Hours at Kroger are still being cut

[EricKei]

Yeesh.

My first job ever was actually as a bagger--- excuse me, 'Courtesy clerk' at a Kroger. It was run...meh. Not brilliantly, but not horribly. Got laid off after a few months with no warning nor explanation. Not my fave job ever, but I learned shit. Nowadays -- I'm the neighborhood computer fixit guy. You'd think there would be more business than there is x.x We've got plenty of old money living in Antebellum-era houses nearby. You'd think more of them would need help with their devices that go beep in the night...

I'm in a town where our grocery options are limited to Kroger (expensive, much more so ever since they introduced 'discount' cards) which is actually really well run, the W-Mart next door (not as cheap as they'd like you to think), the smaller grocery chain with the awesome chicken that's out of the way, and the smaller-still chain that advertises itself as a discount grocery, but is actually the most expensive of them all on most staple foods. That, or the c-store that actually has the cheapest milk in town Only one of each, making the outlook pretty bleak.

Weirdest of all -- and I was advised of this when I first moved here 3-4 years ago: My 20-years-younger doppelganger works at Kroger. It's uncanny. People have mistaken me for him more than once, but it's actually kind of a cool thing, because he's a nice guy and has a good reputation. ^_^

[Food Lady]

I've never seen the inside of a Kroger. Of course, I come from the west coast. We had Albertson's, and I imagine it's similar. Here we have a convenience store with bagged milk that's cheap because they have their own dairy. And we have an employee-owned store that's HUGE and is like a Trader Joe's, regular supermarket, liquor store, and natural foods all rolled into one. I like it because they carry a lot of pretend meats. They have several international aisles which are really big (probably at least 30 feet long). And they not only have nearly everything in generic; they have like 10 generic brands of each item to choose from. The mayo aisle alone is two 4-foot sections with maybe 10 shelves each. The dairy department is practically it's own store. I think this store carries more items than Costco. I always say if you can't find it at the price point you want at that store, it doesn't exist! They hire a couple of times a year, but the veterans I've been seeing ever since I moved to this town in 2006. I guess it's stable if you can get in and prove yourself.

[Deserted]

Depending on where on the west coast you're from, you may have been inside one of the stores now (or previously) owned by Kroger -- they're all pretty much the same, IMO. Here in Desert Hell, they own Fry's and Smith's (and they rebranded all the old Smitty's stores to Fry's and closed the attached restaurants, the dirty It's just not the same, dammit).

Also, is that employee-owned store WinCo?

[Food Lady]

Also, is that employee-owned store WinCo?

No, but from what my mom says I'd love to have a WinCo!

[Seanette]

There are several in my area. Generally good places to shop.

[Food Lady]

She likes the bulk bins. Need just a tablespoon of cinnamon for a recipe? You can get it. I want that!

[notalwaysright]

She likes the bulk bins. Need just a tablespoon of cinnamon for a recipe? You can get it. I want that!

The bulk bins are the best, really the best. However the only location I've ever shopped in, the one in my town, is not great. It has excellent prices on things I don't buy, like processed food and meat (not a veggie, I just don't buy much) and their produce section is the worst I've ever seen. I've also heard both good and bad experiences from people who work there. I would not recommend ours except for the bulk section. Again, that section is amazing and completely worth a separate trip. Many people in my town would vehemently disagree with my opinion of this store. So... Yeah.

[snugglegirl05]

My hours went up then they went down

I was working 30 hours a week or more in July, but as of this past Friday, I am scheduled to work 18.75 hours.

That is not enough for me at all.

What I do not understand is that other cashiers are getting between 40 and 30 hours a week, while others, including me, are getting less than 20.

Kroger has been informed twice that I need to be working a minimum of 30 hours a week every week. The last time they were informed was this past Friday when I got my schedule. I left a note in my register stating that even though my husband works, our combined income with my working 18.75 hours a week will not be enough to pay our rent and that our rent went up in July.

This is frustrating to me.

I am underemployed, and I need to be working more hours than this.

[Dreamstalker]

I'm in the same boat. I try to get as many hours as I'm allowed, but even 30 isn't enough (it would be if $10/hr was my actual take-home pay, but that's best left to Fratching). I'm looking for whatever I can right now. Our rent goes up tomorrow. I'm seeing newbies getting more hours than I am (cuz they cost less).

How many hours I can get in excess of what the schedule says almost seems to be dependent on the manager; Shithead or P don't care if competent people stay late as they know the store can't function on what we're given, D acts as if every minute of "overtime" is coming out of his pocket personally.

