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.

October 08, 2025 03:39PM

I spoke too soon. They dropped early.

October 08, 2025 04:17PM

@whosear wrote:

I spoke too soon. They dropped early.

What time they dropping for west coast?

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.

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.

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.

October 08, 2025 05:16PM

.....

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/08/2025 05:18PM by melg.

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.

October 08, 2025 07:08PM

Def went much easier and I was able to get shops that wouldn't self assign last month.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

October 20, 2025 05:14AM

Some employees and managers are just smarter and pay more attention to shopper behavior, not always the schedule of your shops. E.g., staring at name tags, taking notes, always visiting all of the service departments but just asking questions or buying an unusually small purchase. There have been stores where I've suspected they knew who I was based on their behavior. At one the manager said something like "I'm trying to get them to do their jobs" as I was leaving. I stopped including that store and another nearby in my rotation. They were too far away anyways without the pickup included.

October 20, 2025 06:01AM

I'm sure some stores might suspect. One of the stores in TN had a manager tell an idiot bagger to watch himself because the shopper was coming today. I was in the next check out lane and the manager kinda glanced at me, but didn't indicate if they knew it was me or not.

I'm pretty careful, I don't spend a lot of time looking at people, actually I can't, they beat into me when I was young that I'm not supposed to stare at people, so I just barely glance at folks, I can't break it. I almost never make eye contact too because of "them" also. When I'm in the store I look at my phone and at the Kroger app several times, like I'm checking my list, but I only make notes in aisles away from cameras, and to anyone that didn't suspect I was taking notes it just looks like I'm texting, I'm sending text messages to myself.

But I do suspect that I've been removed from a couple stores, because I stood my ground with the project manager when she asks questions that I had already answered in the report. I suggested that I send her all of my notes for each shop so she will know what I know when she asks questions a week later after I don't remember anything anymore.

October 20, 2025 02:17PM

I always wear sunglasses and a trenchcoat (kidding)

October 20, 2025 05:32PM

@Morledzep wrote:

I'm sure some stores might suspect. One of the stores in TN had a manager tell an idiot bagger to watch himself because the shopper was coming today. I was in the next check out lane and the manager kinda glanced at me, but didn't indicate if they knew it was me or not.

I'm pretty careful, I don't spend a lot of time looking at people, actually I can't, they beat into me when I was young that I'm not supposed to stare at people, so I just barely glance at folks, I can't break it. I almost never make eye contact too because of "them" also. When I'm in the store I look at my phone and at the Kroger app several times, like I'm checking my list, but I only make notes in aisles away from cameras, and to anyone that didn't suspect I was taking notes it just looks like I'm texting, I'm sending text messages to myself.

But I do suspect that I've been removed from a couple stores, because I stood my ground with the project manager when she asks questions that I had already answered in the report. I suggested that I send her all of my notes for each shop so she will know what I know when she asks questions a week later after I don't remember anything anymore.

Those follow up questions are from the client. I have a couple stores I visit regularly that are always asking for more details and they desperately NEED the help. My notes skills have improved because of this which makes me a better shopper in the long run, I try not to take it personally. I've taken a couple covert photos here and there for particularly special occasions. They were thrilled.

I like to joke that the client manager and I are on a first name basis. I know which stores are 100% going to ask and which ones rarely do but I have some top notch notes skills now, I'm always ready.

October 20, 2025 06:30PM

@Deedeezthoughts wrote:

Those follow up questions are from the client. I have a couple stores I visit regularly that are always asking for more details and they desperately NEED the help. My notes skills have improved because of this which makes me a better shopper in the long run, I try not to take it personally. I've taken a couple covert photos here and there for particularly special occasions. They were thrilled.

I like to joke that the client manager and I are on a first name basis. I know which stores are 100% going to ask and which ones rarely do but I have some top notch notes skills now, I'm always ready.

How often would they come back and asked for follow up questions?

October 20, 2025 08:12PM

This is purely a guesstimation: 2%. I check the my mail first thing in the morning and, if I have received a query, I quickly respond; a short time later, I receive a thank you.

October 21, 2025 05:44AM

I used to get zero questions. But after the new store opened with the bad manager I started getting questions every couple months, and then a few months ago I started getting questions almost every round, and mostly about stuff that is in the report. Why would I answer it differently a week or more later?

October 21, 2025 12:56PM

A typical question I get is from the report but then followed by "If no, can you provide details?' They already know I said no on the report but the client is asking what specifically did I see that warranted a fail on this question? So, I give details that paint a picture for them. Meat shelves not being clean is one thing but red liquid puddled at the edge of the shelf, dried red smears with product stocked on top, and trash from stocking left on top of products in the display after they'd finished is a much more complete picture.
The delay you experienced suggests to me that it's a department manager whining that they've been unfairly judged. Details will put a stop to that. I am not getting my shop excluded because they're in denial about the reality in their store.

October 24, 2025 02:21PM

My theory is that it is the store managers asking for followups. Mine have mainly been from the poshest stores that usually score 100%. This month It was just about a name tag. Yet in a 'hood store half the time the produce guys often fail, and there isn't any follow up. Less than 5 times for me.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/24/2025 02:28PM by melg.

October 24, 2025 03:21PM

Oh, it absolutely is generated at the store level. It isn't a posh store that I expect to hear back from so I don't know that it's necessarily high standards behind it here.

I am unsure whether they are asking because they want specifics to pursue improvement (or include in evaluations?) or asking because they don't believe it was as bad as I said until I spell it out.

The parking area is usually trashy here, for example. I have watched trash blow across an employee's shoe as he stood on the sidewalk (in front of the doorway!) talking with two other employees and none of them seemed inclined to stoop and pick it up nor move so customers didn't have to walk around them to enter the store. There were many carts to be gathered and they weren't doing that either. That's more than a dirty parking lot and sidewalk, that's a morale problem. There isn't room in the form for that. So, I frankly welcome the questions because this is a store local to me but where I don't shop unless on assignment because it's often dirty. If the reports help, it's a benefit to my community.

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