I spent 40 years of my life at Kroger, and saw many changes over the years. ( retired now)
The changes that started in 2009 with coordinators in every department with nice salaries was the beginning of where we are. Then
we added many co managers to the store profile. Then we renamed them ASM’s, increased their salary, taught them to chase clipboards/checklist, and they are the future of Kroger. Pretty obvious anyone past 50 is being sent to pasture now.
Now, after 10 years of this we are eliminating coordinators, reducing the ASM’s in the store profile, and pushing the long term experience out the door.
I feel for all that were affected by this, many were like me, gave their life to Kroger, and bled blue everyday. I pray for Rodney’s plan to keep Barney’s legacy alive!
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If we could just get back to being a grocery store with reasonable prices and enough help to serve the customers it would be ok. Instead we have to try to be a bank, Western Union, and people now pay bills all at customer service with only 1person handling it all. Most days only 2registers open and one of those 15 or less and huge buggies come in the line because nothing else open. Most of the time people with big buggies only use self checkout so they can steal because 1 person has to try to watch 6 registers all while having to help people having trouble so they can't see everything. Now they want to turn to people scanning their own groceries as the go so they can get rid of yet more cashiers.
Just a few years after Dave Dillon’s retirement and Rodney has found a way to drive this company into the ditch.
Rodney has milked brick & mortar dry by continuing to pull hours out of stores. In addition his continued management by checklist has been an abysmal failure. He continues to promote based on political correctness, rather than talent and in fact those that he’s placed in power have told tenured people ‘shut up.’ When that didn’t work, they created VRO to accomplish 2 thing; 1) take care of their buddies with 2 years of pay and guaranteed bonuses and 2) to get rid of a bunch of highly paid old timers.
The problem? They lost a ton of talent and knowledge. In addition they weren’t exactly equitable in how they administered the VRO. There were folks with 30+ years not eligible (because they weren’t 55), while folks with many fewer years who were 55 gladly packed their golden parachute. Plus they didn’t off the VRO to any store managers. Now just a few years latter they’re running off many of the folks who would’ve been VRO eligible (but not offered) and giving the 9 moths pay.
Many are folks who gave 30 to 40 years to the company. They gave up holidays, kids events, etc. and now that the company has rung every bit of value from them (or so they think) they’ll throw them out like yesterday’s news.
Rodney’s no leader and he needs to be replaced. In fact everyone in the c-suite needs to go, if there’s hope of saving a once great company.
All Kroger needs to be successful is what they’ve done for the last 100 years, sell groceries at a competitive price with the best service and great employees. The employees on the front lines management included are who keeps the customers coming back. Kroger has cut hours and added layers of useless c-ap. You don’t get groceries on the shelf and give the best service when you don’t have the hours or employees to get it done. Way to many inexperienced over payed chiefs and not enough help in stores. Retired 43 years with company
Excellent points!
The media and Wall Street needs to dig deep and find out what is truly going on with Kroger. The problem with the Company’s results for the last several years rests solely with Senior Management. These are not lay-offs...they are FIRINGS. As we approach the Holiday Selling Season....the most important time of any Grocers’ year Kroger is firing Store Management. This is strictly a cost saving action to reduce costs and improve bottom line results. The Company has abandoned it’s concentration on its employees and the Customer shopping experience. The mantra of “Kroger Feeding the Human Spirit” is a hypocritical. This event is truly sad. It could have waited until after the Holidays. The Company used to say it had a “passion for people and results”. This has been abandoned in favor of self preservation for senior management. Maybe this will provide short term improvements. But cutting costs never saved a company i.e. Sears and K-Mart. You need to SELL your way to success.