krogers

I reduced my load by 25% this month. Only got 2 competitor in store shops and missed competitor pick up shops. I was searching for things to buy last month. Needed a break in Kroger pick up shops. 8 limit in a year.

Do not read so much, look about you and think of what you see there.
Richard Feynman-- letter to Ashok Arora, 4 January 1967, published in Perfectly Reasonable Deviations from the Beaten Track (2005) p. 230

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Thanks to all for responding to my query on competitor shops. I have adjusted my thinking on pick-ups for local stores. I still do not think they would work when I am in BFE on non-shopping business, as I could easily be on a 150 ml. supplier route and unable to wait if the store is running late. If I am wrong, please correct me.

@shopperbob wrote:

Thanks to all for responding to my query on competitor shops. I have adjusted my thinking on pick-ups for local stores. I still do not think they would work when I am in BFE on non-shopping business, as I could easily be on a 150 ml. supplier route and unable to wait if the store is running late. If I am wrong, please correct me.

If I were you, I surely would not take a pickup shop for a location that is far from home while you are on a route. I have had delays of several hours on some pickup shops in the past, so I would only consider a pickup shop close to home. It's only a minor inconvenience if the shop is local to you, just having to reschedule the time you leave to do your pickup.

Hamp, thank you for confirming my suspicion.

Keeping in mind I live in Podunk - I have never had any of the stores (Kroger or competitors) run behind on my orders. Sometimes I get notified a few minutes early that it's ready.

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

One of my recent Walmart pickup shops had my order "ready" on time but I had to wait a long time in the hot parking lot because (1) several of the employees were engaging in horseplay instead of working, (2) those who were working were sluggish due to the heat, (3) several customers ahead of me had huge orders and it took a while to load their vans/trucks.

I don't do long routes but my route would take priority over these pickup shops.

The only delay I've ever had for a pick up order is when a store called me an hour before my scheduled time and asked me to wait 4 hours. That I later found out I didn't need to do, my order had been ready the entire time.

I also learned not long after that happened that if you pick an early pick up time, they will hold your order all day. So I now schedule all of my Kroger pick up orders for noon(ish) and pick up when I get there, which has been as late as 20:00. ALL of the competitors will do something similar, but if you order from the deli at Publix you run the risk of not getting your deli order. Some managers at Publix will have your order remade, some will tell you to get a refund through Instacart, which is a HUGE PITA.

@shopperbob wrote:

Thanks to all for responding to my query on competitor shops. I have adjusted my thinking on pick-ups for local stores. I still do not think they would work when I am in BFE on non-shopping business, as I could easily be on a 150 ml. supplier route and unable to wait if the store is running late. If I am wrong, please correct me.

Like Moreledzep says, schedule an early pickup. Then get there when you get there. If you schedule them for 10 am and don't get there until 2 pm, no problem.

@olympia tennenbaum wrote:

Like Moreledzep says, schedule an early pickup. Then get there when you get there. If you schedule them for 10 am and don't get there until 2 pm, no problem.

I have been hesitant to schedule an early time and then pick up later, as the guidelines says to "Arrive for pickup at the chosen time." I'm usually a stickler when it comes to guideline instructions, I just don't want to get a shop denied because they somehow find out I picked up hours after I scheduled. Haven't heard this happening to anyone, but if something like that will happen, it will happen to me

Yes, I missed them when they were released yesterday. Damn!

@hamptonroadsva wrote:

@olympia tennenbaum wrote:

Like Moreledzep says, schedule an early pickup. Then get there when you get there. If you schedule them for 10 am and don't get there until 2 pm, no problem.

I have been hesitant to schedule an early time and then pick up later, as the guidelines says to "Arrive for pickup at the chosen time." I'm usually a stickler when it comes to guideline instructions, I just don't want to get a shop denied because they somehow find out I picked up hours after I scheduled. Haven't heard this happening to anyone, but if something like that will happen, it will happen to me

I agree with you. I always go within my scheduled time.

@hamptonroadsva wrote:

@olympia tennenbaum wrote:

Like Moreledzep says, schedule an early pickup. Then get there when you get there. If you schedule them for 10 am and don't get there until 2 pm, no problem.

