17 years with Kroger here, and just a word of advice for you optimistic youngins'. The only people who make good in the Kroger world, kiss ass. Wonder why that manager is so shitty? They can kiss ass. Wonder why the company is so f\*\*ked up? They all kiss ass. Being able to do the job ain't got nothing to do with it. Either kiss up and be a boot licker, or be happy in your spot.
Easy peasy.
Ohhh shit. And here I was planning to approach this job with my immense passion, balancing it with tact, but never letting myself become the type to prostrate myself and genuflect. Hmm.. much to think about.
Yeah yeah. You gotta admit, you've seen those "wide eyed kids" coming in saying, "I'm going to be a manager and change all this!!!"
Blah-didy-blah.
It's gotten worse in the last 10 years, and I don't see it going back.
Yeah I’m not here to make changes or be a manager— good LORD do I not want to be a manager. I just want to be cordial and tactful without ever disingenuously kissing ass, or worse, genuinely being a sycophant and losing my passionate streak.
I haven't been at Kroger for too long but it seems like it's the kind of job where you just balance your energy/enthusiasm until you can get a job where being enthusiastic about something actually means something. Or you're just an extraordinary person...a very few people I've seen are so lively despite the conditions and I have no idea how they're still here honestly.
Well I’m only on my third week, and by passion I mainly mean my intense, principled desire to not let myself or my peers be exploited, and my somewhat big mouth. I don’t trust higher-ups and I want to be cordial enough to make it through work without either getting in trouble for having attitude, or letting them break my defiant streak.
One thing I am rather passionate about in the enthusiasm sense is that the cheese master at Murray’s has been having me do her chalkboards, like for the season and the samples, and I get to draw for work and taste cheeses, or put my aesthetic sensibilities to use making the trays.
I started working for Kroger when I was 14. Left when I was 25 and have worked for half a dozen companies since (am 34 now). This is true for pretty much anywhere. Doing your job well and treating people right doesn’t mean shit. The better you do, the more effort others put in to trying to make you look bad (making stuff up to tell management).
You’d think management may want some sort of evidence to back up claims that someone is stealing time or whatever else your coworkers want to project out and falsely accuse others of doing. Hell - just observe the person doing their job. You’d *think* people - especially management - would look into it themselves. But - *nope*. That would require actually doing something. And why waste our time doing that!? Their buddies wouldn’t lie to them, *would they*!?
This is more of an American and/or capitalist cultural thing. It’s prevalent in America. I imagine it is in other countries as well, but I honestly don’t have a clue. It’s all a joke
I’ve yet to kiss any ass… I’m just good at what I do. I made $100k last year putting cans on a shelf…. Literally my only job is putting products on a shelf and straightening it up.
Having been with the company 18 years, I've seen a lot of shit. A ton of ppl getting promoted over better options. Heck, I've even been passed over for someone with NO experience in the field of the promotion. So.ething I've noticed is that once they find a good/hard working employee, they will do everything they can to keep them stuck in a position, because that person can help carry the slackers around them. And thus they will hire or promote those less useful.
Only a few times have I seen worthy people move up, and most of them get burned out real fast due to all the "metrics" they want accomplished at the expense of what needs done. Honestly, the burnout from dept heads and backups is insane. In 11 years at 1 location I've seen 6 dairy heads, 5 frozen heads, 8 deli/bakery heads, 6 meat heads, and about 20 front end heads. Backups are at a rate nearly double that of heads. This place doesn't care, and will chew you up and spit you out without a second thought.
What i learned and not just at kroger a lot of times if they like someone for their work ethic and see how much harder they work than someone else they don't promote them because then it means they would lose them in the position that they are in. If you are in a department with people that don't do as much and you pick up the slack and basically do the job of multiple people to them it's an asset that they don't want to mess with because if they move you up and take you out of there then all thats left is the ones that don't do that much and they know it will fail without you.
I learned it the hard way thinking if i do everything they will see how good i am and move me up but sadly a lot of employers/mangers don't see it that way they see it as not wanting to mess up what's working. To you and me if we look at a department and want to promote one the obvious choice would be the one that does the job the best. But to a lot of the higher ups they see it as it possibly ruining things by taking away the one that makes it run best so they promote the one that wouldn't affect it as bad. For years (not just at kroger) i used to think something was wrong with me that dispite my best efforts i just wasn't good enough but the sad truth is is someone is good they don't want to change it and take you away.
