Hey, I recently got fired after working for Kroger for a bit over 4 years with no write up and a good work record overall. The reason was because somebody got wind of me being a gun owner and storing it in the console of my car, I had being doing that since before I started the job so obviously I didn't have any inclination of robbing/killing everyone in the store and eating their hearts. Moving on... oh and the store was Dillons. Basically they stared me down in the office and tried to make me sign papers and asked to pat me down with a cop standing outside of the office, yeah... damage control at it's finest, the corporate guy even forced me to open my pockets thinking my cell phone was a gun while he was sweating beads.
My brother lives in a different state for another Kroger owned store named King Soopers and referred me to his boss (I haven't told my brother I was fired because he is very talkative) and his boss said he would hire me and that instead of making $7.58 like I did at my old store they would pay me around $12 because they are union.
What are the chances of me getting the job if I just tell the boss there the bare minimum info and state my reason for leaving as advancement? I am now working for a fencing company for $10 an hour and I hate it, my balls turn into peanuts and if my teeth chatter anymore they will fall out, plus waking up at 6am and not getting paid for travel just blows.
To add to my question, I had no idea having a gun in your car was such a big deal, I've been robbed before so I figured it would be a good idea to do so as losing hundreds of dollars and cancelling your credit cards ASAP is a bit stressful and putting a hole in a guys head seems a bit cheaper as a .45 bullet is less than a dollar.
Seriously the moment I walked in the store for the day everyone kind of hid and nobody would look me in the eye it was hilarious. And then they had me work for 2 days afterwords before abruptly firing me due to "new evidence".
I sure hope I'm not in their file with a huge PSYCHOPATH written in red sharpie over my info and that it doesn't transfer over because I thought the job was super easy.
Possibly yes, possibly no. When they term you in kronos, they have to put a code for why you were fired. typically, though if you are fired and didn't quit, they won't rehire.
Crap, I just talked with my brothers manager over the phone and he seems like a nice guy and I told him that I "moved on" very vaguely and he said he'd hire me but I'm scared to say any more about the issue. He said he looked at my file a few months ago and said it looked great but that was before I was fired...
Well I pretty much screwed my life up over 1 mistake. I also never went to college or learned a trade but I'm 34 so it's too late for that. Before Kroger I worked at odd jobs and some fast food places so that will probably be my future. I could always try another grocery store chain I guess.
And if I were to not have a gun with me I could very easily get robbed/killed as I live in a rough low-income area where robberies happen on a weekly basis. Hell, a guy looked in my bedroom window at 3am the other night when I was reading a book, probably seeing if anyone was home.
I guess Kroger doesn't care because there are hundreds of thousands of jobless people out there so why risk anything at all? I hate this world. It's funny how they fired me over storing a gun in my car yet now that I lost the job I have nothing left to worry about so it would actually be logical to rob the place as I wouldn't have to worry about money issues in prison if I were to get caught.
-- Edited by Travybear on Friday 24th of January 2014 09:00:30 AM
-- Edited by Travybear on Friday 24th of January 2014 09:04:39 AM
Did the Union get involved? Something doesn't sound right if you were a solid worker. Sounds like they may of had their own agenda for another reason to let you go.....not unless someone said you threatened them at work.
Maybe, maybe not. Are you purposely forgetting some of the details that led up to being fired?
As 1fury said, if you threatened anyone, all bets are off.
At the last company I worked for, a person was fired for writing "watch your back" on facebook. The next day, he was greeted by security, 2 managers and the 2nd main manager in the building. He was terminated on the spot.
What are the concealed carry laws for the state you are in and the state you want to go to?
It would be best to let the manager of the store that wants to hire you know that you were terminated for having a gun in your car. If there is more to the story than that, I am not sure how that will play out.
If you get hired and it is found out why you were terminated from previous employer because you made threats, it will look bad on your brother when they have to fire you.
