Work frustration

[snugglegirl05]

At the Kroger location I work at there is a food drive going on. The front end cashiers have to ask every customer if they would like to donate any amount of money to the local food bank or a $5.98 virtual food bag.

There are other vendors outside the store asking customers to donate $5.98 for a virtual food bag. These vendors give the customer a coupon which the cashier scans at the checkout.

There are also more vendors inside the store that do the same thing.

When I went to clock out last night, I overheard the assistant front end manager telling one of the young cashiers that she needs to convince 25 customers who come to her line to donate $5.98 for a virtual food bag.

When I got the work this morning, there was a different assistant front end manager. He came to the register I was assigned to and told me the following...

• Our location was in first place during the beginning of the food drive
• Then yesterday our location was in fourth place regarding the food drive
• The reason for that is because the cashiers are not asking every customer to donate $5.98 for a food bag
• The cashiers need to make much more donations

I wanted to tell him how and what I felt about that, but I kept my mouth shut and just looked at him.

After a while he came up to me and told me that he spoke to the store manager, and he said if I manager to convince 25 customers to donate $5.98 for a virtual food bag, I will get a $10.00 gift card.

At that point I got frustrated, but I did my best to keep my cool.

This is frustrating and stressful for me.

What do I do about this?

How do I deal with this at work?

[kaherbert]

I don't know what you can do. I'm a Kroger Customer and I'm sending a complaint about my store doing this same thing. I'm not complaining about the cashier giving me a hard sell, because I know the managers are the ones responsible. I am really ticked off about the attempt to shame me into donating, by being told I obviously can afford it because I was buying snacks. I give the Houston Food Bank a monthly monetary donation and I volunteer there at least once a quarter with Houston Oasis. (We also do Books between Kids (sort books for end of school year giveaway to kids in Title I schools), Project Cure (sorting medical supplies for developing nations), Kids' Meals (anti-hunger directed at children), Exploration Green (growing and planting native trees along waterways), and regular blood drives). Also the snacks were a donation to the kids room for tomorrow at Houston Oasis. So, I'm waiting 24 hours to revise my complaint before sending it.

[snugglegirl05]

I don't know what you can do. I'm a Kroger Customer and I'm sending a complaint about my store doing this same thing. I'm not complaining about the cashier giving me a hard sell, because I know the managers are the ones responsible. I am really ticked off about the attempt to shame me into donating, by being told I obviously can afford it because I was buying snacks. I give the Houston Food Bank a monthly monetary donation and I volunteer there at least once a quarter with Houston Oasis. (We also do Books between Kids (sort books for end of school year giveaway to kids in Title I schools), Project Cure (sorting medical supplies for developing nations), Kids' Meals (anti-hunger directed at children), Exploration Green (growing and planting native trees along waterways), and regular blood drives). Also the snacks were a donation to the kids room for tomorrow at Houston Oasis. So, I'm waiting 24 hours to revise my complaint before sending it.

I am so sorry for how you feel about this because I feel the same way.

I do not like the hard sell. It is pushy, and I do not like pushiness.

I can understand your not appreciating being shamed into donating because the usual front end assistant manager does this, and I just do not like it.

I feel that it is up to the customer whether or not they want to donate as well as how much they want to.

I also do not like it when someone in management announces over the store intercom that *cashier* received a $5.98 donation because I feel it is an obvious tactic to get more donations. I do not do this because I do not want to bring attention to me. I am trying to stay away from this mess. I wish the store manager and the other assistant front end manager would pay attention to this, and not put so much stress on me.

I do encourage you to submit your complaint because as an employee I cannot do that. I do not want to risk getting fired.

Thank you for realizing that the store management is responsible for the hard sell.

In addition to store management being responsible for the hard sell, senior management is responsible as well.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

Ah, let me guess: the manager of the store with most donations gets some kind of monetary bonus or valuable merchandise prize and the employees doing the hard selling get stugots.

I'd be giving it the "do you want fries with that?" approach. It's not really charity if you're shamed into doing it.

