I just became frozen lead, and I was looking for any tips or advice that anyone could give me. I was a day time Meat Clerk, been with Kroger for a year. So the position was a 4 dollar raise for me, so I took it. Our store seems to have a high turn overrate for Frozen Lead.
Frozen is the least loved of the grocery dept. less hours, less attention, less staff. Its cold and dark and easy to get out of control due to constrained spaces and quick turnover of product. Let alone, everyone will completely dismiss you because its just frozen. People like to say its the easiest dept. I like to say the top level of hell is still hell. Dont let management run you over and focus on your job. Try to get a fast stocker in your dept and hold onto em like glue. A third shifter if possible will help a lot as well. Wrap your skids with the coat and you can have it out longer. Keep up on your counts and residuals and take them seriously, it will help maintain your backstock. Wear gloves when you condition at least, its actually colder when you condition because your hands are in the door longer. Wear a thinner jacket and a long sleeve underneath. Heavy coats will only weigh you down and knock things over. Youll get used to the cold after about 4 months.
When it comes to dealing with other depts ****, pick what youre going to do and just do it. Drag that bakery stuff to them and drop it, or get on them and STAY on them to clear it out. Same with meat, starbucks, deli... whatever. Talk to them and ask what they prefer and just do it. Expect fights and bitching. Expect them to ask you to do their job.
And stay on your vendors. Make sure theyre coming in enough and working what they need.
And dont over order ****ty sales. Youll regret that after 4 months of sitting on its backstock. Go hog wild on the good stuff though. People will buy the **** out of pizza rolls. But organic pint ice cream? Nah.
People still buy ice cream in winter, but you wont be able to keep your popsicles stocked in the summer depending on your store size. Especially memorial day, 4th of july, and labor day.
Watch out for school being off and three day weekends with ice cream, pizzas, family meals etc. Also football games with appetizers and chicken.
Christmas is a big breakfast seller. Eggos go fast when theyre on sale. Get used to sticking loads of those every truck. Thanksgiving will wipe you everyday of veggies, pies, and whip cream. If your store isparticularly health conscious, watch for your spinach in bags and chopped fruits for smoothies. Also, organic pizzas. People love those.
-- Edited by GreyKnitHat on Tuesday 19th of February 2019 11:23:39 AM
-- Edited by GreyKnitHat on Tuesday 19th of February 2019 11:26:02 AM
Our store is the same. The frozen guy's backroom, WOAH. If I could give you a picture, you'd fall over. It's real bad. I mean, REALLY bad. Anyways. This is what you wanna' do. Make sure your BOHs are top notch and accurate as possible. If there's alot of back stock, do a light order until all of it is gone. If marking down the typical Kroger bull**** like distros or a ton of backstock from the last lead, always deactivate than mark down so you won't get another. Do this until all of it is gone. Consolidate your floats to just six. Two for each aisle. Slow movers are to the back always, and mark them down with a marker to let you know you've done it. Always remember to have time for ordering. Shouldn't take you but 40 minutes flat, an hour+ if you're conditioning. Have one night devoted to backstock night. Ours is Monday night. That means all of the backstock is done that night. Sometimes the person does displays that night so he wouldn't have to do it or you're stuck with display on a Tuesday night and that's truck night. Always be fast when doing frozen and condition on the way as well. Good luck. Frozen is easy so don't sweat it.
-- Edited by OvernightHero on Tuesday 19th of February 2019 12:02:14 PM
Frozen is the least loved of the grocery dept. less hours, less attention, less staff. Its cold and dark and easy to get out of control due to constrained spaces and quick turnover of product. Let alone, everyone will completely dismiss you because its just frozen. People like to say its the easiest dept. I like to say the top level of hell is still hell. Dont let management run you over and focus on your job. Try to get a fast stocker in your dept and hold onto em like glue. A third shifter if possible will help a lot as well. Wrap your skids with the coat and you can have it out longer. Keep up on your counts and residuals and take them seriously, it will help maintain your backstock. Wear gloves when you condition at least, its actually colder when you condition because your hands are in the door longer. Wear a thinner jacket and a long sleeve underneath. Heavy coats will only weigh you down and knock things over. Youll get used to the cold after about 4 months.
When it comes to dealing with other depts ****, pick what youre going to do and just do it. Drag that bakery stuff to them and drop it, or get on them and STAY on them to clear it out. Same with meat, starbucks, deli... whatever. Talk to them and ask what they prefer and just do it. Expect fights and bitching. Expect them to ask you to do their job.
And stay on your vendors. Make sure theyre coming in enough and working what they need.
And dont over order ****ty sales. Youll regret that after 4 months of sitting on its backstock. Go hog wild on the good stuff though. People will buy the **** out of pizza rolls. But organic pint ice cream? Nah.
People still buy ice cream in winter, but you wont be able to keep your popsicles stocked in the summer depending on your store size. Especially memorial day, 4th of july, and labor day.
Watch out for school being off and three day weekends with ice cream, pizzas, family meals etc. Also football games with appetizers and chicken.
Christmas is a big breakfast seller. Eggos go fast when theyre on sale. Get used to sticking loads of those every truck. Thanksgiving will wipe you everyday of veggies, pies, and whip cream. If your store isparticularly health conscious, watch for your spinach in bags and chopped fruits for smoothies. Also, organic pizzas. People love those.
-- Edited by GreyKnitHat on Tuesday 19th of February 2019 11:23:39 AM
-- Edited by GreyKnitHat on Tuesday 19th of February 2019 11:26:02 AM
Boom, there you go. I agree with the vendors. Get their phone numbers OP and tell them not to pack up the backroom and displays. This was a big problem when I was in frozen. Vendors will pack out your displays and it's a bitch to remove it for the next sales plan.
Thanks for all the info, as of right now I don't even know where half of this stuff is, and stocking takes me longer than it should, because of that. As far as help it's just me, and a 6 hour guy on my 2 days off. I was told by the last lead, that he doesn't usually finish trucks, and he doesn't use the gun at all. The guy who just left it never conditioned, he said he ordered to make full, the first night of conditioning took me near 3 hours, there was so much random junk thrown in those freezers. He told me to scan every item everyday, and order about 1 of everything do you agree with that?
Thanks for all the info, as of right now I don't even know where half of this stuff is, and stocking takes me longer than it should, because of that. As far as help it's just me, and a 6 hour guy on my 2 days off. I was told by the last lead, that he doesn't usually finish trucks, and he doesn't use the gun at all. The guy who just left it never conditioned, he said he ordered to make full, the first night of conditioning took me near 3 hours, there was so much random junk thrown in those freezers. He told me to scan every item everyday, and order about 1 of everything do you agree with that?
HELL no. If it's in the back, cut your order on the product. If the residuals are updated, It should knock the order down. If kroger sends way too much distros, deactivate the product and mark it down til it's out. Keep the product if you're gonna' be using it for a display. Never scan every item, only holes or order more for a big sale. 6 hours? That's awesome. But you should finish the whole entire truck with two people. Some can't move as fast and some can. I do about 80 cases an hour in Dry Grocery on a good day and more if it's spotted. Frozen usually faster.
The 6 hours is only if i'm off that day so it's only me working the truck not 2 people.
If the guy's a lead butt, get him to move faster that's all I can say. Frozen is hands down one of the most overturned departments in Kroger. Most people don't last or want to do it. Takes alot of work and you have to be fast. If not, you're gonna' be overwhelmed with left over truck. You can do it though.
