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Post Info TOPIC: What do you think of this Que-Vision technology?
Anonymous

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What do you think of this Que-Vision technology?
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I was curious what everey one else thinks of this new Que-Vision strategy. It's definitely new to me! Correct me if I'm wrong, but I've heard that this is being implemented in all the stores. Am I right? Supposedly, they want to cut down on the long lines at the registers, so that there are no more than 2 customers per lane. I'm a little confused by it. Is this new technology REALLY going to help? It's bad enough when your store is short-staffed becasue everyone is calling out sick or something else, especially at the front end, where they need the help (The departments can even be more of a skeleton crew at times...). Instead of hiring more cashiers, or giving hours to others who may need it, they would rather cross-train as many people as they can from other departments, so the company can save money by not hiring more people (which means less to spend on their benefits, too). Which means that in some stores, the departments will be even further behind than they already are (Heck, this last snowstorm was ridiculous. Sales were through the roof, and the departments were almost picked clean...Why people freak out over a snowstorm is beyond me...). It seems like the front-end focus is more important, putting the departments on the backburner, whcih is bad for the customers who always need help in those departments. Guess what? There'll be nobody there to help them, and everyone will be playing "catch-up"...

Do I have this right? Or am I just overthinking this?

What do you guys think of all this? Is it a good or bad idea for the stores? Feel free to express any thoughts or concerns...

I'm curious as to what you guys make of this new strategy...

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They are rolling it out in different zones.  I work in the Mid-Atlantic zone and we haven't received it yet.  Columbus however has already implemented it.

Basically the way I have understood it through our managers explanation, everyone in the store, including department heads who haven't ran a register in 30 years, will be trained to run register.  The focus is to create more "one on one time" to engage the customer more.  Heat sensors are placed throughout the store to track movement of customers toward the checkout lanes and tells you how many registers you need to have open. 

The other thing I heard for the first time a couple days ago is that departments are going to be paged depending on the hour.  Example: Produce from 10-11, Meat from 11-12, Grocery from 12-1, Non Foods 1-2.  This sounds like a disaster in the making because using meat as an example, it is a service department.  If you have all three meat cutters running register and whole sirloin tips are on sale, who is going to be back there to cut it?

It doesn't matter.  Kroger is focused on creating "Service with a Hug" (Watch the Mega-lo-Mart episode of King of the Hill) because they believe they can't compete with Wal-Mart.  I believe customer service is important, but if the products the customers want are not on the shelves, they will walk out the door and go to Wal-Mart for that product before they get to see how wonderful the customer service is.

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What a disaster. Our store is suoer busy almost all the time, with minimal coverage in all the service departments. I personally will not be able to retain the information on how to run that register. And I can't even leave floral and run to the restroom without getting a PA that customer needs assistance in floral. What are the powers that be thinking?

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Anonymous

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Only baggers, with a few cashier-turn-dapartment, are register trained at our store.

we've been running QVision forabout 4 months now and every 20-30 mins we are calling people up (most of which do not go when called) so what normally ends up happening is the cashier is left to bag while the baggers are moved onto registers and the 2-3 people that come from departments are used as baggers.

The constant calling for help only serves to make the store seem understaffed to the customer and with departments being called up front only puts them farther behind on their work.

I've even been told by one of the employees, that work in dairy, that he was being yelled at for not having his dapartment "fully stocked" because he was up front. So he stopped going up front then was yelled at for not coming up when called.

It's a lose-lose for anyone that works in a department. It's hard for baggers too as they have more to do than just bag a lot of the time. I've been asked several times, while getting carts, to come in and run a register for hours instead of keeping up on carts, doing restroom check, cleaning, helping customers get things to their cars, or doing misplaced stock.

The idea is great but you have to have the extra people to do it and departments that can handle sending one or two people when asked to make it work.