A girl I work with has a shady past. I know where she worked before in retail and why she was terminated. She didn't tell me. Obviously, someone didn't do a very good background check. I wish her the best of luck here and hope she doesn't make the same stupid mistake. She is getting too old to be working minimum wage jobs. lol.
Is there more to the story? Do you like to mouth off? Are you covered with tattoos? Do you look shady?
To be honest I had typed all there is to know, yes I was a bit of a idk... extremist when it came to hard work. I wanted my co-workers to perform at my level instead of taking smoke breaks all night. The concelead carry laws are the same in the state I'm at compared to the one I am moving to.
I decided to tell the manager in my brothers state the truth, if he doesn't accept me then I'll blow my brains out.
And no, there is nothing more to the story, I'm a normal guy with no tattoo's and short hair.
-- Edited by Travybear on Friday 24th of January 2014 03:11:29 PM
I was raised to do my best in everything I do, My boss at Dillon's sort of side-stepped that and threw me out after one "mistake". I am now at a loss and I don't know what to do anymore. I enjoyed my job at Dillons (Kroger) but was fired due to damage control. As much as I'd like to go on a killing spree it would be pointless in the long run as I'd be dead.
I hate this world and my views towards reality were heavily skewered after losing my job, I'm barely holding it together. I have applied for help but they seem to be more preoccupied with getting me a job so I don't government help more than anything else.
There are a lot of employees who own guns that work for the company. I can't believe that you got fired for having a concealed weapon in your car. You sound like a solid, good worker, no prior issues. Did you ask management what one had to do with the other? You did not have the weapon in the store, correct? Again....did the Union get involved and challenge this termination? Sounds like someone had it in for you...I know it goes on quite a bit in the stores. It's a shame they are losing good employees.
There was no union at my store but there is one at my brothers in a different state. I worked extremely hard for Kroger and did my best but upon hearing about me owning a gun and having it on store property I was fired regardless. I begged my boss to keep me but it was above him, I now feel hopeless but in the next couple of weeks I'll ask the boss at my brothers store in Colorado if he'd take me. If not then idk what will become of me and that is the truth.
I know I may sound a bit dramatic but it is the truth, There were no prior infractions and I am comin to terms with the fact that the lack of a union may be the reason for my woes. I am still on the fence about calling my brother, I love him but I feel like a failure for getting fired.
-- Edited by Travybear on Friday 24th of January 2014 04:16:27 PM
I was just wondering if the Union got involved in your situation.....not that it matters....most of the time, they are useless. You are not a failure, remember that. I knew of a dept head that got accused of something, suspended, then terminated. His case went to arbitration....it took a year...long process and he won. The Union tried to throw him under the bus in the beginning, he basically overwhelmed the Union with so much evidence, they had no choice but to take his case. He had a perfect record too....it never made any sense. Just remember, it is not you, it is either management, back stabbing co-workers or office politics that is probably involved here. Any other company would be lucky to have you and there is life after the big K.
First off... do u think Krogers , Dillons, King Soopers, etc are the only grocery chains in Colorado? Hell no... there are higher paying jobs at Costco, Wild Oats, Whole Foods, Safeway, etc. Plus I'd just bet in Colorado its not illegal to have a loaded firearm in your car IF u have a CCW permit. It's legal in a lot of states but if ur dumb enuf to let it become common knowledge then sure the store mgmt. and security will have to be proactive and deal with it. Don't ever work for a non union chain of the Kroger family... they act like they own you and you should dedicate ur life to ur job. But to answer ur original question- YES ONCE U R TERMINATED U CAN NEVER BE CLEARED FOR REHIRE EVEN IF ITS IN ANOTHER DIVISION> save your brother the embarrassment and get a real job- retail is for part time transient folks nowadays there's no future career in it unless ur dumb enuf to go into mgmt. and become a total company drone that likes to lick the upper mgmts. boots on a regular basis. I'd bet a smart guy like u could be a Truck Driver instead of slinging cans onto shelves.
