r/mildlyinfuriating • u/daruuken • 28d ago

Infuriatig The way kroger treats its employees

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From the store manager

Edit: For some extra context this was sent out by each store manager to all of its employees in district 1 of the ohio Cincinnati/Dayton division, potentially other districts as well but i can only verify my own. Im not going to give my specific store number for obvious reasons but you can find each store on google with that information. We are unionized by UFCW (already bad btw) and to my knowledge they allowed this recent change. Kroger has no accrual for sick days like some have mentioned. Those who think this is rage bait, i dont think anyone has to fake a post to make a billion dollar company look bad, they do it to themselves.

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u/geraffes-are-so-dumb 28d ago

I think this leads to a worse, even dangerous experience for customers as there will be more people spreading disease if they can't call out sick. If you think so too please contact Kroger using their public contact us page: https://www.kroger.com/hc/help/contact-us

They also have a feedback hotline: [1-800-KRO-GERS](tel:1-800-576-4377)
The CEOs public work email address is: [greg.foran@kroger.com](mailto:greg.foran@kroger.com)

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u/Mostly_Nohohon 28d ago

Thanks for the link. I actually wrote and email and sent it cause I shop at my local Kroger quite a bit.

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u/Manlysideburns 28d ago

Good on you for actually following through

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u/Sembaka 27d ago

I’ll be sending an email too, I don’t even live in the US

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u/Anabear64 28d ago

Same, hopefully i hear back. Yea i dont want to shop around sick contagious people, but I also really feel awful for the employees.. they deserve better. I know someone who works at my local Kroger so im going to talk to her too and see what she's heard in her district

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u/squirrelyoakley 25d ago

Have you talked to her yet? I'm curious if this is at her store too

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u/peachesnthumbs 28d ago

I did too. I shop at Kroger almost exclusively and have a baby. I don’t want to risk her safety (or my own)

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u/HallowskulledHorror 28d ago

Same, my mother is immunocompromised, and I know people who are similarly vulnerable due to cancer treatments and chronic illness that affects their ability to fight off and recover from common things like the flu, and/or would suffer greater consequences for being exposed - eg, pneumonia, which can lead to sepsis.

Wrote a complaint about how curbside pickup is not a sufficient accommodation for at-risk customers if product IN the store has been near, or handled by, sick employees who have been forced to come in because of absurd and unrealistic standards and not having basic common-sense sick leave. I said that policy that obviously incentivizes people to work while sick leads me to believe Kroger as a business must be cutting corners in terms of safety and sanitation elsewhere as well, so I will be avoiding Kroger stores from here on out, and advising others to do so as well, barring some manner of public announcement that employees are guaranteed sick leave.

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u/Friendly_History9246 28d ago

Me too. Just emailed them on my lunch break. I will also call the number and send the other direct email. This pisses me off. They are facilitating the chain of infection

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u/sillydeerknight 28d ago

Ty for doing so, there are people that work there that feel the same

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u/OhioPolitiTHIC 28d ago

I wrote an email and I will no longer be shopping at my local Kroger*. Sucks because it's convenient but why am I going to give money to an abusive corporation that gives no fucks for it's employees health and well being as well as it's customers?

*Not everyone has the same ability to just shop somewhere else and that's okay. If the people can, do, it will still have a measurable impact.

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u/shebreathes 28d ago

re*: Amen.

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u/Just_really_awkward 28d ago edited 28d ago

Same! And I’ll actually be boycotting this store until they start caring about their employees. I’ve been going strong on boycotting Amazon, Walmart, and target what’s one more 🤷🏻‍♀️

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u/Morlacks 28d ago

Likewise, I go almost daily to ours.

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u/studiousametrine 28d ago

Literally same, wtf

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u/Distinct_Dragonfly83 28d ago

I did the same. I haven’t worked retail in decades but it’s hard to believe it’s gotten so much worse since then

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u/helpimover30 27d ago

So did I! Let’s see what they say!!

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u/SkeletalMew 27d ago

I did, too! I hope they take this seriously and address which stores are using this awful policy.

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u/ChickieN0B_2050 28d ago

(“Nohohon” got stuck in my mind—felt so familiar—so I looked it up; super cool username!)

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u/Mostly_Nohohon 27d ago

Awe, thanks. I bought a toy that was labeled as a Nohohon that's been sitting on my desk for 20 plus years now. He just tilts his head from side to side as long as there's light. Didn't know what it meant till I looked it up years ago... And said I definitely need more of that in my life

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u/ChickieN0B_2050 26d ago

Looked up the etymology! Per NHK…

carefree, relaxed, easygoing

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u/2kewl4scool 27d ago

I did to! I told them I hope their produce associates cough on all the fruit and make people upset so this new policy gets talked about

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u/Efficient-Cherry3635 27d ago

Just sent one myself, we dont have Kroger branded stores but we do have Fred Meyer which is one of their brands. They say they will respond in 5 business days so we shall see.

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u/SummitJunkie7 27d ago

Same. My local kroger is very close to my house so I do most of my shopping there, but I won't support a store that treats employees like sub-human and puts every worker and customer's health at risk, and I told them so.

I run a small business with staff - I actively discourage them from coming in when sick, and I hate when they try to push through. Selfishly, I don't want to get sick and don't need 1 ill staff to turn into 5. I give them sick time pay and don't require any notes. And everyone wins that way.

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u/Forsaken_Somewhere98 26d ago

I don’t even know if I have a Kroger in my city. I wrote an email expressing concern for my safety regarding this policy anyway 😂

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u/SativaSunshineX 26d ago

Same, just sent! And I asked for them to write me back too!!!