I Got Booted From Krogers Today

[rsmith6621]

Went grocery shopping this morning at Krogers. As I was putting grocery's in the cart I noticed that prices per product had jumped about 20 cents per item over last week so being a curious shopper I stopped my shopping and found the stores assistant manager to inquire why prices have gone up sharply this week. His reply was "have you seen gas prices ....there on there way back up"...I quickly replied not as much as they did last fall and the price increases your store put in place then have not been adjusted downward as gas prices have gone down significantly since.......I then said at what point do you eat margin as the economy continues to tank and people tighten up on their money???.....It won't get that bad he said I quickly said "are you blind..do you know what is happening outside of this store....He then said you will soon find out...I said why...he said LEAVE....Gladly I said left a cart of food for someone to re shelve.

[BlooInBloo]

1. Heh. Hopefully you have a convenient alternative.

[Maat]

2. It boggles my mind that he treated a customer that way.

You should write a letter to the parent company; of course, the guy will be out of a job.

[Poiuyt]

12. Boy that's for sure

Whatever happened to "The customer is always right"? That guy must have really thin skin and a big ego to kick someone out of a store for a non-disruptive argument.

[elleng]

35. This was 'ASSISTANT manager.'

Likely to stay there.

[Grinchie]

55. You been living in a cave? Customer is replaceable according to current thought

I think the best example is using our right to pay with a handwritten check.

It has been clear to me that Banks hate handwritten checks. They are slowly making it so difficult that many businesses refuse to take personal checks anymore, and force you to use Credit Cards.

With that being said, I challenge everyone to just take the time to write personal checks for the next 30 purchases you have to make and take note of the experience that you have during each event. I can guarantee that in every occasion, you will get various results, from an extra 10 minute wait to have your check verified, either through store manager, electronic check approval authority, random approvals and disapprovals, differing amounts of information requested by the retailer, etc.

I really love it when they ask for your Social Security number. When you refuse, they will claim that it is "Company Policy", where you should reply, "Are you paying me a salary? No? then why on werth do you need my SS Number".

Check it out. They are trying to get rid of checks, even though due to check 21 legislation, they behave the same as Debit Cards in today's electronic economy.

Furthermore, it was found that the big banks have been using patented check scanning technology for years without paying the patent holder royalties of .002 cents per check image. They have amassed millions of dollars in back royalty payments, and the Republicans were trying to change the Patent laws to help bail out the banks. This is a story that has disappeared recently, so I don't know what the outcome is/was.

Have fun, and prepare to count to ten if you accept this challenge of mine to write checks for the next 30 purchases you make in a store. You will think you are living in Bartertown after you see how you are treated.

[MinneapolisMatt]

3. Good for speaking out!

And what a jerk of a manager. He can't be making much himself...he'll learn his lesson the hard way.

[bird gerhl]

4. Looks like you sure showed him!

:beer:

[eleny]

5. A while back I spoke with a checker about the prices going up

This was back when the prices were leaping. And she replied that we all know how they won't go down if gas prices fall. She was right but my real point is that we were on the same side.

It was King Soopers, a Kroger chain.

[Old Codger]

11. Wal Mart Too

Almost same conversation with a checker there, their prices have been going up recently actually started a little before christmas, checker said people are buying less so prices needed to go up so they can still make the same money...

[girl gone mad]

31. They're going to be in a lot of trouble if they think that's a viable solution.

When people are buying less, they need to drop prices. It's basic supply and demand.

[durablend]

33. Supply and demand went out the window ages ago

Just look at gasoline...people using less yet they're (refineries) manipulating the price right back up (economy and recession be damned).

I've noticed the same thing OP did at the supermarket and I had a feeling that they'd use the current "still inflated" prices as a baseline and jack them up even higher once gas prices started going up again. Another thing you need to watch out for--some places are jacking the shelf price up sky high, then putting the item(s) "on sale" for more than they were just a short time ago. In other words, you're cough..."saving money"...cough, yet still paying more than you were a week ago.