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Anonymous

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It's an interesting premise, all right, but it remains to be seen how this is going to work out. When I think of employees that are still in the process of "mastering" their departments NOW trying to figure all THIS out...well, it's laughable to me!biggrin

I don't mean to brag, and maybe, just maybe, I'll be proven wrong, but I've worked long enough in retail to know that I'm proven right a lot more than I'm proven wrong!!!no

I heard one guy (every store probably has at least one conspiracy theorist) mutter the words, "Big Brother". The union steward says if they call you, you must come. I'm sure many won't come. But come they must...or else...go home. Then I hear the drug/GM who's got her hands full of easter candy, and no end in sight, mumble about not being able to keep up...and now THIS! Then, you've got cashiers that they want to train on customer service...Of course, they won't get those customer service wages. Of course, big difference in pay there for some. The question for those cashiers or FES becomes, "Why should I do their job, and I get no incentive?"

Well...I'm putting this post in the "You've got to be kidding!" file, and maybe in ten years, I'll pull it out again and say, "What WERE they thinking???"

My question is "What good is Q-Vision if you're looking at it through blinders?" Sounds like "no vision" to me...

You guys got anything to add?

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Anonymous

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I think a word greater than "disaster" would be more appropriate...but I can't think of one...bleh

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I'm worried they will cut our hours on the front end and just use people from other departments instead of giving those much needed hours to us! Can they do that?

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Anonymous

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Oboro718 wrote:

I'm worried they will cut our hours on the front end and just use people from other departments instead of giving those much needed hours to us! Can they do that?




you haven't realized that that is the whole point of it? forcing the back to do the front ends work for them so they can cut down on "wasted hours" of people on the front end. good job on figuring that out all by yourself though :P



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Guru

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my opinion, waste of money. don't need fancy tech  to tell how many  people are in the store, thats what thoses  managers, sittin up stairs, and can see the whole store, can bother to look and see.

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You must feel really good sitting under anonymous and being a prick. Congratulations biggrin

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Guru

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Oboro718 wrote:

You must feel really good sitting under anonymous and being a prick. Congratulations biggrin




I might as well sign in, then. ;)



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Its very nice of you not to cower behind anonymous. Welcome!

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Guru

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Oboro718 wrote:

Its very nice of you not to cower behind anonymous. Welcome!



I would say it's nice to be here but we are on a kroger forum talking about work from home. xD

 



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Would you like fries with th... I mean, your milk in a bag?

Anonymous

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Luckily, like it or not, I have a feeling we are all going to be affected by this (How lucky for usno!!! Woo-hoo!!!no). Not just the clerks, but department managers will also feel the pinch. EVERYONE MUST LEARN! I particularly know of some dept. managers who are not too keen on the idea, but they will learn, along with everyone else...

NO ONE IS IMMUNE!!! THERE IS NO ESCAPE...

I see at some stores, the sensors have already been installed. Body heat is waiting to be measured, and the monitors are waiting to be fired up...Now they just need to hire the extra help they're gonna need to keep this thing running smoothly...HAHAHAbiggrin

THREE WORDS, PEOPLE!!!...We...shall...see...yawn

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Anonymous

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That means those "grumpy" department managers you've worked under for years will now offer "service with a smile"...Can't wait!!!aww

Then again...Aww...who am I kidding???!!!

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Anonymous

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An interesting video showing Que-Vision in action:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9I0hTbQUzM0

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Anonymous wrote:

An interesting video showing Que-Vision in action:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9I0hTbQUzM0



We make the same joke at our store. We use it to determine when we are in "Kroger Hell" During thanksgiving we were also told to open register 7 for check outs. We only have 6 but they opened customer care for less than 5 items.

It was quite a pain.

 



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Anonymous

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And if you think Que-Vision is something else, wait 'til all the Kroger stores get THIS new system, too. Check out the video:



Oh Boy!



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Anonymous

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there goes my job

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Not that I know anything about how this thing will actually work, but our store is so busy at times, we were saying that the sensors will probably just blow up from the body heat!

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Em


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I've seen ours request 8 registers when NO ONE was waiting in line. No one. I think our biggest challange is getting people on board with Que Vision.

I've never had a problem jumping on a register before. I can put product on the shelf all day, but if we don't have customers to buy it- my job is at risk. My customers pay my bills. With Que Vision we all have to acknolwedge we are not there to stock or produce product we are there for the customers in our stores.

