It varies from store to store. At my store, I would say produce is the easiest. I don't work in any of those departments you mentioned but the produce department seems to be the most relaxed. It really depends upon whether you have enough hours and enough good people.
I am partial to the Grocery Department. I am a department manager and am always looking for good workers with strong work habits. And people that don't call in all the time. My store managers allow me to schedule part timers for 40 hours currently. Most of them only want to work 32 or less hours a week....
The meat and produce part time clerks are all scheduled under 26 hours a week.
Night grocery has the most expected of them. Day grocery spends much of their time as CCs.
Choose what you enjoy most. All Kroger positions are being designed to be low skilled jobs.
They want everyone to throw stock like robots. Want us to spoil customers. Run a register and bags groceries.
People skills is the most important skill at Kroger. All the grocery retailers sell expensive and needed foods. Piss one customer off and it could send sales into a downward spiral by word of mouth.
Are you willing to throw canned stock for the next 20-40 years day after day? Everyone hates cans. I actually like it especially since I am making $19/hr. Better to learn everything you can about running the department to make time less boring.
Do you want to spend the next 20-40 years picking threw fruit and vegetables to remove the rotten/low quality stuff. Better to know recipes, what fruit veggies compliment other foods/meals. Know how to spot the best and freshest produce for a customer. Colorful veggies are usually the most nutritious. Red lettuce is more nutritious than regular green lettuce.
Do you want to spend the next 20-40 years stocking sandwich meat out of a box? Know your cuts of meat and how to prepare them. Know what sides go well with a steak meal and where the condiments can be found in the store. Know how to grill different cuts of meat.
People can still make a career out of Kroger even tho there are so many negative attitudes floating around. You have to get into management to make any real money. Learn everything you can as a clerk. Aim for Department head. Choose to stay there or go into store management with goal of going further. If you get to store CEO, don't forget about me! ;)
"If you get to store CEO, don't forget about me! ;)"
Meant to say:
If you go on to Department coordinator, then District coordinator, then Regional Coordinator and find yourself at the top as CEO, don't forget about me! ;)
People can still make a career out of Kroger even tho there are so many negative attitudes floating around. You have to get into management to make any real money. Learn everything you can as a clerk. Aim for Department head. Choose to stay there or go into store management with goal of going further. If you get to store CEO, don't forget about me! ;)
This is definitely true. While i'm not going to shill for Kroger (there's definitely a lot of BS in this company), if you're a decent employee you can make a good income. You just have to be willing to put in the time first. I've worked for Kroger for 5 years, and i'm now a bakery manager. If i work hard enough, i could be moved to a bigger store, and then from there, who knows.
It varies from store to store. At my store, I would say produce is the easiest. I don't work in any of those departments you mentioned but the produce department seems to be the most relaxed. It really depends upon whether you have enough hours and enough good people.
Produce is very relaxing if there is enough good people like this guy stated. But, if you wound up in a Produce department with very few employees and hours, you will work your ass off or be moved to another department. Produce is tedious work and you'll have to learn to deal. It takes about a year of working in Produce to actually become a good Produce clerk. Your first few weeks or even months in Produce will be the worst because you'll feel like you're doing way too much work for little pay, which is true, and the monotony piles onto it. The thing about Produce, at least for me, is that I learn a lot everyday. It's a good department for the true worker, but if you can't hang, like match the pace or output as the department head or backup, don't expect to be given Full Time. You'll be stuck at Part Time, and if you can't still can't keep up, you'll be moved to another department. But a WELL staffed Produce department with people who know what they're doing is magical. It is extremely rare.
At my store, the produce dept is having their hours cut (never mind our sales are great, better than last year at this same time) so the dept will never be in top condition. Just an example of how corrupt and evil Kroger is at their top level.... if they REALLY believed in "customer first" they would HAVE to schedule more worker hours so we can do our jobs properly and take good care of our customers.
Some days are OK, some are fairly easy, others are VERY HARD and STRESSFUL, especially Thurs through Mon.........not enough time to get things done, some days it seems like half the customers have never been in a grocery store before and need a babysitter to guide them through the ordeal of shopping. Ask SO MANY questions, it's hard for me to concentrate on, and finish my work. Items running out while the other worker is gone on lunch (or whatever). Back aching from lifting gobs of bags of potatoes, cases of celery, etc. Walking back and forth from storage area to floor (the produce sales floor area here is NOT close to the storage area......lots of pushing carts loaded down with stuff).
