The whole concept is just a bunch of bull****. Yes, to a degree, it should matter how fast I am checking people out.
BUT, some of the ways in which I have been told to increase my ring tender actually make the customers wait LONGER.
1. Help unload the cart...What happens when other people are in line behind them? They are supposed to wait for me to awkwardly get in the way of the person unloading and make everything more difficult?
2. Ask for the Kroger card first...What if their groceries are already on the belt and I have to wait for them to dig it out of their purse/pants? Am I just supposed to make everyone else in line wait for this BS reason?
Furthermore, what the hell am I supposed to do when someone hands me a Kroger card but hasn't put anything on the belt yet?
My ring tender % seems to have peaked in the mid eighties, save for last week. Somehow it spiked up to 95 and I literally did practically NOTHING different. I seem to recall that I started scanning the Kroger card with the gun instead of the main scanner, but that's about it. I can't imagine that that would really make it jump up 10%. I even tried to explain to my supervisor that I hadn't been doing anything differently (and tried to allude to the fact that I wasn't really following all of his unintuitive "tips"). Pure luck of who I was checking out that week I suppose. It'll definitely be FAR lower this week, considering some of the slowpokes I checked out.
I just get so frustrated that I'm constantly badgered to get my ring tender up and I made it go up by doing practically nothing at all.
Can't seem to be able to edit this, but I mean't to write that scanning it with the gun isn't how I've been taught to make the ring tender go up, so idk if that particular aspect made a difference.
People get too worried about their Ring Tender. Here's the thing though: It's all about just keeping a good rhythm going. Total the order when you're not actually scanning items in order to boost your Items per Minute score, really work on getting 2-handed scanning down, and learn produce codes. The rest will just come as you go. I have brand new cashiers that I've helped coach who, in their first 2 months, are consistently at 120% or higher. It's not difficult to do, you just have to stop stressing about it so much.
Focus on the aspects you can control, and let the rest come by itself. Don't worry about unloading people's carts (unless they're elderly or disabled), don't worry about at what part during the transaction you're scanning their Rewards Card, just worry about what you can do at the register. Namely, the few things I mentioned above. Get a good rhythm going, Total when you're not scanning, and get the produce codes down. Beyond that, it's just learning the little ins and outs of cashiering.
the produce codes is really the only thing that helped me. i used to be around 85~ or so but when i memorize most of the codes im around 90-95~ now. also it really does help if you have a bagger that has a brain
I have brand new cashiers that I've helped coach who, in their first 2 months, are consistently at 120% or higher. It's not difficult to do, you just have to stop stressing about it so much.
Well great for them. I have been here over 6 months and mine stays stuck near the mid eighties. I don't know what kind of store you have, but zero people at mine are anywhere near that high. The highest I've seen is maybe 105%, but a great majority are in the eighties and nineties. Most weeks I don't even see a single 100%. I don't understand where all you people with high ring tenders are if there are none in my store...even those that have been there for YEARS.
Look...I know all the PLU codes I need for typical produce (however, different kinds of lettuce trip me up a bit because I cannot identify them...so I must search for the number tag), I scan things fairly quickly.
But there is nothing I can do that prevent these customers from bringing down my ring tender. Whether it's asking me to grab them cigarettes after I've started, whether they remembered at the END of their order that they need to grab a new item (and not simply having me double a current item), whether they decide to hand me their Kroger card and wait for me to scan it before unloading, whether they want me to keep stopping to check the price, whether they have 50 coupons that don't work, these techniques are NOT working to increase my ring tender.
Yes, ringtender is stupid. Most of it depends on the customer. Things like unloading slowly, going back to get more stuff, sorting through coupons, asking for tobacco in the middle of the order, etc. Of course, Kroger doesn't care about it and cares so much about their "I'm the most important person in the store" customers to ask them to follow basic courtesy.
The good news is that they can not fire or write you up for ringtender. They can for not listening to your supervisors (for things such as asking for the plus card first or helping unload). If someone talks to you about ringtender, ask questions until you understand exactly what they want you to do. Things like "should I still help unload if there is a line and they are going quickly anyway" or "what if they hand me their plus card before anything is on the belt and stare at me expecting me to scan it?". This way they can't complain that you didn't listen to them, and if customers have an issue with what you are doing, you can call them over and let them deal with it.
Ring tender might as well be abolished. There aren't any rewards or incentives when you make or exceed ring tender goals. There aren't any consequences or penalties for failing to make ring tender goals. I know that there are cashiers out there that care about doing a good job and will try to do everything that they're supposed to do, including make and exceed ring tender goals, but from what I've observed in Kroger stores, I honestly think there are more that don't care. Part of it has to do with the low pay, another part of it has to do with the unstable hours and shifts and another part has to do with arrogant/pushy/unpleasant floor supervisors/CSMs/management.
This could all be rectified with better pay/better treatment/better training, but Kroger isn't about to go that route.
I have brand new cashiers that I've helped coach who, in their first 2 months, are consistently at 120% or higher. It's not difficult to do, you just have to stop stressing about it so much.
Well great for them. I have been here over 6 months and mine stays stuck near the mid eighties. I don't know what kind of store you have, but zero people at mine are anywhere near that high. The highest I've seen is maybe 105%, but a great majority are in the eighties and nineties. Most weeks I don't even see a single 100%. I don't understand where all you people with high ring tenders are if there are none in my store...even those that have been there for YEARS.
Look...I know all the PLU codes I need for typical produce (however, different kinds of lettuce trip me up a bit because I cannot identify them...so I must search for the number tag), I scan things fairly quickly.
But there is nothing I can do that prevent these customers from bringing down my ring tender. Whether it's asking me to grab them cigarettes after I've started, whether they remembered at the END of their order that they need to grab a new item (and not simply having me double a current item), whether they decide to hand me their Kroger card and wait for me to scan it before unloading, whether they want me to keep stopping to check the price, whether they have 50 coupons that don't work, these techniques are NOT working to increase my ring tender.
I don't know if it makes any difference or not, but our store doesn't have baggers. We scan, bag, and put the items in the cart as we go. I know at my store, the only people down in the mid-80s or 90s are those who simply refuse to even try. We have a couple people who deliberately slow themselves down, and yet they're hitting 110%+. I just don't see why people struggle so much with it. If you're working a full shift, the occasional slow customer won't affect your Tender Effectiveness much at all. That is, unless literally 60-70% of your customers are taking 5+ minutes per order.
The problem a lot of people have is that they're too worried about "techniques". The fastest people in my store are the people who don't bother trying, beyond hitting Total when they're not scanning an item. Everyone gets too caught up in trying to get it down to a science that they forget to just go with it and let it happen naturally. I have the next couple of days off, but next time I'm in the store, I'll take a picture of our Tender Effectiveness chart (blurring out the identifying information of course).
If you can give me a little more detail about your checkout process, I might be able to help you a little bit more. I just know that, at least in our store, even those who are deliberately slow still manage at least 100% usually, with most hitting 105%+ on average.
My ring tender is usually awesome. Unless I'm in an express or have too much time at uscan. I don't mind uscan. Sometimes I prefer uscan over being in a lane. In my division if you make the top 25 in the district you get a 5 dollar gift card. If someone hands me a Kroger card I tell them I'm going to wait until they unload some things. I think my ring tender and how good of a cashier I am is why my supervisor came to me and said I was going to the office
