I just got trained to be a cashier yesterday and today. But by train I mean 'Have Dustin train with ____ for one hour today and tomorrrow'.(Another bagger got trained as well.. But they got 8 hours of training.) Now, I don't think that is enough training for one person. But anyways, today they got onto me about "going to slow" and I told them that "they sent me in express before my trainer even clocked in." So I went in blind with only knowing what I watched other cashiers do while bagging in my time. Well I got through the rush and all throughout the day they kept having me open up lanes to get everyone through. When my trainer finally clocked in, I worked on express the rest of the night and left.... That was a fiasco, but it isn't my problem.
My problem is that today I walked in and bagged for like 15 minutes and then I had to go in-place of the supervisor so they can go do supervising duties, and I was doing really well. But then, A co-worker asked if I wanted to switch my bagging shift for their checking shift(express) before my trainer got there and I said sure(Are you confused yet? Because I sure am.) but before I did my supervisor said "Dustin, you're going too slow, you need to speed up."
... I do not know about you.. But To tell me to go faster before I even finished my training(WHICH WAS ONLY A TOTAL OF 2 HOURS!) And not even on a training number is a bit stressful. They didn't teach me any tips to go faster, no system codes for those moments, not..a... Thing.
So I am here to ask.. How does one simply make their IPM and Elm go up?
Don't worry about being slow when you first start. There is no way you could. They can not do anything other than bitch at you. Your speed will come in time as you learn. You're more likely to get help as you go along, from supervisors, than getting actually trained. Produce can be annoying but use your code wheel. If the produce is organic put a 9 before the code. (example: Banana is 4011. Organic banana will have a sticker saying "ORGANIC" on them and their code is 94011)
The hardest thing you'll have to learn are WIC vouchers. Do not hesitate to ask for help. If you get someone with a WIC check yell for help until you're comfortable with trying it yourself.
Normal WIC Voucher = WIC button(x2) > Scan items corresponding to what it says on the voucher* > Write the total on the voucher > WIC button > Enter the dates > Have them sign the voucher > Put the voucher in the check printer back facing up(it doesn't matter which end) > put it in your till
* Milk - If it says "2% or less" the customer can get 2%,1%,skim, or chocolate(low fat 1%). If it says WHOLE they can -ONLY- get whole milk(red cap)
Fruit&Veggy WIC Voucher = Check the amount the voucher is for($6 or $10) > Check for valid date(as the machine will not prompt for this) > Ring the produce > Get their kroger plus card > hit CVV > hit TOTAL(removes tax) > If the amount is over their voucher amount ask the customer if they would like to pay the difference or take something off > write the total on the voucher > have them sign the voucher > push 3 > press " / " > put in the total you wrote on the voucher > press CVV > run the voucher back faced up through the check printer > put it in the till
If you mess anything up on the voucher do NOT correct it. Print out an extra receipt (NO SALE + 99 + SIGN ON) after your order and wrap it around the voucher - let accounting take care of it.
Just do your best. Don't give up. Don't sign anything but your paycheck and the book saying you got paid. NOTHING.
Welcome to Kroger hell.
EXTRA BONUS TIP: When in doubt.... press TOTAL then CLEAR.
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Would you like fries with th... I mean, your milk in a bag?
Oh my god... Paper wic.. When I first started back in July that's what all the cashiers used. Now it is all electronic. swipe like a credit card and it does it through the system. Although, It still trips me up right now, I always ask for help with WIC. Other than that, everything goes smooth except for the occasional mess-up. that's the only problem. Beside speed, the few goofs I have, they haven't taught me how to handle that situation. PLUS, i'm 17. So I cannot scan alcohol. That always lowers my speed too.
Oh my god... Paper wic.. When I first started back in July that's what all the cashiers used. Now it is all electronic. swipe like a credit card and it does it through the system. Although, It still trips me up right now, I always ask for help with WIC. Other than that, everything goes smooth except for the occasional mess-up. that's the only problem. Beside speed, the few goofs I have, they haven't taught me how to handle that situation. PLUS, i'm 17. So I cannot scan alcohol. That always lowers my speed too.
