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Kroger Shops Drop Today?

October 08, 2025 03:25PM
I calculated that the Kroger shops should drop today, but have not received an email from the MSC saying they were. Are my calculations off?

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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October 08, 2025 03:31PM
In my area they dropped today. They rolled them out over a several hour period by the region of the country. It was much easier to assign shops without the site repeatedly crashing. I picked up 7 locations.

EDIT - I got an email yesterday stating the shops would drop today (Oct 8th). It also explained how they would be rolling them out with one drop time for my time zone (Eastern) and a later time for Central time zone, specifically listing the time of each drop.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/08/2025 03:58PM by LindaS.
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October 08, 2025 03:39PM
I spoke too soon. They dropped early.

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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October 08, 2025 04:17PM
@whosear wrote:

I spoke too soon. They dropped early.

What time they dropping for west coast?
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October 08, 2025 04:22PM
I didn’t get a heads up email, but I happened to log into my account this morning at 9:30 Eastern and to my surprise, there were the Krogers. I was able to grab my usuals and it was nice not have the website crash or bog down.
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October 08, 2025 04:47PM
Mountain should have dropped at 10:00am mountain but still nothing. Alaska/West Coast is supposed to drop at noon pacific.
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October 08, 2025 05:04PM
I was confused as to how Arizona would be handled, because we are listed as a Mountain time zone but we are presently in Pacific time.
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October 08, 2025 05:16PM
.....

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/08/2025 05:18PM by melg.
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October 08, 2025 05:18PM
We got the same type of memo mid September with the info for our scheduler's region in the west. It did mention that times could be off by half an hour.

If you got the memo, it explains why some of us might not be able to self assign all of our desired shops.
One reason might be that shops are spaced too tightly together or all at the start of the window.
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October 08, 2025 07:08PM
Def went much easier and I was able to get shops that wouldn't self assign last month.
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October 08, 2025 07:31PM
what did they say about maybe not being able to see some shops? I couldn't see any shops til 20 min after my assigned time, and couldn't self-assign. I normally do at least 10 a month so getting none was odd.
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October 08, 2025 08:18PM
Thank you all for the timing info. I am able to pick up 14 stores for the first time.

Curious question. When they say 15 visits per year. How do they calculate the duration of the year...is it jan 1 to dec 31 of each year? Or 12 month from the 1st time you submit the job with that location?

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 10/08/2025 08:20PM by kisekinecro.
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October 08, 2025 11:59PM
Kise, the calendar usually resets at the end of the January round. At least that's how it has worked since this MSC took over.
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October 09, 2025 12:08AM
@Morledzep wrote:

Kise, the calendar usually resets at the end of the January round. At least that's how it has worked since this MSC took over.

Thank you...So since I started doing this in Oct...So Technically I can visit each store 15 times between Oct 25 - Jan 26 before it resets then
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October 09, 2025 02:21AM
Fifteen visits per year????? I have done 3-4 since Feb at the Kroger near my house and maybe 2 at a location further away. Only the further location has shown up the last few months.
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October 09, 2025 03:36PM
It actually says this at the bottom of the instructions under Project and Scheduling Notes "you are permitted to complete up to 15 visits at the same store per year. Please pace your visit schedule so you have consistent opportunities to shop stores in your area throughout the year."

Not stated is that each month they first want them spaced by 4 days (to Start) and not all bunched at the beginning.
If you contact your scheduler with the job number and the time frame you can do them, they may be able to give them to you. Luckily this month I didn't have any issues.
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October 09, 2025 04:00PM
@Rho wrote:

Fifteen visits per year????? I have done 3-4 since Feb at the Kroger near my house and maybe 2 at a location further away. Only the further location has shown up the last few months.
I wasn't hitting 15 even when they had pickups.
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October 09, 2025 04:10PM
I probably did when there were pickups, since 12x2 is more than 15 (1 pickup and 1 in store per month at the closest location).
Last month my issue probably had to do with spacing requirement.

If you can't self assign it's probably a good idea to ask why. The scheduler did mention that staff has made a game out of trying to ID the shopper, and if they have they can ask that you be removed from their rotation. That was my initial concern last month but it doesn't seem to be the case.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/09/2025 04:12PM by melg.
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October 09, 2025 05:16PM
meig posts--..........staff has made a game out of trying to ID the shopper.....

Bob comments---Many yrs, ago, I was completing bank visits for an MSC that is no longer in business. The system they employed was to dictate the reports on the phone. During one such conversation, the scheduler mentioned what meig posted. From a logical standpoint, I would definitely NOT out the shopper, but ensure I projected a top notch image.

The following was NOT on a shop. There is a Kroger near me built in 1958. The only rest rooms require passing through the break room. As I was walking by one evening, I noticed the bulletin board had a description of suspected shoppers; none were of me.
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October 09, 2025 05:42PM
I was a regular shopper at the stores I check long before I started this work and I shop in between checks. So, no, I don't think they suspect me, why would they?
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