I think the routines are different from store to store.........anyway many days we are so short-staffed, the "proper" cleaning procedures are TOTALLY impossible to complete. markdowns are late, or never get done completely. Dept leader and/or backup don't have time to finish CAO / code dates, mark downs, so it is left for regular clerks who may not have time during the afternoon/evening rush hour.
Produce has it's ups and downs, and lots of stress, but it is definitely getting worse lately since Kroger corporate is getting greedier and greedier as time goes by.
At my store, the produce dept is having their hours cut (never mind our sales are great, better than last year at this same time) so the dept will never be in top condition. Just an example of how corrupt and evil Kroger is at their top level.... if they REALLY believed in "customer first" they would HAVE to schedule more worker hours so we can do our jobs properly and take good care of our customers.
Some days are OK, some are fairly easy, others are VERY HARD and STRESSFUL, especially Thurs through Mon.........not enough time to get things done, some days it seems like half the customers have never been in a grocery store before and need a babysitter to guide them through the ordeal of shopping. Ask SO MANY questions, it's hard for me to concentrate on, and finish my work. Items running out while the other worker is gone on lunch (or whatever). Back aching from lifting gobs of bags of potatoes, cases of celery, etc. Walking back and forth from storage area to floor (the produce sales floor area here is NOT close to the storage area......lots of pushing carts loaded down with stuff).
I think the routines are different from store to store.........anyway many days we are so short-staffed, the "proper" cleaning procedures are TOTALLY impossible to complete. markdowns are late, or never get done completely. Dept leader and/or backup don't have time to finish CAO / code dates, mark downs, so it is left for regular clerks who may not have time during the afternoon/evening rush hour.
Produce has it's ups and downs, and lots of stress, but it is definitely getting worse lately since Kroger corporate is getting greedier and greedier as time goes by.
What are your produce managers doing if they can't even get their jobs done? All CAO stuff should be done as soon as they come in. Including mark downs. The only thing that should be left to evening/rush hour clerks is maintaining the green rack and tables. Your leaders might need to start coming in more early.
Proper cleaning procedures can be done overnight or very early AM.
At my store, the produce dept is having their hours cut (never mind our sales are great, better than last year at this same time) so the dept will never be in top condition. Just an example of how corrupt and evil Kroger is at their top level.... if they REALLY believed in "customer first" they would HAVE to schedule more worker hours so we can do our jobs properly and take good care of our customers.
Some days are OK, some are fairly easy, others are VERY HARD and STRESSFUL, especially Thurs through Mon.........not enough time to get things done, some days it seems like half the customers have never been in a grocery store before and need a babysitter to guide them through the ordeal of shopping. Ask SO MANY questions, it's hard for me to concentrate on, and finish my work. Items running out while the other worker is gone on lunch (or whatever). Back aching from lifting gobs of bags of potatoes, cases of celery, etc. Walking back and forth from storage area to floor (the produce sales floor area here is NOT close to the storage area......lots of pushing carts loaded down with stuff).
I think the routines are different from store to store.........anyway many days we are so short-staffed, the "proper" cleaning procedures are TOTALLY impossible to complete. markdowns are late, or never get done completely. Dept leader and/or backup don't have time to finish CAO / code dates, mark downs, so it is left for regular clerks who may not have time during the afternoon/evening rush hour.
Produce has it's ups and downs, and lots of stress, but it is definitely getting worse lately since Kroger corporate is getting greedier and greedier as time goes by.
What are your produce managers doing if they can't even get their jobs done? All CAO stuff should be done as soon as they come in. Including mark downs. The only thing that should be left to evening/rush hour clerks is maintaining the green rack and tables. Your leaders might need to start coming in more early.
Proper cleaning procedures can be done overnight or very early AM.
Hours have been cut so the produce dept manager and backup are forced to work "regular clerk hours" and fill tables and/or green rack in morning. No hours allotted for 'overnight' in produce at this store unless you mean "3 AM to 6 AM" which consists of one truck person and one front tables person...... Employees who have been fired or quit have not been replaced.........
