I remember just last year when the new Kroger opened on
Garth Road and I was excited to see they had broken out of the Walmart paradigm
of having a less proportionate number of checkers than people trying to
check-out. Seriously, it wasn't that bad. Walmart is the world's worst store
for checking out due to the many closed counters. When you shop there, it is akin to going through a
cattle chute. I shouldn't even point this out today because it is so obvious to
everyone except the store manager.
No, the new Kroger had many open checking stands and a
bagger at each one. Now months later, they are facing stiff completion from the
new HEB store, so it would seem logical, that they would continue this great
level of service, right? Wrong. I stopped in to spend a hundred dollars the
other day and only one register with no bagger was available and the checker
picked up the phone and paged someone for a price check.
Hark, there was an associate at the far left end where you get
the pleasure of self-checkout who hailed me. "I can help someone down
here!" I had about 30 or so items, so rather than be third in line, I
rolled my buggy on down. She took over and methodically scanned each item and
stacked most of them above, rather than bag them and explained she liked to do
it that way, because she can then arrange them in the plastic bags more
efficiently. Meanwhile, an elderly
couple (they were my age) were having trouble finding the code on a piece of
fruit and over her shoulder, she was rattling off numbers for them to punch in
(this was unsuccessful) and she kept stopping my scan to help them in the self
check line.
I stood and watched this overly energetic lady work her
routine with all earnestness (and chipper attitude mind you) while the lady who
had been in front of me - down there,
rolled past with her groceries. The aged folks in the line behind me just
couldn't get that danged code correct and as soon as my helpful clerk scanned
my last item, she departed to get those numbers with a "you got
this?". It was logical that the other line needed to purchase their goods
in an expedited manner.
I paid my hundred plus bucks electronically, but thankfully,
using my special Kroger Plus card, I saved a whole bunch of money and began the
process of sacking my own groceries. Foolish me didn't realize that you could
spin the bin around until she yelled over her shoulder and pointed out the
obvious. In the meantime two more shoppers rolled past me on their way out of
the store, carts loaded down with bagged goods. I figure the whole process took
3 times longer than simply being patient and waiting for the single cashier to
scan and bag my stuff. Stupid me, it should have been obvious.
I remembered why I shop at Food
Town on North
Main for most of my groceries. If they ain't scanin', they waitin'
to scan. On top of that, they are running some really good deals. Its obvious
to me that the store manager realizes there is an HEB in town. Now if we can
just get Walmart and Kroger to figure this out, we will have some super stores.
Why isn't it obvious to retailers that we live in a 24 hour a day town where
time management (excluding Millennial's of course) is paramount to success?
Many a time I can have an entire cart full of groceries at
Food Town and by the time I place everything on the conveyor, my checker is cheerfully
announcing how much I owe and my stuff is already bagged and in the cart ready
to go? The manager of that store hovers around like a bird of prey looking for
a meal, that's why. This is why I often tip the cashier.
Maybe I am being too harsh on Kroger. Maybe it was shift
change. I honestly don't think I could ever be too hard on Walmart. Maybe the
Mont Belvieu store is better. I don't know. With the traffic, its a half hour
drive from Chaparral Village, but that's obvious.
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4 comments:
Diana Thornton: That's the new Kroger paradigm now. Unstocked shelves, dirty floors and no staff. The Wal-Mart's in Missouri, Arkansas amd other states are great.
Jeana Blackford: The new Walmart in Mont Belvieu is now just as bad as the Walmart in Baytown. ALL Walmart’s are horrible, unless it’s a Walmart within close reach of the corporate offices in Bentonville, AR. I’d rather shop at Food Town, as well.. The customer service is far more superior and their prices are lower, than the other stores.
Mike Lewis: The kroger in Seabrook has me trained. I use the self checkout because I can use it faster then if I wait in line. Still, im disappointed every time I shop there, and I can not wait for something to open up that will be competition with them.
Good story Bert!
Joan Griffin: Another reason I use quicklist and curbside... everything is checked out, bagged and brought to me and I don’t even have to get out of my car! Personnel is super friendly and very few mistakes!
Deborah Mowry I hear ya Bert! I stated to some colleagues that the service and attitude of the help had declined. They told me it was probably me! No one even says thank you anymore. Have a good one is the mantra now or they wait for me to say thank you.
I blame management. I like your analogy of a bird of prey!!!
DDM: Again I blame management. Go to a Chik fil and see how their employees greet you. Very refreshing and I feel welcome there. Not a pain in the patootie like most stores now.
Larry Houston: Having worked for "Big Grocery" in the past, I can pretty much guarantee you it's corporate number-crunchers putting the squeeze on the store manager to cut employee hours to the minimum. If he/she can get by with two cashiers instead of three without having 10 shoppers in line at each open register, then only schedule two. The backup plan is to have an assistant manager or someone working in another department come check if things get busy. Of course, they never seem to plan for employees having to go to lunch or anything like that.
Kroger is a union store and I bet HEB is too. Their cashiers get paid more than Food Town,so the latter can afford to have more on staff at any given time.
DCT: Kroger is Fleming foods and they've always been buttholes. Horrible to deal with. My husband used to have to deal with them.
Rhonda Driver: We were in Walmart the other evening and the cashier overseeing the self checkouts told us that by next year they would be removing half of the checkouts and installing more of the self checkouts. This will allow them to decrease the amount of employees needed.
DCT: Already done it here. They also have pay as you go app. You scan your merchandise as you pick it up and automatically pay for it.
Bill Caughman: Thanks Bert, it is obvious, but nothing will help until business falls off. It’s the same in Sugarland. I never go to Walmart and have dumped Kroger.
Jill Dodson: So much truth! Aside from more checkers and open lanes, a dress code would be phenomenal! If you have the time, just order online and pick it up! I’ll drive the 15 minutes extra each way to not have to go inside Walmart and shop. I lose 15 brain cells every time I walk into our Walmart in Cleveland, and well, I just don’t fit in. You know, because I’m fat and am not wearing see through clothes, a Halloween costume, pajamas, or a bathing suit. Never mind the optional bra part!
Thank you for this article. Now that I know others feel the same, I don't feel so guilty for having a hissy-fit in Krogers last Monday. I ran in to get three items for dinner. I stood in the one open express lane for ten minutes while the lady checked a huge basket of groceries because the only two open south lanes had very long lines.
A young male employee walked by and I asked him to call more checkers. He said I've tried, but management refuses. Before exploding I saw David Himsel, the store manager, fiddling with some items in the candy lane. I called to him and said I was tired of standing in line waiting to spend my money. He quietly said, "Come with me." He went to the self checkout and stood behind a person finishing checking and then took the machine and checked out my groceries while all the people in line glared at me. This is David Himsel who was elected to the City Council to help run the city. I thanked him but told him waiting and waiting is the norm lately. Another thing that irks me is how many times I have to go to customer service when items ring up at the wrong price.
Walmart is simply a horror trip which I only do when I absolutely have to.
Always enjoy your articles.
Frankie Brewer
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