I do wish the front end will be required to do extra work. Make sure the candy looks good, work back stock candy when not busy. The should be required to condition and replenish impluse items at the register.

It's not fair to the drug department to have 19 holes on candy, when someone could easily walk to the next register over and fill that item with a single pack of gum. The product is there, it's just not at that register.


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Anonymous

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WHAT HAPPENED TO GOOD OL COMMON SENSE AND INGENUITY? IT GOT SOLD OUT FOR STUPIDITY AND GREED

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Em


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Anonymous wrote:

WHAT HAPPENED TO GOOD OL COMMON SENSE AND INGENUITY? IT GOT SOLD OUT FOR STUPIDITY AND GREED




It's common sense to you and me, yes. But to others it's not. Sometimes we get so boxed in our work we forget why we are there.

Today, a woman asked me if I could call for dairy assistance. I asked her what I could get for her. She said, "I need someone who works in the dairy department." "Ma'am I work in the dairy department too, what can I get you?" She left with her lowfat buttermilk.

Had she asked someone in produce- they would call for assistance to dairy. Key retailing pretty has everything labeled in every department- but no one has the common sense to look for an item before they start calling for assitance to X department.



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Anonymous

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What does this mean for Supervisors?  I am afraid I am going to lose hours.

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Im seriously not trying to hurt anyones feelings when I say this but I know it will anyway. You want the front end to do MORE work? Really? As opposed to what? Taking care of our customers, cleaning the bathrooms, mopping up spills, cleaning up puke, hauling in carts, changing every departments trash cans, cleaning the break rooms, taking our physically disabled customers through the store and shopping with them (with a smile while we are being cussed up one side and down the other), working misplace (go-backs) and on and on and on!? You want us to fill the candy and cigarette racks for a lousy 8 minutes of YOUR time? I have to askAre you freaking kidding me?

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Anonymous wrote:

What does this mean for Supervisors?  I am afraid I am going to lose hours.




I don't think it effects them too much on hours...  they just bag a lot more now.



-- Edited by BagBoy on Monday 28th of February 2011 08:28:57 AM

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Supervisors have always bagged but now they don't want us to bag at all. It's seriously crazy. I hate not being able to go around to the other side and talk to the customer while I bag their groceries.

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Oboro718 wrote:

Supervisors have always bagged but now they don't want us to bag at all. It's seriously crazy. I hate not being able to go around to the other side and talk to the customer while I bag their groceries.




We're probably thinking of two diffrent things or my store is just weird when we talk about "supervisor" are you thinking of the Floor Manager or the Office Woker?

Floor Manager (Red Vests, as we call them) at our store direct the flow of traffic and from ~12-10 they don't bag. They change as needed in that time frame for breaks and what-not and normally consist of senior Front-end staff and Office.

Office does pretty much w/e is needed (baging more) in between doing pickups and what-not. I thought of Office staff when the word "Supervisor" comes up.



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Would you like fries with th... I mean, your milk in a bag?

Anonymous

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It has gotten out of control they don't want customers to wait in line and they don't provide the help. I am constantly having to run Uscan & a register at the same time. People have to sign on to registers to pretend that we have enough help. This is so  insane.

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At our store, the front end supervisor now directs the the flow of traffic. The office staff is is just office staff. I do both. lol

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SCO


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i'm a cashier. i hate that they have to sign on to make it look like we have enough people. and i feel bad when they call other departments up to ring or bag.. it's like management thinks grocery or drug/gm has nothing better to do! just schedule us enough people from the front end and everything will be fine!

I think if people REALLY didn't want to wait in line, they wouldn't ****ing all come at once on sunday afternoon! you would think if you're an adult and go grocery shopping every week for X number of years, you'd say to yourself "gosh, i'll go shopping on friday so it will be less busy!" I'm 19 and already figured this out. my kroger is open from 6am to 1am every day, so there's time to go shopping at almost any time of any day!

