Hours at Kroger are still being cut

[KellyHabersham]

I think that many stores and restaurants have an unrealistic expectation when it comes to budgeting out labour. I can understand that they want to make a profit, but if there's not enough staff people aren't going to want to come back. I'm the sort that would prefer to schedule too many so that we're fully covered than to try to run a bare-bones operation. As long as there is still some profit to be made it should be good, right?

The same thing happens with government jobs - I know a public library isn't the same as a store or restaurant, but sometimes it seems like those in city management would rather we run a bare-bones operation rather than give us permission to hire (or at least pick up extra hours).

[EricKei]

The idea behind percentage-based labor is that (hopefully) instead of just understaffing from the beginning, you try and predict how much labor you'll need, and (especially in foodservice) try to overstaff a little during rushes, knowing that you can send some folks home if it's not busy enough.

[wolfie]

try to overstaff a little during rushes, knowing that you can send some folks home if it's not busy enough.

Of course, this means that workers who have budgeted based on the hours that they are scheduled for, but get fewer because they were cut "for business needs", wind up unable to pay their bills, and go looking for a better job. That goes double if they had to turn down a shift at their other job because it would have conflicted with the shift that got cut - but if they'd known the true length of the shift they could have taken it. Staff turnover ain't free.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

"Business needs" is the phrase one company I worked for used to justify screwing up employee schedules and metrics. I could never understand how demoralizing your workforce was good for business.

Who gives a shit about "good for business?" As I said before, the CEO's job is to give all the important people big piles of money to swim through Scrooge McDuck-style.

One thing I will say about the swamp--if we need to cut shifts due to poor sales or being over on payroll, it's always on a voluntary basis. There's always somebody willing to cut out early.

[eltf177]

...I was still trying to get it through their heads that we needed more staff on, especially during lunch and dinner rushes if we wanted to avoid walk-outs because of the line going out the door.

...but if there's not enough staff people aren't going to want to come back.

I can't understand why corporate won't grasp this simple fact - saving too much money on staff means nothing when customers, frustrated that they can't get help or waited on or checked out, walk out never to return!

[snugglegirl05]

Update

I spoke to some of my co-workers who have been working at the location I am currently working at much longer than I have. One of my co-workers told me this Tuesday when I asked him how things were going that he was asked to fill out their yearly survey regarding how happy or unhappy you, the employee, is.

He told me that he mentioned on the survey that this location is hiring too many people and cutting back on the hours for the long-term employees who have been working between 30 and 35 hours a week. The only employees who have been getting 40 hours are the ones who are classified as full-time. He also mentioned on the survey that everyone who was originally working at least 30 hours a week should be continuously working that many hours a week.

I also had an appointment with my personal counselor today. She mentioned that I need to find out the long-term plans for this location regarding staffing and how many hours a week I will be working. Will I be working 15 ti 20 hours a week until further notice or will my hours increase to 30 hours a week in the near future? I need to find out exactly what will happen so I can plan accordingly because I need to be continuously working that many hours a week.

Our work schedule is posted every Friday. So I will find out tomorrow what my hours are next week. Then I will go from there.

If I am still working 15 to 20 hours a week, I will notify my counselor at the state agency as well as the vendor/job coach I was assigned to and let them know what needs to be done.

[workerbee222]

THREE percent? Please tell me you meant twenty-three...? Three is unrealistically low, unless the stuff sold there was priced well beyond the wildest dreams of avarice, and plenty of customers with more money than sense who didn't care what they spent...

We sold fabrics and crafts. It was during the Eighties. People came in and purchased patterns to make ET costumes and the half-dozen or so different kinds of fabric to make them.

It might not have been That low, maybe the bonus was three percent for not going over budget. I remember the higher grossing the store, the lower the percentage was, because you were supposed to be operating more efficiently. The chain has since one the way of the Dodo bird, and interestingly not for bad service. People stopped making clothing with good quality fabric and began making crafts out of cheap fabric.

[snugglegirl05]

Update

Our landlord requested paycheck stubs from me on Friday. So I give the office copies of what I was able to find, but what I am making per week, which varies, is not workable for her.

My husband and I live in government subsidized housing. Our landlord needs an accurate amount of what I am making per week as well as how many hours I work per week. But what I work per week varies between 15 and 24 hours a week.

She said that since I did not turn in a wage verification sheet 10 days after I started working for Kroger, I probably will owe back rent from May through July.

The problem is that Kroger would not have been able to give her an accurate amount of hours I work per week as well as how much I make per pay period back then since my schedule would vary.

So I was given a wage verification sheet by our landlord for Kroger to complete. I will give Kroger the name of our landlord as well as the phone number where she can be reached.

I have a feeling that she will not be happy with the information the Kroger states on the income verification sheet.

This is just frustrating for me and for my husband.

Both of us know that our landlord expects me to be working a minimum of 30 hours a week, which is what full-time is where we live, but I am not. I have only been working for Kroger since May. I am in no position to literally demand that many hours per week. The reason why is because previously I was working 40 hours a week before I was laid off from my last job.

