Who had their holiday readiness store walks this week?
Mine was today, wasn't really happy with my results. Even though they had good things to say as well, i tend to focus on the negative. I don't take these scores very well most times Because i bust my behind for these walks time after time putting in 10+ hour days. Which is more than some department heads do but i feel like i'm never going to get the recognition that the more well known managers have.
Even though i've been told my score was still good (we did pass) and that now i know what to fix next time. I get that but it's not how my mind works.
Our deli manager said she was told that none of the deli employees looked happy and they needed to look like they were having fun. Excuse me, but it's a job. It's not suppose to be fun.
Management tells us many times to have fun. I laugh to myself every time I hear that.
What's wrong with you stick-in-the-mud deli employees,anyway? The next time you are having a walk-through, right when the big shots are making their way around the deli area, get several of the employees together to stop their work, and sing "Ring around the Rosie, a pocket full of poseys" while circling several times around the hot chicken bar ("hen house") on the sales floor.
If any of the visiting managers/bigwigs want to know what's going on, just tell them you were given "orders" from management to "HAVE FUN"!!!!
When they do the store walks they usually don't point out what you're doing right. They will every so often like they did about how our backroom was organized, but usually they look for mistakes rather than compliment the work you're doing correctly.
Unless you did a massive display or something that was really clever....they are only there to point out flaws. Most flaws your already aware of, but most stores are like a house of cards......fix one things and 5 different issues appear.
I never give a damn about these walks. They're either going to be happy or they aren't and I won't deviate from my daily plan to kiss ass with someone higher up the chain. And if they have any negative comments, I'm always polite but honest in response. Also, you just have to learn your staff that goes around as some personalities are different than others.
Well its kinda funny, other then the 2 "higher ups" visiting, the district staff already know what the store it going to score. Plus, store conditions only exist for the walk, conditions change within hours.....so how is a walk 5 days before a holiday really going to help?
Oh that's the funny thing, she said my holiday display was one of the best she'd seen.... and then still gave me what i still feel is a very low ball score.
I still feel like they have favorite department heads, because the more well known bakery managers did better than me. No one knows who i am and that's the problem. I don't have the friends in high places some of them do.
Well its kinda funny, other then the 2 "higher ups" visiting, the district staff already know what the store it going to score. Plus, store conditions only exist for the walk, conditions change within hours.....so how is a walk 5 days before a holiday really going to help?
Gotta justify those district salaries somehow! Fortunately for us, several members of our district staff have worked at our little store over the years and they know how it is so they're more forgiving about things because they know it's impossible to meet all the standards here because they were always yelled and chastised at for the same problems. We only have issues when a VP or someone like that comes in, then everyone starts acting a damn fool trying to do things differently.
Yup, normally if you have a relationship with the person giving the score, they will not be too hard. I remember one visit the VP came in and said the store looks great and complimented us because it was a "hard store", which I thought was funny. In reality if they have identified "hard stores" why do they not give them resources to make them easier? Previously, Holiday visits were to get you pumped up and excited about your job......now they seem to be all about catching you not doing something. Its nice to have standards, but being at 95% "Grand Opening" standards is unrealistic, "Grand Openings" you have 1.5-2x the staff then you would normally have with the sales and spend weeks/months setting everything up.
Yup, normally if you have a relationship with the person giving the score, they will not be too hard. I remember one visit the VP came in and said the store looks great and complimented us because it was a "hard store", which I thought was funny. In reality if they have identified "hard stores" why do they not give them resources to make them easier? Previously, Holiday visits were to get you pumped up and excited about your job......now they seem to be all about catching you not doing something. Its nice to have standards, but being at 95% "Grand Opening" standards is unrealistic, "Grand Openings" you have 1.5-2x the staff then you would normally have with the sales and spend weeks/months setting everything up.
In our case, our store isn't the type that Kroger is opening anymore. Smaller area, small retail space, clientele that isn't "preferred", etc. However we're profitable so they'll still spend money half-ass renovating the place and using it as a training place for mostly management to springboard elsewhere. I think they'd be fine with shutting us down, but they're not going to shut down a store adding to the bottom line. So as long as we maintain profitability they'll ease off our asses enough to do a decent enough of a job to keep the place cobbled together. We're so insignificant though that we get visits from the top-tier (Regional, President, VP, etc) maybe once a year. Even our DC doesn't come often. On a side note: we have a customer that owns a catering business and we maintain two endcaps for her (a frozen and a dry grocery) because she spends four figures per week at our store. One week a guy from the district made us take those down, she got mad, we told her what happened, and damned if she didn't call someone at Division and give them a tongue lashing so bad that they called our store the same day and told us to put her displays back on and we wouldn't be knocked for non-compliance for those two. One benefit of being a small community store is even Corporate realizes that they have to give a little to keep the customers happy, you know, since our promise is to always be caring and friendly!
It does seem particularly funny to me that the walks happen and you try to make the store look like perfection for a few minutes so the big wigs can come through and have a big jerk fest. The next day its back to how we really do things and it seems like even the higher ups know this,when they are in the store they say things like,"if we didn't find anything wrong,we wouldn't have a job". Am i missing something here or does it seem like kroger pays those district coordinators and zone staff a hell of a lot of money to do nothing that really is of productive value.If you wouldn't have a job if it wasn't for finding things wrong, i think we could find some product for you to stock because that is were kroger needs the help not walking around doing jack for three times the pay of an actual worker.I believe kroger pays too many people too much to do nothing that helps with their main problem which is getting stock on the shelves and properly staffing service departments,front end.