[Old Codger]

44. You got it

That was what I have seen a lot of, wal-mart did it extensively at christmas time and are now just raising prices on a lot of stuff.

[mmonk]

53. Yep, that's how it is suppose to work.

[rhett o rick]

56. When the demand goes down the prices go up, when the demand goes up the prices go up.

Starting to see the trend?

[Wickerman]

6. I'm confident Kroger would like the chance to retrain this manager in customer service

basics. Or, more likely, can his ass. Lots of job hunters outside of his store. Write the home office a letter.

[kcass1954]

23. Nah - stand out front of the store with a sign. n/t

[liberalmuse]

7. By God, you are truly a DFH.

And you make me proud. :cry: :cry: :cry:

[Batgirl]

8. And STAY out of WOOLWORTH

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

16. That's good stuff.

[comrade snarky]

24. You think he means all the Woolworths

Or just that one?

[shadowknows69]

32. "My hair"

"Aint this place a geographic oddity. Two weeks from anywhere."

"I'm a Dapper Dan man"

BEST.MOVIE.EVER.

Ok, tied with "The Big Lebowski"

[SmileyRose]

47. Excuse me but that's "And STAY out of the WOOLWORTHS"

I LOVE LOVE LOVE that movie. :)

[Batgirl]

63. infinitely quotable

[Wetzelbill]

9. way to stick to your guns.

[wuvuj]

10. Just read....

....that there was expected to be some price competition between grocery stores soon...as a reason for Walmart's and other grocers stock going down. I'll believe it when I see it.

[salguine]

13. You shouldn't have left. What was he gonna do, call the cops and tell them

you asked him a question?

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

22. The cops would come and ask you to leave.

The manager has the legal right to ask someone to leave the business that they are managing. I have seen the police enforce that on several occasions over petty stuff like this in most cases.

David

[TwixVoy]

28. At the point you are told to leave a private business

and you fail to do so it's a little something called TRESSPASSING.

[Grinchie]

59. Lol Trespassing!

And the cops will do what? Escort you off the premises, maybe write you a citations and the incident will promptly get stuffed into the Memory Hole, because they don't have the money for a legal system that is so overweight that they can't even afford to operate a patrol car.

[Canuckistanian]

14. The price of gas? What does that have to do with anything?

His store's goods are delivered with diesel boats, trains and trucks.

And anyways, the price hasn't changed THAT much in the last few weeks. And RAISING prices during a recession is totally counter-intuitive.

Good for you, you're not taking price-gouging lying down.

[BirminghamExaminer]

25. That is exactly what I was thinking, in fact...

if the food had anything to do with gas prices, groceries would have been 3 times as much last year as they are now.

[Hoopla Phil]

15. Somewhat related note on the general corporate attitude of big grocery chains.

We had a small HEB grocery store in my area. It was small but had all the basics and fair prices. It was replaced by a huge gigantic HEB-PLUS. Well it didn't take long to find out what the "PLUS" was. Plus = much higher prices. Now add to that that the store is dropping the (over priced) basics and adding (even higher priced) "designer" type products. Cannot get plain old cracker meal by Nabisco anymore. No, now it is all high priced pre-seasoned crap with some famous cooks face on it! This big gigantic store no longer carries the large economy size shampoo that my wife uses (she has LOTS of hair). Oh no, the new "flore plan" has the little bottles that will last my wife maybe three shampooings. And don't even get me started on the coffee isle!!!! I really hate this store now. I keep wondering what else they won't have the next time I go shopping. I'm being forced to buy more and more stuff online.

[Fire1]

18. I clip coupons and go for the 'value' brands on high priced

items like sandwich cheese, salad dressing and store brand coffee. MEAT is OUTRAGEOUS!! I'm trying to 'buy Michigan' products as much as I can, too.

