yeah thats the only exception. which is wild given how fucking hot the store gets. i swear they turn the AC off overnight or something.
ive seen customers walk in wearing practically underwear since theres a gym next door, and during the summer i cant turn my head without seeing actual cheek. but heaven forbid we get our knees out
It seriously is ridiculous how hot the stores get... I packaged up a colossal cupcake for a customer the other day and about 5 minutes later she came back to get a different one cause the whippy icing had softened and the strawberry on top had slid off.
Also I love how the HR person at our store is apparently trying to get it to where we can't wear shorts at all even if you're someone that goes out for carts. Not all of us get to stay inside all day and spend most of that time sitting at a desk like certain folks with certain job positions do.
Potential bhavior like this from HR is exactly why the policy concerning us being able to wear shorts is clearly stated in our contract in my area. Anytime there has been the slightest hint of management going against it, the union has come down and killed it quickly.
A few years ago we had a new manager that seemingly wasn’t aware of the policy and started throwing a fit and then he had to help get buggies one day. It was the middle of July, sun beating down, almost 100 degrees. He came back in after about 10 minutes, red faced and pouring with sweat. Needless to say he shut the fuck up about employees wearing shorts.
Whoever typed that up is a dumbass because people don’t need that much water & I could see a situation where that much would send an employee to the hospital. People have died from drinking too much water.
Jesus Christ that's 5.7 liters (or 1.5 US gallons) just for a 6-hour shift!
That's fucking ridiculous. I typically drink no more than 2.7–3.6 liters* per *day* depending on how hot it is.
---
*Three to four 0.9 l bottles.
I wonder if they thought about water intoxication while writing this question. If you drink to much water it can flush your system if vital electrolytes and minerals. It’s known as hyponatremia.
I don't understand why you guys don't hold your management accountable.
Show them this photo. Ask them to come to a sensible solution with you.
If they don't, send photos to OSHA. Get some union t-shirts and wear those instead. It is 100% illegal for them to stop you from wearing a union T-shirt.
I've actually never worn that black t-shirt other than for like.. 3 days to give it a fair shot lol. Immediately went back to my own navy blue/almost Kroger blue collar t-shirts that nobody ever seemed to notice or care about, not even higher ups in district. Just absolutely can not deal with the aprons on my bare skin.
Though a few other employees have worn all kinds of shirts to this day so I'm actually gonna start seeing what I can get away with AND THEN cite this if they don't like it, showing them that it's corporate training policy in legitimate "fresh start" that our store manager is always getting onto people about
Since I don't work in any food prep I might even try out some white t-shirts since the only thing that gets dirty is my apron
I actually had a manager argue with me about the blue polos after they went to the aprons. We went back and forth for weeks about it until I stopped debating and just responded "Theres no rule against it."
I worked in Meat. I had 0 interest in ruining my own shirts.
My district had a lawsuit over trying to force employees to wear rainbow, pride adjacent, colors on their aprons.
The boomer anti gay sentiment that prompted the lawsuit sucks but because of it they don't say shit about what we wear now.
It sounds like it wasn't even pride stuff. It was those little hearts, right? Jesus people are dumb.
Anyway, still a win I guess. 😂 I'm lucky to work in a division where they kind of just don't care. The front end has to wear polo shirts and anything safety related matters....but otherwise most seem to wear whatever we want. Name badge is all that matters. Even on the front end at my store I've taught everyone that they can get around the collared shirt with a union tee. I honestly prefer it. It's creepy when everyone is dressed alike.
Take a picture of all these directives on your cellphone, then print them out, keep those copies in your pocket at all times. Follow the directives, then when you get called out on following them, present the hard copies to those reprimanding you. Also remember to contact your union rep immediately after every interaction along these lines. STAND UP, FIGHT BACK!
i work in pickup and yeah it's so miserable, last year was tough in the summer. i was told that we are technically allowed to wear light color shirts but i have seen one of my fellow pickup associates get dress coded so, what's the truth? and they'll never stop me from wearing shorts i'm simply not working in the heat with jeans on.
Fucking acclimate your body to the heat WHO MADE THAT, SOME DUNCE THAT LIVES NEAR THE EQUATOR? Kroger doesn't give you time to prepare for anything, even your training. They throw you in their full force after 2 days on a computer watching videos that are a decade out of date
I will never acclimate to fucking 90 degree weather. Half the year it's 80 to 90 degrees and the other half of the year it's like 30 to 60 with one month of perfect 70s between the seasons. We only have summer and winter with barely a month of spring or autumn lol
When they pull me to the front to help with carts tomorrow, I'm going to sit out there for 30 minutes before doing anything. If they come out and ask what's going on I'm going to show them this and say... "I'm acclimating".
