I am currently looking into, "who" I need to get in contact with about this issue, I'm still not sure who. I was hired around Feb, 2013
Being hired at my local Kroger store, I was asked "Do you have any experience working in a grocery store?"I did not. I also did not have ANY understanding of Coupons or anything else for that matter when I started working there. Very little was explained to me and it was more of, "Oh well this paper BASICALLY says this and that, just sign here and there." The computer part of the interview, was interesting enough to say the least. I wasn't able to complete the courses but didn't have to go back and finish it. On top of that, with everything you had to do with the "How to handle a customer, check for i.d., how to bag, what to do if you are being robbed." remembering much else was a miracle for a first timer. Now I've had some cashier experience before, handling money and talking to costumers. I've never had missing money issues and for the most part, I was complimented daily about my attitude from the costumers. Well during the interviewing process, I was told a little about the "Union". I was told that someone would get a hold of me personally, that they would come sit down with me and tell me why I should be with them and have everything explained to me, that they the Union had to come talk to me about it. That never happened. And I didn't know who to ask about it. I was also told that I would get an "online account" set up at the store's location to view my payroll and stuff alike. This, also never happened. I didn't think the online thing was really that important, but the Union thing, I wanted.
So bringing it back to the current day 4/3/2013. I was fired today. The reason being, that I feel, was a set up. Since day one there has been a person with a terrible attitude toward me, every little thing she ever said to me was negative and rude. She made you feel worthless and like **** when asking for help. I thought about reporting her to the help line but thought, "Well maybe it isn't just me" or "Maybe they are just having a bad day" or "Well maybe I should talk to the building manger about it, because I don't want him to get in trouble."My biggest fear was that she'd know it was me and treat me or my husband who works there too, worse. Well tonight everything was fine, there were no issues with prices or products but finally I get a costumer in my line who has a ton of coupons. I mean there were maybe 20 to 30 all together. I ran her items through quickly and once I receive the coupons I look over them. I looked at the date and the product. Everything seemed to be normal and in order so I start to scan them. I'm used to my register going off when there isn't an issue so when nothing is going off, saying "HEY, WAIT, THERE IS AN ISSUE HERE" I thought everything was fine until finally I press total. A message popped up, one I hadn't seen before. I called the managers over. I showed them the issue and they "Overwrote" it. Not once, not twice, but three times before it finally approved the total. The woman paid and left. I wasn't told that message meant there was an issue with the coupons, I had only stepped back and allowed the female manager to handle it. As soon as that customer was on her way out, the manager that has an issue with me started looking into the problem. Not while the woman was there, but after she left so the issue couldn't have fixed or solved.
Now, I'm not saying that this isn't my fault. I should have read the coupons MORE closely, I should have caught it but it also got past two managers. I feel to be terminated for this with no past write ups, no warnings, and over all good service, is crazy. I wasn't given a real chance to defend myself because the manager firing me already didn't like me and treated me poorly. I feel as thought this whole thing just got dumped on me and only I'm going to be blamed completely for the company losing money. So what are my options. Should I try to get a hold of the building manager and see what he says, and if I do talk to him and get my job back, what do I do about the manager that fired me? There is only going to be hate there, but now I feel it will be worse if I got hired back. Even MORE I'm terrified my husband will get fired because of me trying to do something about this.... But I do believe something must be done. I don't think it's fair only I am being fired for being unexperanced and untrained in this situation...
I don't know how much leverage you have if you never became part of the union. My union junk came through the mail and not a personal meeting. If you are a member, get in contact with the store rep. If not, then you may want to start applying elsewhere. Also, if you signed any of that paperwork they probably handed you at termination, you may have a problem getting back in. You might want to apply elsewhere anyway.
If there is a manager here who is willing to fire you over this, why do you think it would not be a problem later?
If your husband works at Kroger, he should be able to go get the phone number for your local union chapter from wherever it is posted. Ours is in the break room, and there is a wall of it in the dept that the store rep works.
Unless there is a big disconnect between managers, I would expect the store manager to back the assistant manager as a matter of course.
Kroger is not fair.
Good luck.
-- Edited by Stranger on Wednesday 3rd of April 2013 09:13:38 AM
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@ Store815 - I was fired by the manager in charge for the night because I "Used the wrong coupons" for the order. Basically most of the coupons I scanned didn't have anything to do with the order. I read the coupons wrong, thinking the coupons were meant for any item out of the whole brand and not one single item within the brand. If that makes any sense.