[HillWilliam]

45. Look at the fine print on the packaging and you'll see that HEB

was founded by old man H. E. Butt (how he must have suffered in school!!). Old man Butt has since died, leaving the little assholes to run the company.

There ya go.

If I'm lyin', I'm dyin'. Look and see.

[Hoopla Phil]

49. Yes you are correct.

Mr. Butt turned over the running of the company to family many years before he died though. The most significant change came in the 80's when HEB started selling wine and beer. Under Mr. Butts rule this was never allowed (it was Mr. Butt's religion that prohibited this). I think what we are seeing now is the second generation (or would it be the third) of the butt family taking over. They look to be going after the quick buck and jump onto what ever is the profitable fad of the time and charge like crazy for it.

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

17. I doubt the manager sets the prices. If he were smart, which he obviously isn't,

he should have just offered to pass your comments along to the management above him.

I shop at Kroger all the time, (in fact if I stopped, they would probably show a 1% drop in volume!) and I was unhappy when I noticed that they were dropping brands and products that I like and use. When I was asked at the register the obligatory "find everything you were looking for?" question I said "No, I was very disappointed NOT to find . .. .. and mentioned 2 products I bought there previously before. I said, "Should I tell the manager?" and the cashier said "You could tell the manager every week and nothing will happen. But if you email corporate from the corporate website, they will be all over it." So there you go.

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

19. Write a complaint

Having worked in retail, I generally don't want to hear a customer complaining about prices, mainly because the worker, or even the manager, has no control over them. You're supposed to just nod your head and say "Yeah, it's getting tough out there".

Kicking you out of the store for anything less than calling a him an asshole is ridiculous.

[propagandagirl]

20. He was wrong, but.......

I've worked as a Grocery Checker for the last fifteen years. I understand the frustration over rising grocery prices. I experience it myself as I struggle to feed my three teenagers but the amount of verbal abuse I have been subjected to lately is ridiculous!! Do people really think I have ANY control over prices, or that my manager sets the prices?? Most of us at the store level agree that prices are too high. Unfortunately, We. Have. No. Say!!

Right before the election one of my regular customers was throwing a fit because our donut prices had gone up from 50 cents to 69 cents. He was pissed because he wanted two, but refused to pay that price for more than one. He went on to blame the increase on the environmentalists (??!?) then, in all seriousness, told me I should be willing to take a pay cut, so that he could buy two donuts. Keep in mind this man isn't someone who's hurting financially AND he knows I am a single mother. Of course, he was wearing a HUGE Dino Rossi button. Go figure...!

That said, I do think the manager was totally out of line for throwing you out of the store. My advice is to email the corporate office!!

[comrade snarky]

26. Yep, tempers are getting heated and skins are thin on all sides

As people get worried and the economic terror settles in on us.
There are a lot of fragile people out there. Frankly, I'd recommend taking a cue from our president and not getting into the drama. Arguments like the one in the OP don't do anyone any good and you never know when some one is going to snap.

FDRs "We have nothing to fear but fear itself" has so much more meaning for me these days.

Edited to add:
I lost my internet and phone service for a couple of days. I was angry because ATT canceled an appointment for the second time without bothering to tell me so I got rather heated with the manager of the service phone bank. Not shouting or cursing, but seriously unhappy.
She started crying and called me a bastard. Got me a months free service but still... That was not normal.

[Skittles]

30. what do you think of people who talk on cell phones while paying the checker

I think it is fucking rude

[propagandagirl]

46. I agree

Some are worse than others. I've had customers ignore me the entire time I am ringing/bagging their order. Then, when I am all finished and handing over the receipt they say something like "Oh, I wanted paper"! Or, "I need cash back"!

[kevinbgoode]

48. I encountered the same thing while getting oil changed at WalMart

a week ago. . .

