Thread regarding Kroger Co. layoffs

PMuJ7Zy-bElow, spoken like a true Grocery relief manager. All these comments on this board, the executives need to read this one as it is absolutely spot on!

Amen

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It is amazing how corporate response to union requests for raises is always met with "we have shareholders to consider", but when it comes to executive pay and bonuses it is lottery time! When it comes to pay for the average worker either the executives have lost touch with reality or they are heartless sociopaths.
They want to keep up with the evolving market place when they should be keeping it simple. Stop spending millions on technology to save thousands. If you want to increase sales, staff the stores properly and stop all the metrics, charts and clipboard nonsense.
At store level we need the proper amount of deliveries and the proper amount of hours to stock them. Schedule enough mainline cashiers and use self-checkout to supplement not replace manned registers. Most customer realize that our self-checkouts are way slower and poorly programmed compared to other retailers. No hand-held for large items, security scale that is flawed, counter intuitive icons, poorly designed bagging area, not made for using recycled bags and a receipt that can't be deciphered. If you don't understand what I am referring to, that is because you haven't used one as a customer or employee. Why do we have a "done" icon instead of an "enter" one? You think the average person doesn't know what an "enter" button is?? Why have a "pay now button" instead of a "total" button?? Some discounts don't apply until you hit "pay now" but they don't want to pay because the amount is in correct!!! They would hit a "total" icon. Why do we assume people are knowledgeable enough to cashier, but are ignorant to basic terms like "enter" and "total"? They probably never heard of "item codes" either so let's use "item lookup" with a magnifying glass. Brilliant! Most people use their phone number as their alternate I.D. so instead of a phone icon how about a key pad that draws their eye when trying to ENTER CODES!! Great idea! That will really make them want to use self-checkout.
Plus-outs: Why can't these be reasonable? Corporate sends way too much, but no one at district level seems to be able to adjust them. We spend way too much time handling over stock when we could be filling the fast movers. You want to control expenses start with Hershey using us like their personal warehouse. Believe it or not the average person doesn't spend all of their free time making smores and snacking on bags of candy 24/7. During candy holidays we don't need all of these other candy shipments. You want fresh? Stop over shipping dated product!
We have tons of computers charting the benchmarks we are not hitting, how about a program that looks at on hands and previous sales before sending redundant merchandise.
Stop promoting people that have no grocery manager experience. Granted we sell various items, but our cornerstone is groceries. So to have managers, supervisors and distribution center administrators that have no clue what it takes to run a crew and fill a store is ludicrous. How can someone think it is smart and conducive to eliminate weekend deliveries? I will tell you how....ignorance or apathy or maybe both. Let's give that person a huge bonus he just saved some shipping costs! Genius!
In stock...fresh...friendly. Remember this mantra? Meet us half way! Address the real issues. We can be friendly that is on us, but the other two is store and corporate working as a team. Stop with the hurdles and palliative mottoes and let's get back to basics. Order, fill and sell! Simple.
Third party deliveries: Vendors are our business partners, but we are also their customers. So why do we let them dictate how many times a week they will deliver. They want to sell 100 to 150 different kinds of beverages then they need to deliver more than two or three times a week. How can we keep out of stocks to an minimum when every thing has limited facings and limited backstock room? By delivering more often that is how. None of the majors other than Frito delivers on Monday. Why? Because the don't order on Sundays. Guess what, the market is always evolving remember? So, we come out of the weekend and have to wait for Tuesday to replenish, think about our Monday customers. How much could we increase our Monday sales with more deliveries? We will never know until corporate addresses this issue. And no, the answer is not to pack out our tiny backroom all weekend long. It is already full of water plus-outs!! If the D.C. has to contract out the water deliveries then maybe we should expand it or stop putting water on sale. The solution is not to fill the precious little space we have at store level. Once again time wasted negotiating over stock to get to the items we need.
So, the next time you are in the store walk the vendor items (chips, soda, beer, bread, water, energy drinks, etc.) look closely at the facings, grab a scan gun (if you can find one) check the movement. Walk the backroom, do the math. We need more deliveries because the shelves have no holding power due to the mass quantities of skus. Once again, if you can't follow my reasoning then you've been out of a store too long. Or you never worked in one.
Too many Generals and not enough soldiers!
Keep it simple! Think how can we as corporate executives help the stores succeed. Ask questions of your experienced store employees in different positions. Let one of these younger executives run a night crew for a few weeks, and see reality. Or the dairy,receiving, frozen, wall deli, meat department, bakery, produce, self-checkout, mainline, customer service or G.M.. Not for a day at least three weeks in each. Better yet, the person who programs the hours for each department, let them show us how easy it is.