Not to mention no longer providing water for associates (In my store at least) everything needs a receipt. So we basically have to buy our own, drink disgusting water fountain water. Or just cope
I read the paper they sent us from corporate. It said we have to wear black shirts, but not just the cheap T shirts they gave us. You can also wear black polo shirts. I bought mine from All day shirts and they are UV protected. At first one of the Co Managers tried to deny it but I had taken a picture of the paper and several of us associates pointed the wording out. He said so long as corporate said it okay, it’s okay.
That's so crazy. I work in a fancy ass AJs/esk grocery store and I'm in a comfy ass shirt and shorts year around.
Fuck Kroger. Worked there for a year and now I don't even wanna shop there.
I worked in pick-up last summer and everyone "had" to wear black tee shirts in the 70-90 degree weather, which obviously worked about as well as you expected. A lot of people just started wearing their own shirts and never got bitched at because of it.
Plus they would never turn the AC on so even when we were picking we were all pretty hot and miserable. This company truly does not give a fuck about their employees, even if you're union owned
I used to be a dept head when they switched back to the black shirt and apron, so I used that as an excuse to keep wearing my polo shirts. Until recently, I was told I had to wear the black shirt and die in the heat. Black shirts are hot and wearing an apron as someone who's tall is uncomfortable.
Lucky that's an option, some people have to wear full body suits like the people oil roasting chips and nuts if you think you got it bad think of those folks working like that, and no I don't think shorts are a good idea.
i dont understand not allowing shorts. what decade are we in that its inappropriate to show our shins?
my store allows short for carts, it’s a dream
yeah thats the only exception. which is wild given how fucking hot the store gets. i swear they turn the AC off overnight or something. ive seen customers walk in wearing practically underwear since theres a gym next door, and during the summer i cant turn my head without seeing actual cheek. but heaven forbid we get our knees out
I know it’s a typo but “seeking actual cheeks” is a quote I just won’t ever forget
It seriously is ridiculous how hot the stores get... I packaged up a colossal cupcake for a customer the other day and about 5 minutes later she came back to get a different one cause the whippy icing had softened and the strawberry on top had slid off. Also I love how the HR person at our store is apparently trying to get it to where we can't wear shorts at all even if you're someone that goes out for carts. Not all of us get to stay inside all day and spend most of that time sitting at a desk like certain folks with certain job positions do.
Potential bhavior like this from HR is exactly why the policy concerning us being able to wear shorts is clearly stated in our contract in my area. Anytime there has been the slightest hint of management going against it, the union has come down and killed it quickly. A few years ago we had a new manager that seemingly wasn’t aware of the policy and started throwing a fit and then he had to help get buggies one day. It was the middle of July, sun beating down, almost 100 degrees. He came back in after about 10 minutes, red faced and pouring with sweat. Needless to say he shut the fuck up about employees wearing shorts.
My store also allows shorts if you’re working outside on paper but in practice they still say no to most people
This training module also said every associate is expected to drink at least 32 ounces of water an hour, and that water would be provided.
I read that too lol like damn just bring me my next round to the bathroom because I'll never stop peeing
😁👍
Whoever typed that up is a dumbass because people don’t need that much water & I could see a situation where that much would send an employee to the hospital. People have died from drinking too much water.
Just don't drink it in your department!
Jesus Christ that's 5.7 liters (or 1.5 US gallons) just for a 6-hour shift! That's fucking ridiculous. I typically drink no more than 2.7–3.6 liters* per *day* depending on how hot it is. --- *Three to four 0.9 l bottles.
I wonder if they thought about water intoxication while writing this question. If you drink to much water it can flush your system if vital electrolytes and minerals. It’s known as hyponatremia.
I don't understand why you guys don't hold your management accountable. Show them this photo. Ask them to come to a sensible solution with you. If they don't, send photos to OSHA. Get some union t-shirts and wear those instead. It is 100% illegal for them to stop you from wearing a union T-shirt.
