Complaint Review: Albertsons

I work in a totally different store, at a shoreline location, in a lowly position, a courtesy clerk. The only Albertson's self-checkout lane is in a different store, miles away from the store I work at.

After looking at the self-checkout lane a few times, I wouldn't use it again. I prefer the regular checkstand system because self-checkout makes you wait until it detects the purchase being dropped into the grocery bags - it even expects you to bag large bulky items. It will lock up if you decide to skip bagging a few items. The only time a regular checkstand locks up is when the monitor turns black.

So don't think the whole company is bad because of one bad apple of a store Just shop at a different location. That will get the message to the district manager to bring back regular checkstands.

I work in a store that was once the place to shop. The courtesy clerks were required to take your groceries to your car. Now you have to request the service. You have to use that horrible talking machine they like to call self-checkout. Customers usually need LOTS of assistance. The store I'm working in have 4 self-check outs and 4 regular checkout stands. There's usually one cashier. I've been working there for a little over a year and a half and the changes have come and gone and come and gone again. I've heard rumors of this really great guy who wants the company to be like it used to be. Customers are #1! Customer Service! HOORAH!! We've even started this GOT Service program where all employees are to Greet Offer & Thank every customer. So far, I've seen no improvement. But it's very new, though, that's what albertson's should be all about anyway. We're well paid employees (well some of us anyway) with horribly dwindling hours. We're only as happy as our Store Director. I've always been the overly friendly girl walking around ready and willing to help the customers. Unfortunately, most of the employees at the locations in my area seem to think they work at Wal-Mart or something. I'd like to personally apologize for any rude employees. I know they are there, I've seen and heard them. As far as using self-check out, demand a cashier. Usually the person in charge of self-checkout will assist you, but don't bite. If you don't want to use it, and they insist you do, ask to speak to the Store Director. If he or she isn't there, ask for the assistant store director. If still no luck, ask for a customer service response card. They're fairly new. If you are really pleased with someone's efforts, fill it out. Employees are rewarded for their hard work. If you're upset, write it down. Hand it to a manager. Speak to the manager and let them know how you feel. It's been negative around the stores lately and any encouragement to do better is awesome. Sometimes people just need a little flame up their rears to get them moving in the right direction.

I thought this was a thing only going on and being tested in California. I'm very sorry to hear it's all over the US.

I am an employee of five years, and have recently felt the crunch of the after(strike)math. Lucky for me, I was only working to pay off college, and I am graduating in Dec. I never had one write up with the company until after the strike. After which, I transferred and recieved a write-up every other day. Litterally.
Now, anyone who works there knows that after three write ups you are supposed to get suspended. What I want to know is how I was able to continue working there for another four months except that the Write-ups were a fear issue. And also not reported. They were trying to scare me into leaving. The write-ups were for little things, like having a name badge backwards, or
coming in three minutes late. None of this affected me once I realized it was going to be a bi-daily thing, until I was accused of stealing twice. Toilet paper, then toilet paper, then money from a co-workers purse.The following is as short a summary as I can get.
Called in at the end of my shift to discuss theft
and be accused(they get a days labor out of me, they are supposed to call you in the morning of suspect) sent home on "indefinite suspension" with no info on what to do about it
call union, they are busy two days later get accused for stealing money get a warning to "watch my back" get a call to get my paycheck, told have to turn in uniform(a sign that a person is quitting) get paycheck, with no explanation on why they wanted my uniform, when I haven't quit, and not fired, and why told it was company policy, then after I threaten legal action, suddenly tell me it's not.

get a second call, have another paycheck
Go with paralegal, find out it's a termination paycheck, I refuse(I haven't gone through my Union process yet, they are not allowed to fire me)

wait a month for my Union representation.
By the way, during the hour I was in the Union office, there were two other phone calls from employees who were "indefinitely suspended"
I didn't have anything against my company, they gotta do what they feel to keep themselves afloat. But if they wanted me to leave, they could have just told me. To all the people who complain, I recommend getting another job, start looking elsewhere, it's not going to get any better. I'm now working a much better job, it's scary, but if you just don't shop there, and put your efforts into other places, the good will prevail and the bad will feel the pain. Don't get angry, get even. Use your brains and go into a field where you can grow. And for all the people who have put 15+years into the company, I'm really sorry, because that is what you guys do best and they are taking it away. I recommend Henry's:)

I know where all the cashiers went. They were Indefinitely Suspended.

in response to James from Ft. Worth...i totally agree with the statement about cleaning the books and getting ready to sell. Johnson has been planning this, i bet, since he was hired...Who in their right mind would take the same route as K-mart after their disaster...His idea: run this place down, while making MY maximum amount of profit, then when all available money is made from using and abusing my employees, start a bidding war.