It took me 20 minutes to get checked out while I stood in a line watching a woman complaining that she would not pay the increased price for her oil change. Apparently (in her mind) it had gone from about $20 to $30 since she had last had it done. The signs were posted on the wall in the automotive section quite prominently - yet she had somehow not looked at the prices.

Funny thing, but those prices went up months ago (and maybe she hadn't done an oil change in over six months) but her tone was, in my opinion, both unreasonable and demanding. The flustered clerk called a manager and she told the manager what price to give her on the COMPLETED oil change - and they complied. She kept saying (over and over) "I would have never brought my car in here for an oil change if I knew it would cost $30" and I kept thinking "well, where else would you take it that is less expensive?"

[Parker CA]

21. A well written letter to the upper management of that store should result in a nice gift card

and big apology. The person you spoke with needs some serious refresher courses on customer service and conflict resolution.

[grasswire]

27. Kroger seems to have a serious management problem

My closest Kroger-owned store is in the process of an expensive remodel, bringing features that are SO out of touch with economic reality. They added a sushi bar with the moving track of dishes that goes all 'round it, a tortilla machine that one person staffs all day, FORTY new and green deli employees, a very snooty cheese counter with prices up to $30 a pound from all over the world, a huge florist shop, and all kinds of fancy stuff. There are dozens of excess employees roaming around.

This Kroger's serves a very mixed neighborhood. Many low-income people came in for coffee and a donut or a plate of chicken tenders in the cafe, or to shop the specials. It was a one-stop shopping store; a person could buy a sweatshirt or tools or paint or garden stuff or blankets or other necessities of life. Now the apparel has been removed and the whole neighborhood will have to travel farther to buy a pair of socks. Two bus tranfers now, for those who use public transportation.

What were they thinking? Why upgrade to a fancier style and stock? Why spend many millions of dollars on this?

Looks like your price increases have to pay for this kind of upgrade.

[durablend]

34. Most supermarkets are upscaling

Even in areas that wouldn't support it, all the "foo-foo" gourmet food that only a Wall street exec can afford on a regular basis. It's pretty obvious upper management at most supermarket chains are oblivious to how things "really are" out there (that or they're batshit Republican and think the economy is still "booming")

[1]

29. krogers is a union shop, right? so don't feel all that happy about making a union brother ...

restock your cart.

and frankly, an assistant manager has no control over why prices are rising. dude is an assistant manager, which means he earns $.20 more an hour than a checkout. do you give the checkouts shit too?

granted, mr. assistant manager was out of line here asking you to leave the store. but maybe you were just a bit over the top getting all up in his grill like you did. maybe this ugly situation did not have to happen at all. just something for you to think about. these people just work there. they don't make shit for wages. they are not responsible for the pricing.

it might be more appropriate for you to take your frustration out on somebody that is in control of these things. not union workers.

i'm just saying...

[taterguy]

36. I concur

:yourock:

[Zywiec]

37. Agreed! n/t

[wuvuj]

38. Why food prices are about to go UP?

http://informationclearinghouse.info/article21955.htm


February 10, 2009 "Market Oracle" -- After reading about the droughts in two major agricultural countries, China and Argentina, I decided to research the extent other food producing nations were also experiencing droughts. This project ended up taking a lot longer than I thought. 2009 looks to be a humanitarian disaster around much of the world

To understand the depth of the food Catastrophe that faces the world this year, consider the graphic below depicting countries by USD value of their agricultural output, as of 2006.

The countries that make up two thirds of the world's agricultural output are experiencing drought conditions. Whether you watch a video of the drought in China, Australia, Africa, South America, or the US , the scene will be the same: misery, ruined crop, and dying cattle.

.................

GLOBAL WARMING is about to bite? Along with Peak Oil and a worldwide financial S- L- O- W- D- O- W- N.

I'd recommend storing a months worth of food...having water containers to fill when needed...stocking up on other necessities...having some cash on hand. But...what do I know?

