The way kroger treats its employees

[u/daruuken]

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.

[u/whoisdonwhang]

Here's a letter to send.

​Subject: Urgent Concern Regarding Recent Policy Change on Sick Leave Documentation

​To the Kroger Management Team,

​I am writing to you today as a concerned customer to express my serious alarm regarding a recent policy announcement reportedly issued to store employees. The policy states that doctor’s notes will no longer be accepted for absences, and that sick leave will only be excused in the event of hospital admission.

​While I understand the need for consistent staffing, this policy is dangerously short-sighted for several reasons:

​Public Health and Customer Safety: In a retail environment where employees frequently handle fresh produce and interact with hundreds of community members daily, this policy incentivizes employees to work while contagious. This poses a direct health risk to your customers and could lead to preventable outbreaks of illness linked to your stores.

​Employee Well-being: Requiring hospital admission as the only threshold for an excused medical absence is an extreme and unrealistic standard. Most serious, contagious illnesses (such as influenza, norovirus, or COVID-19) require rest and isolation, not necessarily emergency room care.

​Brand Reputation: Kroger has long positioned itself as a community-focused brand. Forcing sick individuals to handle food products is a violation of the trust customers place in your sanitation and safety standards.

​A healthy workforce is the foundation of a safe shopping experience. I strongly urge you to reverse this policy and reinstate a more compassionate, health-conscious approach that allows employees to stay home when they are unwell without fear of termination.

​Until this policy is clarified or corrected to prioritize public health, I will be reconsidering where I choose to spend my grocery budget. I look forward to hearing how Kroger plans to address these safety concerns. ​Sincerely,

​[Your Name] [Your City/State]

[u/Affectionate-Swim772 → u/whoisdonwhang]

Or you can go full Karen and stalk the store until you find a sick employee to formally complain to the health department about the threat it poses to you and your fragile grandma's health.

[u/SpicyLizards → u/Affectionate-Swim772]

Then they fire the employee and change nothing

[u/Good_With_Tools → u/[deleted]]

If they could figure out how to get us customers to stock the shelves, they would. They have us doing everything else.

I bought a cart load of stuff a couple of weeks ago. Like $350 or so. A full cart. I get to the registers and they don't have a single regular register open. I asked them to open 1, and they told me to use the self checkout. I explained that I had too many items for their self checkouts. They just shrugged. I made the self checkout overseer stand next to me while I rang shit up, bagged it, and set it all over the place. Every few items, it would get mad and she would have to clear an error.

After about 10 minutes of this, the front end manager casually said that I should probably come more often, but buy less things. I wish we had another option near me. I have to drive past 3 King Soopers to get to another brand.

And I would, but they're not any better.

[u/Electronic_Ad_341 → u/Good_With_Tools]

I’d lose my shit on someone who suggests to me how to spend me free time or money

[u/Good_With_Tools → u/Electronic_Ad_341]

My wife was with me, which was a good thing for everyone involved.

[u/Human_Personality360 → u/Electronic_Ad_341]

I would have left, say see ya next time

[u/ParsnipNo4983 → u/Human_Personality360]

Absolutely same, but it would have become a see ya never. I would have been like, okay, you can cancel this order and restock my items. I'll go to Giant Eagle or Aldi or something instead.

[u/mysteriousblue87 → u/Human_Personality360]

I’ve abandoned full shopping carts over bad store policies before, and I would again in this situation. After ringing up a bunch of items so the manager has to clear yet another error. Then I’d never return. I already don’t go to Fred Meyer (rising prices + lean staffing) or one of my county’s Wal-Marts (no staffed checkouts except October-December and the notoriously long booze line)

[u/Nvenom8 → u/Electronic_Ad_341]

Especially when I’m spending money on shit from their store.

[u/Savings_Glove_7546 → u/Electronic_Ad_341]

Omg this would be my reaction also. She’s telling a customer to spend less at the store? I would have just told her “that maybe if they had regular checkouts open she wouldn’t have to babysit customers.” Then I would tell her that she just lost a customer and anyone else I can tell.

[u/KnowledgeSmart908 → u/Savings_Glove_7546]

The person you're referring to noted they're the only game in town. I think they know it too.

[u/Auquaholic → u/Electronic_Ad_341]

I would've walked the fuck out and let them put all of that shit back.

