In a bustling King Soopers store in Denver, employee David finds himself confronted by angry customers two to three times a day, with frustrations often stemming from overcharging at the checkout.
“Sometimes they’re mad at me, sometimes at the situation,” David states.
Recently, he has noticed a significant increase in complaints about pricing discrepancies, particularly when expired sales tags reflect lower prices than what registers display.
This issue, David explains, arises from chronic understaffing.
At his store, a single employee is typically tasked with updating thousands of sales tags each time prices change.
For instance, he recalls a recent instance where nearly 10,000 tags needed updating within a mere 16 hours, resulting in only three volunteers tackling the daunting task.
Despite their best efforts, they were unable to complete the job.
“Our team gives 100 percent, but if we’re not 100 percent staffed, we can’t do it,” David asserts.
He often finds himself explaining this reality to disgruntled customers.
While many understand the situation, David acknowledges that, on occasion, tempers flare into confrontations.
In one alarming instance, he observed a customer brandish a gun at a checkout clerk, a situation that escalated until store security intervened and the police were called.
Unfortunately, management was absent during the crisis.
This pattern of discontent is echoed in the findings of a Consumer Reports investigation in May, which explored 26 Kroger-owned stores across multiple states.
The report revealed rampant overcharging, with discrepancies averaging over 18 percent for more than 150 items.
While staff members are quick to rectify specific customer complaints about pricing, many shoppers fail to notice such errors, perpetuating the issue.
“Management just says ‘We’ll figure it out,’ and then they never do,” David laments.
The financial incentives for management to operate with a lean workforce further complicate matters.
According to David, managers often receive bonuses based on adherence to budgeted labor hours, creating a preference for understaffed operations.
A Kroger spokesperson countered this narrative, claiming decisions regarding staffing levels are data-driven, aimed at balancing workload and customer service.
Data from Consumer Reports indicates that the trend of understaffing has intensified in recent years.
Despite the total number of Kroger-owned storefronts remaining stable from 2019 to 2024, the average number of employees per store fell by 10 percent, with existing staff members each working approximately 10 fewer hours weekly.
David comments that overcharging isn’t the sole consequence of staffing shortages; he regularly observes fresh produce left to wilt in the stockroom.
“Boxes remain in shrink-wrapped pallets because there aren’t enough workers to put food on the shelves,” he explains, adding that both dairy and meat often spoil before they can be stocked.
An unscientific survey conducted by the Economic Roundtable found that 70 percent of Kroger employees have witnessed food sitting in the backroom due to understaffing.
Despite the risk of health inspections missing violations due to spoilage, David notes that much of this food inevitably ends up in waste.
“It’s a morality issue to waste food on that large a scale,” he says, expressing concern for the ethical implications of such practices.
While David’s store hasn’t received recent citations for health code violations, it did face issues last year related to rodent droppings that reportedly have since been dealt with.
In defense of food safety standards, a Kroger spokesperson asserted that they maintain strict quality assurance processes to provide high-quality products for customers.
According to David, his experience is colored by the financial struggles of many coworkers who rely on state assistance to make ends meet.
Only 16 percent of Kroger and Albertsons employees surveyed reported earning enough to cover essential expenses, with many spending half their income on rent and a striking number reporting past experiences with homelessness.
David shares his concern: “I know at least two people who are living out of their cars while they work at the store.”
This disheartening reality highlights the dual challenges of underemployment and food waste within Kroger’s workforce.
Dawn Thilmany, a professor of agricultural economics at Colorado State University, points to an alarming shift in Kroger’s reputation over the years.
“Historically, Kroger had a much better reputation,” she states, recalling how the company once valued partnerships with local producers and offered employees promising career paths.
However, increased competitive pressure from giants like Walmart and Amazon has precipitated significant changes.
Thilmany explains that the expansion of e-commerce, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, has driven a focus on efficiency and rapid product delivery.
Ben, a King Soopers employee of ten years, corroborates this sentiment regarding the company’s transformation.
“The company is vastly different from when I started,” he observes, noting that management practices and employee compensation have deteriorated markedly.
Cost-cutting measures have become so pervasive that even basic tools, like a broken broom, go unpurchased due to budget constraints.
Ben’s concerns about safety echo within the context of increasing altercations at the store, especially in light of a 2021 shooting at a King Soopers location in Boulder that left ten people dead.
He expresses unease over the absence of armed security at his store, particularly given the increasing tension and confrontation levels.
In response to concerns about safety and staffing, a Kroger spokesperson stated that they collaborate with local law enforcement and professional security teams to meet various location needs.
Employees like David and Ben are part of UFCW Local 7, the union advocating for better working conditions for roughly 10,000 King Soopers workers.
Following a 12-day strike in February demanding improved salaries and conditions, there are hints of another strike on the horizon, potentially involving additional grocery chains.
Despite record profits reported by Kroger, totaling $3.85 billion in the last fiscal year, workers remain uncertain if their demands will be met.
“Kroger could easily right its ship,” Thilmany suggests.
Contrasting the company’s actions, she cites Costco’s approach of paying workers competitive wages and enjoying both customer satisfaction and robust stock performance as a potential model.
The sentiment among customers appears to mirror the dissatisfaction expressed by employees, with recent social media discussions highlighting King Soopers’ place on a list of the worst grocery stores across the nation.
In a viral Reddit thread, many users shared their negative experiences with King Soopers, with some even declaring they would pay more elsewhere.
As customers seek alternatives, regional stores like Sprouts and Trader Joe’s have come up as preferred options, revealing a potential shift in consumer behavior away from large chains.
Thilmany notes a budding interest in smaller, local shops as a response to the prevailing challenges in big-box grocery shopping.
“People are realizing that food is part of their quality of life, and they want better choices,” she explains, pointing to a desire for better quality over convenience.
For their part, David and Ben have reservations about shopping at their own stores.
Though David occasionally purchases items, he refrains from buying deli meats or cheeses due to safety concerns regarding temperature controls.
Ben, opting for different grocery chains entirely, reflects, “I usually go to Safeway or Sprouts,” highlighting a broader trend among employees choosing to shy away from King Soopers altogether.
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