I'm no corporate business man or anything, but i know a corporate businessman always has a plan...Noone is stupid enough, at least accidently, to turn in my case the #1 grocer in DFW, into a piece of tension filled, morale killing, livelyhood threating, s**t that is has become in less than a year!

i feel depressed most times i am working now, because i've spent my 5 years starting as a sacker now service supervisor trying to help people...i've prided myself on knowing where things are and how to solve a customer issue...but now i have no answer for the customers or the other employees who i have grown close too in those years when they ask about the store they used to know...

im still young at 22 and never planned to be in the company full time, so im lucky i havent vested my life into it. I wish the best for those 50 and 60 old workers who depended on the benefits from the company, who tomorrow the 9th according to letters from the company will no longer have any of those things...

Ever since Albertsons bought The American Stores (Osco, Sav-on, Jewel, Max, Acme...) they have gone down hill with their CEO Larry Johnson. I've worked for Albertsons for 7 years now and have seen the company make major changes. They are no longer hiring FTE, so they can save money by not offering benefits. If you are a current FTE they are cutting your hours so you either leave the company or become PTE.

They are limiting the number of assoicates at each store, so customer service has greatly decrease in our stores. They have resturcutre thier stores and have eliminated many postions, including many store mangers. Store directors in the DFW area are responsible for at least two stores, where in the past there was a store director at each store with 4 mangers, this is leaving customers to deal with only 2 underpaid middle managers.

Albertsons is introducing self-check out and shop 'n scan not as convince to the customers, but as a way to cut the number of employees needed in the stores. They have also resturcutre their pay scales. Hiring in new employees at low rates and "locking in" old employees at thier current rate with no raises in sight. Leaving many employees with low moral and causing them to be unloyal to the company. Their has been rumors that Albertsons is trying to clean-up their books so they can sell. Hopefully, someone will buy the company soon.

I remain with the company because I have never been a FTE and have been locked in at a high rate, so some of the changes haven't affected me directly. It is sad to see my co-workers leave or get "screwed over" by such a large company.

I am an Albertsons employee at the moment. I have been with the company for 5 years. And slowly but surely, things have been diminishing like a downward spiral. We don't have a union here in Florida, so no one is on our side. We have no self check outs yet, but they have hired numerous new young people, so they dont have to pay benefits, sick time, etc, and cut the few of us full time employees, some of us who have been with the company for up to 15 or 20 years, down to 30 hours, if we are lucky. I'm just waiting for the self check outs to show up, I'm sure it will happen, and it's very sad to see this company that I loved working for 5 years ago, make us all so unhappy, and miserable. I no longer shop at my own store, and I hope none of you do either, there are better places, with better customer service to be had.

I am an Albertsons employee at the moment. I have been with the company for 5 years. And slowly but surely, things have been diminishing like a downward spiral. We don't have a union here in Florida, so no one is on our side. We have no self check outs yet, but they have hired numerous new young people, so they dont have to pay benefits, sick time, etc, and cut the few of us full time employees, some of us who have been with the company for up to 15 or 20 years, down to 30 hours, if we are lucky. I'm just waiting for the self check outs to show up, I'm sure it will happen, and it's very sad to see this company that I loved working for 5 years ago, make us all so unhappy, and miserable. I no longer shop at my own store, and I hope none of you do either, there are better places, with better customer service to be had.

I am an Albertsons employee at the moment. I have been with the company for 5 years. And slowly but surely, things have been diminishing like a downward spiral. We don't have a union here in Florida, so no one is on our side. We have no self check outs yet, but they have hired numerous new young people, so they dont have to pay benefits, sick time, etc, and cut the few of us full time employees, some of us who have been with the company for up to 15 or 20 years, down to 30 hours, if we are lucky. I'm just waiting for the self check outs to show up, I'm sure it will happen, and it's very sad to see this company that I loved working for 5 years ago, make us all so unhappy, and miserable. I no longer shop at my own store, and I hope none of you do either, there are better places, with better customer service to be had.