To be honest I had typed all there is to know, yes I was a bit of a idk... extremist when it came to hard work. I wanted my co-workers to perform at my level instead of taking smoke breaks all night. The concelead carry laws are the same in the state I'm at compared to the one I am moving to.
I decided to tell the manager in my brothers state the truth, if he doesn't accept me then I'll blow my brains out.
And no, there is nothing more to the story, I'm a normal guy with no tattoo's and short hair.
-- Edited by Travybear on Friday 24th of January 2014 03:11:29 PM
Hey, Don't talk like that. I don't want you this worked up over kroger or any minimum wage job. I was the anon that asked about tatoos and more to the story.
As far as I am concerned, if you were obeying the concealed weapons laws in your state, there was no reason for kroger to fire you. If you didn't make any threats to anyone, then you didn't make any threats. Kroger might have rules in the handbook about weapons in your vehicle for all we know.
Please don't rant about hurting yourself. I started at kroger at 37 and it has been good for me. I have been down several times in my life but am at a high point currently. The low wages and unsteady hours suck but my bills are paid, no outrageous debt and I have cash in the bank. It sucks to lose a job but the next jobs have always been better for me. And yes, I have dug ditches in solid rock while it was 100+ degrees outside.
It might help to let your brother know and he might know better how the manager thinks about the situation.
I am certain your brother cares a lot about you or he wouldn't have asked you to work with him.
You may want to let your potential manager know. If you have a clean record with no criminal past then you MIGHT be ok. If you must explain, tell why you had the gun. That you were robbed before and you didn't want to take anymore chances especially if the area where you were robbed was a bad one. However, most jobs frown upon possessions of weapons on the workplace. EVEN in your own car. If you have a license to carry, you may be ok. Check with the union and employee handbook just to be safe. Good luck
Thanks for the insightful replies everyone, I decided I'll be straightforward with King Soopers and if they won't have me I'll work somewhere else, simple as that. I only get one life so there is no point dwelling on this small setback. I just woke up from a nap and feel refreshed, sometimes that's all it takes. From now on I think I'll change my life around... stop trying to impress others and work on myself. I haven't lifted weights since high school and I haven't been drinking enough water and definitely have had to much stress in my life as of late.
I'm just so sick of having to live up to other peoples standards because it is never going to be good enough and the harder I try the more they will push me around. All I can do is start living for myself and if good things follow then that's a bonus.
I appreciate the support from all of you, I was in a dark place when I posted this thread, Koger can **** off. If they want to throw away a hard worker over politics let them, I'm moving forward.
I also never went to college or learned a trade but I'm 34 so it's too late for that.
Lies. I know of people well into their 50's and 60's who still attend school ranging from community colleges to state universities. It's never too late.
Getting an Associate or Bachelor degree would help you out quite a bit and would qualify you for plenty of comfy white-collar desk jobs.
Here in the local school district, I can be a substitute teacher and earn $18/hour with only a high school diploma, a little more if I had an Associate's. And that's just to babysit kids for 8 hours.
kroger is the most screwed up company of them all. if a manager doesn't like you they will harass you until you quit or find a bs reason to fire you. TIP if you don't like being blamed for sexual harassment don't work at Kroger. they will call you a liar, they will punish you and retaliate against you rather than the person harassing you. call their corporate HR person? that won't solve anything all they are worried about is making sure you don't file a lawsuit and honestly will probably make you want to file one even more.
The first call you should make is to the NRA - tell them you got fired for owning a gun in one of the most gun friendly states in the nation. Tell them KROGER FIRED ME FOR HAVING A LEGAL FIREARM FOR PROTECTION. I hate the NRA but this is what they are actually good for.
Union has nothing to do with it. Happens in the Union stores too. Happened to me. I was probationary, manager didn't train me correctly and was panicking because her department is crap and there is a walk this week. She lied to management to have me fired. She made up a story that I said something mean about a co-worker which was absolutely not true. I'm a 57 y/o professional. I don't "make fun" of co-workers. She called that co-worker on VACATION, told her I was making fun of her and then told management that she over heard me and was so upset. So now I will probably go on record for this. The pick and choose what rules to follow and what not.
