There comes a time when one has to always wonder if what they are doing is realistic in what the company, they work for, is asking them to do. Have been with Kroger for well over 20 years and all in the meat department. Have seen a lot of things change and almost every one for the best key retailing and the different waves of it is all fine and good and I am aboard with it. Only problem is this. Is it realistic to get everything done with the quality of workers they are hiring and staffing our meat departments with? There is a cutting tool and three cuts are expected and needed to run the operations the way the would like and counters covered correctly with fresh product for the consumers. Thee cuts has been preached repeatedly . Now here is the problem. There is not many quality meat cutters out there in the stores. There are a number of them where there is only one and a market manager. And even another couple of stores, in each district, where the market manager and the cutter is the same. I am one of those. Many days there is no cutter or anyone qualified to cut after 3 or 4 pm. The third cut is still demanded by most store managers even though it is near impossible to do. My situation is like most of the ones that are still around in a lower to middle size store. Service cases are to be set by 10 am at the latest and 9 am on the weekends, along with 8 am on holidays. So what is asked is for a person to come in at 7 am, check daily updates and emails for any and all information to start your day. Go to your cutting room and assemble your saws, equipment, grinder and prepare to cut meat. Next one is expected to take the time to check all dates, pull the out of dates, mark down all the items that needs done, scan and record all sheets of information, scan and record cutting tool, inventory counter, rework service case items, cut service case fresh, tag it, have first cut done and wrapped and get all this done in 3 hours in order to reach company goals of 10 am set in all cases. Now if fortunate enough to get this done, then that will leave you just 30 minutes to inventory your cooler and get an order done before they go off. One also must take into account that there is also delivery trucks anywhere from 3 to 7 days week. Now you are also expected to have them broken down and organized with in that guideline and cases set at the regular times. If you are lucky enough to have this done, then you must re-inventory your counters a second time, record information and get a second cut done and wrapped as time permits. If you are in a lower volume store or a short handed one, then this will all fall on you the one and only. Now lets not forget to have to replenish your chicken, grind, pork and lunch meat specials and holes. Should you manage to get this done you must then inventory a third cut and have it done and all within your 8 hours of allotted time. Lets not forget that you may also have many interruption to stop and wait on customers too. Now many times you do have one person come in about an hour before you leave and then it is time to go over all the needs that needs done, spent some quality time for training and check any and all other orders that may be going off and taken care of that day. Not a lot . Just one must be thick skinned because you will be belittled and job threatens with disciplinary actions if not complied with in all timely manors. Now here is a few points that one needs to know. During the past contract talks between local 540 and Kroger, this was discussed at great lengths. The elms gives you 55 minutes per day to scan and inventory ( three times) your cutting tool . That is beyond the time that you get for any and all other administrative duties you are to do. The gurus of the operations also realized that there are many stores that can not or will not be able to get three cuts done. They only ask that one tries to at least inventory a third cut to make sure you have taken the time to look at your counter before leaving for the day. Paul Glen and the others from kroger had stated it is only a guideline and a tool to help with our cutting. They also stated that as long as there was an honest attempt to comply and get the tool used to ones best ability, that it would not be used in any disciplinary actions toward the market employee. That can be all fine and good but then it comes down to management to take the heat if it is not done correctly and that will in turn come to clashes and problems created between the too sides . Thus disciplinary action is taken as they are given another set of guidelines based on what the company demands and wants in spite of what lip service was given to the union during contract talks and 15 witnesses to the comments. So now it comes down to this. Can it be done in a reasonable amount of time without any short cuts or violations to key retailing standards? One only has to wonder if they want us to be the GOD`SD they expect of us in order to comply with the double standards that kroger gives the local and their management staffing. I think not. Even if you do have a person qualified to do all the stupid little tasks to free you up. There still does not leave one enough time to get all duties done.
What is your situation? Have enough quality help to accomplish the tasks? Or is it more of bodies to fill in the elms hours of operations and the reasoning for management to hold you accountable for the tasks. Does you lack of cutters force you to not be able to take the time to fully train any new hires that comes your way. Thank you
There is no possible way to get all of it done to their specifications. Ever.
yes it is near imposible to be done but this is the expectations of every market manager in the Dallas area of the SWKMA. I am just waiting for the day that they put it on papaer ( a write-uo ) on the cutting tool. I want that day to happen.See what one thing is that there is 16 witnesses to Paul Glen ( Houston HR manager) that has stated that no-one would be written up on the cutting tool if there was an honest attempt to work it and if time did not permit a 3rd cut. Also have 6 other market managers that are ready to force the issue of a time study should kroger ( store directors and DMs) deside to write up anyone for not getting things done on a timely mannor.
We have the same problems just like every store as well, but we're able to cut corners without being caught. Many of times they want holes cut first thing in the morning, but what we do is if it calls for 1 thing for that hole we'll cut it, but if we see something else off that primal we need we'll jump it down to the 2nd cut. Basically your tool is like this
Just write "Building Sales" and cut 4 of them at the beginning of the morning and jump it up on the 2 cut then carry 1 over from the 2nd cut to the 1st. You won't believe how often times i'm able to fake a 3rd cut without coordinators being able to tell if an actual 3rd cut was even done.
We run just little over around $85,000 - $95,000 in meat sales each week, we have a designated wrapper who comes in and check dates, marks down the counter, and wraps the line. The person we have is experienced, so nobody has to watch and tell them what to do. I'm not the fastest cutter, i've been cutting for only a few years now. It can take me until 9 am - 11 am depending upon the distractions I have for service case. It could be moving a pallet around on truck down for the wrapper or multiple customer requests in the morning.
We usually don't have a 3rd cutter, so we're able to fudge at it on times. funny thing is our Meat Market got a 100 on Key Retailing, but you have better be a damn mathematician to fudge the cuts and have all numbers match up. :D
Oh and the other day I did the same thing at another low low volume store. I stuffed the counter full that morning and was able to fudge on their cutting tool AND complete the 3rd cut while wrapping and packaging up seafood and broke down part of the truck. Yes, I am 1/8 demi god....
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My Views and Opinions do not reflect that of the Kroger company. I'm an indivdual expressing my 1st amendment right.
my problem always was, if by some miricle, combined with busting ass above and beyond, i did get what they wanted done, then they expected it done every day, plus a wee bit more.
i know, everybody says that, but seriously, it was true. my work load got just ridicoulus, and they still wern't happy, because if i did get everything done, then they were mad, i wasn't helping ANOTHER dept, because they were behind.
at least they found out when i was gone.
every person they hire to fill my shoes, quits in a month
they STILL havn';t got anyone to permantly replace me
the problem is, coperate runs the store, and a lot of them, have no real hands on experience, on how our jobs work, so they ask what looks right on paper, but can't work in the real world.
like asking a guy that watchs james bond movies, to direct the CIA.
i feel like such a jackass when people around me are busting their butts running stock out to the floor and cleaning and helping customers at the meat counter, while i'm standing their with the gun going BOOP and updating the CMT