I see. Since this is the case, i'll bump the advice up to 101 instead of just assuming you're at 99.
To increase your ELMS effectiveness rating you do a few things. Let the customer unload ALL their groceries onto the belt, ask them if they need anything from the service desk, if they have coupons, and if they have a Kroger card... before your order begins. Your score is determined from the time the first item is scanned to the time when tender is cashed out or, in the case of paper tender, when your till closes.
The best way to speed up is to take all the equations that make it slow.... out of the equation.
"oh, i forgot something. I'll be right back!"
"By the way i need smokes!"
"I can't find my 'Krogers' card"
"Where did that coupon go?"
If you ask for these things before you actually start an order the chance that they will need to do it is much reduced. Mind you they are still going to do it and there is nothing you can do about that but... at least you can say you tried. Some customers will try to pressure you into starting the order early. You can handle that in a few ways. Starting the order, trying to come up with something to talk about, helping them unload. Number 3 is hard to pull off though.
I normally grab with my right hand toss across the scanner grab with my left and toss it down the secondary belt. The faster you can get your hands moving with a full belt the more effective you'll become.
Another way to increase your effectiveness is to NOT invite people to your register. I've found in 90% of the time the ones you invite are the ones that will slow you down.
In the case of paper tender, if you want to increase your ELMS, that you can finish the order and close your till before putting the money in and it helps a little. Just press "NO SALE + Enter" to re open your till after and put it in there and give change(if your memory is that good!).
Best of luck!
Anonymous wrote:
You are learning the Kroger way. Training is minimal or nonexistent, so it's your fault when tasks aren't performed to their satisfaction. And then, even when you have things figured out, goals are set so high they remain nearly unattainable.
Only 4-6 cashiers at my store are able to meet the goal, and even then they aren't able to do it every week.
Cashier training is minimal.
All you get is the basics, like how to process a WIC or personal check. Anything more is gravy.
If the other cashiers are a helpful sort, ask them things. They will probably be more helpful than management. Ask them how they remember produce. There's all kinds of stupid tricks to remember produce. For example, 4562 is bulk carrots, and the numbers on the keypad form the shape of a carrot. Or, 4069 is cabbage, the "naughty" vegetable.
As for commands, you should have been given a Key to Keying.
Void enter generally voids the last item or command.
Void anything generally undoes whatever that thing is. Like if you accidentally pressed the Tax Free button. Void is one of the most powerful buttons on the keyboard.
Ctrl and Quantity pressed simultaneously allows you to type in a phone number. It also works with card numbers, but you need to leave off the last digit.
[A number] quantity, and then scanning an item allows you to ring up multiple items. We were specifically told this was impossible at training, for some reason. Usually, it only works in case quantities of an item, but it's always worth a try.
Void total cancels an order, but you need a key flick unless the total is zero. If an order is small enough, you can cancel it by voiding all the items off and then using this command.
I did not know about ctrl + quanity. I'll have to give that a try. I know you can 429XXXXXXXX and it will ring up a "random" card... tricks like this should be avoided at all cost though as they can get you in trouble.
number + quanity only works on things in greater than... 14 i believe it was. Not many people buy in that great of a quanity so your trainer must have felt it was a worthless key.... which, normally, it is.
SUPER SPECIAL 24PACK BONUS TIPS!: Pepsi - 1200000017, Dr Pepper -1200000088, kroger water - 1111049213. You learn these because people are lazy as **** and never want to get them out for you. If worst comes to worse ask the cashier in front of you to help with scanning the bottom of the customers bascart.
-- Edited by BagBoy on Friday 13th of April 2012 07:48:37 AM
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Would you like fries with th... I mean, your milk in a bag?
You are learning the Kroger way. Training is minimal or nonexistent, so it's your fault when tasks aren't performed to their satisfaction. And then, even when you have things figured out, goals are set so high they remain nearly unattainable.
Only 4-6 cashiers at my store are able to meet the goal, and even then they aren't able to do it every week.
