I don't know how others read your post but it looked to me that you guessed the scheduler would tell shoppers who asked her. Why would other shoppers thank you for just a guess?

Where you placed the parentheses didn't make sense if you meant to convey that you were just guessing the date and time. You also didn't bring up the guessing thing until later.

@BayShopper22 wrote:

@BusyBeeBuzzBuzzBuzz wrote:

If you only wanted to help, it would have been enough to post the date. It would also have been helpful to say you were guessing about the time.

Here's a copy of the post I made:
Next Wednesday March 27, between 10:30 am and Noon Pacific Time.

You're welcome. smiling smiley

I'm not gate keeping $9 shops. It's not some special secret. The scheduler will tell you if you ask her. (That is my educated guess. I'm not going to text her this late at night.)

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/20/2024 09:42PM by BayShopper22.

It hasn't been touched since 9:42 PM that night. It always said it was my guess. I also didn't text the scheduler to confirm. It's not that serious.

I

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/31/2024 04:52AM by NM1962.

My scheduler never replies to any emails I send her. I have in the past asked about posting dates and she never replies. I also have never been informed of the one in store for one pick up policy. I guess some of you have more responsive schedulers.

@OldmanJames wrote:

My scheduler never replies to any emails I send her. I have in the past asked about posting dates and she never replies. I also have never been informed of the one in store for one pick up policy. I guess some of you have more responsive schedulers.

Same... if I ask a question she will reply. She does NOT send out any emails about rules, scheduling, etc. Nothing on the 1:1 policy, no in store & pick up, or pick up and fuel rules.

I've mentioned before that it seems like the western states' scheduler is very much more proactive with their shoppers, in that they get update emails about changes in the data that we are required to collect and changes in the report, along with helpful suggestions on how not to be identified. We do not get that in the eastern states. In fact, thanks to this forum, I am able to get that info from shoppers who live in the west. Perfect example was last month when they added the meat associate name and description, it was not mentioned ahead of time or when the shops were posted, we did not get a heads up by our scheduler, and some shoppers were very thankful that it was mentioned here in the forum at the beginning of the period. Yes, it's on us to read the instructions and questions each month to see if there are changes, but it's easy to forget to do that, especially when we don't see a heads up before hand.

On the subject of wanting to know the precise moment a round of shops get posted, I think that most people who have completed these for the past couple of years had already figured out what day of the month these will be released, and as other have said, they had put in the work to figure this out, and they certainly didn't want to publicly post this, as the competition has always been fierce on grabbing these. It seems the past couple of months they have flown off the board faster than ever. I wonder if it's because it's been discussed so much on here.

Lastly, I appreciate when other shoppers discuss what shops they will do and what they stay away from, as it helps other shoppers, whether new or experienced, make that decision on whether a shop is worth doing or not, depending on the pay. What I don't appreciate is when someone comes on and subtly attacks other shoppers for "settling" for a $9 + $9 grocery shop. Just because you wouldn't do it, there is no need to put down others because of a preconceived idea that they "must" do them to have groceries every month. I am sure this grocery program is helping some folks stock their kitchens to help out on the food bill, but that doesn't apply to everyone. There are plenty who just enjoy the work, and there are some, like me, who actually get more groceries than they need and are able to donate to food banks or churches, or just to give to family or friends.

If an MSC did not respond to my queries, I would deactivate my account. If, though, it were a scheduler, I would avoid his/her jobs.

In that this is a Kroger thread, the scheduler for both Ohio & Indiana is Jenn Barrick. I completed the first work through her in the fall of 2005 and have no recollection she has ever ignored my inquiries.

To Hampton's thorough post, I am adding my reason. The Kroger shops, both in store and fuel but not pick-ups, qualify for my category three work. They permit me to defray travel expenses from re-stocking my store.

I have never, do not nor will ever denigrate anyone concerning their reasons to accept or reject work. As the old adage goes, "Until one has walked a mile in my shoes, they are unqualified to state how my feet feel."

I attempt to walk on hot glass before contacting that scheduler for anything. Luckily, the shops are pretty self sufficiant, so it's mostly avoidable.

No one should have to explain or defend themselves to the shop police. It is strange that some people know an awful lot about these shops for never needing or wanting to do them.

My NC schedulers are great. They always answer emails almost immediately. I had asked my scheduler about when Kroger competitors would be posted. He said 3/27, IF any were going to be posted. Evidently schedulers only know which dates the shops SHOULD be posted, but not IF the client wants any to be posted.

Posting wrong information based on no knowledge Is "helpful"? One month I missed the posting by 15 minutes and my best instore locations were gone.

As the West Coasters have mentioned, our scheduler email blasts changes to the program. If there is an issue she responds quickly. I would never email her to ask when jobs will post, I am pretty sure any regulars have figured it out by now.

I have not seen bonuses since the first year of the Kroger program.

Prior to Kroger I hadn't done any of their shops for about 5 years (donuts and pizza) but hadn't been purged from their database. I got the first emails looking for Kroger shoppers. As others have noted, these shops are super easy and who doesn't need groceries. It was also a good way for me to test the pickup services including the competitors. One of the other reasons I do MS is to try new things on someone else's dime. It was annoying when they said we could no longer do pickup/instore the same day, but I've made it work.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 03/31/2024 07:49PM by melg.

