for each item.
First priority is always customers if they show up.
If you finish all that, and there's no customers, check to make sure you have no out of date bags in the case, if there are, weigh them, then print out a tag and slap it on a paper towel or piece of paper for scanning out later, if you know how to remove inventory, do it, or you can just give the paper with the tags to another deli worker when they come in. After that, check dips and out of dates on the floor.
I picked up some of these pointers as well from the more experienced Deli person I worked with today, which I just want to verify real quick if possible,:
-Pull salad pans(the bottom ones) out and get them washed. And I guess I can switch them out with the other extra pans they have on one of the supply shelves.
-Next do markdowns while the pans soak and put the markdowns in the Deli cooler and if I recall right, you go into the RF Gun, go to markdowns, say yes once in the markdowns, and then there should be a second mini list option where I press one for Kroger items. She was going so fast I missed what that was called. I know it's the list where you would click for other markdowns, but you don't click other markdowns, it's the first option.
-Have to also markdown pizzas/re-fill those, and for markdowns only pull stuff that is for that current date such as the 21st for the 21st only. Can't pull the stuff for 21st and 22nd like I'd normally do for the bakery.
-I believe she said that you have to weigh out the markdowns also. But do you do that for just grab and go markdowns? Or do I do that for the stuff in the plastic containers too?
-For grab and go, it's only the private selection meats and cheeses, and there is a list of them from the white binder list. Have to do something with the date dots. I think those go for the meat and cheese when I open it to be cut for the grab and go, correct?
-And lastly for Click List orders. Have to get those done an hour before they are to be turned in
In my deli, I'm the opener, I go in at 6AM. First, I make sure deli is clean enough to start work. Second, I make sure I have a trash can at each slicer. Third, I start grab & go. Of course, watch for customers and wait on customers as well as they trickle in. Of course, opening duties vary by store. This at least should get you started, hope it helps.
Oooh, so they don't replace the trash bags at the end of the night? Okay, will keep that in mind. I've been on closing one time in Deli before too. But had other peeps that did other stuff, while I was cleaning the glass and other stuff. So I never quite noticed if they never put trash bags in there or not, after they emptied the trash. But I will definitely make sure I find some to get those filled and out of the way.
Opening is pretty easy. I certainly prefer it to closing!
Pull out mats, make sure trash cans have bags, wash up, then get the slicers set up.
Then focus on getting the grab & go ready for the day. Personally I like doing 5 packages or one loaf of each item, whichever comes first. Then move onto the next item. Makes the grab & go presentable faster, I don't worry about taking time to make new bags, and it keeps management off your back if they're particular about the grab and go being stocked immediately. Once you got all items for the case, then you go back and finish off the proper count for each item.
First priority is always customers if they show up.
If you finish all that, and there's no customers, check to make sure you have no out of date bags in the case, if there are, weigh them, then print out a tag and slap it on a paper towel or piece of paper for scanning out later, if you know how to remove inventory, do it, or you can just give the paper with the tags to another deli worker when they come in. After that, check dips and out of dates on the floor.
Pull out mats? What mats exactly? And do the slicers get unscrewed at the end of the night? O_O If screwing those back together, then I can set that up pretty easily. But if you mean set them up in another way. Could you please explain? O_O
Oooh, thanks for explaining about the number of packages/ loaves you do for Grab and Go. So start with 5 packages and then in the binder where the info is at about the grab and go it says the total number, we should have out there, right? Just want to verify.
Oh, so the grab and go's don't get pulled til the morning? Or do I have to swap those out when I do the markdowns and slice some new ones? I'll have to check and see when someone comes in, that can possibly help with running tags for things. Hopefully, someone comes in at 6 that could possibly do that. As I have a feeling, just from today, that I'll be hella busy with Clicklist orders.
But for sure, check the grab and go out dates BEFORE the dips and stuff in the plastic containers, correct? I just want to make sure I'm wasting time doing the wrong markdowns, when I can be focused on something more important first where that is concerned. And I definitely want to make the most of my time. As things have to be set by 9 for sure. And my DH doesn't come in til 6. So I want to make sure I'm at least as on top of things as much as I can be by the time he comes in there, as I'm in there from 3 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Opening is pretty easy. I certainly prefer it to closing!
