The new standards program is killing me

Burned Out · Member

The new standards program is killing me

Date: Apr 17, 2016

At night, when only the night crew is in the store, I drive to my Kroger store and take a poop in front of the entrance.

Date: Apr 17, 2016

That's probably Kroger's aim - get you and others that have been with the company longest, have received significant raises and earned weeks of vacation time/personal holidays as well as continue to build up a pension, to quit, and replace you and others with far cheaper labor that won't last long enough to earn benefits. Do you honestly think this company cares about these "new standards" when it never cared that much about the "old standards" to begin with? It's just another attempt on corporate's part to force the more "costly" part of the company's workforce to get fed up and quit. Kroger knows enough customers will still shop at its stores if you and others are replaced with far cheaper help and whatever customers the company does lose will be offset by the savings amassed by driving you and others away.

No, I don't know that stuff for a fact, but considering how this company has turned for the worse in how it views/treats employees, I'm pretty damned sure I'm right.

Burned Out · Member

The sad part is, they can't even hire people as it is. 50% fail the drug tests, and those who do start, quit within a couple of weeks. The general office is running the company into the ground.

Date: Apr 17, 2016

Burned Out wrote:
The sad part is, they can't even hire people as it is. 50% fail the drug tests, and those who do start, quit within a couple of weeks. The general office is running the company into the ground.

Kroger isn't trying that hard to hire new people. The company would rather have fewer employees on the payroll. More money that goes to the bottom line and adds to the share price, that way. If Kroger really cared about hiring people and staffing stores accordingly, the company would offer competitive pay (Walmart gives new hires a minimum of $10.00 now, more with experience, and other grocery retail chains also pay at least $9.00 and up, but Kroger still pays minimum wage and screws new hires out of experience pay) and the company would train its new hires properly, as well as strive to create a positive, healthy work environment. It does NONE of those things. Kroger may say it's hiring, but it's really NOT actively hiring.

Date: Apr 17, 2016

What is this new standards program? I have 29 years with Kroger and I know it has changed a lot but my store never tells me anything. Only certain people gets told what is going on. I know I am seriously thinking retiring a year ealrlier than I planned to because of the way Kroger is getting. There is no loyalty anymore in this company for the people who have stayed a long time with them.

Date: Apr 17, 2016

Just keep doing what you've been doing and if they ask you to step down, just say no. If Kroger thinks it can run its stores on nothing but minimum wage employees, they're going to be out of business within 20 years.

4hourrush · Guru

We're having our standards walk in a couple weeks, and I don't see how any department is going to be ready. We don't have enough people now to properly staff our store. From what i heard, the first store in my zone failed this thing miserably after they used 400 hours of overtime to make the store as good as they could.

These standards from what i understand are insane, they're seriously worrying about things like making sure all the labels are on items in the exact position, and making sure that the items are sitting right on the edge of our tables. you know one of these days someone's going to ride in on a scooter and knock out half the display, but thats ok, we just won't have the hours in elms to bake more.

Date: Apr 17, 2016

4hourrush wrote:
We're having our standards walk in a couple weeks, and I don't see how any department is going to be ready. We don't have enough people now to properly staff our store. From what i heard, the first store in my zone failed this thing miserably after they used 400 hours of overtime to make the store as good as they could.

These standards from what i understand are insane, they're seriously worrying about things like making sure all the labels are on items in the exact position, and making sure that the items are sitting right on the edge of our tables. you know one of these days someone's going to ride in on a scooter and knock out half the display, but thats ok, we just won't have the hours in elms to bake more.

yup, exactly. Its insane what is required.

Date: Apr 18, 2016

Can't wait to get handed that book. I will throw it right in the trash in front of them. Fire me, ill go to the twenty other new stores opening in the area.

Date: Apr 18, 2016

I was in the retail game for a very long time, and I saw this exact thing and plenty others just like it coming along sufficient to get me completely out, never to return.

