Been cold here in the South. When the sliding doors open in the main lobby the cold air rushes into the store and you can feel it freezing by uscan, self-check out and one of the registers. So the other day one of our uscan persons was apparently wearing a jacket. But since it wasn't Kroger-approved, the Front End Manager, same FEM who has told me "You could quit now and we would be okay with that" and who has the attitude of "You do as I say and keep your mouth shut" approached her and got on to her about it. Now while I was not there so I can not judge or assume it was all on the FEM, I can tell you that our particular FEM has an aggressive attitude toward Front End employees, is pushy, bossy and arrogant, and I can say based on my own experiences and with certainty that the conversation did not go well as a result of this woman.
Last night I went through self check out after my shift and one of our FES was complaining to her fellow FES and CS about how cold it gets in that area. And it does get cold. It's terrible how Kroger treats its employees but when you put a bad supervisor on top of it, well, this happens.
I can tell you last night as a courtesy clerk bringing in carts I had several layers on and the most I did was put my nametag on the outer most. If they say anything I will probably walk like the Uscan person did. Kroger already treats its FE employees like crap and barely gives the minimum needed, it's too much to ask for us to freeze during cold weather as well!
Being in the south too, we had cashiers wearing jackets last night. I would have definitely gone to store management as that kind of thing is their discretion.
Also something to note about department managers, although it's professional behavior for store management to take their side publicly. If there is ever a legitimate complaint against them, they will be ripped to pieces behind closed doors. Most store managers should know the personalities of their leads, so when a complaint comes in that is easily believable, the department manager WILL be hearing about it privately.
I know our grocery manager has a notebook full of write-ups. My store manager hates him, but still will side with him for the most part publicly to portray that professional behavior.
If it's 20 degrees outside, to HELL with company policy concerning jackets. Km going with what keeps ME warm. Customers do NOT care what the jacket looks like. As long as it's not offensive who gives a crap if it has a hood or not... My health and warmth in cold weather comes FIRST.
They should offer free jackets with our shirts if they want us to wear Kroger stuff.
One time I walked to work and it was nice then dropped so I asked my sister to bring me something and she brought me a hot pink jacket. But no one cared because it was so cold.
They've kind of been off that the last year though - I've worn my blue university hoodie every cold day this season, name tag on the outside. I used to have a nice thin black jacket but the zipper broke. And that was the third one so I'm just not going to care. I also doubt I'll be taking my jacket off any time soon.
anyway, op you'd think being in the south the FEM would be more understanding, we're all so thinblooded! "It's below 40 I'm gonna die!"
We've got free gloves, hothands, and hot chocolate/cider. I also offered another one of my jackets to clerks if they needed it. And my scarf to someone else. (I ride my bike to work but I don't need it during the day)
They should offer free jackets with our shirts if they want us to wear Kroger stuff.
One time I walked to work and it was nice then dropped so I asked my sister to bring me something and she brought me a hot pink jacket. But no one cared because it was so cold.
They've kind of been off that the last year though - I've worn my blue university hoodie every cold day this season, name tag on the outside. I used to have a nice thin black jacket but the zipper broke. And that was the third one so I'm just not going to care. I also doubt I'll be taking my jacket off any time soon.
anyway, op you'd think being in the south the FEM would be more understanding, we're all so thinblooded! "It's below 40 I'm gonna die!"
We've got free gloves, hothands, and hot chocolate/cider. I also offered another one of my jackets to clerks if they needed it. And my scarf to someone else. (I ride my bike to work but I don't need it during the day)
More understanding? Our store's FEM is a total bi-tc-h. It is her way or the high way and no other way. She takes an attitude with every employee she talks to for whatever reason. She'll find something wrong with your bagging, or your customer service, or SOMETHING.
Couple of weeks ago I was headed out to the parking lot for 'lot duty. We had shopping carts of gobacks. I hovered for a moment or two looking into them. Not touching them, grabbing anything. Just looking. From about five registers over she calls out to me and shakes her head. Then as I start walking, just doing nothing but literally looking into the carts, she calls out AGAIN. Guess I wasn't walking fast enough.
Last week. Emptying our boxes of bags for the registers. Putting them on the bascart of the shopping carts we had for gobacks. She tells me to not do that, to take them back to the bailer. I can't even get away from bagging long enough to grab a goback item. I'm supposed to take the boxes out of the way all the way to the back of the store? She said she was trying to "clean up" the gobacks. But this is the same woman whom I have seen several times just empty a black carrying cart into one of the goback shopping carts.
I've been there nine months, she is FEM, never seen her grab shopping carts from the parking lot once. Ever. Even our store manager -- HER boss -- was on the end of the register next to me tonight bagging groceries.