@ Anonymous - That is a good question. I have a hard time recalling exactly what the message said but I know it stated a price on it. It had the price the coupons that didn't match the order came up too. I know that for certain. I just feel that if my register had said "Error" or something I would have caught it sooner instead of when the manager was showing it to me and looking at me like I was the stupid one. It's not my place to question a manager either, I let them do what they think is best, so when I saw the message I pointed at it and stepped back. Who knew that would turn around a bite me so hard.
@ Stranger - Thank you for your advice. I didn't sign any papers, I was just told "I'm going to have to let you go." And you do have a point, if I was hired back, I'd have to be on my toes about every little thing and that would suck the fun out of it. And there is a massive disconnection, if you ask my personally. But when my husband went in this morning he talked to the building manager and he told my husband that there wasn't anything he could do because the "Coupon Rules" are very strict. My husband is a good man, working his butt off. He recently sold 28 hunger bags in one eight hour shift. He is amazingly sweet, I don't want him stressed out anymore than now. I also don't want him looking over his shoulder for every little thing.
@ Everyone - I'm not mad with hearing that I won't be hired back, working at Kroger wasn't "terrible", it had it's moment with nasty/dirty costumer, but I honestly enjoyed myself the short time I was there. And not all the managers were horrible. There is one there that is amazingly sweet and one that has done more for my husband than his whole family put together. I'm just nervous that he is going to be next. I don't want to call racist on anyone because I am Mexican, my husband is White and the manager who fired me is Black. But god darn, that is what it feels like some times. There are two black cashiers at our stores, the one that married a white woman is treated like **** while the other one who is single is treated like a king compared to others. Never the less, thank you to everyone who commented. It really helps.
Ok this is wrong. Kroger company policy is a store manager has authority to accept or reject any coupons period.
Second, since it was the manager who did the overrides and, in effect, took the coupons any problem is on that supervisor and not you.
I don't know if it varies by contract but if the probationary period 45 days or less it looks like you were beyond that so they can't just terminate you on the spot.
Further, corporate will know that you didn't complete the computerized courseware yet they put up on the floor anyway because you have to sign in with your enterprise id (EUID) to take them. They ran me and my fellow hires through fast but we did our computer training. As a group we didn't learn about the coupon policy until somebody got an extreme couponer. No body got fired. It was a training opportunity.
The logs will record the overrides were done by her if they had to be performed with her key. The register screen would've had an M. If it was an O, no key was required, it would look like you did them until somebody checked the security footage.
If the coupon error message said something about the price it was probably the coupon value exceeded the item price. There was probably something on sale and the coupon was worth more than that. It happens sometimes. We politely reject the coupon because "coupon overrages" are not accepted by the Kroger coupon policy. That manager should've known this.
It doesn't sound like it was a price you had to write on the coupon and enter. Those can be tricky. You have to make sure you put in whatever sale price it was. And once in awhile there's a teenie tiny note on the coupon to subtract an amount before entering the price.
I tell my new cashiers to always ask for help if they're not sure. You did the right thing by getting help. I get help too.
I'd call the union and even call the anonymous ethics hotline. It can't really hurt you at this point.
to hell with em. don't waste your time with the union (LOL the union) or trying to get it overturned or anything. just go apply at wal-mart or mcdonalds or basically anywhere else, if you were a cashier at kroger than you can get paid the same (min. wage) at literally any other job
Hi! Ifrom front end manager in the Atlanta division . Your manager pushed through those coupons by doing the override. They could have easily voided the incorrect coupons, or voided the transaction and started over. You have a case and should talk to the lead store manager. Get your job back and transfer to a different store! It's easy to do so! Good luck!
I'd personally like to thank everyone else making a comment on here, since I last posted, I did in fact called the help line and talk to someone. I feel I was treated badly enough that something should be done about it. I was indeed asked if I was offered my job back, if I'd take it, I said yes but not at that location. I'm no going to work in a place were I will feel my job is threaten. Hopefully I will get some good news but I'm not counting on it. :) Thank you once again.
The manager was the one ultimately responsible for the incorrect coupons. They did not have to override the error message, but they did... 3 times! You were just doing your job, as the machines gave you no error message until the very end, at which time you called a supervisor. If anyone should get in trouble for this, it should be the manager that overrode the error message and sent the lady on her way when he could have fixed the error.
