I am curious on everyones thoughts of Key Retailing and how it works in your store. I am in the grocery depoartment and my grocery manager is very frustrated with both key retailing and the distributions that we recieve. I am also frustrated with distros cuz I unload the truck and have to find places to put things and then he is telling me it is not in the right spot but where we have the shippers is stacked high. It is a vicious circle. He really trys and I know he is trying to do his best He always asks if I have any better ideas to please suggest them. I am always wondering how other stores are dealing with both key retailing and distros
Thats why Kroger department heads are dropping like flies and giving up their jobs. Sick and tired of being worked to death under the thumb of ELMS and Key Retailing. I know all the add outs are a big pain in the ass. Our back room is packed full with **** and no place to put it. It never ends. Kroger is trying to be like Wally Mart and sell crap like lawn mowers, power wheels, and televisions. Most of it ends up in a mark down pile just to get it out the door. As for Key Retailing it is just another bad program designed to work you to death. Not every store is the same. Some are big, some are small. Key Retailing assumes that every Kroger store is the same and that every Kroger employee is an idiot. Just alot of time wasted doing paperwork. Who knows what the next wave will bring. Put on your boots boys when the Bull Sh1t gets deep.
Full disclosure: I work in the Grocery department at a smaller Kroger in Georgia. I cannot speak for other departments or other areas.
For management, Key Retailing is a religion. They worship it because their bonuses are tied into it. At the corporate level, many have their entire employment dedicated to it. Under the strictest interpretation of Key Retailing rules, merchandising guidelines and given the amount of distributions sent to each store, there is no possible way many stores can pass a KR inspection. Any inspection will note "areas of opportunity" which will be the focus points until the next inspection. If your store receives a failing grade, what happens? Are all of the employees fired and the store closed? Of course not. Management, feeling a personal financial hit, tries to turn up the heat to get the employees to perform better. This never works. The employees are mad at management and management is mad at the employees. Not exactly what Key Retailing is supposed to accomplish.
Management has failed to understand that we associates determine the success or failure of ANYTHING they want to implement. At the store level, Unit and Co-managers can do very little to ease the restrictions imposed by Key Retailing. If you can get any of them to have an honest conversation about the program, they will agree that KR is a waste of time, money and has caused more problems than it has solved. There has been a high turnover of managers in our district. Many have left Kroger to find employment elsewhere. True, we have lost some bad managers but we have also lost some good ones as well.
What can we, as associates, do to survive this? In my opinion, just be a good employee. By this, I simply think you should follow some simple rules that everyone can abide if you want to stay employed or be employable,
1. Show up on time properly dressed and presentable for a job that depends on customer service.
2. Do your job to the best of your ability and in accordance with your training.
3. Be respectful when respect has been earned. Be polite until then.
4. If you have questions, ask your supervisor.
5. Avoid gossip or store politics.
6. Be honest with yourself and others. Own your mistakes.
If you can follow those simple rules, you can survive almost any situation the Kroger can throw at you.
Full disclosure: I work in the Grocery department at a smaller Kroger in Georgia. I cannot speak for other departments or other areas.
For management, Key Retailing is a religion. They worship it because their bonuses are tied into it. At the corporate level, many have their entire employment dedicated to it. Under the strictest interpretation of Key Retailing rules, merchandising guidelines and given the amount of distributions sent to each store, there is no possible way many stores can pass a KR inspection. Any inspection will note "areas of opportunity" which will be the focus points until the next inspection. If your store receives a failing grade, what happens? Are all of the employees fired and the store closed? Of course not. Management, feeling a personal financial hit, tries to turn up the heat to get the employees to perform better. This never works. The employees are mad at management and management is mad at the employees. Not exactly what Key Retailing is supposed to accomplish.
Management has failed to understand that we associates determine the success or failure of ANYTHING they want to implement. At the store level, Unit and Co-managers can do very little to ease the restrictions imposed by Key Retailing. If you can get any of them to have an honest conversation about the program, they will agree that KR is a waste of time, money and has caused more problems than it has solved. There has been a high turnover of managers in our district. Many have left Kroger to find employment elsewhere. True, we have lost some bad managers but we have also lost some good ones as well.
What can we, as associates, do to survive this? In my opinion, just be a good employee. By this, I simply think you should follow some simple rules that everyone can abide if you want to stay employed or be employable,
1. Show up on time properly dressed and presentable for a job that depends on customer service.
2. Do your job to the best of your ability and in accordance with your training.
3. Be respectful when respect has been earned. Be polite until then.
4. If you have questions, ask your supervisor.
5. Avoid gossip or store politics.
6. Be honest with yourself and others. Own your mistakes.
If you can follow those simple rules, you can survive almost any situation the Kroger can throw at you.
I think that just about describes everything in a nutshell...Quite a spot-on observation there!!! Couldn't have said it better myself!!!