I have been hesitant to schedule an early time and then pick up later, as the guidelines says to "Arrive for pickup at the chosen time." I'm usually a stickler when it comes to guideline instructions, I just don't want to get a shop denied because they somehow find out I picked up hours after I scheduled. Haven't heard this happening to anyone, but if something like that will happen, it will happen to me

Good point. I usually schedule pickup around other work but I have arrived late before.

I did WF shops before and those were very specific with asking for your pickup window and time of arrival, etc. There was really no way around that.

The only shops I've had issues with were a Target pickup - online it says it'll be ready within two hours but I have found out that isn't always true. I also have one Kroger chain that will call me and let me know that the pickup person will be on break and ask me to come earlier (which I can't figure out how to do in the app) or later.

@olympia tennenbaum wrote:

@hamptonroadsva wrote:

@olympia tennenbaum wrote:

Like Moreledzep says, schedule an early pickup. Then get there when you get there. If you schedule them for 10 am and don't get there until 2 pm, no problem.

I have been hesitant to schedule an early time and then pick up later, as the guidelines says to "Arrive for pickup at the chosen time." I'm usually a stickler when it comes to guideline instructions, I just don't want to get a shop denied because they somehow find out I picked up hours after I scheduled. Haven't heard this happening to anyone, but if something like that will happen, it will happen to me

I did WF shops before and those were very specific with asking for your pickup window and time of arrival, etc. There was really no way around that.

@olympia tennenbaum WF = Whole Foods? Was it for this MSC or another MSC?

@Okie wrote:

@olympia tennenbaum wrote:

@hamptonroadsva wrote:

@olympia tennenbaum wrote:

Like Moreledzep says, schedule an early pickup. Then get there when you get there. If you schedule them for 10 am and don't get there until 2 pm, no problem.

I have been hesitant to schedule an early time and then pick up later, as the guidelines says to "Arrive for pickup at the chosen time." I'm usually a stickler when it comes to guideline instructions, I just don't want to get a shop denied because they somehow find out I picked up hours after I scheduled. Haven't heard this happening to anyone, but if something like that will happen, it will happen to me

I did WF shops before and those were very specific with asking for your pickup window and time of arrival, etc. There was really no way around that.

@olympia tennenbaum WF = Whole Foods? Was it for this MSC or another MSC?

Yes. No.

I don't think I've ever actually picked up within the time frame I chose. I've done more pick ups than I can count and never had that questioned at all.

@olympia tennenbaum wrote:

Good point. I usually schedule pickup around other work but I have arrived late before.

I did WF shops before and those were very specific with asking for your pickup window and time of arrival, etc. There was really no way around that.

I usually get close to the maximum pick up shops allowed each month, and like you, I have occasionally arrived a little later than the pick up window due to being delayed at other shops. I never heard anything back from that, so I assume it's not an issue, but I don't feel comfortable doing that on the regular. I suppose if it was important, they would add a question asking what your scheduled pick up time was.

@melg wrote:

You just need one in store for every pickup but it isn't calculated over a year. They did not need to be for the same location. (I was told they might check twice a month but don't know how that works exactly).

Yes ask the scheduler, it could be some other reason. They might be able to put you on a probation, let you do a few instores and one pickup.

Got a response from my scheduler. Unfortunately, it looks like a ban on the client. The scheduler was not able to provide further details. From the looks of it, it may be permanent. Best case scenario, it will pass on its own over time, but no further details could be provided. I guess I'll have to check in every time Kroger shops are posted. Hoping it eventually gets lifted. If not, I had a good run.

@Okie wrote:

@melg wrote:

You just need one in store for every pickup but it isn't calculated over a year. They did not need to be for the same location. (I was told they might check twice a month but don't know how that works exactly).

Yes ask the scheduler, it could be some other reason. They might be able to put you on a probation, let you do a few instores and one pickup.
Got a response from my scheduler. Unfortunately, it looks like a ban on the client. The scheduler was not able to provide further details. From the looks of it, it may be permanent. Best case scenario, it will pass on its own over time, but no further details could be provided. I guess I'll have to check in every time Kroger shops are posted. Hoping it eventually gets lifted. If not, I had a good run.