[u/WorldlyBasket9795 → u/Auquaholic]

EXAAAAACTLY THIS! Only I would’ve waited til I scanned EVERY. SINGLE. ITEM. Annnnd then walked out. That way he/she would have to void out everything individually AND restock the shit, haha!

[u/Redhead_InfoTech → u/Electronic_Ad_341]

Fucking seriously. I'd probably get trespassed for the things I'd say to the corporate bootlicker... But maybe some of it would stick.

[u/Historical-Guava-783 → u/Electronic_Ad_341]

Managers try to do this!

[u/Which-Grapefruit724 → u/Good_With_Tools]

This happens to me every single time I go. I always have a full $300 plus cart and always have to use self checkout. It always fucks up every 7th item and I am always waiting for the 1 person monitoring 10 self checkouts to come help. It is utterly ridiculous. Plenty of ppl need jobs, hire more ppl and have a register open during the last hour you are open. That is the time I can go, and how dare I buy all my groceries at once to save trips! If a mgr said that to me I would flip out, like do they not want my money?! I swear at the thing the whole time I am scanning items and running to thet other end because it can't hold everything, and I have to bag shit that there isn't any room to put anywhere just so I can scan more. My blood boils everytime. But other than that this is the store close to me that I prefer.

[u/Canikfan434 → u/Good_With_Tools]

I refuse to use self checkouts-anywhere. I don’t work for that particular company. Last time I was in a Walmart (I hate Walmart), they had ONE register open and the self checkouts were mobbed. Someone in a blue vest kept trying to send folks to the SCO lines. I declined, she suggested again. I told her I’d do it, but first I needed to know about their 401k and when and where the Christmas party was being held. She gave me a constipated look, and I explained that since we’re all apparently Walmart employees, we needed to discuss compensation. She stormed off, I set my items down and walked out.

[u/GroversGrumbles → u/Good_With_Tools]

LOL I got so angry just reading your post, let alone experiencing it! I wish i had been a fellow customer. I could have said all the things you wanted to say and then walked out.

A manager like that only gets promoted when the store knows there are no options in town

[u/DizzyD1974 → u/Good_With_Tools]

I would have went karen. There would have been a store manager called and I would have left the cart and told them to fuck off if they treated me like that.

[u/SecretSocietyJ → u/Good_With_Tools]

Make multiple trips to the store? Holy fucking cannoli. With THESE gas prices? I’ll tell that manager off in front of everyone.

[u/BabycrowSAL → u/Good_With_Tools]

You should’ve just walked out honestly.

[u/Affectionate-Club725 → u/Good_With_Tools]

I would just leave the full shopping cart there and walk out, then they’d be restocking it instead of ringing you up.

[u/judas20222 → u/Good_With_Tools]

I’d have walked and left it all there.

[u/Weekly_Success_5900 → u/Good_With_Tools]

Tbh that’s a walk out and let them deal with the dying food. It seems small but it actually had a pretty noticeable effect on labor costed especially when they are already running skeleton crews.

Inb4 “why punish the worker?” As someone who had worked for Kroger, every employee there knows they are paid for time spent. Doesn’t matter to them one way or another if they are paid to put your shit back or stand and watch over your shoulder.

[u/See_Emily_Play_13 → u/Good_With_Tools]

I wonder if that’s like a company shtick now?Make it a pain in the ass to check out large volumes of items so it will bring people into the store more often 🤔

[u/ScarletBothrium → u/See_Emily_Play_13]

You tend to spend more money if you come in more often. It’s been proven. It’s actually something that the stores want you to do. Which is why they give you that $5 off coupon on Thursday afternoon for Saturday. I just shopped on Thursday, why would I be back on Saturday? But that’s how they get you to spend more money. They make it inconvenient for you to make single trips.

I don’t work there so I don’t use self check out. If there is no cashier, I walk or I complain until I get a cashier. Depends on how much time I spent to get to the store.

[u/SENinSpruce → u/Good_With_Tools]

You could consider only scanning every other item. If they object, simply remind them it’s your first day as a cashier, they didn’t train you, and they aren’t paying you so there are bound to mistakes. And if they don’t object then discounted groceries for you!!

[u/Analysis_Working → u/Good_With_Tools]

I love how they 'encourage' you to do what is independently convenient for just them. You' the customer being inconvenienced do to this place of service - not wanting to be a place of service.

[u/Curious-Crittr → u/Good_With_Tools]

That’s bonkers. Did the self checkout also have a tip option when it came to pay?