Painful as this reality is, people need to understand some basic things: We're talking about unskilled, often physically demanding and easily replaced labor. OF COURSE retail companies don't want long term/high wage/full benefit health liability drainers on their pay rolls, that's just good business sense to as quickly and completely rid themselves of ALL that. ---I know, it's shiitty, but I'm speaking from the business / profitting end------not the perspective of the 52 year old bum hip COPD slow poke making 4 times his actual worth.

Nothing you're gonna do to change, stop or even slow the roll of this and other new programs. I recommend either learning a new trade or trying for SSI.

Date: Apr 18, 2016

4hourrush wrote:
We're having our standards walk in a couple weeks, and I don't see how any department is going to be ready. We don't have enough people now to properly staff our store. From what i heard, the first store in my zone failed this thing miserably after they used 400 hours of overtime to make the store as good as they could.

These standards from what i understand are insane, they're seriously worrying about things like making sure all the labels are on items in the exact position, and making sure that the items are sitting right on the edge of our tables. you know one of these days someone's going to ride in on a scooter and knock out half the display, but thats ok, we just won't have the hours in elms to bake more.

Our bakery department did really well, but as soon as it was over, we went back to our own way of doing things. They think everybody can do every job and it doesn't matter how they're scheduled. It doesn't work that way. They also want all the tables set by 9:00 AM, but they want everybody working late during primetime hours. You can't have it both ways. The latest I heard is they want someone to come in at 4:00 AM to break down the orders and fill the tables. They want a 5:00 AM person to come in and do doughnuts and sweet goods. The next person will come in at 8:00 AM. I guess that will be the bread baker. There won't be any fresh bread until that afternoon because it takes that long to proof, bake, and cool it. I guess in order to keep the tables full, we'll have to put out day old stuff. Of course that goes against their slogan of "Full and Fresh." Then, they don't want anybody else coming in until 12:00 PM.

Date: Apr 18, 2016

Anonymous wrote:
I was in the retail game for a very long time, and I saw this exact thing and plenty others just like it coming along sufficient to get me completely out, never to return.

Painful as this reality is, people need to understand some basic things: We're talking about unskilled, often physically demanding and easily replaced labor. OF COURSE retail companies don't want long term/high wage/full benefit health liability drainers on their pay rolls, that's just good business sense to as quickly and completely rid themselves of ALL that. ---I know, it's shiitty, but I'm speaking from the business / profitting end------not the perspective of the 52 year old bum hip COPD slow poke making 4 times his actual worth.

Nothing you're gonna do to change, stop or even slow the roll of this and other new programs. I recommend either learning a new trade or trying for SSI.

Most of the execs i know are making 10+ times their actual worth in travel alone...Kroger's store management is useless because their turnover rate is just as bad as employees. The old timers might be slow but they are predictable..part time help picks its hours and its terms. My store would be worse then walmart if all part timers.

Date: Apr 18, 2016

Anonymous wr

Painful as this reality is, people need to understand some basic things: We're talking about unskilled, often physically demanding and easily replaced labor. OF COURSE retail companies don't want long term/high wage/full benefit health liability drainers on their pay rolls, that's just good business sense to as quickly and completely rid themselves of ALL that. ---I know, it's shiitty, but I'm speaking from the business / profitting end------not the perspective of the 52 year old bum hip COPD slow poke making 4 times his actual worth.

The reality is kroger can't replace its labor. The only departments they can fill are CCs, And some people to cashier. If you're just looking for someone to scan items (can't trust em to use PLUs) or shove carts its ok. Want someone to work in the deli or bakery? How about pull out a full cart of produce to fill and be sure to rotate and cull? Maybe drag out a board of grocery freight at 2am? The old timers that were constantly demonized a few years ago are all they got left. The hell of it is, if they could hire people they could run that slow poke off, but as it is they need him/her more than ever.