My scheduler seems nice enough, she almost always responds to my emails (there have been a few exceptions when she was having internet issues and such), and seems very easy going as far as asking for changes and other things to accommodate my missteps because of my health. But she does not offer suggestions, or relay any new rules ahead of time, and sometimes that's disappointing.

I'm not one of those people who needs to be buddies with everyone I work with. I'll have a conversation with you if you want, but I can just take care of business just as easily, and not do or say anything that I don't need to. And I suspect that the scheduler for my area feels about the same.

Jenn is the scheduler for some of my area, and she does not send out any 'extra' emails.
She is responsive when I have an issue (only happened once I think)
Ryan is the scheduler for another area I shop. I've never had to contact him for any issues, and he's never sent out any 'extra' info either.

I don't have any issue with the way they do things. I just would like to know about things like the 1:1 rule. Maybe put that in the job descriptions for the pick up shops so you know you have to go take some instore ones??

@Morledzep wrote:

My scheduler seems nice enough, she almost always responds to my emails (there have been a few exceptions when she was having internet issues and such), and seems very easy going as far as asking for changes and other things to accommodate my missteps because of my health. But she does not offer suggestions, or relay any new rules ahead of time, and sometimes that's disappointing.

I'm not one of those people who needs to be buddies with everyone I work with. I'll have a conversation with you if you want, but I can just take care of business just as easily, and not do or say anything that I don't need to. And I suspect that the scheduler for my area feels about the same.

In the past we have discussed that different regions have different rules.

Just noticed that one California Krogers have started with a $6.95 pickup fee for an orders under a minimum amount. If you can get it over $30 there is no fee. Edit...and now they've dropped that fee. Maybe it was just one store one day, or a glitch,

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/12/2024 05:02PM by melg.

@shopperbob wrote:

To Hampton's thorough post, I am adding my reason. The Kroger shops, both in store and fuel but not pick-ups, qualify for my category three work. They permit me to defray travel expenses from re-stocking my store.

I have never, do not nor will ever denigrate anyone concerning their reasons to accept or reject work. As the old adage goes, "Until one has walked a mile in my shoes, they are unqualified to state how my feet feel."

Shopperbob, I know you have a rules based approach to how and why you accept certain jobs. I'm wondering why it is that you avoid the pickups since those are the most bang for the buck. $30 in reimbursement for a very easy report seems like a great return on effort.

If we weren't required to do an in store for each pickup, I would happily skip the in store shops.

Olympia inquires as to why the pick-up shops do not work for me.

1--As my reason for traveling to these areas is to purchase stock, I need a wide window.
2-In chatting with a worker I originally met when she was a teen, she is retiring this year from her job filling orders, the incidence of missing items and being late would be a definite problem for me. I route up to five stores in two states.
3-My diet is such, I need to literally see what is available.
4-I am guessing that at least once on every 10 visits to Kroger, I am overcharged; yesterday was an example. They reduce prices on the shelf tag, BUT, that info is not entered into the computer. In my area, Kroger no longer has the free item when they err.

I'm getting pretty good quality on my pickups lately, both completeness and produce quality. There is one store that I have scratched because 3/3 produce items were fails, blems and rotten spots. I avoid a few things, lettuce and cucumbers. I had a recent apple bag fail with a few with soft spots. Mostly I get staples and grocery which they can't mess up, along with citrus, bananas, peppers. Close to home I'll also get frozen and dairy.

I haven't had a reason to request a refund lately. Hope that has not gone away.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 04/02/2024 02:33PM by melg.

@shopperbob wrote:

Olympia inquires as to why the pick-up shops do not work for me.

1--As my reason for traveling to these areas is to purchase stock, I need a wide window.
2-In chatting with a worker I originally met when she was a teen, she is retiring this year from her job filling orders, the incidence of missing items and being late would be a definite problem for me. I route up to five stores in two states.
3-My diet is such, I need to literally see what is available.
4-I am guessing that at least once on every 10 visits to Kroger, I am overcharged; yesterday was an example. They reduce prices on the shelf tag, BUT, that info is not entered into the computer. In my area, Kroger no longer has the free item when they err.

Got it.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 04/02/2024 05:36PM by olympia tennenbaum.

Olympia, thank you for your suggestions.

As to competitors, I stopped doing those due to in my area they are bare bones locations where I had difficulty even finding desirable items for the in store visits.

Concerning the non food items, I purchase those from a wholesaler and sell them in my store. In addition, I occasionally am able to purchase food overruns from the wholesaler. Last week, it was Ritz flavored crackers Kroger sells for $3.99; I paid 50 cents each for 60 in date bags.

Finally, there are the edibles. While I could easily afford Delmonico steaks, I refuse to pay this week's price at Kroger of $27.99 a pound. I do not criticize Kroger's for their pricing; that IS business. The onus is upon me to refuse purchases.

A final comment: I enjoy the Kroger's kickin' crab salad. It is $5.99 a pound bulk or $5.00 for 11 oz. package; the meat attendant admitted the packages are much better sellers. The math is obvious.