[snugglegirl05]

Ah, let me guess: the manager of the store with most donations gets some kind of monetary bonus or valuable merchandise prize and the employees doing the hard selling get stugots.

I'd be giving it the "do you want fries with that?" approach. It's not really charity if you're shamed into doing it.

So exactly how would I go about doing this?

[Trixie]

I'm going to jump in here and say probably keep it as simple as possible. "Would you like to donate $5.98 for a food bag for local food bank?" probably at near the end of the transaction. If they say no, drop and finish up. I certainly wouldn't keep it longer than two sentences.

I don't mind being asked. I know I've been asked to donate to the local children's hospital at Walmart. Never with a hard sell because Walmart and I'll give a few bucks.

We have our big yearly sham of a charity drive coming up soon and I dread it. It was way over the top last year and went on for two months before the actual event. Everyone was burned out by the end. Probably worse this year.

[snugglegirl05]

I'm going to jump in here and say probably keep it as simple as possible. "Would you like to donate $5.98 for a food bag for local food bank?" probably at near the end of the transaction. If they say no, drop and finish up. I certainly wouldn't keep it longer than two sentences.

This is what I do.

[Trixie]

Just to add unless you have a real dick for a manager as long as they hear you at least asking you should be able to slide by. Hopefully.

[notalwaysright]

Just to add unless you have a real dick for a manager as long as they hear you at least asking you should be able to slide by. Hopefully.

Before I quit Twoface was starting to push email signups at the registers. She had a specific phrase that she wanted us to use. I can't remember exactly, but it was like "we're updating our servers, can I get your email?" I never asked a single person. Plus, I didn't like it, because it was basically a lie. We're not "updating" anything, we're adding people to an email list. This is not the same thing. Yes, stores that do this probably get more signups (she claimed to be in the top of her last district) but it's shady not to explain what's really happening.

[workerbee222]

I used to work at a department store, and every month at the employee rally, there was some recognition given to whomever opened the most credit accounts. One woman seemed to get recognized pretty often. She was a floater, who worked at whatever register wasn't covered due to illness, vacations, etc. She proudly strode up to the front and told us she just never takes no for an answer. The woman next to me whispered, "That's why the regular customers tell me they avoid her terminal if they can."

I don't like being asked, but I know it's not a choice the employees have. I don't really mind as long as they drop it when I say no.

[snugglegirl05]

Today at work on of the assistant managers used the store intercom to let every shopper know that a high school basketball team is at the store giving out the coupons for the $5.98 virtual bag donations, and that they want 100 customers to donate that much to Kroger.

I doubt half of that donated that amount today during my shift.

Why does Corporate think this is remotely possible?

[bainsidhe]

*sigh* Personally, I'd try not to take it to heart and just go through the motions. Some promotions I would be on autopilot, so I didn't even have to think about it "Hi, how are you today? Would you like to donate $5.98 for our whatmacallit charity? Have a good night, thank you." It hurts less if you aren't consciously asking the question over and over.

[No Coupons 4 You]

I think we are lucky the Kroger affiliated store has 2 boxes they look like kids pencil boxes one is 5.00 and the other is 10.00 they are at the entrances we do not have to ask customers if they want to donate.

[Ashaela]

I stopped for stuff to make nachos on Tuesday and the grocery was having a donation drive. Cashiers would ask and if a customer agreed to donate, they had to rattle plastic clackers and every employee up and down the register bank had to cheer. In just the time I was in and out of the store, the whole thing was triggering sound overload and I feel so bad for the cashiers who had to stand there for a 4-6 hour shift while all that noise was going on!

[notalwaysright]

Cashiers would ask and if a customer agreed to donate, they had to rattle plastic clackers and every employee up and down the register bank had to cheer. In just the time I was in and out of the store, the whole thing was triggering sound overload

Well done to that store for driving out all their customers with sensory disorders. I don't get why corporate (or whoever) still thinks this is a positive thing to do. I don't even like at Trader Joe's, the way they clang bells. I wonder if I don't have some sort of sound issue, or if I'm just extra grumpy. Anyway, I was at Freddy's and they weren't doing any sort of drive, thank goodness.