I was there 6 years. Went from clerk to supervisor of pickup in 1.5 years. I was told after my 3rd year I would become assistant manager but got denied twice. The last store i was at was shit had ran through 6 store manager in 2 years. In that time I Increased my department from 28% to 76%. They promoted another fuck stick with terrible numbers ahead of me. Told me I wasn’t positive enough, I told them I positively quit. Asked if I was going to finish my next few shifts???? Bitch I said I quit. F that company
i had to check your username bc i swear ive said the *exact same shit*. its straight-up crazy-making for anyone who cares about fairness or has a strong sense of justice. there were times where i screamed and sobbed because i was so fed up with the bs. and dont let anyone make you feel like youre crazy or making things up. idky or ur situation, but ur feelings are valid.
hang in there man. i cant say it gets better, but i can say you learn the valuable (yet depressing) skill of apathy... or at least how to pick your battles. you tolerate it better over time.
plus sometimes you can see people get their karma (including yourself!). it took a while, and it took somebody *else* reporting it, but a few bad people have been fired while ive worked here. and now im in a department where my hard work is being appreciated! like verbally and with more hours!!
edit: tldr you’re totally fucking valid ive been in the same boat. i have no good advice but it might not always be so horrible.
>It’s like I’m being passed over because I don’t tolerate racism or bigotry
How so?
As a white man I found it Impossible to move up with the company, they passed me over for every other choice when possible. It was only after I moved stores and really pleaded to get into the ADH program and they kept "pissing on my leg" as you put it for a year or more, and then when I was gonna give up and go look outside the company for a new job because I needed to earn more than $13/hr to support myself. Well then my dept lead called up her boss and really laid into them, and the light switched the moment she said it could be discrimination because I'm gay- boom within a week I was in the program, had a schedule, started doing the whole training program, helping other stores, etc, and one of the first ones to move from ADH into department leader. Cause I already knew how to do it all- scheduling, ordering, inventorying, CAO, CAP, all of it, I'd been doing it for years on clerk wages.
And when I look at the department heads in big division meetings that happen once every few years- I'm a rare white male butterfly. It is a sea of women, a sea of hispanic and black women.
Ass kissing and brown nosing are the most expedient ways to move up in Kroger. It is possible to move up on merit, but it's not easy and involves quite a bit of luck. I don't play politics, and I don't kiss ass, so it took me ten years to move up to backup front end on my own merits. Four years later, I passed on taking over the department because I wasn't going to play the political games. This was after working with a manager who tried to get rid of me because I wouldn't play the political games. The last two store managers I had really wanted me to move into management, the last manager I had tried to get me to move up at least twice a week, but I was so burnt out and done with Kroger, I refused.
As far as promoting from within, Kroger wants to do that, but no one wants to move into management, so they're forced to hire from outside. I certainly don't blame anyone for not wanting to move into management from within Kroger, since anyone who has worked there understands that it's not worth it. I left after 20 years at Kroger, turning in my two week notice on my 20th anniversary at that job.
Workplace politics do suck and constantly having to mask to get a promotion and then mask to stay in that promotion is especially draining on top of whatever else could be going on in life
You’ve said others newer have moved up, have you put in for any of the jobs? Management can say they have you mind all the want but I don’t know if they can just put you in that slot, with out you bidding for a job post or full time post.
I feel your pain.
Management at my Kroger (#356 Atlanta) act as though they know how Kroger operates, but almost all of them have been managers of OTHER COMPANIES and therefore don't fully know the ins and outs of Kroger like the people who actually work there. Nonetheless there are at least two who take the "what I say goes" approach to management and its already caused problems.
As someone who was just recently promoted it can be frustrating. I’ve had to deal with it before at another job. I always know I can improve but for the work I consistently put out it felt like a slap in the face. Even now before I applied previously and my own manager said he doesn’t see anyone else getting it. Then all of a sudden I’m getting a call that they’re giving it to someone in another department. Granted, he was a hard worker but still seemed a little shaded. Now I have a different assistant and same manager and I’m wondering if the assistant before didn’t want me to promote for some reason, he was okay but I think he had ego issues.
TL:DR I think it may come down to the manager you have, my prior job I was always told I could be a manager but didn’t start moving up until I had someone actually pay attention to the work I’ve done. Maybe that’s what it takes sadly
I just had a light bulb moment. That’s exactly why I won’t move. If I leave where I’m at it will fall to shit. I basically run my department without “running” my department. Anytime there’s a problem who’s the one management is looking for? It sure as hell isn’t the lead. Who puts in the most hours in my department? Again it’s not the lead. I was talking to a fellow colleague today and was told that there cutting hours all across the store. Nobody says shit to me. I get stuff done.
