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anyone else having issues getting krogers today, 4/24

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The site is slow!

That always happens when they first post. Just be patient and it will load eventually.

It's been pretty good the last two months.

They did "updates" last week.. expect problems

Just a heads up, before the pickup shops are released, there is a new restriction in place starting this month, only 1 pickup per day, no exceptions. I think this was mentioned before to the western shoppers as a suggestion, but it is now being enforced.

It’s definitely terribly slow this time around. I’ve had lags before but this is definitely lasting today.

Thanks for the heads up. It's a bummer from a shopper's perspective, but makes sense to protect anonymity.

It was about "normal slow" out here on the west coast. I was hoping for some competitor shops but didn't see any. I thought we were due some.

@melg wrote:

It was about "normal slow" out here on the west coast. I was hoping for some competitor shops but didn't see any. I thought we were due some.

Yes, in following the schedules from the past, I expected competitor in-store shops to be available this go round too. None here in the East either.

I guess I missed out everything gone already!

@Blkstorm wrote:

I guess I missed out everything gone already!

Sorry, that is so disappointing. They really go quickly.

I'm wondering of they won't be doing any more competitors in store or pickup. We haven't seen them and we all expected them this round.

I'm about ready to wash my hands of the Kroger shops. I'm tired of all the restrictions, vague half-enforced rules, and always feeling like I have to jump through some invisible hoops just to be able to do one damn shop a day. Enough already.

If your path dictates you walk through hell, do it as though you own the place. -unknown

not expecting competitors shops until next round. Do you guys get competitors shops every other month? We do not.

@Morledzep we don't get them every other, but I think we get them every 4th month? Well, pick ups. We used to have competitors in store every month.

nolimit, if memory serves (doubt it seriously) we get our competitor shops every third round. it could be less often than that, but that's what I seem to remember. I know that I will be looking for competitor shops next round.

@Morledzep wrote:

nolimit, if memory serves (doubt it seriously) we get our competitor shops every third round. it could be less often than that, but that's what I seem to remember. I know that I will be looking for competitor shops next round.

I think it’s different in different regions. I also thought it was time for competitors. I even had my target list ready. When they didn’t show up I had a laugh to myself thinking about your son’s tee shirts. I clearly must spend too much time reading this forum. lol

@Morledzep wrote:

not expecting competitors shops until next round. Do you guys get competitors shops every other month? We do not.

Here in the East, we have had a steady three month rotation:

Month 1 - Kroger only
Month 2 - Kroger and Competitor in-store
Month 3 - Kroger and Competitor in-store and pickup

So we had competitor shops 2 out of every 3 months. This was supposed to be "Month 2" but there were no competitors. Maybe they are planning to do the same schedule nationwide going forward.

I was bummed out when I didn't see any Foodmaxx (competitor in-store) shops this round because I planned to get something there anyway.

@hamptonroadsva wrote:

Here in the East, we have had a steady three month rotation:

Month 1 - Kroger only
Month 2 - Kroger and Competitor in-store
Month 3 - Kroger and Competitor in-store and pickup

So we had competitor shops 2 out of every 3 months. This was supposed to be "Month 2" but there were no competitors. Maybe they are planning to do the same schedule nationwide going forward.

I'm in Northern Alabama. We never get competitors instore shops. But we do get competitor pickup shops every third month, at least that's how it has been. Never know what the future will bring, and our scheduler here doesn't give us any kind of news or updates.

@Morledzep wrote:

I'm in Northern Alabama. We never get competitors instore shops. But we do get competitor pickup shops every third month, at least that's how it has been. Never know what the future will bring, and our scheduler here doesn't give us any kind of news or updates.

I'm in Virginia, and I have noticed that different areas of the country have had different shops available each month.

I've been doing Kroger shops for almost 20 years now, and the only constant is that the program is not consistent. It's changed MSCs over the years, the program was ended for a time, and the requirements change frequently. It doesn't surprise me when shops don't pop up as expected, nor does it surprise me when new requirements get added. I agree with you, we never know what each month will bring.

I completed my first Kroger job in July of 2006 and agree with Hamp's above post. The constant seven day window of 11:00 to 19:00, as opposed to the prior 16:00 to 20:00 weekdays and 12:00 to 18:00 weekends, has permitted me to more easily work the shops into my travel plans.

@shopperbob wrote:

I completed my first Kroger job in July of 2006 and agree with Hamp's above post. The constant seven day window of 11:00 to 19:00, as opposed to the prior 16:00 to 20:00 weekdays and 12:00 to 18:00 weekends, has permitted me to more easily work the shops into my travel plans.

Earlier I checked my receipt scans, and my first Kroger was completed in December of 2004. Whew, looking at those old receipts, groceries sure were more affordable back then!

Todays Kroger shops are much more accessible for me with the extended hours, but that's not only the only positive aspect of the current requirements. No more silly questions to ask employees, no more multi-sentence narratives for multiple questions. and no more counting employees. The shops are now quite easy to submit right after completing them. I still laugh every time one new little extra observation is added to look for and hearing the grumbling here in the forum... more work and no extra pay!

Any hint on the MSC for these? I don't have Kroger in my area so I wouldn't have stumbled across the shops, but my starving college student son does so maybe he could get some groceries. Thank you!

@bradkcrew wrote:

Any hint on the MSC for these? I don't have Kroger in my area so I wouldn't have stumbled across the shops, but my starving college student son does so maybe he could get some groceries. Thank you!

They're First To Everyone.

If your path dictates you walk through hell, do it as though you own the place. -unknown

I remember the days of stupid questions, that's why I won't do Stater Brothers! These are sooo easy that it's really the only shop I do anymore.

The guidelines now explain the restrictions on pickups that we've had on the West Coast for a while. I guess they now apply everywhere. Lucky for me there are a lot of stores in this area and I can usually keep a daily route pretty tight.

I agree with the suspicion that competitor shops may be done. We were on a 3 month rotation AFAIK. They were due and we did not see them. Perhaps the client got what they needed (now that it's been about a year). Nice while it lasted.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/29/2024 05:33PM by melg.

BTW We just got an email from our scheduler reminding that we need PAPER receipts for instore and fuel shops. Only pickups should be using the online receipts.

Oh and one more thing from the old shops that I forgot about in my earlier post. Putting a large item or gallon of milk in the bottom of the basket...BOB... to see if the cashier notices it, and if they didn't, then you come up with the "Oh, I forgot this item." Considering that every store was shopped several times a month, and at the time, there wasn't much turnover in cashiers, it always seemed obvious to me that it was easy to out a shopper. We might as well have worn a "I'm a mystery shopper" t-shirt with the BOB requirement and those silly questions.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/29/2024 05:47PM by hamptonroadsva.

@melg wrote:

BTW We just got an email from our scheduler reminding that we need PAPER receipts for instore and fuel shops. Only pickups should be using the online receipts.

using the online receipts is allowed if your paper receipt isn't legible. But when that happens I also include a picture of the paper receipt so they can see why I used the online receipt.

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