I have been at Kroger for almost a year, I started out as a courtesy clerk and have moved up as a cashier. Here are the "Good, Bad and the Ugly" I have found while working checkout.
The Good
I meet lots of very nice people and unique people.
I get a good feeling from being able to help others.
I have sometimes out of my own pocket covered the expenses of something that either someone elderly or with a family of children couldn't quite cover (usually a few cents or a couple of dollars)
I have made some very good friends that work at my store.
I am considered to be one of the friendliest cashiers.
Some of the customers help me if I am having a bad day.
99.5 percent of the customers are great.
The Bad
Working a 6 hour shift is the worst as we only get one break but if I work 6 and a half hours I get a break and a lunch.
Customers often don't pay attention to signs or lights such as the registers or the "no wine on Sunday" sign
The mark down stickers (especially bakery) hardly ever scan and I have to type them in.
The produce prices in the department and what is listed in the computer database are never correct.
We have the non touch screen registers and I constantly have to tell people that the price on the screen is NOT the final price.
I get people in the express lane that think since it is empty right now they can just come in with a heaping standard cart full of stuff and expect me to bag it all.
On the last day of every month I get the people who put off using their WIC vouchers until that time and if I am on the express lane clog it up.
The Ugly
Store manager has made some of the women in the Deli/Bakery cry
We were short staffed for almost a year but now we are crawling with new people (I hear it is because the mgr gets a bonus)
I am being kept up front on registers because the store manager is weary of learning disabilities I was born with.
Deli workers have been asked to work 12 hours but take a 2-4 hour lunch (rather clock out and come back).
The "no stock stockroom" is well full of stock.
Our experienced people of 30 years or more that we really need are retiring.
Outdated equipment
People in other departments are often unable to get work done because they are needed as relief help in the front. As a result some don't come when called because either way they are going to get in trouble.
That is what I have for now and you may add to it if you wish.
GOOD : I'm considered a "favorite" amongst customers, and rack up "Highly Satisfied" comments without really trying.
I'm fastest cashier in the store. I've met and exceeded the 95% goal for months, was in the Top 25 of my District for a few times and eventually became #1 in my district.
I don't agree with my FEM all of the time, but she's tolerable (as is management as a whole) before I transferred I had much worse. Bosses don't have to be my "friend" just let me do my job, don't sabotage my money, and I'm good.
As you said, 99.5% of customers are pleasant and appreciative, and some of them are wacky and entertaining even. They make my day go by faster. Even when I get the customers who are dicks to me, later in the day I'll get complimented and praised, and that makes me feel better.
BAD : When the dipsh*t cashiers and baggers don't handle perishable and bakery gobacks. I hate to see food get wasted, and it comes out of all of our checks. This is a constant occurance and not just when we're slammed.
When the baggers DO take an item back, some of them think that means "Take this back to the Deli, and fart around the store for at least 20 minutes until the FES pages you."
Certain elderly CCs who have a chip on thier shoulder and act like you asked them for a kidney when you just asked them to put something in paper.
FEM : "You can't go full-time ; we don't have the hours for it". Proceeds to give me extra hours every week until I have 40, and on the 12th week 39.75 hours.
The psycho couponers, and the supervisors and store manager who enable them. "I shop at night to avoid crowds!" No you shop at night because there is no manager to say "NO" to a coupon that expired 10 months ago, after it's already been explained to you that our store only accepts 30-day expired ones.
The customers with a few coupons that don't know how to read.
"Ma'am, you had to buy 12 oz box of fish sticks"
"HARUMPH! I bought 24 oz of fish sticks!"
*FACEPALM*
When the Baby Daddies and 50-year-old meemaws rage at you because they don't know how to WIC, and your attempts to help them are drowned at by rage.
When customers don't want to accept that "Light Out = CLOSED". This one guy absolutely threw a fit, cussed the store and pitched the item at me when he got to the Front Door. This one couple pretended to not understand English, and proceeded to unload everything when my bagger, and I said "We're closed" 3 times. These are extreme examples, most customers typically aaccept it when I have to tell them, we're closed, but they still give me a dirty look sometimes. So sorry, but I have to go home eventually. I don't live here. Did I mention we're 24/7 so there's still U-Scan for them?
When I'm walking by to do something else, or am just off the clock completely, and a customer at U-Scan demands that I take the items out of their cart and scan it for them...Because, y'know the "U" in U-Scan stands for umbrella or something.
UGLY : the bitter lifer shrews act like a high school clique and try to get me in trouble or bull ****.
The Bad: Some co-workers in the wrong check stands. Often in check stands they are not assigned.
Some courtesy clerks stay "glued" to one check stand and one check stand only.
Having no schedule in check stand. Have to "wing it" when going to a checkstand
The Ugly: Short staffed (as usual) during the busiest of holidays (again, as usual).
Management choosing to play with a Toy Story Woody over the intercom making say different things, then get mad when we keep calling them to help check
Courtesy clerks not taking breaks and lunches as assigned, but rather taking them when they "feel" it is the right time because their assigned time is "too early" for them. (Always when it's busiest).
Customers getting ALL WRONG items on their WIC vouchers or wrong items on Food Stamps then EXPECT YOU to shop for their correct items
I get the people who can't read the WIC correctly and act like it is my fault when they have to go get something.
I get a few people who do not or at least act like they don't speak english well and try and run a scam on me every week saying I over charged them on produce items.
Have heard from my friend in the deli people come up to her trying to get them to put the non hot food sticker on hot food items so they can pay with EBT.
I get angry toothless old people hassling me when I am buying lunch as I pass by U-Scan
My store manager is a complete idiot (no disrespect meant toward him as he is a nice guy) but he gets facts mixed up and listens to third parties about things I didn't get promoted to cashier for a while because he thought I was going on Leave of Absence and I am not. He thinks for some reason I am physically limited and can't work stock for some reason I stocked for years!!! And all the other department heads think I am great.
We have cheap old broken equipment, nothing ever works right.
Can't ever find a courtesy clerk or front end person when I need one.
I end up around 10:30pm being by myself usually with no courtesy clerk and people pouring in usually the ones that can't speak english well and are always a problem.