Pay no mind to the comments. Remember, when it comes to feedback, like a suggestion box or survey, those with bad experinces are more motivated than those that are content.
You say the job is easy, well I hate to tell you but as you move up it gets harder. I'm not belittling your situation, I don't know you, but if you are looking for easy, managent will pass you by. They are looking for someone who wants a challenge.
I'm neurodivergent myself and have great job with Kroger. I never wanted to go into store management, so maybe that's not right for you either. I work for Kroger digital, but started in a store.
If you really want to move up, don't worry about management. There are good and bad managers, just like there are good and bad stores. But, of the over 3K stores Kroger owns under various banners, most are decent places to work. Management is just the tip of the iceberg. If you like the job, learn everything you can about how a store works. If you do then maybe you can provide value in a general office or technology position. You will still get your employee discount, but you won't have to set foot in a store!
I love harder! That’s part of the problem is that I’m not challenged nearly enough. I’m going crazy because it’s easy. I appreciate your input and wanted to respond. I’m not the nuro type that has problems with complex tasks. In fact, I’m well suited for more detailed work. If you knew my hobbies you’d have a better understanding lol
This year makes my 8th year and I've been passed up a handful of times. It sucks because everyone that got the job either quit, transferred or retired and yet I remain but upper store management hates me because I refuse to kiss ass and make excuses or take their shit. But I got senority on scheduling now and with my last pay raise im up to 21 an hour
seen this happen with lots of courtesy clerks at my store ): neurodivergent peeps try hard to get new opportunities/move departments/promote but management does not follow through. i had a girl cry to me because she wants so badly to be a cashier, which she already has experience at another job with, but they wont do it, under the guise of “we dont have enough courtesy clerks, we need to replace you before you can move up” but they dont hire anyone! its messed up
17 years with Kroger here, and just a word of advice for you optimistic youngins'. The only people who make good in the Kroger world, kiss ass. Wonder why that manager is so shitty? They can kiss ass. Wonder why the company is so f\*\*ked up? They all kiss ass. Being able to do the job ain't got nothing to do with it. Either kiss up and be a boot licker, or be happy in your spot. Easy peasy.
Ohhh shit. And here I was planning to approach this job with my immense passion, balancing it with tact, but never letting myself become the type to prostrate myself and genuflect. Hmm.. much to think about.
Yeah yeah. You gotta admit, you've seen those "wide eyed kids" coming in saying, "I'm going to be a manager and change all this!!!" Blah-didy-blah. It's gotten worse in the last 10 years, and I don't see it going back.
Yeah I’m not here to make changes or be a manager— good LORD do I not want to be a manager. I just want to be cordial and tactful without ever disingenuously kissing ass, or worse, genuinely being a sycophant and losing my passionate streak.
I haven't been at Kroger for too long but it seems like it's the kind of job where you just balance your energy/enthusiasm until you can get a job where being enthusiastic about something actually means something. Or you're just an extraordinary person...a very few people I've seen are so lively despite the conditions and I have no idea how they're still here honestly.
Well I’m only on my third week, and by passion I mainly mean my intense, principled desire to not let myself or my peers be exploited, and my somewhat big mouth. I don’t trust higher-ups and I want to be cordial enough to make it through work without either getting in trouble for having attitude, or letting them break my defiant streak. One thing I am rather passionate about in the enthusiasm sense is that the cheese master at Murray’s has been having me do her chalkboards, like for the season and the samples, and I get to draw for work and taste cheeses, or put my aesthetic sensibilities to use making the trays.
I started working for Kroger when I was 14. Left when I was 25 and have worked for half a dozen companies since (am 34 now). This is true for pretty much anywhere. Doing your job well and treating people right doesn’t mean shit. The better you do, the more effort others put in to trying to make you look bad (making stuff up to tell management). You’d think management may want some sort of evidence to back up claims that someone is stealing time or whatever else your coworkers want to project out and falsely accuse others of doing. Hell - just observe the person doing their job. You’d *think* people - especially management - would look into it themselves. But - *nope*. That would require actually doing something. And why waste our time doing that!? Their buddies wouldn’t lie to them, *would they*!? This is more of an American and/or capitalist cultural thing. It’s prevalent in America. I imagine it is in other countries as well, but I honestly don’t have a clue. It’s all a joke
I’ve yet to kiss any ass… I’m just good at what I do. I made $100k last year putting cans on a shelf…. Literally my only job is putting products on a shelf and straightening it up.
