Anyone else getting tired of all the store walks? Today we were supposed to have yet another store walk with our district manager and of course this had our management staff freaking out about everything that hasn't been done. Meanwhile my department is running on a skeleton crew, we have a couple new hires finally that either (a: can't work mornings, or b: hasn't been trained on mornings. the last 2 people they have hired are only available in the evenings which kind of leaves us screwed if one person calls off in the morning...)
i left before the store walk started today, i worked overtime on my day off and in return i kept getting harrassed by a co today about everything not being perfect. i'm sure we failed it, but i'm not even sure why i should care anymore, since i was working the ot to try to fix the department and my dept. head wasn't... i just don't want to take the blame for why everything wasn't perfect when i could have really been a b*tch and screwed them completely over today.
Next time screw them over. They want to bitch at you screw em.
Note: be prepared for "retaliation" if you have a set schedule, it may go "funny" on you.
We have a store walk... A BIG one, starting tomorrow. Everyone is in 'mega melt down freak out mode.' I NEVER get that way. EVER. That's why I got the rep as being "the guy who just plain don't care."
Anywhoo, I'm on vacation, so my phone goes on silent mode. Anyone who needs to call me has my number. If they don't got it, then they don't need me.
I'm convinced that the only reason the big shots come to walk stores is so that they can walk around and pat themselves on the back for how good of a job that they're doing. It's an ego thing and a means to "justify" their bloated salaries, bonuses and raises. Of course, these people from the corporate offices and at the division level make sure to give store management a heads up before coming so that store management can get the store looking great (or, in other words, cover up the messes that idiotic corporate policies and greed tend to leave stores in on a daily basis), because if the top dogs show up unannounced, then they can't as easily justify their inflated egos/salaries. They would have to acknowledge that there are very real problems.
It ultimately comes down to power and money, and not the customer experience or employee happiness. Co-managers and store managers want to move up in the company, so the corporate execs/coordinators and district/division/regional managers give them plenty of notice/opportunity to look good in front of the eyes that matter, and in doing so, the co-managers/store managers make the district/division/corporate people look good as well. Basically "I'll help you look good if you make me look good, and we'll both stand a better chance of getting a promotion and salary increase!"
Of course, as soon as the walk is over, everything goes back to hell in the stores, or perhaps even worse, because you know all that overtime that was used and extra hours added to get the store up to "standards"? Yeah, you're going to feel it in the coming weeks, when no matter how bad of shape your department is in, forget about any overtime being approved and don't even think about asking about adding hours or asking why hours were cut! That's management's way of taking those extra hours used to get the store in shape back so the extra payroll expense is "repaid" to the store.
Just think about it. If corporate really wanted to see if stores are being run and set according to standards on a daily basis, then they'd just stop in unannounced and form an action plan for all that isn't right. Corporate though doesn't actually care. The people running this crooked company just want you to put on a good show for them so that they can go home at the end of the day and sleep soundly; dreaming of bigger salaries and bonuses, along with promotions, in their future.
Maybe they're walking in order to pretend it's not as bad as we told 'em it is in the associate survey.
You folks nailed it. The money a healthy business would put into liveable wages, adequate staffing, and functional tools gets diverted instead into management pockets in the form of bonuses. Cheat the business, the associates, and customers, and, here, managers, you just keep that money instead.
This is why I left before the walk - i wasn't going to stay any longer to watch the show that was being put on for the bigwigs. They expect us to look like we're the perfect department when we're just not with what we've been given, and I'm sick of it.
It seems no matter what we do, there is something ALWAYS wrong. And even if we get everything up to standards, they ALWAYS find something wrong. Last time it was the outside loading area. Seriously?!? Who gives a rat's ass about the OUTSIDE loading area IN BACK where customers NEVER see. EVER!
Well apparently according to corporate, we "care." As in now! New policy.
My store constantly aces the walks. We always get like like a 91 or something. I stock the bake aisle on night sand i always leave it looking literally pristine every time. The DM always hails that bake aisle as being the best he'd ever seen at any store. The bake aisle is supposedly the most important aisle to these district managers. So make sure everything is conditioned like a motherf*cker and labels faced perfectly and you won't do any wrong.
It's really just that easy. Don't OVERSTUFF the shelves (especially the can aisle). Make sure everything is aligned and conditioned. And EVERY LABEL facing forward perfectly. THAT'S IT!
DM came in las week and I told him he is a ****in moron the way they have been cutting hours while our sales are up double digits while we lose money on half the crap we are selling. This week I am now cleaning the toilets everyday and bringing in cart. The new department manager says they got 100 new hours this week. I guess it worked.