Cashier training is minimal.
All you get is the basics, like how to process a WIC or personal check. Anything more is gravy.
If the other cashiers are a helpful sort, ask them things. They will probably be more helpful than management. Ask them how they remember produce. There's all kinds of stupid tricks to remember produce. For example, 4562 is bulk carrots, and the numbers on the keypad form the shape of a carrot. Or, 4069 is cabbage, the "naughty" vegetable.
As for commands, you should have been given a Key to Keying.
Void enter generally voids the last item or command.
Void anything generally undoes whatever that thing is. Like if you accidentally pressed the Tax Free button. Void is one of the most powerful buttons on the keyboard.
Ctrl and Quantity pressed simultaneously allows you to type in a phone number. It also works with card numbers, but you need to leave off the last digit.
[A number] quantity, and then scanning an item allows you to ring up multiple items. We were specifically told this was impossible at training, for some reason. Usually, it only works in case quantities of an item, but it's always worth a try.
Void total cancels an order, but you need a key flick unless the total is zero. If an order is small enough, you can cancel it by voiding all the items off and then using this command.
well here in div 024 the quantity key works for any number of any product. however, using that function slows your elms score. apparently, when you use quantity, you are only credited the time earned for 1 product, not the actual number.
If you can, avoid express. The goal for express is 25+ items per minute, which seems entirely unreasonable.
Calling for a manager always eats a lot of time. See if you can find some tricks to get around needing their help. I already mentioned being able to cancel small orders.
If you have problems with a coupon, it is possible to grab another coupon, change the price of it just like any other item, and then override it. You may get in trouble for this at some stores. At my store, no one seems to care. If a store coupon doesn't work, there are the codes 30021 and 30022, which cover food stampable items and non foodstampable items, respectively.
Learn which items are WIC items. If you can spot that 18 oz whole wheat bread with honey before you start the order, you can potentially save a lot of time.
I've found it easier to improve tender time than scanning speed. Anticipate the payment method and just slap that drawer shut as quick as you can. If they get cash back, you should be able to yank a $20 out of the drawer and close it in one smooth continuous motion. This should have been mentioned earlier and should be its own bullet point, but good speeds come at the expense of customer service. Don't ask them what kind of bills they want, just go for it and fix it outside of the transaction if necessary.
I normally grab with my right hand toss across the scanner grab with my left and toss it down the secondary belt. The faster you can get your hands moving with a full belt the more effective you'll become.
As long as you are mindful of the courtesy clerks. One courtesy clerk told me that he avoids bagging for certain cashiers since they throw or shove items down the belt. A lack of baggers can really slow you down.
In the case of paper tender, if you want to increase your ELMS, that you can finish the order and close your till before putting the money in and it helps a little. Just press "NO SALE + Enter" to re open your till after and put it in there and give change(if your memory is that good!).
At my store, you can only open the register so many times. If you exceed that, they have you initial that ACE Investigative Reporting sheet. I don't know if that sheet has any real significance, but it makes me nervous.
Does anyone know the formula to go from items per minute and tender time to %effective? Does customers per hour and the rest of the garbage on the no sale 96 sign on sheet make a difference? I'm a bit curious just how everything is weighted.
Well I don't think ipm and tender time are directly related to ring tender. At least not as much as they want you to believe. Ipm and tender time are "net" ratings, while ring tender is a ratio of how fast you were to how fast you should be. If that makes sense.
Quantity does not work on Manager's Special items. Try to scan "problem items" at the very beginning (those with bad barcodes, produce, etc,) Call for supervisor as soon as you anticipate a problem, then continue with what you can. Learn produce codes by heart (and also the Kroger bottled water codes) Help some of the slow customers unload their cart. In express lane, bag some of the items last (just lay them on top), and don't invite anyone in the express lane with those reusable bags. Quantity can be used on raincheck items. Check/Check for checks of exact value and Cash/Cash for cash orders of exact value. Make sure your lane is stocked with what you need. If a customer has to punch in their card, make sure they do that first.
