Kroger has by far been one of the most frustrating companies to work for. I have been there for 3 years and still making 7.25 even after being moved up in my department. We are constantly under pressure and b!tched at my managers to get our check times up but at the same time we are constantly understaffed. We have no help with bagging or anything usually so it slows us down. My new manager is a huge tool. He yells at everyone. And I mean yells! I never really believed anyone that said he was a huge douche (because he's always friendly when you see him walking around) until I got called in myself for asking a supervisor for help on a markdown. Afterwards I was called into the office for not knowing how to do it. My supervisor told on me when all I did was ask for help? I was never properly trained just kind of thrown onto the register. And I get yelled at for 10 minutes by this douche, the whole time trying to fight the urge to get up and spartan kick him in the chest or just say FU I quit. We've had alot of people quit since he's got there. I think he was trying to get me to quit. My other front end manager never reports people changing departments and is terrible about it because there are alot of people at my work that have gone unreported in their department change and have not recieved their raise as a result. Which is essentially why I haven't got mine. Basically she's sucks at that aspect of her job. But I actually like her as a person somewhat though she has changed in a bad way a values the employee less and less. A few weeks ago a co-worker of mine was physically threatend by an abusive customer and she apologized to the customer, who was also being abusive towards his wife. Hearing that made my heart sink and was further evidence that we mean nothing to them.
All in all I hate going to work now. I used to really like it I have alot of friends there...My feelings for kroger are strongly mixed. I'm comfortable there and still waiting on backpay and my raise so I do not want to quit. But my Kroger doesn't respect the employees and constantly drops the ball in management. It's getting old and I'm very frustrated. I'm still in school so trying to look for a new job is difficult. And at least kroger works with my hours because I've been there so long.
Now the WORST part about all of this is I'm in the union. I pay them 7.25 each week. That's 1 hour of work each week for them. And they don't do SH!T. Literally nothing. I've been talkin to my Union guy for 9 months and nothing has happened. He's nice. But either he just sucks at his job or is a lazy P.O.S. I've sent him faxes filled grievances met and talked to him on the phone a countless number of times and nothing has happened. DON'T join the Union. I can put up with sh*tty bosses but a sh*tty union is another thing. I pay them so they can hear me b*tch and not do anything about it just act like they are. HUGE waste of money and time. They wont let you get out till the month of your "Union anniversary" or some BS like that. Now I have to wait a year just to get out of this horrible pact with the Union. They tell you the union is good. It's not. Anything they can do for you you're better off going to HR and taking care of it yourself cause the Union sure as hell won't. Not that upper HR is good either. Though my store HR lady has been more helpful than anyone. THe Union will talk big then drag their ass for months and will basically not do anything and hope you forget about it. Or make you jump through hoops for them so they don't have to do the work then do nothing with what you provided them.
SO, My advice is if you are going to work for Kroger. Do not join the union. It's a useless black-hole consuming hard workers money and Impossible to get out of.
Thank you.
Also @ "the dude" most of them do not love it. The old maintenance guy at my store is always muttering profanities to himself. I'm pretty sure he's on the edge of going off the deep end. So I try and be really friendly to him and help him when I can. It's assheads like you that operate under the preconception that these people like cleaning up **** because they're dumb or old and take advantage of those people and don't treat them like human beings. Like cleaning up **** is some sort of privilege for them. Heck they make the most out of it and try and be happy when people are around. But trust me this guy is very disgruntled and unhappy. Even the dumb and old ones know they're getting ****ed over by their company.
Though I will say one thing. Kroger is very good about providing the mentally handicapped with jobs. On the downside of that working understaffed with mentally handicapped people sucks! I mean they're nice and all but when it's rush hour and there's a ton of groceries coming through and all you got is one of them to bag..They get overwhelmed pretty fast and so does everyone else. I think that has more to do with who's making the schedule's for that week. Though upper management puts the pressure on our managers and supervisors for maximum speed and production while at the same time only putting a few people on each shift to maximize production and save money so sadly this situation ends up happening all to often.
Now another kind of good thing about kroger is that you will have job security. You have to screw up pretty bad to get fired. So you can make 7.25 your whole life if you wanted! On the downside of that the same bad employees may stick around for a good while and make your job harder before they screw up bad enough to be let go. It's kind of like an abusive relationship. Though the union is more like one because you can't get out of it when you want only when they allow it and they'll continue to take and take from you until you finally do or quit. And it's more likely you'll quit before you get out.
Also, can we get some AC? It's either blazing hot or freezing cold. And give the baggers a Damn cart pusher thing, seriously their job could not suck more at least give them that. And baggers should get raises too what are they lesser people then us just cause they bag? It disgusts me how kroger treats some of their employees. You could be a bagger for 10 years and never get a raise because you're only a bagger. It's a downright shame.
This forum. It's here to blow off steam. They want us to feel like we did something and become complacent.
That felt good. Now time to go look for a better job.
I have no problems with getting him from my union representative anything I need it. In fact, I very rarely need him and have filed around 7 grievances over the past 7 years. The union can only do so much for you in terms of the contract. They have no control over your pay, hours, etc its all up to the company. Your union committee consists of people you elected to represent your contract. If there's anyone you can blame those are the ones you elected. If you want your union to become strong go to your meetings, elect committee members, and do your best to help. The union has saved me several times throughout the years with stupid bull****.
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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.
The Union helped me get my job back after Kroger suspended me for six months. But after I went back to work at Kroger they wanted me to sign papers to keep my job, I told the union rep. that helped me get my job back and at first she said don't sign it and later changed her tune and said that I had to sign it to keep my job. Well, I ended up signing it and they cheated me out of six months back pay, and I am no longer a member of the Union after that ****.
I've had way worse jobs. I worked 5 years for one company for no raises, and no benefits. After several raises I'm making more now at Kroger than I made at my last job managing a retail store and have benefits, which are better than my husbands benefits that we paid over $500 per month for. There is always going to be a sucky manager, a sucky employer, a sucky company... but it sure doesn't suck for everyone. However, I have no qualms about telling someone to shove it up their asss when I feel as if I'm being taken advantage of.
I've seen people do some very stupid things over the years. And I mean VERY STUPID THINGS!!! Having worked in a union and a non-union store at different times over the years, I can tell you that the culprits would probably not have a job, if they'd worked for the non-union store...There is a benefit in that way to working in a union store. I've seen people get second chances, where there normally wouldn't be...The other side of it is the bull**** you gotta deal with sometimes, but you have to weigh these things for yourself.