DeltaGrocery · Guru

I haven't heard about this yet, is it enterprise wide? What's included in the booklet?

Burned Out · Member

It will be enterprise wide at some point. For the store, the book is 300 plus pages. For each department, a layout of how everything must look, cleaning standards.

I can barely get trucks done and wait on customers, nonetheless keep my department, "85% of grand opening conditions" everyday...

Date: Apr 18, 2016

lol i bet kroger spent millions on two exec idiots to write this out. To the back of the department desk it goes!

4hourrush · Guru

Just today i heard that another one of my store's department heads is stepping down because she's burned out and is tired of all the stress.

this is a woman who has years of experience, working for another supermarket chain before coming to Kroger... she's obviously qualified to run the department but nooooo they're running off all their good employees.

Date: Apr 19, 2016

Who is supposed to fill out the paperwork that gets certified?

I know we aren't meeting standards and can't wait to see how the day grocery manager fills them out. Of course, he will probably ask me to fill them out and keep them certify ready! :( I can show where my night hours are going. It is going to take a miracle, trick accounting and luck to show where the day hours are going.

kroagrr · Guru

RE: The new standards program is killing

Date: Apr 19, 2016

RE: The new standards program is killing me

Date: Apr 19, 2016

85%? Our District Manager is holding our standards at 90% grand opening ready at 9am everyday no exceptions. So i guess this new standard expectations is nothing new to us.

Date: Apr 26, 2016

Oh dear god I hope I can find a new job before this bull**** hits my division I'm so tired of them running us on a skeleton crew and expecting everything to look perfect 24/7. GM has one person a day 4 days a week and the 3 load days 2 people to throw the load and one to order/face/work candy/fill holes/end caps/extra projects and my store is high volume we have 100 hours a week if we're lucky for half the store...it's a ****ing joke I can't take it anymore no matter what I do it's wrong finding the will to even bother trying anymore is difficult. Things just keep getting worse. Out with one stupid program in with another that requires more work more effort and hey we're going to cut your hours too no excuses! it takes me hours to face my department and after I'm done I can walk back through and it'll be trashed again.

mega-kitteh · Guru

We had one of the standard walkthroughs and failed. This is some of the standards we must have to get an "ok grade."

FACING PRODUCT

1. Product must be double stacked and faced. You will not single face anymore.
2. Product must be pulled to the lip of the shelf
3. Product will not extend lip of shelf
4. Labels will be straight and facing foward
5. Price tags will be placed neatly on shelf
6. No overstocked will be put on skyshelves.

CLEANLINESS

1. Back room will be kept clean and organized.
2. Backstock will be kept in their designated sections only
3. Dollies/U-boats will be kept in a designated area
4. Bottle room will be kept clean and neat
5. All areas of store will be emmaculate.

OTHER ITEMS

1. Depts will keep their areas clean and stocked with product necessary to run their area
2. Temp log books will be kept accurate at all times
3. Prices in all depts throughout store will be accurate
4. Out of stocks will be kept to a minimum

Oh yeah, and we have zero hours to do this all in. And don't even think about overtime, coming in early, or ignoring calls up front. And you have to get your regular assignments done and do lazy peoples assignments as well.

Burned Out · Member

Last two replies sum it up perfectly. Starting to look for a new job after 32 years. Just can't do it anymore.

Date: Apr 27, 2016

mega-kitteh wrote:
We had one of the standard walkthroughs and failed. This is some of the standards we must have to get an "ok grade."

FACING PRODUCT

1. Product must be double stacked and faced. You will not single face anymore.
2. Product must be pulled to the lip of the shelf
3. Product will not extend lip of shelf
4. Labels will be straight and facing foward
5. Price tags will be placed neatly on shelf
6. No overstocked will be put on skyshelves.

CLEANLINESS

1. Back room will be kept clean and organized.
2. Backstock will be kept in their designated sections only
3. Dollies/U-boats will be kept in a designated area
4. Bottle room will be kept clean and neat
5. All areas of store will be emmaculate.

