Supermarket Pet Peeves

Setec Astronomy · 01-17-07, 08:52

Why is it that the supermarkets have to start restocking the shelves while the store is still open? It's really irritating (to me) to not be able to get a cart around a pallet of something, or worse, not be able to get to something on the shelf because there is a skid of bottled water right in front of what I need to get to. I KNOW they are going to have people there after hours working, why can't they START after hours? This even happens in the upscale place where they place more emphasis on customer service and convenience (at a price).

Since the supermarket workers are unionized here in NJ (hence no Targets or Wal-Marts with the built in supermarket, just the 7-11 kind of stuff) it may be that there is some union time schedule (perhaps 8PM) for when the shelf stocking shift starts, which was fine when the stores closed at 6, 7, or 8, but now that they are open until 9 or 10, it has created a problem.

Otherwise, this makes no sense to me. If I am going to have to have workers in the store after hours anyway, why not just start them a couple hours later? I'm sure it's not because they can't get done before the store opens in the morning.

EDIT: While I'm at it, I love how some markets (A&P comes to mind) put the slowest cashiers on the express lanes (I guess if they put them on a regular lane the food would spoil before the customer could get checked out), and whenever they get a decent (fast & accurate) cashier, they promote them right away to the desk...so you can never get out of the store. And don't get me started about Lowe's, HD, and Target with the 20 checkout lanes and only 2 open (Wal-Mart seems to usually have about 4 open).

BigLeegr · 01-17-07, 09:07

Although I agree that it's annoying, sometimes the stores get the trucks to unload while the store is still open, but don't have enough room in the receiving area, so they pull skids to the floor to empty out the back. Since the freight is already heading to the floor, they may as well have someone stock it. Plus, if the shelf was empty, there is now a chance to get some product out and get sales that day (as well as possibly preventing a customer from getting mad about them being out of stock on stuff.).
As to getting the stuff done before the start of the next day, some stores have an evening crew and an overnight crew, since it (typically) is tougher to get reliable people to work overnight shifts than it is to find people to work evenings. With a small staff overnights, sometimes they can't get a big store stocked overnight.

But, yeah, it can be annoying to the customers.

Setec Astronomy · 01-17-07, 09:09

All good points.

Accumulator · 01-17-07, 10:43

The place I patronize the most has to do their restocking during the day because a) it's more affordable, b) it's easier to supervise, and c) they have cleaning crews in after-hours.

Some employees *are* less than considerate, so it can be necessary to attitude-adjust those who forget whose satisfaction oughta come first

Grimm · 01-17-07, 10:59

Also remember that there are a lot of items that the stores do not actually stock. It is done by employees of the vendor. The bottled water for example may very well be done this way. I know Pepsi has a line of water, so it's probably stocked by the Pepsi employee that takes care of the soda pop. So there is some sort of schedule that dictates when a store is stocked.

Danase · 01-17-07, 11:02

A lot of the people stocking supermarkets are actually from the manufacturers and not the supermarket as well.

The thing that irritates me is the cashier that has to comment and talk to me about everything I am buying. I know they are just being friendly and they mean no harm bu dang it...I know these are good! That is why I am buying them! There used to be this lady at my local Kroger that would tell me how good everything was as she scanned them.

Setec Astronomy · 01-17-07, 12:42

Thanks guys, just to clarify, I'm not referring to the bread/potato chip/soda delivery guys that come during the day, I'm talking about the pre-positioning of stock in the evening. I'm not sure they are actually putting the product on the shelves yet, just leaving stacks and skids of stuff in the aisles.

paul34 · 01-17-07, 12:49

Well, I think you should come to the South and come to our favorite grocery store, Publix. Possibly the best grocery store in the country, I think all other grocery stores should strive to be like Publix (plus, the Tiramisu is AMAZING).

Anyway, they do stock during store hours there too, but they do it in a way where they block as little space as possible, and they will move if necessary for you but usually its just easier to ask them to get something for you and they will be more than happy to do it for you.

Plus, we don't have unions to mess things up in the South

I've been up North and still haven't found a really good grocery store. I hear "Genuardi's" (spelling?) is pretty good but also expensive, which wouldn't be acceptable to me.

Of course, while Publix is one of the few good things left in the world, go figure Wal-Mart is trying to destroy Publix by building one of their crappy "neighborhood markets" across or next to every Publix! How dare they do such a thing!

Oh wait, I forgot, its Wal-Mart... I should be expecting as much

Setec Astronomy · 01-17-07, 01:05

If I'm in FL and have to go to the market, I usually go to the Pubix...er...Publix

Scottwax · 01-17-07, 01:17

Chatty Cathy customers and cashiers piss me off. A few pleasantries are fine but I don't want to hear anyone's life story from birth to the present while I am stuck behind them.

People who cannot follow visual and audible direction on the self scanners irk me too. How do these people ever successfully use an ATM or even a touch tone phone?

paul34 · 01-17-07, 01:40

Quote:

Originally Posted by Setec Astronomy

If I'm in FL and have to go to the market, I usually go to the Pubix...er...Publix

hey don't make fun of them!

evenflow · 01-17-07, 02:45

I used to work at a SuperMarket when I was younger. For the sake of not being at the market till 5 in the morning putting things away we would always start stocking and front facing a few hours early. Also payroll budget plays a huge roll in getting truck put away fast enough. The company doesn't want people working their till 5 in the morning and have to pay for that.

Same deal with the parts store I work at now. We get a truck with 18 pallets in, as soon as we get the truck we have two people stay on the counter while the other 10 people work on the truck beginning in the morning. We definitely dont want to be there till 3 in the morning putting product away, so why not get a early jump on it?