So I've tried to google all these problems I've had working at Kroger and everything has lead me to this forum. So here's a little of my background: I got hired in October 2015 as a part time cashier. Fast forward to March, I started working in the customer service office and so currently, I bounce around from that to cashiering, to self checkout and the occasional bagging when our baggers are non-existent. Still part time and without a 6th day waiver signed. I also have open availability with some exceptions to days I've requested off well in advanced.
I'm sure like some other Kroger stores out there, our Kroger is poorly managed. We are always understaffed due to negligent scheduling and call offs. I get calls on every day off I have and here lately, I've ignored every single one. This is due to the fact that they're scheduled me for 15 hours while people who were hired after me are getting way more hours. Do I like the money? Sure, I do. There was a time when I had no problem coming in early and on my days off but there's something deep inside of me that doesn't feel that I should condone them scheduling me piss poor hours and then needing me on those days off after I've already made plans. Case in point, my family celebrated our easter today. I requested this day off around a couple of months in advance. I get a call asking to work when it shows on the schedule that I have this day off requested. This isn't the first time as well. I was a few states away for a weekend that I requested off months in advanced. They had the nerve to call me and ask me to come in when it was made very apparent that I was unavailable.
I guess what I'm getting at is that I've started to get really fed up with this. I like my job. There are crappy days and good days but it's more good than bad. I've considered talking to my union rep because this is all starting to get to me. I guess I'm not sure if I have enough to complain. I'm open to any clarification or further questions.
Kroger, in general, is broken. Corporate never allows enough hours for any department to get their work done. People always call off because they either don't want to work or because unexpected things pop up that they can't get around. And what does Kroger do about it? They attempt to "make getting your schedule more convenient" by requiring all requests to be made at least 2 weeks in advance now when 1 week in advance was already hard enough, especially for college students like me. On the previous system, you could just request days you want off, and 99% of the time it was approved.
I've had them try to call me in to work on days that I was marked "Unavailable" on the schedule.
The further I progress in school, the closer I become to pulling the plug on this blighted place.
What state are you in? Union contracts vary from state to state.
I'm in Ohio. The next two weeks, I have 34 and 36 hours due to someone in our office needing to have surgery. So yay, I've got some hours coming my way. I guess I'm just tired of the passive aggressiveness given to me because I make plans for my days off and when I can't come in (or just don't want to because I WANT A DAY OFF) they act like I am defying them. The calling me on days I have requested off was the final straw. Is there something about this in any other unions?
I had that issue where I was being scheduled for less than 20 hours (even before I requested my hours to be cut to 12--and even then they cut it to 8), then they would decide that they're busy and try to call me in. At first, I did. But then I wasn't getting days off, and my health started to suffer the last few months when I was working Kroger and my other job. I told them simply put: nope. If you can't schedule accordingly, not picking up the slack. I had a great deli manager who never called me in on my requested/unavailable days because those are technically your days off for appointments or whatever.
Even at this job now, they're cutting hours and it hasn't come up yet because of my position, but if someone calls off and I'm off, chances are I'm not answering my phone. Sometimes you gotta be selfish.