OTHER ITEMS

1. Depts will keep their areas clean and stocked with product necessary to run their area
2. Temp log books will be kept accurate at all times
3. Prices in all depts throughout store will be accurate
4. Out of stocks will be kept to a minimum

Oh yeah, and we have zero hours to do this all in. And don't even think about overtime, coming in early, or ignoring calls up front. And you have to get your regular assignments done and do lazy peoples assignments as well.

I see nothing wrong with doing all that. The problem I have is my way of organizing things and their way of organizing things are two different things. My way works.

4hourrush · Guru

Surprisingly, it IS possible to pass this standards walk. Of course i bet we used a ton of OT to do it.

Date: Apr 28, 2016

That's hilarious. Hours have been slashed to the point where work isn't getting done. Old tags are everywhere, and customers are complaining about empty shelves on the surveys.

And they are raising standards? Our produce guys are breaking their balls getting things done, but the other departments are a ghost town.

Date: Apr 28, 2016

In many cases, they can't put the blame for those empty shelves on people working in the store. I know in the bakery they are constantly scratching items that we've ordered. In many cases, it's taken two weeks or more of ordering the product in every day before it finally shows up. When it finally does show up, they scratch something else. Somewhere along the supply chain someone isn't doing their job

AnonymousCutter · Guru

they're worried about competition and standards, but won't hire anyone or add hours. I've seriously been thinking about jumping ship when HEB comes into the area. I love Kroger, but they are getting ridiculous.

4hourrush · Guru

Anonymous wrote:
In many cases, they can't put the blame for those empty shelves on people working in the store. I know in the bakery they are constantly scratching items that we've ordered. In many cases, it's taken two weeks or more of ordering the product in every day before it finally shows up. When it finally does show up, they scratch something else. Somewhere along the supply chain someone isn't doing their job

We're having items thatr aren't just being scratched but actually not even being on the bill at all, even though the msi numbers have not changed at all. First it was 9 inch cherry pies, now it's banana cream pies. it's getting annoying having to tell people that we really are trying to get the items in.

Date: Apr 28, 2016

It's the same with produce...One day, not enough strawberries, even though plenty WERE ordered...Blueberries, too...We order heavy on personal-size watermelons, and they are gone the next day! We can order product to fill our backroom and cooler to the max, and it STILL looks like a ghost town when you walk in the next morning! It seems to me more and more that there is TOO MUCH DEMAND and NOT ENOUGH SUPPLY to meet that demand!

I was hearing something about the wild weather down south (rains, flooding) having an effect on crops, and maybe there's a shortage of certain items?

Turd Ferguson · Guru

The problem with these walks is that they are complete facade. Unrealistic expectations, given labor and staffing, but are miraculously met just in time for the inspection because middle management and dept coordinators send in extra help from other stores and even vendors to get it done.

Then the "inspection" actually gets done, and everything is hunky dory, but it perpetuates this myth that a store with its present staff can actually accomplish this feat on its own

Date: Apr 30, 2016

^^yup you are dead on. Then we get walked a few weeks later and it looks like **** and they act like it should look as good as the walk we used all that ot on. With how bad the hours are lately we have no choice but to cut corners and it's every single department the stores are so understaffed in comparison to the "standards" they expect it's a joke. I also love how they blame all of the warehouse out of stocks on us...none of my out of stocks are caused by me I order everything I need every load if something doesn't come in when I order it it's not my fault I also love how every new reset we have makes the store look more and more like **** I recently had a new hydration bottle set put in and there's 10 items that are unauthorized or not on file......lol.

Date: Apr 30, 2016

Turd Ferguson wrote:
The problem with these walks is that they are complete facade. Unrealistic expectations, given labor and staffing, but are miraculously met just in time for the inspection because middle management and dept coordinators send in extra help from other stores and even vendors to get it done.