Pull out mats, make sure trash cans have bags, wash up, then get the slicers set up.
Then focus on getting the grab & go ready for the day. Personally I like doing 5 packages or one loaf of each item, whichever comes first. Then move onto the next item. Makes the grab & go presentable faster, I don't worry about taking time to make new bags, and it keeps management off your back if they're particular about the grab and go being stocked immediately. Once you got all items for the case, then you go back and finish off the proper count for each item.
First priority is always customers if they show up.
If you finish all that, and there's no customers, check to make sure you have no out of date bags in the case, if there are, weigh them, then print out a tag and slap it on a paper towel or piece of paper for scanning out later, if you know how to remove inventory, do it, or you can just give the paper with the tags to another deli worker when they come in. After that, check dips and out of dates on the floor.
Pull out mats? What mats exactly? And do the slicers get unscrewed at the end of the night? O_O If screwing those back together, then I can set that up pretty easily. But if you mean set them up in another way. Could you please explain? O_O
Oooh, thanks for explaining about the number of packages/ loaves you do for Grab and Go. So start with 5 packages and then in the binder where the info is at about the grab and go it says the total number, we should have out there, right? Just want to verify.
Oh, so the grab and go's don't get pulled til the morning? Or do I have to swap those out when I do the markdowns and slice some new ones? I'll have to check and see when someone comes in, that can possibly help with running tags for things. Hopefully, someone comes in at 6 that could possibly do that. As I have a feeling, just from today, that I'll be hella busy with Clicklist orders.
But for sure, check the grab and go out dates BEFORE the dips and stuff in the plastic containers, correct? I just want to make sure I'm wasting time doing the wrong markdowns, when I can be focused on something more important first where that is concerned. And I definitely want to make the most of my time. As things have to be set by 9 for sure. And my DH doesn't come in til 6. So I want to make sure I'm at least as on top of things as much as I can be by the time he comes in there, as I'm in there from 3 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Oops, this post is from me. For whatever reason it kicks me over into being an anonymous poster if I don't put in my screen name each time in the name box.
Mats = Floor mats. Your deli may or may not have them, they may or may not keep them on the floor. We put ours up while the floor is being cleaned and let the openers put them back down.
All our slicers are disassembled to the extent of removing the guard plate and the little gripper plate that holds the meat. We spray everything down with sanitizer and let it dry overnight. Yours may have a different procedure? Either way, basically you just want the slicer ready to go for the day. If it's already ready to go, your job there is done!
As for the package number...Say you need Black Forest Ham = 17. If I can get 5 packages from one loaf, then I stop and move onto Honey Ham. If I can only get 3 packages from that loaf, I'll open another Black Forest Ham and cut the entire second loaf. Basically I don't want to do any bag tags while I'm working on the Grab N Go. I'm just slicing and tagging the packaging.
When I've done something for each item, I can go back and cut 12(or whatever is left) more Black Forest Ham. While on paper it appears to take more time because you have to go back "and do it all over again", I've found it gave customers more to choose from(thus they don't need to stop by the deli and take up more of my time), we also got more early morning sales from those who didn't want to stop at the deli but like easy grab lunch stuff. It's the "something is better than nothing" approach.
And yes, you don't pull Grab N Go until morning. Thanks to the night owl population, I usually come in to a mostly empty Grab N Go, so time permitting, I leave whatever is in there until I have product to replace it. Then I just stack it somewhere to scan out once I've started hunting for out of dates.
What order you do thing changes depending where you are and what your store prioritizes, so your DH will be able to tell you better than I, but for me, it goes:
Grab N Go (Because sales)is my top priority until I'm either finished or it's getting close to 9. Out of Dates (Because safety) If it gets close to 9, I break from Grab N Go to get the out of dates. My store isn't huge, and I'm there all the time, so I generally have an idea of what is going to get pulled. Dips (Because sales) Out of stock is a big nono. Kroger likes sales, and a customer can't buy what isn't there. If the dips are low, but not out of stock, I'll skip it and save it for day shift. Markdowns (Because sales)are usually the last thing I do for my 'opener' routine, if I bother with it at all. Generally by then my support has arrived and they work on it if we aren't being rushed.