It seems no matter what we do, there is something ALWAYS wrong. And even if we get everything up to standards, they ALWAYS find something wrong. Last time it was the outside loading area. Seriously?!? Who gives a rat's ass about the OUTSIDE loading area IN BACK where customers NEVER see. EVER!
Well apparently according to corporate, we "care." As in now! New policy.
They aren't gonna drive all that way and say nothing is wrong. THere is always something wrong. I can see 10+ things wrong in my department alone while they will walk thru and say everything is good. You have to know what things they are looking for no matter how useless they are.
It seems no matter what we do, there is something ALWAYS wrong. And even if we get everything up to standards, they ALWAYS find something wrong. Last time it was the outside loading area. Seriously?!? Who gives a rat's ass about the OUTSIDE loading area IN BACK where customers NEVER see. EVER!
Well apparently according to corporate, we "care." As in now! New policy.
They will always find something wrong because that's how they justify their jobs. They are, after all, the "brains" behind the company. If they don't return to their home offices with some stuff that's wrong in their report, then it makes them look like they aren't doing their jobs. If they come back with too much wrong on their reports, then everyone looks bad and that jeopardizes future promotions/bonuses. It's all about "striking a balance" between finding just enough wrong but not too much wrong to maintain the perception of being valuable and competent among the higher ups.
DM came in las week and I told him he is a ****in moron the way they have been cutting hours while our sales are up double digits while we lose money on half the crap we are selling. This week I am now cleaning the toilets everyday and bringing in cart. The new department manager says they got 100 new hours this week. I guess it worked.
LOL! **** that. Every thing is going good and we have enough hours in my department sir.
My store constantly aces the walks. We always get like like a 91 or something. I stock the bake aisle on night sand i always leave it looking literally pristine every time. The DM always hails that bake aisle as being the best he'd ever seen at any store. The bake aisle is supposedly the most important aisle to these district managers. So make sure everything is conditioned like a motherf*cker and labels faced perfectly and you won't do any wrong.
It's really just that easy. Don't OVERSTUFF the shelves (especially the can aisle). Make sure everything is aligned and conditioned. And EVERY LABEL facing forward perfectly. THAT'S IT!
Well, i'm sure it's at least a little bit better for the night crew on these store walks. Definitely not saying it's easy (you guys have a tough job in my opinion) but you get to continue doing what you usually do. But for the bakery, we have to produce half these things and there's only so much time to make them.
True. Also another "shrink maker" is when we do full store audits. Where you can't put anything away. Even perishables. If they rent done the night before, then you're throwing money away. I once saw $30.00 worth perishables be tossed out. I know we're a 'problem with go-backs store' but come on. Putting perishables away doesn't take that long. The other stuff is fine, just get the perishables put away before audits.
Latey our store walks have been all about cleanliness. Namely deli.
I got fired because I wasn't trained properly and my dept mgr was so focused on the walk and how it would affect her. Store 19 - Floral Department - she already had her blame game plane figured out. So because I wasn't trained properly, was thrown onto the floor with little to no information and then was upset as I was being micro managed all day and nothing I did was right, I got fired. My manager called the store manager in and I didn't need to talk to a manager. She accused me of lying, she gaslighted me in front of 2 other managers, she lied and then I found out that she told management that I was "making fun of another employee". I'm going to be 57 next month. I don't make fun of employees. The employee was very offended. How did she know this supposedly happened? THE DEPARTMENT MANAGER TOLD HER THAT I WAS MAKING FUN OF HER. CALLED THIS EMPLOYEE ON VACATION AND TOLD HER THIS TO SUPPORT HER CASE. UNBELIEVABLE.
I was given NO OPTION TO DEFEND MYSELF. I was on probation and they didn't care that they manager was inept, the dept was a mess and that she told me that morning that she didn't like the management at the store, she was ready to jump ship and was trying to get transferred as soon as another position opened up.
I was supposed to shadow her. That didn't happen so whatever I did wrong was held against me. I've been harassed by every employee I tried to talk to about this. They are all in cahoots in CO so I went to Kroger corporate HG. I got the hotline to register the harassment, the lies, the improper behavior and how behind this department is. I spoke to the Union rep to report I was harassed and slandered by my manager. I am reporting the lack of product and significant loss of revenue because of the inept training methods. I am writing to HR KS corporate to report this AND I will be sending a letter of intent to sue for harassment, slander and wrongful termination.
This is unacceptable. Most people don't have the will or ability to fight it. I do. They let a highly experienced and qualified candidate go at the word of a less qualified liar.
Managers freaking out, ordering everyone to suddenly make EVERYTHING top priority. Customers can't get a lick of help. Then a bunch of clowns who look like they should be shaking down pimps walk through unless they decide to skip it. Nuts.