Then the "inspection" actually gets done, and everything is hunky dory, but it perpetuates this myth that a store with its present staff can actually accomplish this feat on its own

We had one this morning before 8 AM, and the guy had already been to three other stores. Of course they had everybody they could, including management working during the night. We were told if we didn't pass, someone was going to get fired. After we passed, we were told all we need to do is maintain it. That can't be done with the staffing we have. It's not a matter of replacing an item here an item there. You have to replace whole shelves of product every day.

Turd Ferguson · Guru

Anonymous wrote:
^^yup you are dead on. Then we get walked a few weeks later and it looks like **** and they act like it should look as good as the walk we used all that ot on. With how bad the hours are lately we have no choice but to cut corners and it's every single department the stores are so understaffed in comparison to the "standards" they expect it's a joke. I also love how they blame all of the warehouse out of stocks on us...none of my out of stocks are caused by me I order everything I need every load if something doesn't come in when I order it it's not my fault I also love how every new reset we have makes the store look more and more like **** I recently had a new hydration bottle set put in and there's 10 items that are unauthorized or not on file......lol.

I feel for ya, there. Some months back, we got a surprise visit from a few of the district VIPs a week or so after a big walk, and one of them dug into one of the produce dept walls found a whole bunch of outdated product. While no one wants that on their shelf or wall, s#$% definitely hit the fan.

We've had a lot of department heads and other vet employees transfer out just due to the excessive number of walks our store gets.. a lot more than the others.

Turd Ferguson · Guru

Anonymous wrote:
Turd Ferguson wrote:
The problem with these walks is that they are complete facade. Unrealistic expectations, given labor and staffing, but are miraculously met just in time for the inspection because middle management and dept coordinators send in extra help from other stores and even vendors to get it done.

Then the "inspection" actually gets done, and everything is hunky dory, but it perpetuates this myth that a store with its present staff can actually accomplish this feat on its own
We had one this morning before 8 AM, and the guy had already been to three other stores. Of course they had everybody they could, including management working during the night. We were told if we didn't pass, someone was going to get fired. After we passed, we were told all we need to do is maintain it. That can't be done with the staffing we have. It's not a matter of replacing an item here an item there. You have to replace whole shelves of product every day.

That's insane. I feel bad for y'all.

Date: May 1, 2016

Turd Ferguson wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
^^yup you are dead on. Then we get walked a few weeks later and it looks like **** and they act like it should look as good as the walk we used all that ot on. With how bad the hours are lately we have no choice but to cut corners and it's every single department the stores are so understaffed in comparison to the "standards" they expect it's a joke. I also love how they blame all of the warehouse out of stocks on us...none of my out of stocks are caused by me I order everything I need every load if something doesn't come in when I order it it's not my fault I also love how every new reset we have makes the store look more and more like **** I recently had a new hydration bottle set put in and there's 10 items that are unauthorized or not on file......lol.
I feel for ya, there. Some months back, we got a surprise visit from a few of the district VIPs a week or so after a big walk, and one of them dug into one of the produce dept walls found a whole bunch of outdated product. While no one wants that on their shelf or wall, s#$% definitely hit the fan.

And yet nothing ever changes. Rather than the district VIPs do the smart, sensible thing and explore the root causes of why things are the way they are (understaffed stores, underpaid/disgruntled/stressed workforce, inadequate training, poor/ineffective management oversight) and address the issues, instead the "solutions" consists of write-ups, threats and intimidation. This is why things will only continue to worsen in Kroger stores. When things get bad enough that the turning point finally hits, stores are going to start bleeding money rather than seeing growth every year. Then, attempting to fix the aforementioned problems will only be harder and that much costlier, too. Right now though, the attitudes of those at the top and near the top of the company are more wrong than right and it continues to have a demoralizing effect on those working in the stores - and at a pace that's only accelerating with time.