I asked for the Manager's last names so I can include them in my reports. They would give it and then told me I threatend the manager that got me fired. They told her to stay out of the building until they were done harassing me and accusing me of things I didn't say. But she was walking into the store as was leaving and I said thanks for getting me fired. YOu are a liar and a thief and you will be getting fired. That is not a threat. That is a fact of reality that her performance was so poor and her attitude was worse and eventually she will be fired. In the meantime, I am trying to have that moment escalated.
It doesn't matter if your store isn't a Union store. Call the Union rep for that area for the other stores. If the people who fired you are in the Union then you can claim that Union employees were hassling you. Then the Union will step in.
Don't let this go. They don't get to ruin people's lives like this. UNACCEPTABLE.
The first call you should make is to the NRA - tell them you got fired for owning a gun in one of the most gun friendly states in the nation. Tell them KROGER FIRED ME FOR HAVING A LEGAL FIREARM FOR PROTECTION. I hate the NRA but this is what they are actually good for.
Union has nothing to do with it. Happens in the Union stores too. Happened to me. I was probationary, manager didn't train me correctly and was panicking because her department is crap and there is a walk this week. She lied to management to have me fired. She made up a story that I said something mean about a co-worker which was absolutely not true. I'm a 57 y/o professional. I don't "make fun" of co-workers. She called that co-worker on VACATION, told her I was making fun of her and then told management that she over heard me and was so upset. So now I will probably go on record for this. The pick and choose what rules to follow and what not.
I asked for the Manager's last names so I can include them in my reports. They would give it and then told me I threatend the manager that got me fired. They told her to stay out of the building until they were done harassing me and accusing me of things I didn't say. But she was walking into the store as was leaving and I said thanks for getting me fired. YOu are a liar and a thief and you will be getting fired. That is not a threat. That is a fact of reality that her performance was so poor and her attitude was worse and eventually she will be fired. In the meantime, I am trying to have that moment escalated.
It doesn't matter if your store isn't a Union store. Call the Union rep for that area for the other stores. If the people who fired you are in the Union then you can claim that Union employees were hassling you. Then the Union will step in.
Don't let this go. They don't get to ruin people's lives like this. UNACCEPTABLE.
Hey d!ckhead this post was from NINE YEARS AGO, do you not think they've long since moved on to better things?
And wtf are you doing scouring this site for fkin 100 yr old posts?
Keep you eyes peeked for a decent job with a decent company. They might hire you, but I don't trust them. It might be good to explain to the person who said he might hire you. Being honest and a little honest might help They are super paranoid about people getting mad and killing them cause ... well, on an average day the have it coming to them. More realistically they worry about going to prison. You will have a real red flag if Kroger thinks you might gather evidence against them.
First off... do u think Krogers , Dillons, King Soopers, etc are the only grocery chains in Colorado? Hell no... there are higher paying jobs at Costco, Wild Oats, Whole Foods, Safeway, etc. Plus I'd just bet in Colorado its not illegal to have a loaded firearm in your car IF u have a CCW permit. It's legal in a lot of states but if ur dumb enuf to let it become common knowledge then sure the store mgmt. and security will have to be proactive and deal with it. Don't ever work for a non union chain of the Kroger family... they act like they own you and you should dedicate ur life to ur job. But to answer ur original question- YES ONCE U R TERMINATED U CAN NEVER BE CLEARED FOR REHIRE EVEN IF ITS IN ANOTHER DIVISION> save your brother the embarrassment and get a real job- retail is for part time transient folks nowadays there's no future career in it unless ur dumb enuf to go into mgmt. and become a total company drone that likes to lick the upper mgmts. boots on a regular basis. I'd bet a smart guy like u could be a Truck Driver instead of slinging cans onto shelves.
FALSE. Kroger will only not rehire you if you stole time or items from the store. They look past everything else.
