Pros
I appreciate the willingness to hire me on the spot and work to support my family in the wake of the government's response to COVID-19. During my time, I've been able to rub shoulders with some wonderful people from our community. My coworkers and immediate supervisors at the branch in Kenosha, WI were very genuine and kind overall. The discount benefits were fantastic - both grocery and gas - which really helped keep my expenses low since finances were tight. Our store was one of the cleanest in Kenosha in my estimation - owing in no small part to the dedicated custodial crew. This store is also a union shop - which really went to bat for the workers for hazard pay and proper protective measures.
Cons
Significant Corporate Harms: Since Pick n Save is a subsidiary of Kroger, much of the Cons are in reference to Kroger's policies and practices that are rigidly imposed on Pick n Save. Based on my observations, experiences, and the experiences of other fellow workers, Kroger (Pick n Save)... 1) callously exploits its workforce for their labor rather than establishes a collaborative relationship (thus union membership is essential if you do not want to be a small cog that is easily replaceable, or so they say) 2) blindly enforces standards, policies, procedures, and timelines without strategic awareness to regional or local market needs or concerns 3) brazenly preserves systemic inefficiencies that cause systemic problems all the way down to the customer experience, significantly causing loss of revenue and brand reputation (which in turn, negatively affect worker effectiveness and payroll for everyone) Significant Local Harms: In my local store, the most significant and impactful problem was an egregious lack of training and development (in every department, at every level). In fact, I worked in 4 departments and I was never formally trained on any of the machines, practices, and standards for the entirety of my employment (even though I requested leadership countless times). Each time, I was shown my duties by another employee (usually a teenager) who had been shown by another employee, who had been told what to do by someone no longer working there that this was the way to do things. Each time, managers would default to these people to train me, then months later, new leadership would wonder why I did not know something they knew. And, each time I explained all of this, and even offered suggestions on training practices, they all had the same response - "That's Kroger for you. You can't change anything. You just gotta do your job and accept the things you can't control." What's crazy is when I brought these concerns to the core leadership at our store, they said the exact. same. thing. "That's Kroger for you. You can't change anything. You just gotta do your job and accept the things you can't control." No. I do not.