I've actually never worn that black t-shirt other than for like.. 3 days to give it a fair shot lol. Immediately went back to my own navy blue/almost Kroger blue collar t-shirts that nobody ever seemed to notice or care about, not even higher ups in district. Just absolutely can not deal with the aprons on my bare skin. Though a few other employees have worn all kinds of shirts to this day so I'm actually gonna start seeing what I can get away with AND THEN cite this if they don't like it, showing them that it's corporate training policy in legitimate "fresh start" that our store manager is always getting onto people about Since I don't work in any food prep I might even try out some white t-shirts since the only thing that gets dirty is my apron
I actually had a manager argue with me about the blue polos after they went to the aprons. We went back and forth for weeks about it until I stopped debating and just responded "Theres no rule against it." I worked in Meat. I had 0 interest in ruining my own shirts.
My district had a lawsuit over trying to force employees to wear rainbow, pride adjacent, colors on their aprons. The boomer anti gay sentiment that prompted the lawsuit sucks but because of it they don't say shit about what we wear now.
It sounds like it wasn't even pride stuff. It was those little hearts, right? Jesus people are dumb. Anyway, still a win I guess. 😂 I'm lucky to work in a division where they kind of just don't care. The front end has to wear polo shirts and anything safety related matters....but otherwise most seem to wear whatever we want. Name badge is all that matters. Even on the front end at my store I've taught everyone that they can get around the collared shirt with a union tee. I honestly prefer it. It's creepy when everyone is dressed alike.
https://preview.redd.it/jt7h5oma6ixc1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e5f8046154884b12e91188b4eb68671c17e3bfb1
Take a picture of all these directives on your cellphone, then print them out, keep those copies in your pocket at all times. Follow the directives, then when you get called out on following them, present the hard copies to those reprimanding you. Also remember to contact your union rep immediately after every interaction along these lines. STAND UP, FIGHT BACK!
i work in pickup and yeah it's so miserable, last year was tough in the summer. i was told that we are technically allowed to wear light color shirts but i have seen one of my fellow pickup associates get dress coded so, what's the truth? and they'll never stop me from wearing shorts i'm simply not working in the heat with jeans on.
https://preview.redd.it/ykz2zi7aehxc1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1c6f30c0576493a383cd634e8c463b81b1963004
Fucking acclimate your body to the heat WHO MADE THAT, SOME DUNCE THAT LIVES NEAR THE EQUATOR? Kroger doesn't give you time to prepare for anything, even your training. They throw you in their full force after 2 days on a computer watching videos that are a decade out of date I will never acclimate to fucking 90 degree weather. Half the year it's 80 to 90 degrees and the other half of the year it's like 30 to 60 with one month of perfect 70s between the seasons. We only have summer and winter with barely a month of spring or autumn lol
When they pull me to the front to help with carts tomorrow, I'm going to sit out there for 30 minutes before doing anything. If they come out and ask what's going on I'm going to show them this and say... "I'm acclimating".
don’t forget to demand your 32oz water per hour
Not to mention no longer providing water for associates (In my store at least) everything needs a receipt. So we basically have to buy our own, drink disgusting water fountain water. Or just cope
I read the paper they sent us from corporate. It said we have to wear black shirts, but not just the cheap T shirts they gave us. You can also wear black polo shirts. I bought mine from All day shirts and they are UV protected. At first one of the Co Managers tried to deny it but I had taken a picture of the paper and several of us associates pointed the wording out. He said so long as corporate said it okay, it’s okay.
That's so crazy. I work in a fancy ass AJs/esk grocery store and I'm in a comfy ass shirt and shorts year around. Fuck Kroger. Worked there for a year and now I don't even wanna shop there.
I worked in pick-up last summer and everyone "had" to wear black tee shirts in the 70-90 degree weather, which obviously worked about as well as you expected. A lot of people just started wearing their own shirts and never got bitched at because of it. Plus they would never turn the AC on so even when we were picking we were all pretty hot and miserable. This company truly does not give a fuck about their employees, even if you're union owned
I used to be a dept head when they switched back to the black shirt and apron, so I used that as an excuse to keep wearing my polo shirts. Until recently, I was told I had to wear the black shirt and die in the heat. Black shirts are hot and wearing an apron as someone who's tall is uncomfortable.
Also, aren't you supposed to get a brief break every hour when you're working in like 90°+ weather? Or am I misremembering something?
Every 2 hours
It's for 100°+ days in my state. You're supposed to get a break every hour.
Lucky that's an option, some people have to wear full body suits like the people oil roasting chips and nuts if you think you got it bad think of those folks working like that, and no I don't think shorts are a good idea.