Kroger at Surrey Square revisited

When we blogged about the June 25 grand opening of the new Kroger at Surrey Square, most of our readers’ comments were quite favorable, but some expressed skepticism that the store would remain clean and well-stocked. On a couple of recent trip to the store, we noticed they were out of a standard bread item, bananas that were on special, and a common cold remedy, and there wasn't a plastic bag anywhere for produce - not a catastrophe, but an inconvenience.

Then one of our readers emailed us a few days ago with his concerns about the direction the store is taking. To be clear, we haven’t confirmed his claim about what he was told about Kroger managers and whether or not union rules are being violated; but he, too, has observed sale items not in stock. Here’s what he had to say:

“I shop at Norwood Kroger. I have noticed a lack of help on busy weekends. Sale items not in stock etc. Well. I have talked to a few employees. Here is what I got. All new hires sent home at the 30 hours. All the managers are doing this to get a bonus for keeping labor down. I also with my own eyes saw 2 of the salaried managers, the ones that get the bonus, back at night in t shirts and jeans stocking shelves. This type of behavior is a sacrifice to service. And is also against union rules. This is taking money away from workers. Perhaps these issues should be raised on the blog. If enough of us call customer service and demand a look into the 30 hour rumor something may get done. There is no sense in pulling a cashier off a register on a busy Sunday with lines 20 people deep.”

How do you think the new Kroger is doing 4 months after opening? If you have complaints about the store, you can

1. call Kroger’s corporate office at 1-866-221-4141
2. click here to email Kroger’s corporate office, and
3. call the Surrey Square Kroger at 841-6600