-- Edited by SCO on Wednesday 2nd of March 2011 12:50:50 AM

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Anonymous

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We don't have the help to actually have a floor supervisor. It is imposible not to have reds after 8. We need more help!!! My customer service skills have gone out the window. It is not uncommon to have both our office workers on register and all of all call ups and we are still getting reds. There is no customer service. Instead of talking to the customer I am telling the people waiting at the desk they will be helped in a minute, while I am trying to get someone through my line so I can get to the desk. I am so busy trying to scan everything through that the service sucks. I have always been at least 105% effictive in my efficiency rating for scanning, but now that is not good enough. Files don't get added right, shelves dont get stocked, and customers get checked out without customer service. I don't think Que-vision is about anything, but seeing how much they can get out of us. If they want better customer service they have to stop cutting hours!!

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Anonymous

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Well, they're all getting trained...EVERY ONE OF 'EM!!! The whole store! My only thing is if EVERYONE gets trained on the front end, then when people are called up to ring, they need to be fair about it. Calling the same few people up over and over, especially from the same department, when EVERYONE in the store will now know how to ring, would seem to be wrong. Just as there are different employees who clean the restrooms at different times, so shall it be on the front end. And let's not forget that there are cashiers, too, who like their jobs, and don't want to lose any hours, and wonder why everyone else is being trained. They need the work, and feel a little threatened. The other side of it is...it'll be a cold day in you-know-where when a cashier actually leaves a register to work in a department. Most of the cashiers I know have never worked in a department. That's fine. Why should they? Straightening the candy or touching up an endcap is one thing...working a heavy order is another. It takes time, if it's really heavy...Even more if you have a skeleton crew to begin with...Apples and oranges. Why would they want to break their backs moving pallets around, and stacking heavy boxes? It's exhausting work! I KNOW! Nobody ever says, "Go leave your register, and help out so-and-so in produce, or stock the milk or something". When have you ever heard that? I've never heard that. Don't get me wrong...I have the utmost respect for our cashiers...Awesome people...Love 'em to death...And I love the customers and what I do in my department...I'm just saying it's a one-sided, one-way affair here. A lot of department people only WISH they had the extra help, and don't get it! I'm just sayin'...let's be fair about this...

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Anonymous

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Life is a two-way street, people!

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Wow. I don't know what's going on in your store but in our store the front helps all departments. That's excluding the meat department unless you want to add in the countless spills that happen right out in front of the meat counter that they call us back to clean....and actually, I DO want to add that in. Jus' sayin.

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Anonymous

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They're getting ready to start that at our store.  They've trained a few people from each department.  Not everyone has to do it.  Generally the people that do the jobs that no one else knows how to do don't have to go through training.

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Newbie

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I think its a waste of company money...we could have 7 of our store registers open all the time with a cashier just standing there 24/7 and it would never equal as much as the system has costed the company. not to mention all other departments are short on help because associates from other departments are coming up to front end constantly to help check out customers...and store manager doesnt give cashiers more than 12 hours a week (union minimum), and then complains why other departments are backed up and calls in more people...i Just dont get it, its a big chain of failure.

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SG15Z

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My store has had it since about October 2010. It sucks. Because ELMs doesn't really account for the extra lanes being open (at least not in my Division). So what ends up happening is our FES is stuck on the register all day because its the only way to get breaks done and calling for help every 5 minutes. Holidays are the worst. Christmas killed us as we needed 10 registers at one point (the max at our store) but we were only scheduled 5 cashiers. :/

 

In other words, it'll be like it always has been on the FE, but now the other departments will be even worse off than before. And god forbid you get below 80%, or else you're gonna have some company......



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Anonymous

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Im a front end worker in the Delta divison and I know they hyped us all up about how awesome this new tech would  be. So far it has been a nightmare! Our store manager runs everyone in her store ragedy even when there is one person in line. She constantly talks down to the front end leaders when que vision drops below 85 when they have bust their ends all day due to low staff and poor judgement she uses when hiring people. I hate que vision due to this extra pressure she puts on her staff that comes from her boss the District Manager. Seriously wanting to take my years of experiance to another retail store. These people need to practice what they preach because at the end of the day that predictor (que vision) nor hateful store managers are not going to throw stock and run a store by themselves, realize your people count and stop killing them



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Anonymous

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I'm not so sure that is the goal. Our store just got this a little over a month ago and we've hired 10 new people on the front end so we don't have to use our people from other depts. as much.



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