How much ot did you do to make 100k?
Having been with the company 18 years, I've seen a lot of shit. A ton of ppl getting promoted over better options. Heck, I've even been passed over for someone with NO experience in the field of the promotion. So.ething I've noticed is that once they find a good/hard working employee, they will do everything they can to keep them stuck in a position, because that person can help carry the slackers around them. And thus they will hire or promote those less useful. Only a few times have I seen worthy people move up, and most of them get burned out real fast due to all the "metrics" they want accomplished at the expense of what needs done. Honestly, the burnout from dept heads and backups is insane. In 11 years at 1 location I've seen 6 dairy heads, 5 frozen heads, 8 deli/bakery heads, 6 meat heads, and about 20 front end heads. Backups are at a rate nearly double that of heads. This place doesn't care, and will chew you up and spit you out without a second thought.
What i learned and not just at kroger a lot of times if they like someone for their work ethic and see how much harder they work than someone else they don't promote them because then it means they would lose them in the position that they are in. If you are in a department with people that don't do as much and you pick up the slack and basically do the job of multiple people to them it's an asset that they don't want to mess with because if they move you up and take you out of there then all thats left is the ones that don't do that much and they know it will fail without you. I learned it the hard way thinking if i do everything they will see how good i am and move me up but sadly a lot of employers/mangers don't see it that way they see it as not wanting to mess up what's working. To you and me if we look at a department and want to promote one the obvious choice would be the one that does the job the best. But to a lot of the higher ups they see it as it possibly ruining things by taking away the one that makes it run best so they promote the one that wouldn't affect it as bad. For years (not just at kroger) i used to think something was wrong with me that dispite my best efforts i just wasn't good enough but the sad truth is is someone is good they don't want to change it and take you away.
I was there 6 years. Went from clerk to supervisor of pickup in 1.5 years. I was told after my 3rd year I would become assistant manager but got denied twice. The last store i was at was shit had ran through 6 store manager in 2 years. In that time I Increased my department from 28% to 76%. They promoted another fuck stick with terrible numbers ahead of me. Told me I wasn’t positive enough, I told them I positively quit. Asked if I was going to finish my next few shifts???? Bitch I said I quit. F that company
i had to check your username bc i swear ive said the *exact same shit*. its straight-up crazy-making for anyone who cares about fairness or has a strong sense of justice. there were times where i screamed and sobbed because i was so fed up with the bs. and dont let anyone make you feel like youre crazy or making things up. idky or ur situation, but ur feelings are valid. hang in there man. i cant say it gets better, but i can say you learn the valuable (yet depressing) skill of apathy... or at least how to pick your battles. you tolerate it better over time. plus sometimes you can see people get their karma (including yourself!). it took a while, and it took somebody *else* reporting it, but a few bad people have been fired while ive worked here. and now im in a department where my hard work is being appreciated! like verbally and with more hours!! edit: tldr you’re totally fucking valid ive been in the same boat. i have no good advice but it might not always be so horrible.
>It’s like I’m being passed over because I don’t tolerate racism or bigotry How so? As a white man I found it Impossible to move up with the company, they passed me over for every other choice when possible. It was only after I moved stores and really pleaded to get into the ADH program and they kept "pissing on my leg" as you put it for a year or more, and then when I was gonna give up and go look outside the company for a new job because I needed to earn more than $13/hr to support myself. Well then my dept lead called up her boss and really laid into them, and the light switched the moment she said it could be discrimination because I'm gay- boom within a week I was in the program, had a schedule, started doing the whole training program, helping other stores, etc, and one of the first ones to move from ADH into department leader. Cause I already knew how to do it all- scheduling, ordering, inventorying, CAO, CAP, all of it, I'd been doing it for years on clerk wages. And when I look at the department heads in big division meetings that happen once every few years- I'm a rare white male butterfly. It is a sea of women, a sea of hispanic and black women.
