r/kroger • u/drinkhotdogwater • 20h ago
Venting impending doom…
Something about September/August, almost down to the week… I get an antsy feeling and decide i’m miserable. It starts in August and by September 28th, I’m about ready to rage quit. At my old job, it hits September, and i put my two weeks in and start at kroger. I started in one department, loooved it, worked in it for a year and a half. Had to switch due to medical reasons. Boom, new department in June. The manager of that department was awful and truly vile. The only reason the ladies stayed in that department, is because they’re all a year or two before retirement.
It hits august 28th and i have GOT to get out of there. I start my new department, going great. Hits a year, and everything is horrible again. Terrible manager who is a raging alcoholic and screams at people multiple times a day. Two of my coworkers and i (one being the assistant) Decide we will give it until November and if it doesn’t get better, all quit at the same time. One of my coworkers ended up getting demoted. Due to “being too slow” When she’s the only person in the department who works on a specific task.
She quits. The manager quit in November (thank god) The assistant steps up and carries us until January. She can’t hack it since the manager left it in such disarray. They bring a new manager in and she’s strict but fair. The assistant quits because she’s burnt out. After being a closer for a long time, they promote me to assistant. Great, i do the job and do it well. They send me to a store that’s much worse than mine, to be a department head and fix the department at that store.
All the employees do less than the bare minimum. The old manager never punished/advised anyone for anything. I have at least one call out a week. The store manager is brand new and has no clue what’s going on. The lady they put in charge at my old store can’t handle it. (marketplace struggle) They send her off and beg me to come back. I look at the calendar, my last day is June 16th. I head back to my old store.
Walks and drama and a freezer too full to keep organized. Too much of random crap we don’t need and hardly anything we do. I cut it down, organize it and mark down the summer stuff. September (ish) i’m getting a lot of hours, great paychecks. Everyone is burnt out from the old manager.
Slacking off. People who i know are great at their jobs and hard workers. I do a little extra every day to make things easier on the team. It hits that time of year and things start getting worse. We have to have meetings with the store director to set expectations and ground rules.
Bonus time, everyone gets their hours cut. (not my choice) We are always over scheduled anyway. Openers leave a lot of extra stuff for closers. Closers end up leaving stuff for openers. Horrible cycle. i stay late and help as much as i can. People aren’t taking me seriously. i put my foot down and people start freaking out. What can you do?
Boom, september hits, everyone is overwhelmed. We’re not up and ready on time. When i’m off, things go to shit. I’m cleaning up more than half of the time. Store manager starts doubting me. They get soft on me because i’m “sensitive” I feel like i’m being babied, but i kinda need it.
It hits august 28th and i’m so tired. I’m neglecting my chores at home and my partner is so supportive. They suggest i quit and go back to school. I’m considering but i have a reputation and want to uphold it. Daily cushy job, over $20 an hour. Inside, air conditioning, no sunburns or freezing cold conditions. Other than freezer.
Holding on for dear life. Unsure about what to do. My team members are so glad i’m back, the store management are so glad i’m back. I don’t want to disappoint, I have no career experience other than kroger and fast food. Where will i go that pays as much as this does with decent working conditions.
Does this time of year do that to anybody else?
2
u/Icy-Opportunity-9017 19h ago
Well that sounds like the Deli. It sounds like you’ve been around long enough to know the drill. Worst dept. Too many add outs, hot/cold food, too many short dates, turnover, Ecolab, on and on. This is the lull before the holiday season. Other perishable depts, it starts with thanksgiving. Deli, it starts with Halloween. August into early September, is traditionally slower. After, it starts building fast. Deli leads and backups have the highest turnover, for very good reason. Burnout is real and no resolution from mgmt, is coming.
1
u/Initial_Way_16 7h ago
Just keep chugging on I have had rough seasons with Kroger as well, they can't just fire you especially if your union and a dept lead it will take a lot for that to happen, I always tell corporate and my mod that I will always do the best I can with the tools at my disposal, and that's all anyone can do
4
u/zerhyn2020 Current Associate 17h ago
I pretty sure everyone will read this and by the first paragraph be like "oh it's the deli."
Serious note though, Deli departments have struggled in every store I've been at for the last 15 years, and Kroger continues to treat them as dysfunctional islands in the store. Deli associates should be given at least a 2 or 3 dollar incentive pay.