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Post Info TOPIC: How are we supposed to know where items are?
Anonymous

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How are we supposed to know where items are?
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How are we supposed to know where EVERY item in the store is, off the top of our heads? I can usually guess where it is, just by looking at the list of items above the aisles, but we NEVER got trained where things are. Then customers get angry when we don't know where some obscure items are.



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What department are you in?

What state are you in?  Generally, most stores are trying to have the same lay out statewide, maybe even nationally.

Give an example of what you are looking for?

If you do go backs, that is your training to learn where most items are.

Look near the entrance doorway next to the rack that holds the weekly advertisements.  There might be a map there for you to carry around.

I am a grocery clerk so I know where most items are and what items are not part of the Grocery Department.  If I have a barcode, I can RFscan and use the POG to figure out where something is supposed to go.

For example, canned tomales are above the canned chili next to the tuna set.

 



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If you're asked where an item is and you don't know, just politely ask the customer to give you a couple of minutes and go to the nearest phone and page the appropriate department to find out. If you don't know what department the item might be in, then page either the associate manager (he/she may generally oversee grocery, but also usually knows about dairy and drug/GM, too) or a co-manager and ask that person. Then return and assist the customer. This is how I handle this type of situation and even though I've worked at Kroger for over three years, it still helps me to learn where some of the more obscure products are kept, so the next time a customer asks me where some less common item is, there's a chance I'll remember on my own and can take that person there.



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I ask the courtesy clerks or the girl who does file maintenance if they are around.  If not I ask the managers.



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Anonymous wrote:

How are we supposed to know where EVERY item in the store is, off the top of our heads? I can usually guess where it is, just by looking at the list of items above the aisles, but we NEVER got trained where things are. Then customers get angry when we don't know where some obscure items are.


 

I usually pretend not to speak english or ask them a question back.
"Good question, I'm looking for orange juice, have you seen any?"

In reality, I usually just find another employee or point in general direction if I know it.



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I know where literally everything in the store is by now, but yeah I wasn't "trained" on this either. Just lots of go-backs and sweeps.

A good habit if you don't know where it is, and can't find someone near, just pretend to know. Tell them it's on aisle X, where X is a good enough distance away from you so that by the time they get there and don't find it, you won't have to bother. Okay that's not a good habit, but it's what I did for a while.

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Anonymous wrote:

How are we supposed to know where EVERY item in the store is, off the top of our heads? I can usually guess where it is, just by looking at the list of items above the aisles, but we NEVER got trained where things are. Then customers get angry when we don't know where some obscure items are.


 

I myself were never trained, but I just picked up on it after a month or two.

 

It helps knowing where the general/broad categories are. For example, dairy products would be at the back of the store, cereals would be in one aisle (unless organic), baby food is with the baby diapers, which is at the same aisle as the books/mags are (at my store).

 

Then after that, it comes down to getting used to taking customers there. Also, feel free to ask the customer for anything specific to help you out, like brand, type, size, etc. For example, is a customer asks you to show where the RANDOM_ITEM is, ask what brand it is, what type of product (sauce, cereal, frozen, etc), and all that.

 

 

Personally, what I found difficult before were minor, if not unknown products, as well as international items. The only reason I ended up learning them is because I've worked as a stocker, too.



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Thanks guys.

I got hired a few weeks ago, I work in meat and seafood. I know where all of OUR items are. But for other stuff idk.

Like today i was asked to find some cooking sauce of a certain brand. I thought it would be in 6 or 7. (6 is spices and baking supplies, 7 had vinegar, BBQ sauce, Cajun sauces, etc.) Turns out it was in the international aisle?

Also how do I page on the phones? Do I press and HOLD the button or do I just press it then talk?

 



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Anonymous wrote:

Thanks guys.

I got hired a few weeks ago, I work in meat and seafood. I know where all of OUR items are. But for other stuff idk.

Like today i was asked to find some cooking sauce of a certain brand. I thought it would be in 6 or 7. (6 is spices and baking supplies, 7 had vinegar, BBQ sauce, Cajun sauces, etc.) Turns out it was in the international aisle?