Turd Ferguson · Guru

Anonymous wrote:
Turd Ferguson wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
^^yup you are dead on. Then we get walked a few weeks later and it looks like **** and they act like it should look as good as the walk we used all that ot on. With how bad the hours are lately we have no choice but to cut corners and it's every single department the stores are so understaffed in comparison to the "standards" they expect it's a joke. I also love how they blame all of the warehouse out of stocks on us...none of my out of stocks are caused by me I order everything I need every load if something doesn't come in when I order it it's not my fault I also love how every new reset we have makes the store look more and more like **** I recently had a new hydration bottle set put in and there's 10 items that are unauthorized or not on file......lol.
I feel for ya, there. Some months back, we got a surprise visit from a few of the district VIPs a week or so after a big walk, and one of them dug into one of the produce dept walls found a whole bunch of outdated product. While no one wants that on their shelf or wall, s#$% definitely hit the fan.
And yet nothing ever changes. Rather than the district VIPs do the smart, sensible thing and explore the root causes of why things are the way they are (understaffed stores, underpaid/disgruntled/stressed workforce, inadequate training, poor/ineffective management oversight) and address the issues, instead the "solutions" consists of write-ups, threats and intimidation. This is why things will only continue to worsen in Kroger stores. When things get bad enough that the turning point finally hits, stores are going to start bleeding money rather than seeing growth every year. Then, attempting to fix the aforementioned problems will only be harder and that much costlier, too. Right now though, the attitudes of those at the top and near the top of the company are more wrong than right and it continues to have a demoralizing effect on those working in the stores - and at a pace that's only accelerating with time.

Absolutely THIS. It's a sick corporate culture that trickles downward.

Date: May 2, 2016

Turd Ferguson wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Turd Ferguson wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
^^yup you are dead on. Then we get walked a few weeks later and it looks like **** and they act like it should look as good as the walk we used all that ot on. With how bad the hours are lately we have no choice but to cut corners and it's every single department the stores are so understaffed in comparison to the "standards" they expect it's a joke. I also love how they blame all of the warehouse out of stocks on us...none of my out of stocks are caused by me I order everything I need every load if something doesn't come in when I order it it's not my fault I also love how every new reset we have makes the store look more and more like **** I recently had a new hydration bottle set put in and there's 10 items that are unauthorized or not on file......lol.
I feel for ya, there. Some months back, we got a surprise visit from a few of the district VIPs a week or so after a big walk, and one of them dug into one of the produce dept walls found a whole bunch of outdated product. While no one wants that on their shelf or wall, s#$% definitely hit the fan.
And yet nothing ever changes. Rather than the district VIPs do the smart, sensible thing and explore the root causes of why things are the way they are (understaffed stores, underpaid/disgruntled/stressed workforce, inadequate training, poor/ineffective management oversight) and address the issues, instead the "solutions" consists of write-ups, threats and intimidation. This is why things will only continue to worsen in Kroger stores. When things get bad enough that the turning point finally hits, stores are going to start bleeding money rather than seeing growth every year. Then, attempting to fix the aforementioned problems will only be harder and that much costlier, too. Right now though, the attitudes of those at the top and near the top of the company are more wrong than right and it continues to have a demoralizing effect on those working in the stores - and at a pace that's only accelerating with time.
Absolutely THIS. It's a sick corporate culture that trickles downward.

a major issue is that the company is wayyy too top heavy we have all these supervisors district managers execs and they keep making more of these useless job positions, there's like 10 people that could be cut down to 1 but instead of cutting those jobs to save $$$ they continue to cut hours and positions at store level which doesn't make any sense because we're paid less than anyone and we are doing all of the work why do we need so many idiots to "supervise" tje continually dwindling workforce in the stores? Yet they continue to create more of these jobs so somebody's friend or kid or an ass kisser can sit at a desk and sendIngrid me the same email 10 other people already did all while making more than any of us busting our butts at the store everyday.