Any idea what may have cause it? So sorry that happened.

@olympia tennenbaum wrote:

@Okie wrote:

@melg wrote:

You just need one in store for every pickup but it isn't calculated over a year. They did not need to be for the same location. (I was told they might check twice a month but don't know how that works exactly).

Yes ask the scheduler, it could be some other reason. They might be able to put you on a probation, let you do a few instores and one pickup.
Got a response from my scheduler. Unfortunately, it looks like a ban on the client. The scheduler was not able to provide further details. From the looks of it, it may be permanent. Best case scenario, it will pass on its own over time, but no further details could be provided. I guess I'll have to check in every time Kroger shops are posted. Hoping it eventually gets lifted. If not, I had a good run.

Any idea what may have cause it? So sorry that happened.

Thanks, I'm not sure. I know the scheduler had to dig and ask around. She could only tell me that there was a ban, but couldn't confirm if it was permanent. I believe I was doing too many shops. I'm not sure if it's a system thing or someone enforced it. But I knew something strange was happening, because every time I tried to reschedule any shop (even non-Kroger) ones, it would always say to contact the scheduler.

@hamptonroadsva wrote:

I have been hesitant to schedule an early time and then pick up later, as the guidelines says to "Arrive for pickup at the chosen time."

If it helps, I asked Lauren CB, the scheduler for my area, about this last year. She said it was okay to go later but not earlier. I frequently go after my scheduled time without it causing problems.

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

@drdoggie00 wrote:

@hamptonroadsva wrote:

I have been hesitant to schedule an early time and then pick up later, as the guidelines says to "Arrive for pickup at the chosen time."
If it helps, I asked Lauren CB, the scheduler for my area, about this last year. She said it was okay to go later but not earlier. I frequently go after my scheduled time without it causing problems.

Lauren is the best! Very patient and accommodating.

Regarding the pick-up times, scheduling earlier and arriving later has been my practice with Kroger, as well. Maybe a couple of occasions where the associate called me and let me know that my order was ready, if it had been a couple of hours after. I'm not sure if sometimes the pick-up associate can't leave until the last order for the day has been picked up. There were a couple of rare occasions where I arrived towards the later end, and someone had to re-open the pick-up station.

@Okie wrote:

@olympia tennenbaum wrote:

@Okie wrote:

@melg wrote:

You just need one in store for every pickup but it isn't calculated over a year. They did not need to be for the same location. (I was told they might check twice a month but don't know how that works exactly).

Yes ask the scheduler, it could be some other reason. They might be able to put you on a probation, let you do a few instores and one pickup.
Got a response from my scheduler. Unfortunately, it looks like a ban on the client. The scheduler was not able to provide further details. From the looks of it, it may be permanent. Best case scenario, it will pass on its own over time, but no further details could be provided. I guess I'll have to check in every time Kroger shops are posted. Hoping it eventually gets lifted. If not, I had a good run.

Any idea what may have cause it? So sorry that happened.

Thanks, I'm not sure. I know the scheduler had to dig and ask around. She could only tell me that there was a ban, but couldn't confirm if it was permanent. I believe I was doing too many shops. I'm not sure if it's a system thing or someone enforced it. But I knew something strange was happening, because every time I tried to reschedule any shop (even non-Kroger) ones, it would always say to contact the scheduler.

Did you hit the limit for your local stores? I think 15x per year? I wonder if you just hit the limit.

Do you mind sharing how many you were doing a month?

@olympia tennenbaum wrote:

Did you hit the limit for your local stores? I think 15x per year? I wonder if you just hit the limit.

Do you mind sharing how many you were doing a month?

I visit a a good number of stores. Looking at the number of visits for my most visited store, it's 4 in-store and 2 pick-up for this calendar year. I'm not sure if it gets reset for the calendar year, or is over the course of the last 12 months. If it's 15 visits for all of the stores combined - I definitely hit that limit, by glancing at the number of shops I did.