Also how do I page on the phones? Do I press and HOLD the button or do I just press it then talk?

 


 

In the case of that cooking sauce, you just had to honestly make the best judgement you can. If it's not a familiar brand, or if it sounds foreign, then I would direct them to the international aisle.

 

Paging? Depends on what kind of phone that your department has. If it's just the regular phones on the wall, just look for the small button on the right hand column with the most smudges/marks on it. If you pressed the right one, you'd notice that the radio/background music that plays in the store cuts off allowing you to speak.

 

Cashier phones only have one button outside of the number pad to page people with.

 

 

Though, if you're a shy person (like I am), dial the extension of who you're trying to reach. I did that quite a number of times when paging one of the co-managers, or someone from the front.



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Oh, that is a tricky one to find.  They have cooking sherrys in the baking aisle with the vinegar, flour and sugar.  But, generally, all other sauces are with the ketchup, BBQ sauce and salad dressing.  That aisle usually has Halal sauces, Asian foods and Mexican foods too.  I guess that would be our international aisle.  :)  Then, there is a 4 foot shelf of Made in Michigan set in another aisle.  Your department has some sauces that are no where else in the store.

A customer was looking for some Tahiki(?) sauce one day.  He got upset when I couldn't tell him where it was.  Later in the week, I found it above the canned olives!  Why Halal food is near the pickles, I don't know.

Ask some one how to use the intercom(Page button).  Don't be shy!  Probably 3rd button down on right hand side.  The phone extension should be on the phone somewhere.  Funny thing is, I usually send customers to the Seafood lady and they are right next to the Meat Department...

We had a reset 3 years ago and still have maps of the store available



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NutritionWhore wrote:
Anonymous wrote:

Thanks guys.

I got hired a few weeks ago, I work in meat and seafood. I know where all of OUR items are. But for other stuff idk.

Like today i was asked to find some cooking sauce of a certain brand. I thought it would be in 6 or 7. (6 is spices and baking supplies, 7 had vinegar, BBQ sauce, Cajun sauces, etc.) Turns out it was in the international aisle?

Also how do I page on the phones? Do I press and HOLD the button or do I just press it then talk?

 


 

In the case of that cooking sauce, you just had to honestly make the best judgement you can. If it's not a familiar brand, or if it sounds foreign, then I would direct them to the international aisle.

 

Paging? Depends on what kind of phone that your department has. If it's just the regular phones on the wall, just look for the small button on the right hand column with the most smudges/marks on it. If you pressed the right one, you'd notice that the radio/background music that plays in the store cuts off allowing you to speak.

 

Cashier phones only have one button outside of the number pad to page people with.

 

 

Though, if you're a shy person (like I am), dial the extension of who you're trying to reach. I did that quite a number of times when paging one of the co-managers, or someone from the front.


 

at our store it is usually dial 21 then the number of the register.
So 2110 reaches the register 10 phone, for example.
That's the only thing I do know. Nine months and I don't even know how to page. 



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Our register phones have a red button you push to page. In customer service it's the third button on the right side. Or should I call it a key?  LOL, don't know where I came up with button.   



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FrontEndSlave wrote:

at our store it is usually dial 21 then the number of the register.
So 2110 reaches the register 10 phone, for example.
That's the only thing I do know. Nine months and I don't even know how to page. 


 

Ah yes, we had that too. But for paging throughout the store (over the PA system), we only had one button on the right.

 

2101 - 2115 are registers.

216X are the management team's individual radio.

21[other] are whatever the number of the phones in the departments are.

2168/9 is customer service.

 

At least that's what I remembered for my store. xD

 



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In my store, the departments are 22(whatever), like for example the bakery is 2201, and the deli is 2211.

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Generally you should at least vaguely know where basic things are like the milk, bread, chips, and drinks. If someone asks about an obscure item, try to hunt for it with them or find someone who knows where it might be.



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