I've reduced my monthly food bill by quite a lot by changing where I shop and only buying food every few weeks. If the prices are a problem...check around?

[WVRICK13]

39. Take Two Steps

1. Send an account of the incident to Kroger's corporate, giving store location, Asst. Managers name or at least the time and day you were there so they can identify the person. Ask them if this is approved customer service rules. Maybe when he is unemployed in this economy he will see your point.

2. Send a price gouging complaint to your states Secretary of State. Nothing may happen but even a call from the Sec. of States office puckers most people.

[michreject]

40. Not price gouging

If you didn't like the prices, you're free to leave.

[WVRICK13]

52. Nope

When they all price gouge you are free to starve.

[Vinca]

41. I can't figure food prices out at all. When gas prices went to their lowest

in recent memory, they raised the price of a can of olives by nearly 50% . . . among other things. (This is Hannafords, not Krogers.) Then at the deli counter they had some good quality ham on sale for $2.99 a pound - usually sells for $7.99. Oh, no . . . it must be soylent green.
AAAAAAAAAHHHHH!

[screembloodymurder]

42. This may be a sign of things to come.

Rising prices. The dollar isn't worth the paper it's printed on.

[Evoman]

43. I don't get it...why don't people complain to somebody who can DO something?

Why will people sit there and bitch to me, a lab tech, or even the pharmacy manager, about drug prices. They will yell at us, they will even insult the manager at times.

Do you think I have a fucking direct line to the pharmaceutical companies?

I'm sorry you were kicked out of the store, but griping to someone who has no control is useless. It ruins two peoples days....yours for knocking your head against the wall, and the manager who has to go home and drink himself to a stupor so he can handle the thought of going to work the next day. I mean, if one of the employees is insulting you, or you can't get good service, or you almost tripped on some boxes or a puddle, then by all mean complain to the manager. If you want contact info for corporate offices, then talk to the manager. Otherwise, why bother.

[WI_DEM]

50. True, but people need to vent and they do it to whoever they can find who

has some connection to the store or organization. I do think the manager over-reacted in throwing the OP out of the store.

[4 t 4]

51. Why are managers such idiots

so much of the time?

[JVS]

61. Because those who set the prices make damn sure not to be near the pissed off customers

[TheManInTheMac]

54. Clearly the guy isn't good at customer service,

but no one who works in that store, not even the manager, has any say in the price of anything they sell. Kroger is not a franchise store like an IGA (are there any of those still around or am I dating myself?). This situation seemed to have escalated pretty fast. Just remember that these folks don't run these stores, they are just the caretakers.

And yes, he does know what is going on outside that store. He's dealing with most of the same problems you are.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

57. I'm reminded of Lobster Martini's trip to the art museum.

Mainly because half of the people I was with believed it at the time.

[Thickasabrick]

58. I think he was extremely rude but he has no control over pricing - Kroger pricing

is handled out of Cincinnati for the whole country. He should have asked you to write to somebody there.

[JVS]

60. This is fargin war!

[Jmac2]

62. Actually....

If Kroger is like Sav-Alot, it has nothing to do with gas prices. They just jack the prices up, because its the first of the month. I bet if you go back toward the end of the month, the prices will be back to normal. They do this to fleece the food stamp shoppers. Who they figure are less likely to care about the higher prices.

At Sav-Alot you can always figure on your bill being 10-20% higher if you go shopping before the 15th of the month. All can food that is usually .49c goes to .59c, anything that is usually 1.29 goes to 1.49, and all meats goes up 20c to 30c per pound.

[Dukkha]

64. Kroger plays a role in the Wal-Mart sprawl

Their price gouging is utterly ridiculous! Who do they think they are? Whole Foods? I get all my food at Meijer which is better priced than Kroger and they treat their employees much better than Wallly World.

[McCamy Taylor]

65. Which items? BTW, try ethnic groceries. Much cheaper, IMO. Fiesta in Texas.

And the Asian markets are good too.