Taste of Italy was a big bomb at my store the last time around. Customers complained extensively over the opera music being played while avoiding the high-priced imported Italian products like the plague. Our markdown bins were absolutely overflowing with Taste of Italy product - no, seriously, we have several markdown bins and still there wasn't room for all that stuff and it had to sit in shopping carts in the backroom until there was space to put more of it out. Our store manager couldn't wait for Taste of Italy to be over and openly complained about how stupid of an idea it was.
So, of course, in typical Kroger fashion, the company continues to force something that doesn't work down our throats thinking it will magically work this time around. Brilliant.
I keep telling them, taste of the 'hood or taste of the country would work far better, but what do I know?
You're absolutely right. I think we still have a pallet of oil from last time when they sent it out right at the end of the promotion! We may have sold 1 bottle the entire promo and they send us like 20 CASES. Somebody most likely signed a stupid contract with these companies to take on the overpriced product and should be canned for it
I could not believe that they were doing this again making us wear aprons again. Instead of spending money on aprons and t shirts they should take the money and give us a better raise like 20.00 a hour. I rather have raises.
One of the things the deli got in is pumpkin and sage ravioli. Sounds awful, doesn't it? Well, the deli manager and a few others tried it. I didn't because I knew better. A few of the comments were: "It tasted worse than I thought it was going to be." "It tasted like something that wasn't food." "It tasted like Avon perfume."
Morons..at least try a different country if you want to throw away millions. Or maybe taste of black lives matter. We already got too many watermelons. Just need to setup some free tvs for looting.
We tried the foccacia pizzas and the margherita pizza the deli got. The focccia one with the tomatos actually wasn't too bad. The margherita pizza, i could take it or leave it really. I don't know why they push these things on us when literally every single person in any position of power, from the store management, to the department heads, all say how stupid this entire thing is.
I am not even going to think about trying pumpkin ravioli.
Oh and we didn't even get the aprons or hats. They were no where to be found yesterday at least.
Or Taste of the South. How about Taste of the Bayou? Taste of India?
Oo, oo! Taste of Ethiopia!
I'll have to consider quitting though, if they come out with Taste of Iran.
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Yeah, we only got rid of the last bottle of overpriced fancy-bottle olive oil a couple of months ago. I think my super cracked the seal so it would get trashed.
Don't even talk to me about Taste of Spain olives.
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I've said it before and I'll say it again: Kroger's in-store marketing is handled by high school summer interns at the local B-school.
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"If I only had a brain..."
...but I'd settle for a nerve or two.
No aprons or hats here, either. I remember when Kroger used to supply all employees with t-shirts, aprons, hats, and other stuff, during these types of promotions. Now? Nothing. Goes to show how little confidence they have in these events and thus don't go all out or are just that cheap, or maybe both. Kroger will never outdo Central Market in these types of promotions. Never.
Most of the employees at my store didn't even know Taste of Italy was kicking off today. No communication whatsoever from management or department heads. Gee, what a surprise there.
We just finished putting up our Taste of Italy displays - many of them went straight to the baler. What a waste!
What's the point in these Taste of (country) promotions? We get people excited about a bunch of new foods that they can only get for a couple weeks, then they're gone! Are they going out of their way to lose customers? Yes, Mr. Jones, I'm glad you liked the new pasta sauce. Too bad you'll never be able to taste it again.
We tried the foccacia pizzas and the margherita pizza the deli got. The focccia one with the tomatos actually wasn't too bad. The margherita pizza, i could take it or leave it really. I don't know why they push these things on us when literally every single person in any position of power, from the store management, to the department heads, all say how stupid this entire thing is.
I am not even going to think about trying pumpkin ravioli.
Oh and we didn't even get the aprons or hats. They were no where to be found yesterday at least.
If you get any shirts, hats, aprons, or anything else with Taste of Italy on it, keep it. They'll probably do it all over again in a couple years. I still have my stuff.
Im sure some kroger exec got a free trip or house worked on by one one these vendors in exchange...
ya. i was informed of that as well. that sometimes vendors are all like "we'll throw in a free 60 inch tv for you if you buy another 4 extra pallets of our merchandise ;)" and this is why every store ends up with piles of crap that they don't need in their backroom. cause the buyers are idiots who are in bed with the vendors as long as they continue to get free stuff from them
Im sure some kroger exec got a free trip or house worked on by one one these vendors in exchange...
ya. i was informed of that as well. that sometimes vendors are all like "we'll throw in a free 60 inch tv for you if you buy another 4 extra pallets of our merchandise ;)" and this is why every store ends up with piles of crap that they don't need in their backroom. cause the buyers are idiots who are in bed with the vendors as long as they continue to get free stuff from them
I seen an unnamed kroger exec with two russian chicks last night at the club..get ready for The taste of russia next month.
Im sure some kroger exec got a free trip or house worked on by one one these vendors in exchange...
ya. i was informed of that as well. that sometimes vendors are all like "we'll throw in a free 60 inch tv for you if you buy another 4 extra pallets of our merchandise ;)" and this is why every store ends up with piles of crap that they don't need in their backroom. cause the buyers are idiots who are in bed with the vendors as long as they continue to get free stuff from them
This is pretty much how much of the business world works; "you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours" and the select few profits while the majority suffers/struggles. Backroom deals have been and will always be standard practice among those that are in positions to make such deals.
There's going to be a taste of Arabia soon. Of course the pork case will be taking out to make room for the live animals. Everyone will be dressed with a turban or hijab. Here's the best part all shoplifters will have their hands sawed off in public.
"Attention, Krogrr shoppers: swing on by our 'Aloha, Snackbar!' Deli for the finest in Goat's Head halal cuts."
"Attention, Krogrr infidel associates: any one of you dogs impure enough to not throw 55 cases per hour or who blasphemes district mullahagement by getting a click of overtime will be stoned by MD1 candidates and wanna-bes. (That's stoned, not get stoned, infidels.)"
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Anonymous
Date:
RE: Why... just why... are they doing Taste of Italy again!?
I came back from vacation to see those beautiful (no sarcasm intended) yellow aprons again. They're a nice relief from the black, in that I don't feel like I'm forced to wear something that represents my soul after working for this company for only two years. Working at this "evil, oppressed" (sources cited below) job makes you hate your life, and humanity, with how desperate kroger is to reduce produce that will be rotten tomorrow to turn a few more bucks of a profit, and how desperate the customers are to buy that garbage I find best described by quoting the author Bill Bryson: "disorderly detritus." We even have this insane old lady who needs to be in a nursing home. When she wanders away from her caretaker, she will dig through the garbage cans to find **** we are going to put in that new compost bin thing. Useless produce like squash with brown bruised spots, bananas split in half, and so on.