We don't have Clicklist yet, so you'd have to figure the placement on that one. I will say if I have a party tray to do, it gets done alongside the Grab N Go provided it's not a huge tray or a time consuming one. Otherwise, depending on the delivery time, I get those done before my second loop through the Grab N Go list.
Generally I try to always prioritize things that are time sensitive. Markdowns, despite management breathing down your neck for them, can be done at any time of the day. Out of Dates however are critical. Customers get pissed if they have to bring back something because it's old(or if they find one while in the store), so we never want them to end up in that situation. Dips are important because again, a customer can't buy what isn't there.
Again thank you so much Anonymous. I'm busting out my large coffee thermos, big girl panties, and my ****kickers as well. So I think I should be okay. As long as I'm the majority of the way on top of things by the time the DH gets in there by 6, I should be good as well. My only real issue I foresee is doing the markdowns myself. Because however many times I keep re-setting my password in the RF gun it keeps saying stuff is incorrect. And I have told the person that supposed to fix it about it. He said he will re-set things for me. But never seems to do so. But fingers crossed I can get one of the bakers that has also cross-trained in Deli to log-in for me and that way I can use the program on there to show me what is going out that particular day. Although I still think they need a universal log-in for those guns. As some people that have been there longer than me have admitted to never getting a EUID or ever had it work. So yea, I'll report back if my DH hasn't ripped me too big a new one lol.
Alrighty, my first time opening Deli wasn't so bad. But that was mostly do to my one friend being there for her shift and helped me out a bit better. And pointed out some things that the other person had missed i.e. who knew I had to turn on the pizza ovens and make tea for the morning? And even the particular way in which the mark down have to be done.
But now do to some personal issues, said friend that was supposed to be on tomorrow. Won't be there. So I will truly be flying solo. But she said I could call her if I need help. I think I have it, as well as some extra notes she gave me. But I will definitely keep her number and notes close at hand!
However, I still think, just like with closing for the bakery, I'll for sure wish I could have the X-men mutation that would allow me to make clones of myself. Cause to do all that we have to solo. Even with being there earlier it's going to be kind of tricky. Most especially as I've never made or set up a lot of the salads save for the chicken salad. So I just hope I don't forget something imnportant.
Glad to hear you survived! Even if you forget something, they don't expect perfection from a newbie. If they do, they need to get their heads checked.
You'll get faster once you know what to do. I could get about half my tasks done before the deadlines when I first started, but now I'm usually far enough ahead that even a busload of bingo grannies with a lunchmeat hankering can't make me miss setup time.
Kroger tends to operate on the bare minimum of labor. Help is always going to be scarce, so in order to survive, you either get sloppy and cut corners, or you become efficient. It's easier to just cut corners, because whatever, you're paid **** so why should you care...but to work at doing work you're willing to stand behind, even in a crappy job, can at least constantly prove to yourself that you have integrity. It's a little thing, but people definitely notice that. If the right people notice, it opens many doors. You're taking notes, wanting to do well, and asking around for help, so I think you're already on a good path and mindset. Just always keep your head up, greet folks, try to stay out of the gossip that inevitably plagues workplaces, and invest in some good shoes and most importantly, keep an eye out for opportunities to advance. That 'pride in your work even in a crap job' won't do you any good if you aren't using it to work towards getting paid more. Always keep an eye on the job market and be willing to jump ship. Kroger is a good stepping point, but unless you push to advance, there's far, far(far far far far) more out there that treats you better.
Glad to hear you survived! Even if you forget something, they don't expect perfection from a newbie. If they do, they need to get their heads checked.
You'll get faster once you know what to do. I could get about half my tasks done before the deadlines when I first started, but now I'm usually far enough ahead that even a busload of bingo grannies with a lunchmeat hankering can't make me miss setup time.
