Pros
- Flexible hours. - Full and part time positions always available. - Friendly associates. - Lots of physical activity, which can also be a con depending on your age and physical health. As a younger person I enjoy the daily activity of walking and lifting boxes, etc. - Empowered to “make it right” with customers without consulting with a manager (for items under $20). - Pay isn’t bad, and they try to accommodate helping you climb the management ladder if you do choose to. - Benefits are good. - Union based (depending on store location), which some may find to be a con, but in general the union seems to help protect and advocate for employees.
Cons
- It’s a turn and burn company, so they will work you hard and take as much advantage as they can. Hence you may feel over worked and under appreciated. They expect people to quit, so associates are very replaceable, even if you’ve been there for years. That’s the general culture, which makes for a mostly negative attitude amongst associates (even some managers). - Climbing the management ladder is not worth it unless you see yourself making a lifetime career with Kroger. Managers don’t make much more than base-level associates, and yet are given a whole lot more responsibility, so the pay is not equal with the responsibilities of the role. There are a lot of base-level associates who have been there for 20+ years who used to be in positions of management but stepped down due to working 80+ hours a week and being treated horribly. - Part time workers are allowed to request set schedules with the same days/hours each week, yet full time workers are generally given new schedules every 3 weeks or so. This is another reason why I’ve wanted to stay part time and pick up other work on the side instead of going full time. - There is only one or two company events a year: one summer bbq, and a winter holiday luncheon (if budget allows). Usually the food at these events is mediocre and they don’t really help increase the company culture in any way. There is very little appreciation for employees shown with this company. - There is little to no regard for safety, and managers rarely follow standard practices and protocols. One store I worked at failed an OSHA inspection. People have come close to being crushed or impaled in the stock room multiple times. Management locks the trash compactor, so trash piles up throughout the day which can be a health hazard of its own. - Kroger does not invest in any leadership training, so some managers are terrible leaders and yet they just get sent to new stores (traded around like a hot potato no one wants) instead of being trained on how to lead people better. - Each year Kroger corporate executives seem to receive higher pay salaries and larger bonuses while the front line workers’ compensation may stay the same for years (until the union eventually strong arms the company to provide pay raises). When it’s time for the executives to get their yearly bonuses, corporate sends memos to stores telling all departments to tighten their budgets, reducing overtime to zero, and not allowing any new safety purchases like wet floor signs and PPE, so that the executives can get their huge bonuses. - Associates are not really trained. They just kind of start you, and throw you straight into the deep end. You have to be a quick learner and learn on your own - don’t be afraid to ask fellow associates for help.