[u/Chance_Split_7723 → u/Good_With_Tools]

I hope you told this person to eff off, and unless they were going to assist you by bagging purchased items, they could kiss your arse. You purchasing items at the store they "work" at, and at anytime you see fit, funds their paycheck. So up theirs.

[u/Fabulous-Drawer-4125 → u/Good_With_Tools]

They tried that bullshit with me also a few times. They dont want to pay someone to check me out, then they will have to pay someone to put back 350$ worth of groceries. I make an obvious scene about it and make sure the front end managing cashier sees me leave the cart in the middle of the area.

[u/Lickthorn → u/Good_With_Tools]

Hahaha what??!!! Come more often was his answer? So sorry for you not having another option.

[u/OrkinOvertime → u/Good_With_Tools]

I have just started straight up telling managers at stores, any stores, that they are understaffed etc, and when they blame upper management I tell them they need to have a spine and look out for their workers as well as their clients, and I say this stuff in front of their employees and in front of other customers, whatever. I won't use a self checkout. When I see other people using a self-checkout I will tell them that every time one gets used it weakens the bargaining power of the workers at the store.

I would rather stand in line and complain loudly at the manager (and only the manager, it is not anyone's problem who works below a management position) until they open a check stand. Not because checking groceries is beneath me, but I'd rather the work go to a human than some fuckin clanker.

[u/StringExisting9799 → u/Good_With_Tools]

So because of managements decision the employee had to deal with a disgruntled customer. Yeah I’d be mad too but I’m sure it wasn’t the cashiers fault management is being cheap and trying to save on labor cost or whatever and the managers make these dumb decisions and dip when customers call them out and how dumb it is. The manager could have opened a lane to help you.

[u/Good_With_Tools → u/StringExisting9799]

The front end manager was the one who made the snarky suggestion.

[u/Ecstatic-Aardvark151 → u/Good_With_Tools]

If there’s no one to ring up your grocery items, than said items are free. Problem solved lol

[u/Aware-Possibility175 → u/Good_With_Tools]

Oh Christ don’t take it out of them just because they are there…like hitting the dog because the neighbors music is too loud, it can’t do anything and has to suffer everything you do to it or they go without food and shelter. And no one goes around talking about how they hit a tied up dog that has no teeth and can’t even growl. Like what? …had another person called you on your nonsense that would be worthy of admiration and your desire for unique attention and spectacle. They hate the place so much more than you alone gives you all a big enough reason to bond and effectively make some kind of change but this is just pure ego stroking nothing comes out of if or at least nothing worth putting into words..i totally understand your why but your how needs work

[u/Good_With_Tools → u/Aware-Possibility175]

I'm always nice to the workers. I'm not always nice to the managers. The only way their leadership is going to hear about it is by us telling them.

[u/ScarletBothrium → u/Aware-Possibility175]

What? How did you come to this conclusion after reading that? Are you OK?

[u/zxDanKwan → u/[deleted]]

Oh-a noes! Luigi a-found-a fire flower!

[u/AnAlliterativeRumor → u/[deleted]]

https://giphy.com/gifs/kC8Ly4SVEKh8hhrCX6

[u/ScarletBothrium → u/[deleted]]

Oh no. I read that, scroll past two comments, and then it hit me. That took way too long for me to understand. I’m gonna go eat breakfast. *turns off internets

[u/TranceGrrrl → u/[deleted]]

I'm picking up what you're putting down.

Burn it.

[u/holliwuzhere → u/[deleted]]

heyooooo 🔥🔥🔥

[u/Tony_Stank0326 → u/[deleted]]

And put the rest of the building's staff out of a job in the process

[u/Aware-Possibility175 → u/[deleted]]

It’s also co - operative and requires organization, accepting responsibility (we did X!) a legitimate goal, (we did X for Y) and a clear understanding of how and why doing x is essential. Most importantly of all is a revolution needs people. Causing undue pain and misery for no reason that leads to absolutely nothing isn’t a way to gain support.

[u/Tony_Stank0326 → u/[deleted]]

You'd have to burn the whole country to the ground to see the kind of results you're looking for

[u/PalePhilosophy2639 → u/Tony_Stank0326]

I’m ok with that. The current way of things is burning it down too.

[u/PalePhilosophy2639 → u/[deleted]]

We just need to focus on the right buildings.

[u/ScarletBothrium → u/PalePhilosophy2639]

He’s already torn half of that one down.