But what melg had mentioned regarding the 1:1 ratio, this past period, I self-assigned 7 pick-up shops and 1 in-store shop. Maybe that was the contributing factor?

The wording my scheduler did use made it sound like the ban could be permanent. She said, if it can get lifted, then it will fall off on its own over time.

@Okie wrote:

I visit a a good number of stores. Looking at the number of visits for my most visited store, it's 4 in-store and 2 pick-up for this calendar year. I'm not sure if it gets reset for the calendar year, or is over the course of the last 12 months. If it's 15 visits for all of the stores combined - I definitely hit that limit, by glancing at the number of shops I did.

How do you find this info easily? Where do you find how many times you visited each store?

@JSuing wrote:

How do you find this info easily? Where do you find how many times you visited each store?

There's more than way, but I go to Payment History. Enter the dates for this year. Click View Report. This part, I ballpark - I know by heart the location I visit most often. I Ctrl+F the location and see the number of occurrences. Then I manually count to see which are in-store or pick-up.

With all of these Kroger rules, I've usually just ballparked numbers. I'm not good at actively keeping track of what could potentially suspend me. But going forward, I definitely will if I ever get access again in the future. And scale back on the number of shops. The way I view it, it's also karma for picking up so many shops so soon.

Unfortunately Okie I think your 7 pickups and one instore on the last rotation did you in. I was not quite that BAD and even with being ALMOST perfect over the course of the year, I got put on probation last fall. I was greedy with the competitor pickups They cancelled a bunch of my competitor pickups and then I was put on a probation for a month. I think I was lucky that my scheduler did that for me.

The recent expansion of the 1:1 and other rules nationwide have been well publicized. It's not surprising that they are no longer lenient. This is all about shoppers being identified even if some here have expressed that they don't believe it's happening.

There are two stores where my spidey sense is that I'm known or suspected. They were locations with only a few people willing to do them. Early on before the rules changed I would do the instore and pickup on the same day. I think those stores have some pretty savvy managers. Now I mostly don't do these locations. Sometimes I will only do a pickup at one or the other store in a month, or sometimes not at all.

melg exclaims--Unfortunately Okie I think your 7 pickups and one instore on the last rotation did you in. I was not quite that BAD and even with being ALMOST perfect over the course of the year, I got put on probation last fall. I was greedy with the competitor pickups They cancelled a bunch of my competitor pickups and then I was put on a probation for a month.

Okie whimpers--I am willing to do my time in Kroger purgatory. *Handcuffed and shackled, Okie enters the cell SOBBING*

A final comment: I rate Whole Foods as "3 thumbs up."

@Okie wrote:

@olympia tennenbaum wrote:

Did you hit the limit for your local stores? I think 15x per year? I wonder if you just hit the limit.

Do you mind sharing how many you were doing a month?
I visit a a good number of stores. Looking at the number of visits for my most visited store, it's 4 in-store and 2 pick-up for this calendar year. I'm not sure if it gets reset for the calendar year, or is over the course of the last 12 months. If it's 15 visits for all of the stores combined - I definitely hit that limit, by glancing at the number of shops I did.

But what melg had mentioned regarding the 1:1 ratio, this past period, I self-assigned 7 pick-up shops and 1 in-store shop. Maybe that was the contributing factor?

The wording my scheduler did use made it sound like the ban could be permanent. She said, if it can get lifted, then it will fall off on its own over time.

Oh yes, that ratio is the reason. My second month doing it I only did pickups. I wrote to my scheduler when I didn’t see more shops but knew from reading the boards that they were posted. I was banned.

You’ll likely have to do just in store for a’month or two.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 06/23/2024 04:40PM by olympia tennenbaum.

Most likely your scheduler has to get approval from higher ups to see if you can be put on "probation". Unless they have a lot of shoppers waiting in the wings to fill in,

Good Luck.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/23/2024 12:02AM by melg.

Thanks everyone, I'll check periodically. The thing that concerns is me that my scheduler did not have visibility as to why there was a restriction put on my account from Kroger shops or how long it would be, if not permanent. If it goes on for a long time, I may ask her to see if she can reach out to someone directly, if it's apparent that it's no longer a result of the dreaded "system".

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