Am I missing something here, or does it seem like Krog®r pays those district coordinators and zone staff a hell of a lot of money to do nothing that really is of productive value?
Deserves its own thread.
Calling and going ape poop because the store is at two-percent overtime: that's pretty valuable and productive, isn't it?
Am I missing something here, or does it seem like Krog®r pays those district coordinators and zone staff a hell of a lot of money to do nothing that really is of productive value?
Deserves its own thread.
Calling and going ape poop because the store is at two-percent overtime: that's pretty valuable and productive, isn't it?
You keep that talk up and your Our Promise Coordinator will have a stern talk with you about always being friendly and caring to our fresh and uplifting district staff that works so we're always improving!
The only reason they care about OT is because its an expense they can try to eliminate, but again most of the times the Coordinator tell you to use the OT! I would really like them to do a test, send a District Managers in under the pretense that they were "busted down" or "decided to go back to being a store manager" and see what areas they can improve (without and added resources). The last time I checked the District Manger and VP's were not giving any "wisdom" to change anything.... just "your not making your metrics"
Am i missing something here or does it seem like kroger pays those district coordinators and zone staff a hell of a lot of money to do nothing that really is of productive value.
I do feel like my coordinator cares, but i don't feel many do. In my last store before the one i'm at now, when we had a power outage, she actually showed up and helped us unload our deli cooler at 11 at night. Other people showed up and just stood around and pretended they were helping. She was actually there until midnight, and this was for a tiny little store. More than what most of them do!
Mine was wednesday I think. Tuesday. Something early. I could give two ****s about it anymore. We work truck and condition and leave like any other day.
My groc manager doesnt let me try to make things look good or organized or anything like that anymore. Its impossible to. I dont know, for 2 years I've had my ass chewed out over store walks because a cart was on the dock or there was backstock overflowing off of a u boat into another or it wasnt seperated correctly. Emptying carts in my store is a flat out waste of time. Youll turn around and all the carts you made disappear suddenly had twins.
Now we get 90s and everything is torn apart, backstock is about triple what it should be due to horrible orders and understaffing on the night crew, its all unworked and falling over, half a truck behind, displays are crooked, store is unconditioned, and I get my ass chewed out because my floor guy only scrubbed the dock twice. It wasnt clean HOW DARE YOU WE GOT A 92 AND THEY CLEARLY DIDNT SCRUB IT DID THEY SCRUB IT AT ALL???? Check the cameras if youre wondering so hard. Im not a ****in liar.
I hope this all comes down and bites my store in the ass one day. Whatever. I wish I could show you all pictures. Your heads would pop. We were no where near the score we got. A year ago this would have gotten us an 80 tops. But then again, a year ago, this wouldnt have happened.
But then again, we passed. We keep passing. What the **** do I care. I just feel like one of these days, were gonna get a walk and they wont be in such a good mood. And then it will all be my fault.
But see this is exactly my point... A ****ty store/dept gets a higher score than a fully stocked dept with "the best memorial day bakery display" she had seen? Its all predetermined based on who you know, I swear.
Unless they are using the "Cincinnati Experience" sheet, there really isn't a form they use. The last time I asked how they come up with score it was purely on the small areas they pointed out. So if you noted a sign holder having a little dust.....then you lose 5 points because of "Your department isn't clean"? Your department is stocked with the computer stock level...you get points off for following the program? The coordinators will points blank tell you, they cant give 100% because then if someone comes in and questions something, they are not "having high standards"....
Our deli manager said she was told that none of the deli employees looked happy and they needed to look like they were having fun. Excuse me, but it's a job. It's not suppose to be fun.
Wow, I'm sorry to hear you feel that way about your deli. To be honest, half the time at work, I'm cracking up in or with the deli peeps. The work gets done, more natural smiles and even our one super stressed back up manager is having a good time. Hell even makes the time go faster as well. No humor or positive atmosphere is akin to working in bakery for me. As the only humor down there is at someone else's expense and management does nothing about it. Unless your response back is too "heated".
Who had their holiday readiness store walks this week?
Mine was today, wasn't really happy with my results. Even though they had good things to say as well, i tend to focus on the negative. I don't take these scores very well most times Because i bust my behind for these walks time after time putting in 10+ hour days. Which is more than some department heads do but i feel like i'm never going to get the recognition that the more well known managers have.
Even though i've been told my score was still good (we did pass) and that now i know what to fix next time. I get that but it's not how my mind works.
If I've said it once. I've said it a thousand times. The communication is for **** at my store. I didn't even realize there was even a walk this week going on at all. But all I can say is whatever, they have me on opening hours. And what gets done gets done throughout the day. If we are totally screwing thing ups they will let us know. Or what have you. Just how it is. And I agree with the consensus, we can't keep the store at "Grand opening" levels like that all the time anyway. Too much coming and going of employees and higher and higher standards. Just realistically not something we can keep up with.
Because i bust my behind for these walks time after time putting in 10+ hour days. Which is more than some department heads do but i feel like i'm never going to get the recognition that the more well known managers have.
I get that but it's not how my mind works.
