I've been on the grocery stocker night crew for years and I'm burned out on it and it has caught up to me with my health. I asked the store manager a few months ago if I could move to days and was turned down.
But we have a new store manager now and I think that I should ask about it. Plus the new store manager is way nicer than the last one. I'm 51 years old and my body just can't take it anymore, and I was thinking is it to late to want to go into management?
In the past I was never interested in moving up, but now it looks good to me, but I don't know if they would want me. I remember thirty years ago co-workers would tell me to get into management, but I never listened to them and back then I didn't have any confidence in myself. That last store manager would make fun of me and talk about me behind my back at employee huddles that I was not in attendance to hear, another employee that was there let me now about it.
And other employees still make fun of me, they just don't give me no respect sometimes.
It's never too late to get into management, but I will tell you different divisions have different requirements when it comes to entering it. Most require a 4 year degree, Delta requires EITHER a 4 year degree OR department head experience OR 4+ years in the company. You can essentially use your time invested working for the company as your degree. Granted, if you know people, you can probably get around that.
I have/am considering the move, but I really enjoy my position as-is and haven't decided it's time yet.
Do take into consideration too, that even though you may not see managers always doing a whole lot, there are those of them that do and those are the ones that stand out and get promoted. So, as long as you're still physically able to do the work, just don't like nights it'd be a good move. Also take into consideration your financial state. If you really don't need the extra money(and it won't be a lot your first year or two), it may be worthwhile to keep the stress low and try to get a transfer to produce or another store that has a day position available.
Hello, thanks for the advice! We have two Krogers in my city, obviously I work at one of them, and the other one is on the other side of town.
Yesterday I had a dentist appointment on that end of town, so when I was finished with the dentist, I payed a visit to my former store manager that was transferred to this particular Kroger.
She wasn't in the office, the secretary said that she was on the sales floor somewhere. This Kroger is upscale on the rich side of town and my store is in the Ghetto. Well, when I was leaving her office, I was strolling down the hall and passed a room with the door open and it was full suits and ties, but they looked like kids fresh out of college, and it looked like a class room and a middle age dude in a suit was in charge at a black board.
I heard a little voice in my head that said, That's where you should be! And I was like WOE! Was that me thinking that or God telling me. Well, I locate the store manager and she was happy to see me, and she offered me a job at her store right away but it would night crew like at mine, she said anytime I'm ready.
I asked her about management, I told her that I was interested in getting into it, and she said you don't want that headache! But she said that she believed in me and that no one has ever given me a chance. This is the same manager that was embarrassing me in front of the other employees and talking behind my back. I believe she did it the make me think and try to get me come out of my shell.
I started going to Church right after Christmas and I have not missed a Sunday or midweek service. Plus, I just met the girl of my dreams at Church! Things seem to be going my way since I been going and I was thinking that if she is the one I will be marrying sometime in the future, I need to have a better job and pay to support her and her two girls.
I told my former manager about meeting her too and she was happy for me, but she said that I didn't have to get into management to support her that I made pretty good at my stocker pay and that if she was working also we could make it. I just feel like management is the way to go, and this manager said that she would help me. What y'all think about it?
Hey if you keep working hard and letting people know thats what you want to do, i think you could.
but maybe i'm a little cynical but i wouldn't fully trust that manager.... if she was making fun of you behind your back, i don't think that is a good way to get someone to come out of their shell. Unless the coworker who told you completely blew it out of proportion, i mean it's one thing to make a light hearted joke and another to talk crap behind someone's back and make fun of them. I just have had experience with a type of manager (department, not store management) who felt that she was doing the right thing by pushing someone past their limits, both as far as working hard as well as emotionally, and thats not a good way to keep your employees. The "tough love" approach she thought she was doing wasn't working at all.
But maybe that wasn't how your manager meant it at all. It sounds like you're having good luck right now so keep it up and see what happens :)