[snugglegirl05]

I'm in the same boat. I try to get as many hours as I'm allowed, but even 30 isn't enough (it would be if $10/hr was my actual take-home pay, but that's best left to Fratching). I'm looking for whatever I can right now. Our rent goes up tomorrow. I'm seeing newbies getting more hours than I am (cuz they cost less).

How many hours I can get in excess of what the schedule says almost seems to be dependent on the manager; Shithead or P don't care if competent people stay late as they know the store can't function on what we're given, D acts as if every minute of "overtime" is coming out of his pocket personally.

Since I got this job through a state agency, my husband I decided that I should keep track of how many hours a week I am working beginning this week through August 26th. Then if there is not an improvement regarding the number of hours I have been working, I will notify the counselor at the state agency about this. What both of us want to know is why this is happening since I was working 30 hours a week or more for a month before this happened. The counselor would be the one to ask Kroger why. I would also let the counselor know that 1) I am underemployed with this many hours a week, 2) I need to be working 30 hours a week or more in order for us to continue paying our rent increase, which happened in July, 3) If this does not happen in September, I need to find a job that will give me that many hours every week.

I will also continue looking for a better paying job with more hours.

I will also have to notify our landlord of my decreased hours since we live in income based housing, and by law this has to be done. We will have to have our lease changed to less than the maximum rent until further notice.

[Food Lady]

Is is possible in your state to get unemployment because you are underemployed? Were you ever at 32 average hours or more? If so, you might be able to get that. I'm going through the same thing and that is one of the things I might try.

Right now I'm focusing on jobhunting because I have the bills for this month taken care of and people in my church are helping me and of course Mom Loans are interest-free. Also, credit cards. Sigh, gonna have to pay those back. Anyway, I think it's a good idea to apply places you might not even think you should. Here's something I posted last night that might encourage you: http://www.customerssuck.com/board/s...d.php?t=115333

[snugglegirl05]

Is is possible in your state to get unemployment because you are underemployed? Were you ever at 32 average hours or more? If so, you might be able to get that. I'm going through the same thing and that is one of the things I might try.

Right now I'm focusing on jobhunting because I have the bills for this month taken care of and people in my church are helping me and of course Mom Loans are interest-free. Also, credit cards. Sigh, gonna have to pay those back. Anyway, I think it's a good idea to apply places you might not even think you should. Here's something I posted last night that might encourage you: http://www.customerssuck.com/board/s...d.php?t=115333

I am eligible for partial unemployment. I still look for the minimum number of jobs on a weekly basis in order to receive unemployment. I will continue doing this until further notice. With my working 18.75 hours this week, I will look for more than 3 jobs this week.

What I would like to know, Food Lady, is exactly what did you include as your duties as a cashier on your resume? I need to update my resume so I can get a better paying job that gives me more hours.

[Food Lady]

I am eligible for partial unemployment. I still look for the minimum number of jobs on a weekly basis in order to receive unemployment. I will continue doing this until further notice. With my working 18.75 hours this week, I will look for more than 3 jobs this week.

What I would like to know, Food Lady, is exactly what did you include as your duties as a cashier on your resume? I need to update my resume so I can get a better paying job that gives me more hours.

I do cashiering as well as food service and service desk, with the occasional sales floor shift in the past. All of those things are included. I'll just copy/paste and change the identifying details:

Customer Service as cashier and desk attendant: all types of transactions, including both simple and problematic returns; electronic processing of defective goods in order to maintain accurate inventory; pre-order transactions (special handling for the customers’ convenience); directing customers in the establishment or use of gift registries; answering and routing phone calls and assisting callers over the phone when necessary; enabling customers to get the best value via credit accounts or applications that provide discounts

Sales Floor: merchandising; immediately correcting safety concerns; assisting
customers in finding merchandise in or out of store; ensuring signage is accurate

Supervisory: occasionally called upon to be available to cover the front end in
place of supervisor who is otherwise occupied; occasional training of new
employees; being available to answer new coworkers’ questions on a daily basis; directing employees to correct managers for specific needs or
teaching them how to solve the issue via the HR system, if appropriate

food service: opening and closing duties, including disassembly, cleaning, reassembly, and sanitation of machines; cashiering; food preparation and stocking; food safety tasks such as monitoring food temperatures and calibrating thermometers, as well as ensuring sanitation chemicals meet ppm requirements

I don't do all of those things every day, but I have done them so I can put them in.

[snugglegirl05]

The Kroger I work at has a union representative.

I found the contact information to our union representative on the internet, and I sent him an e-mail about the entire situation. I was matter of fact in that e-mail.

[Dreamstalker]

Food Lady, what you posted made me realize that I could beef up the 'troubleshooting' aspects of my current grocery job which might help me out. Couldn't hurt, anyway...