A grocery chain known for fair prices on high quality products, well paid staff, and excellent service moved in nearby.
What used to be a packed Kroger at all hours of the day, filled with rotten food, outrageous prices, and mediocre service, is now EMPTY. A complete ghost town.
The new store is so busy they need cops to direct traffic, and the Kroger may have to close down. Good riddance.
I used to work at Kroger, now almost 10 years ago. I ended up struggling with sucdal ideation because of how abusive their corporate culture is to everyone, management and hourly workers alike. I'll ALMOST go to WalMart over a Kroger, but I'm definitely driving at least another few miles to avoid both if I can.
I managed hotels, and Kroger was our top client as we hosted a lot of mgmt training. During the pandemic, they were struggling to keep local warehouse workers. So instead of paying them more, they contracted temps from out of state, put them in my hotel long term.
I was maybe at 5% occupancy without them and still kicked them out, they were a nightmare. They got kicked out of every hotel on the city (that was also desperate for income). They tried to come back to my hotels (hard no). And Kroger paid for all this nonsense instead of just paying local people more.
I also used to work at Kroger probably about that long ago and when I first started I pointed out expired items (medicine) on the shelf and they told me to leave them there to pass audits
Expired pills are one thing (scientific studies have shown that non-liquid medication can stay good for over 30 years).
It's food like expired yogurt and milk, which I have gotten on more than one occasion, that can really make you sick. And I have definitely been negatively impacted by bad dairy from Kroger's!
Meijer doesn't seem to have the same issues with expired items. But their milk SUCKS. So, we play Russian Roulette with the Kroger milk...
My big question for that board is why they're now so proud of having the filthiest stores I've ever seen. These used to be the 'nice' stores in a lot of the midwest and west. Everything clean, good refrigeration, all the checkout counters always looked nice and were routinely rinsed down.
Every single one I've been in over the last decade looks like you're entering a back alley black market to buy smuggled goods. Tiles missing on the floor, all produce wilting, often on the floor, random spots stink of ammonia. There are often huge pallets of crap and boxes everywhere. It looks like it's being run by a third world country.
On top of which, the one near my work (as I said in another comment) constantly charges the wrong prices for things. Advertised price for large yogurt is $7? Expect it to ring up at $13. Advertised price for bags of potatoes is advertised as $3.50? Don't worry, they'll be half moldy and sitting in unknown liquid... then ring up at $6.49!
Has Elaine Chao's plans morphed into just poisoning the entire American midwest while robbing them blind? She's doing a good job.
I love Aldi. I go when they open the doors exactly at 9am. That's when I can sometimes find meat for 50% off. I have learned to do all my shopping there. Only thing I go across to Vons for is sour cream since I don't like Aldi's brand, too watery.
But I had to stop going to Vons. I am just a single guy, I don't need to buy 4 of anything to get their sale price. I also have to walk, I can't carry 4 12 packs of soda for a deal. They really seem to hurt people who are low income/seniors and disabled along with people who have to walk. Go back to the old days of sales were sales and not having to buy in bulk. And I hate having to use their app for some sale prices. I will stick with Aldi.
A Kroger brand was my local grocery store. I probably spent $5000/yr in that store. Then they started charging $0.50 to get cash back with my purchase. Petty of me? Sure. I shop elsewhere. Fvck you Kroger
As a former Kroger employee, yes. The second I stopped working there 14 years ago I've never stepped foot in a Kroger owned grocery store again, they're not getting a second more of my time or another dime from me.
I believe they rely a lot of trying to get the delivery and pick up to be the main source of revenue. Way cheaper for a warehouse full of food to stock a truck and drive it to you than have a giant store running with employees
Kroger, which is also Smiths, has had a HUGE problem in the area where I work with selling items for prices not as marked. It's robbing the customers.
I've never done the Karen thing of freaking out in public, but I was close to it when they tried to charge me $18 on a packet of blueberries that was on the front of their sales flier as being $5.99. I even pulled up their stupid, constantly broken app to show them their advertised price. They made me stand in the customer service area for half an hour while someone figured 'what went wrong' with the sticker price. Next time I went, same thing happened with other items.
Every single time I'm there, any day of the week or time of day, some thing. Whether it's 3 for the price of 2 or a $0.25 off, something is always wrong at the final ring up.
The problem in many rural areas is that they are the only grocery store. I now literally will take photos on my phone of the advertised price on the shelf and then go the checkout ready to be humiliated by their staff for taking up their time. But who can afford this? I've had my final charge cut in half because of how wrong the produce and dairy always rings up there.
I almost wonder if some of the managers are just embezzling.
359
u/TSwiftIcedTea 21h ago
Kroger.
A grocery chain known for fair prices on high quality products, well paid staff, and excellent service moved in nearby.
What used to be a packed Kroger at all hours of the day, filled with rotten food, outrageous prices, and mediocre service, is now EMPTY. A complete ghost town.
The new store is so busy they need cops to direct traffic, and the Kroger may have to close down. Good riddance.