Basically I was almost robbed last night at my Fuel Center.
The man tried to claim he had perfume samples and tried to persuade me to try and come outside to try some. I'm not that stupid and I said no and he frowned and stood there looking around the parking lot before leaving. He had a black satchel that he was holding for dear life. I called inside and they said 'Ok'. My co-worker who actually works inside the fuel center was filling in for someone inside and she came out and let me use her pepper spray that she keeps in her car. She was really worried, despite everyone else inside who didn't give a crap. She told me the basics that I already know (Call 911 if he calls back, Spray the mace in his face and cover your eyes, etc.)
But I'm not sure what policies Kroger has on these things and ways to protect yourself from people who could potentially harm you. I'm not sure what I'm more mad about: The fact that no one else cared at the damn store that I could have gotten robbed, or that there isn't something they do to make it more safe for us to work.
I wouldn't expect Kroger to have ways to protect yourself.
Be vigilant and keep an eye on your surroundings for suspicious activity. Call inside the store if you have concerns. Lie to them and tell them a customer is demanding to speak with them out in the fuel center. Pester them if you have to. If the store management ignores you, tell them you'll call the cops if the threat doesn't go away. Normally that gets their asses moving.
Pepper spray is fine. Don't bring weapons such as knives, guns, etc. Don't have them on your person.
Make sure the door to your booth is secure.
While I'm not familiar with what the interior of the booth is like in the fuel center, find a spot you can safely retreat to if the suspicious person becomes hostile. Preferably at a spot that denies them a line of sight to you.
Thanks :) I definitely will be carrying pepper spray on me at all times now. It's ridiculous! I mean besides that, they've screwed me over on hours now (I'm getting 12 hours this week. That's not even enough to live on). But when I complain to them about how the employees aren't protected enough, I get told stupid bullsh*t.
Thanks :) I definitely will be carrying pepper spray on me at all times now. It's ridiculous! I mean besides that, they've screwed me over on hours now (I'm getting 12 hours this week. That's not even enough to live on). But when I complain to them about how the employees aren't protected enough, I get told stupid bullsh*t.
Do NOT mention the fact that you'll be carrying around pepper spray. You should probably get the ones that are small enough to be attached to keychains. Just go on about your day and don't say anything that can cause management to pull you aside. Don't even hint that you've got some method/tool to protect yourself. Be advised that my suggestions are not those of "official Kroger policy" (there probably aren't any), but of those from a concerned customer/citizen.
Yeah I will definitely NOT tell them anything about bringing pepper spray with me. Especially when they cared so little, but a few days ago a co-worker's phone shut off and they were worried about her!
The favoritism at these stores is ridiculous.
Thanks for at least clearing up what I should do! You'd be surprised how idiotic my manager is.. He won't even order new items to keep fuel spills from spreading.
Both our store and fuel centre are in a shopping plaza which has security. We've been told we can call security if we feel threatened. Never had to do it myself though but it does give you a little peace of mind. Plus when I close fuel, the security guys will park their car next to mine and wait until I lock up and leave before they do.
I honestly wish we had that. We have a security guard that usually comes in at 11, but she stays inside. I haven't seen the creep at all since, but I'm hoping that they can figure out how to make is more safe here.
Wow, I've had the same thing happen to me at my fuel center. As oblivious as I was though, I didn't think the perfume/cologne salesperson could have been attempting to rob me. And he may not have been. I just thought he was weird and I told him I don't care about cologne and to go away. I'll be more cautious from now on.
Reporting the kinds of important safety issues you've raised in this thread.
Preventing dishonesty, violations of safety or health hazards, on-the-job harassment, shrink, theft, workers' compensation fraud, criminal activity or any other threat to your job security is to everyone's advantage and is your responsibility. -- secure.ethicspoint.com/domain/media/en/gui/16000/index.html