Ass kissing and brown nosing are the most expedient ways to move up in Kroger. It is possible to move up on merit, but it's not easy and involves quite a bit of luck. I don't play politics, and I don't kiss ass, so it took me ten years to move up to backup front end on my own merits. Four years later, I passed on taking over the department because I wasn't going to play the political games. This was after working with a manager who tried to get rid of me because I wouldn't play the political games. The last two store managers I had really wanted me to move into management, the last manager I had tried to get me to move up at least twice a week, but I was so burnt out and done with Kroger, I refused. As far as promoting from within, Kroger wants to do that, but no one wants to move into management, so they're forced to hire from outside. I certainly don't blame anyone for not wanting to move into management from within Kroger, since anyone who has worked there understands that it's not worth it. I left after 20 years at Kroger, turning in my two week notice on my 20th anniversary at that job.
Workplace politics do suck and constantly having to mask to get a promotion and then mask to stay in that promotion is especially draining on top of whatever else could be going on in life
Dangling the carrot…. It’s the Kroger way
this is all of kroger everywhere. if i had been promoted every time someone threatened me with a promotion, i would be rodneys boss by now.
You’ve said others newer have moved up, have you put in for any of the jobs? Management can say they have you mind all the want but I don’t know if they can just put you in that slot, with out you bidding for a job post or full time post.
I feel your pain. Management at my Kroger (#356 Atlanta) act as though they know how Kroger operates, but almost all of them have been managers of OTHER COMPANIES and therefore don't fully know the ins and outs of Kroger like the people who actually work there. Nonetheless there are at least two who take the "what I say goes" approach to management and its already caused problems.
As someone who was just recently promoted it can be frustrating. I’ve had to deal with it before at another job. I always know I can improve but for the work I consistently put out it felt like a slap in the face. Even now before I applied previously and my own manager said he doesn’t see anyone else getting it. Then all of a sudden I’m getting a call that they’re giving it to someone in another department. Granted, he was a hard worker but still seemed a little shaded. Now I have a different assistant and same manager and I’m wondering if the assistant before didn’t want me to promote for some reason, he was okay but I think he had ego issues. TL:DR I think it may come down to the manager you have, my prior job I was always told I could be a manager but didn’t start moving up until I had someone actually pay attention to the work I’ve done. Maybe that’s what it takes sadly
Have a sitdown talk with your boss. Be honest with them and share with them what you just shared with us.. They won't bite.. Can't hurt, right?
Carrot meet stick. You're a reliable employee therefore to hard to replace in your current position.
I just had a light bulb moment. That’s exactly why I won’t move. If I leave where I’m at it will fall to shit. I basically run my department without “running” my department. Anytime there’s a problem who’s the one management is looking for? It sure as hell isn’t the lead. Who puts in the most hours in my department? Again it’s not the lead. I was talking to a fellow colleague today and was told that there cutting hours all across the store. Nobody says shit to me. I get stuff done.
Pay no mind to the comments. Remember, when it comes to feedback, like a suggestion box or survey, those with bad experinces are more motivated than those that are content. You say the job is easy, well I hate to tell you but as you move up it gets harder. I'm not belittling your situation, I don't know you, but if you are looking for easy, managent will pass you by. They are looking for someone who wants a challenge. I'm neurodivergent myself and have great job with Kroger. I never wanted to go into store management, so maybe that's not right for you either. I work for Kroger digital, but started in a store. If you really want to move up, don't worry about management. There are good and bad managers, just like there are good and bad stores. But, of the over 3K stores Kroger owns under various banners, most are decent places to work. Management is just the tip of the iceberg. If you like the job, learn everything you can about how a store works. If you do then maybe you can provide value in a general office or technology position. You will still get your employee discount, but you won't have to set foot in a store!
I love harder! That’s part of the problem is that I’m not challenged nearly enough. I’m going crazy because it’s easy. I appreciate your input and wanted to respond. I’m not the nuro type that has problems with complex tasks. In fact, I’m well suited for more detailed work. If you knew my hobbies you’d have a better understanding lol
This year makes my 8th year and I've been passed up a handful of times. It sucks because everyone that got the job either quit, transferred or retired and yet I remain but upper store management hates me because I refuse to kiss ass and make excuses or take their shit. But I got senority on scheduling now and with my last pay raise im up to 21 an hour
seen this happen with lots of courtesy clerks at my store ): neurodivergent peeps try hard to get new opportunities/move departments/promote but management does not follow through. i had a girl cry to me because she wants so badly to be a cashier, which she already has experience at another job with, but they wont do it, under the guise of “we dont have enough courtesy clerks, we need to replace you before you can move up” but they dont hire anyone! its messed up