Kroger tends to operate on the bare minimum of labor. Help is always going to be scarce, so in order to survive, you either get sloppy and cut corners, or you become efficient. It's easier to just cut corners, because whatever, you're paid **** so why should you care...but to work at doing work you're willing to stand behind, even in a crappy job, can at least constantly prove to yourself that you have integrity. It's a little thing, but people definitely notice that. If the right people notice, it opens many doors. You're taking notes, wanting to do well, and asking around for help, so I think you're already on a good path and mindset. Just always keep your head up, greet folks, try to stay out of the gossip that inevitably plagues workplaces, and invest in some good shoes and most importantly, keep an eye out for opportunities to advance. That 'pride in your work even in a crap job' won't do you any good if you aren't using it to work towards getting paid more. Always keep an eye on the job market and be willing to jump ship. Kroger is a good stepping point, but unless you push to advance, there's far, far(far far far far) more out there that treats you better.
Good luck out there!
Thanks for saying all of that. I definitely did my very best and cut as many corners as I could today as I was solely by myself til one of the bakers had to call in our only back up(the other one is on vacay this week), to come in and help her out. Cause she was the only one down there on that end as well. I just had a couple of trip ups over finding two of the salads we needed(but they were eventually found, not where they were supposed to be), making the tea(wasn't told needed 2 tea bags to make it and also to go down and grab a thing of sugar to put a couple of cups in for the sweet tea), and to make a fruit tray(when the kind that the back up needed for a meeting upstairs, wasn't even in the binder guide for it at all! And naturally having only worked in bakery for about 6 and 1/2 months and have barely learned all our trays down there. I for sure had no clue how to do the fruit one, with or without a guide).
But yea, I think I tried to cut as many corners as I could, cause soon as I came in, saw that we only had one mark down for the grab and go in there. Got the pizza oven turned on, put the chairs down for the dining area, got the tea brewed(if not accurately made(was told it was too weak and not sweet after a while), rotated out the salads and packaged up the ones that would be needed for markdowns, took care of two early Click List orders and was working on Grab N' Go by the time my DH came in and another more experienced co-worker came in at 7ish(she did the fruit tray). Was cleaning up as I went along, helped a customer even. So to a degree I think I did pretty decently. I just think my biggest fail was some of the lack of communication. Cause although I got helpful tips here and from some of the Deli peeps before I actually did have to open about what to do. I still feel like communication is a major problem with Kroger at times. If people aren't assuming what you have to say before you say it. They are flat out expecting you to have the right questions to ask right off the bat. But I'm one of those peeps that don't know, what they don't know til they are actually put in that situation first hand. So for me, the best way I learn is a bit of hands on, and also the other person kind of taking me through what they normally do. So I can see and hear what is what, and needed to be done. Hence I felt I learned a wee bit more from my friend the other day, as opposed to the first person I asked questions of.
But yea, I think with a bit more practice and familiarizing myself with the Deli area a bit more, I can cut even more corners(and still do a good job) as I go along(mainly making sure my EUID info works properly too. The struggle has been real with that since we moved to the new store). I actually will try and see if I can incorporate some of that into working in the bakery, which is the actual area I applied for and had been in up until these last few weeks. As I truly want to do a great job over there too. But yea, I hear you. My dad has been telling me as well about not taking stuff personally about working there, and how frustrating the no help and other stuff is at times. Just do my best and try and work my way up and if things aren't panning out, can always take what skills I got from Kroger and work somewhere else.
Which I see nothing wrong with that plan. As it seems like from the majority of folks I've been working with have seemed to have moved up through a ton of transfers over the years with Kroger. Heck even my DH said if I wanted to eventually become a back up at some point I'd have to transfer to another store like 20 mins away. Cause he wants to keep the back ups he has. As he knows how good they are. And I get that. But that is kind of a crazy thing to say in a way too. But, yea, I'm just hoping I can get full time eventually, regardless if I'm just a clerk or not. I want to be able to pay off my student loans and fix up other financial things. And for sure I keep my head down and try and stay away from as much drama as possible. Sooo not worth the time and energy.