This woman is terrible. Awful. An arrogant, know-it-all, pushy, attitude boss who couldn't care about circumstances. You do something wrong. You get talked to. You try to tell your side of the story--you don't have one. It's her story or no story.
I really hope this person she confronted the other night returns. Won't know for a little while as she is listed as 'unvailable' on the schedule until Friday. It's tough having a Front End Manager whose management style consists of "You do as I say or phuck off."
And it really is cold out there this week, and you can definitely feel that draft in the store at the closest uscan check-outs and the registers nearby.
You get gloves??
I've been there nine months, I have a single shirt that causes me to do laundry every night if I work the next day. Our store would probably encourage removing our hands before giving us gloves. Not sure how we would bag or bring in carts as hand-less courtesy clerks, but that would also give them a reason in Front End to fire people....
I've been there nine months, I have a single shirt that causes me to do laundry every night if I work the next day. Our store would probably encourage removing our hands before giving us gloves. Not sure how we would bag or bring in carts as hand-less courtesy clerks, but that would also give them a reason in Front End to fire people....
Yeah, they said here are your only gloves, make sure they don't lose them. They're thin cloth ones, but better than nothing I guess. I mean it's been below freezing once the sun goes down and that happens so early now.
Also tell me y'all are alternating your buggy shifts by the half hour? Our floor supervisors don't make people stay out for the whole hour once it's in the 30s. And our managers don't really care as long as there are carts in the lobby.
The front end manager types never work late anyway
They should offer free jackets with our shirts if they want us to wear Kroger stuff.
It's not like Kroger isn't where it snows, what is appropriate for winter weather in those stores? At Stoo & Shop the people get the carts wear their coat which is usually black and their given a yellow safety vest (like bus drivers, garbage truck drivers, and construction workers wear) to pry over their coat. Although I've really only seen them wearing it when the district team was at the store.
As far as front end, why can't you just carry a long sleeve shirt to wear under your uniform shirt?
They should offer free jackets with our shirts if they want us to wear Kroger stuff.
It's not like Kroger isn't where it snows, what is appropriate for winter weather in those stores? At Stoo & Shop the people get the carts wear their coat which is usually black and their given a yellow safety vest (like bus drivers, garbage truck drivers, and construction workers wear) to pry over their coat. Although I've really only seen them wearing it when the district team was at the store.
As far as front end, why can't you just carry a long sleeve shirt to wear under your uniform shirt?
At my store it's usually warmer outside in the sun than inside the store. I wear a long sleeve thermal under my Kroger polo shirt but when you work by the front door you really need a coat. It feels the same as working outside.
I've been there nine months, I have a single shirt that causes me to do laundry every night if I work the next day. Our store would probably encourage removing our hands before giving us gloves. Not sure how we would bag or bring in carts as hand-less courtesy clerks, but that would also give them a reason in Front End to fire people....
Yeah, they said here are your only gloves, make sure they don't lose them. They're thin cloth ones, but better than nothing I guess. I mean it's been below freezing once the sun goes down and that happens so early now.
Also tell me y'all are alternating your buggy shifts by the half hour? Our floor supervisors don't make people stay out for the whole hour once it's in the 30s. And our managers don't really care as long as there are carts in the lobby.
The front end manager types never work late anyway
Alternating shifts by the half-hour? I think I had a dream about that once. Or maybe I was hallucinating. Since I work for Kroger it was probably a hallucination.
I will not be surprised if next week we are out of carts repeatedly in our lobby areas because whomever makes out the lobby schedule thinks it is a good idea to have a single person work the lot for the entire hour.
They should offer free jackets with our shirts if they want us to wear Kroger stuff.
It's not like Kroger isn't where it snows, what is appropriate for winter weather in those stores? At Stoo & Shop the people get the carts wear their coat which is usually black and their given a yellow safety vest (like bus drivers, garbage truck drivers, and construction workers wear) to pry over their coat. Although I've really only seen them wearing it when the district team was at the store.
As far as front end, why can't you just carry a long sleeve shirt to wear under your uniform shirt?
I think the issue is when FEMs are pissy about people wearing their own jackets. Most aren't. (lord knows mine aren't)
as for wearing a long sleeved shirt under it, well sometimes you do get warm and it's a lot harder to get that off!
In my store, we can wear a any color jacket or hoodie as long as your Kroger Uniform shirt is on top of it and your name tag is visible.
Oh lord, I can just see a polo shirt pulled tightly over a jacket lol! How could you move around? If I get cold enough I might just try it lol! I will take pictures for you.