I am an Albertsons employee at the moment. I have been with the company for 5 years. And slowly but surely, things have been diminishing like a downward spiral. We don't have a union here in Florida, so no one is on our side. We have no self check outs yet, but they have hired numerous new young people, so they dont have to pay benefits, sick time, etc, and cut the few of us full time employees, some of us who have been with the company for up to 15 or 20 years, down to 30 hours, if we are lucky. I'm just waiting for the self check outs to show up, I'm sure it will happen, and it's very sad to see this company that I loved working for 5 years ago, make us all so unhappy, and miserable. I no longer shop at my own store, and I hope none of you do either, there are better places, with better customer service to be had.

Yes Ms.and Randell,I believe you are both right on the money.Sorry for the pun here.

I do believe the store is using the self checkers to do the following.
1.Lay off,or fire the long standing employee's.(since they have been there for so many years it is my belief these employee's are union members.)
2.Hire only young, non-union people.(these young non-union employee's will have no backing when asking for better working wages, more hours,and the needed insurance that so many of us do not have.)
3.Use of self scanners to cut the work force.(less work equals less employee's needed to run the store.)

I have been seeing over the year,a process of elimination.They hire a young person who is trained by an older employee.As soon as the training is completed,you see less and less of the older employee,until you no longer see the older employee at all.Hmmmm,this reminds me of an old horror movie,where the towns people disappear and are replaced with aliens.

My point I guess, is that NO I will not scan my own groceries.I will spend my grocery money at a store that not only appreciates my business,BUT,also appreciates and values the employees.

To many American businesses have sent jobs to other countries.Thus reducing,the needed jobs for our American citizens and families.This in my opinion,is just another way of reducing the American job force!!

If you are using self checkouts or using self scan you are working at albertsons for free!albertsons are not giving you anything in return as far as prices,for example:hamburger helper on sale for 2/3.00 reg price 1.69!wow what a deal NOT!It has never been 1.69,it has always been 1.29 reg price.ha!ha!chump and to think that you also worked for free you stupid mother.what im trying to get at is don't work for free at any store DEMAND CUSTOMER SERVICE THAT MEANS CHECK ME OUT,SACK MY GROCERY'S AND TAKE THE GODAMM THING TO MY CAR OR TRUCK WHEN NEEDED!AND TO THINK THAT YOU ALSO COST SOME CASHIER THEIR HOURS AND TOOK FOOD FROM THEIR FAMILY'S TABLE.MABEY SHE WILL ALSO FIX HAMBURGER HELPER BUT WITH OUT THE MEAT!ENJOY YOUR DINNER CUSTOMER!!!!!!!P.S I HATE HAMBURGER HELPER JUST AN EXAMPLE PLEASE THINK BEFORE YOU SCAN,YOU DESERVE MORE THAN THIS CRAP FOR YOUR HARD EARNED MONEY, PEACE AND LOVE ALL OVER THE WORLD!

I have to say that I couldn't agree more. And just for comparison, as far as prices go - here in Texas, we have Kroger, Albertson's, Tom Thumb, Minyards and Walmart. I am not the ex-employee but my husband is (store management). If you have been shopping with Albertsons for a while I challenge you to shop somewhere else and really compare the savings. Even with his employee discount Walmart was only a FEW dollars higher than Albertson's AND someone ELSE checked and bagged our groceries.

The consumer isn't the only ones who have paid. They have cut their employees to the bone. They have restructured and eliminated and entire layer of management and the Store Managers now have to manage at LEAST 2 stores (if not more). Their goal is to have 70% part time employees and 30% full time (and are scheduling full-time employees with 30 hours a week).

This company needs to hit the trail. If they'd quit paying that homely b-grade actress to do their cheeseball commercials they might have some money left over.

I personally will be the first to enjoy a long-overdue belly-laugh at their expense when they finally shut down. The employees deserve better and this corporate giant (or used to be) needs to be shown the "door".