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  • Working at the front-end

    Warning... long post.

    Changes have taken place at the Kroger I work at.

    The front-end employees were given training by one of the supervisors due to complaints from customers. There is a front-end coordinator who is over several stores who received these complaints and came up with the training. The training was supposed to make the checkout process go faster. I have done what I can with the training I received, and I find ways to be as productive and efficient as possible. The front-end coordinator wants our q vision score *which I am guessing is the total time customers are waiting in line and how long it takes to be checked out.* But our customers and our courtesy clerks play a role in the checkout process as well. Some customers have their act together. Some do not.

    Then there is an ongoing problem with not enough courtesy clerks to bag our customers groceries. The front-end coordinator does not want more than 10 carts in the parking lot at any given time. I overheard this from the assistant front-end manager when I was working one day a couple of weeks ago. So the answer is to use existing courtesy clerk staff to get the carts in the parking lot, sack groceries, take perishable rejects back to where they belong, as well as other duties.

    I have had to deal with customers who are not happy about having to bag their own groceries even when I am helping them bag.

    Then there are the courtesy clerks who are not happy with changes at the front-end. Not happy to the point that their attitude affects their job, and they get into arguments with customers or are telling store management about the ongoing problems. An older courtesy clerk got into an argument with a customer of mine earlier this week. It got to the point that the customer requested a manager. While I called over for a manager to come down to the front-end, one of the supervisors came over and motioned for the courtesy clerk to leave so she could sack the customers groceries. The customer cursed at both of us to hurry up because he wanted to leave.

    Then the next day while I was in the break room I overheard this courtesy clerk and another courtesy clerk say "I am happy with the hours I get as long as I get what I need. I do not need to complain about anything else."

    Yesterday I completed the annual employee satisfaction survey. I answered the questions the way I wanted to. Not the way Kroger wants me to. I also left comments about what should be done to improve things.

  • #2
    Maximum 10 carts is ridiculous for a busy store. I've been peeved that my grocery store doesn't have any baggers anymore. There used to be one lane with a bagger. I mostly go to a different store now. They'll get more complaints both about having to bag their own and about how it takes longer to check out. But your manager will get a bonus for implementing changes.

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    • #3
      That 10-cart limit absolutely is stupid for anything other than a small mom-and-pop store! I wonder what bright spark came up with that.

      That is probably my biggest complaint with retail: upper management that hasn't got a clue what is going on in real life, but doesn't hesitate to set unreasonable goals for the staff. As you say, some customers have got it together at the checkout ... and some don't. What exactly does management suggest you do with the latter? Hand them their stuff and tell them to come back and pay later?

      Sorry to hear you are dealing with this. I hope somebody in management is paying some attention to those surveys.
      Customer service: More efficient than a Dementor's kiss
      ~ Mr Hero

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      • #4
        Today was interesting.

        I worked 9 to 5 today.

        A Kroger big wig came for a visit to the store I work at.

        To keep the front-end employees motivated and the front-end coordinator coordinator happy, Kroger is pushing the double fuel points Friday through Sunday and the surveys. The cashier have to scan the double fuel points coupon at our register whenever someone checks out, and announce it over the intercom. One of the supervisors this morning actually called me on the phone that was at the register I was assigned to today and told me that we need to sound obnoxious when announcing this. Why in the world Kroger thinks this is ok is beyond me.

        To keep the front-end coordinator happy, the location I work at wants our customers to fill out the surveys and state that they are highly satisfied. I just mention the survey, and I circle it.

        Just pay us more instead of having us jump through these hoops.

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        • #5
          Used to work at King Soopers qvision is people coming into the store people in line and how many registers are open.

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          • #6
            I loved doimg those surveys but the open ended ones did not have enough room for all my true feelings.

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            • #7
              I certainly do understand how frustrating it is to be timed when most of your times depend on your customers having their act together.

              I'm timed on how fast I can complete a food stamp interview. I understand why new customers don't know what I'm going to be asking for, but people who have been in the system for years and don't bring their paystubs or whatever really privately tick me off.

              Now I have a choice. Do I take the pend, require the customer to return with the information and keep my time down, or go overtime while calling the employer to chase down the right person who can give me payroll information so the customer doesn't have to come back?

              And this friends and neighbors, is why you should always be nice and polite to people who are trying to help you because my choice is dictated by how my customer has treated me.

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