[Food Lady]

I'm getting 16 hours next week. I wish I was on subsidized housing. I have a tiny bit of savings and credit cards to get me through. Charity is my next step if it gets bad. I don't know why employers do this to full-timers.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

I don't know why employers do this to full-timers.

To make them not full-timers any more.

[snugglegirl05]

Another update

I was asked yesterday at work if I would like to fill out the annual employee survey regarding how happy/unhappy I am regarding my job. I jumped at the chance to do this since our landlord has requested my employer complete paperwork regarding how many hours I am currently working per week.

One particular question was...

How satisfied are you with your job?

So I chose the option "I am partially satisfied and partially unsatisfied with my job"

The next screen had a comment box and so I entered the following comment...

My husband and I live in city government income based subsidized housing. Our landlord's expectation is that since I 1) do not have any type of documented limitation preventing me from working a minimum of 30 hours a week, and 2) was working 40 hours a week at my last job, I should be continuously working a minimum of 30 hours a week at any job I get. She expects me to pull my weight employment wise, which I am not currently doing.

Originally I was on the schedule for 24.25 hours this week, but I got a call from Kroger asking me if I would like to work this Saturday from 9 to 5. I said yes. That means I will be paid for 32.25 hours on my next paycheck.

The vendor/job coach I was assigned to by the state agency is aware of the paperwork that my landlord requested Kroger complete. She let me know that she will work with me and Kroger to get me more hours per week. I let her know about this Saturday, and she was happy.

I really hope I will be continuously working 30 or more hours a week soon so I can keep our landlord happy.

[Food Lady]

As a full-grown adult running my own household I expect to be working 40 hours a week, but no employer here wants to give anyone that.

[notalwaysright]

As a full-grown adult running my own household I expect to be working 40 hours a week, but no employer here wants to give anyone that.

There are just a few full time positions at my work, and they all come with added heaps of stress. I can think of one full time job at my work that I might, might be able to handle. It's already filled, of course, and it's a moot point because I'm just finishing school so that I can get the heck out of there. The reality is that many companies don't see the value in paying full time staff. It's a bummer, and more of a bummer because "outsiders" (those with full time jobs in other industries) don't have any idea of what the rest of us have to contend with.

[Food Lady]

"outsiders" (those with full time jobs in other industries) don't have any idea of what the rest of us have to contend with.

Some of whom are my friends. One time one of them asked if I could get a full-time waitressing job. Yes, right after I feed my unicorn....

[depechemodefan]

I remember one time at HEB I took home someone elses stuff. The person in front of me bought a bunch of things, one thing was meat from the meat counter. It didn't weight too much, and it was in one bag, so I can see how one item could be missed because it didn't take up much room and the next person in line would pick it up by accident.

The same thing happens with government jobs - I know a public library isn't the same as a store or restaurant, but sometimes it seems like those in city management would rather we run a bare-bones operation rather than give us permission to hire (or at least pick up extra hours).

When I first started to work at the library, there were a lot of senior Library Service Specialist positions. My position, Library Service Specialist, and the senior Library Service Specialists needed only a Bach., but once you got your masters in Library Science, you can apply to be a librarian. So when a bunch of senior Library Service Specialist got their masters and became librarians, I was expecting to apply for a senior position. But the City closed those positions. It was very frustrating because that was the only way I can advance with out a Librarian degree.

Then in 2011, when the economy was in the shitter (it takes a long time for the City to figure out how much in the shitter the economy was), they started to lay off people (esp. people who had FMLA) instead of cutting workers hours. Though the City did also cut library hours. Part of the hours cut were Sunday hours, which was overtime hours. People who depended on overtime hours had a fit.

Back to Krogers, I was one who complained to Krogers, but left out a lot of my details, like ph. number and address. One day I was at the bargain bin and there were Star Wars T-Shirts on sale. I bought one the week before for $5.40, even though the bin had a sign that the shirts were 1/2 off of the $20 regular price. I was going through them while one Krogers worker was talking to a woman stocking the bargin bin area, and the first woman told me, "those are half off" in a pissed off voice. at first I though she was pissed that I was going to make a mess. Anyway, I didn't like the way she talked to me, and I was getting tired of the treatment I got at that store (like a time I was accused of stealing when I came back inside the store because I forgot to buy ice) so I filled an online complaint form. The manager emailed me back asking for more of my details (my ph. number, etc).

I hate complaining, but sometimes when I feel like I'm being treated like crap I need to say something. But I do know there are two sides of the story, so I was interested in what the Krogers worker would say. The only thing I could see I was doing was taking the shirts out, having to unfold them to read the size and see what is on them.
I was also annoyed that the woman didn't know the real price of the shirts, and acting like she did. I can't imagine she can know the price of everything, but if there is a sign, and if I didn't ask, she didn't need to tell me the price.