Kroger — Local services in Columbus

Attributes: Large fresh produce section. Bigger-than-average organic produce section, for a mainstream grocery retailer. Decent natural, vegetarian, and vegan selections in Natural Foods. More variety within same brands than in the N High @ King (University) location. Good pet food selection, given the small amount of space. Decent wine selection, with frequent specials at decent prices. Also caters to single and double serving bottle sizes on a few wines.

Would be nice if they carried Westsoy Seitan Strips and Chatfield's Date Sugar.

This is a very busy, popular store.

I am giving this store 5 stars because the Management, which changed during the past year, is hands-on and responsive and has been steadily improving the customer experience. But, certain things still need work.

Checkout wait times are a MAJOR issue. This store depends heavily on self-checkout stations, at which there are often lines. Ironically, one or more self-serve stations on the north end of the store are often not working and, because of theft issues last year, the self-checkout stations on the south end of the the store do not open until 10:00 a.m. and close quite early, long before the store closes.

There are at least 5 checkout LANES that are never open, and only 1 to 3 Associate-run checkout lanes, customarily, are operating.

Most customers seem to prefer the self-checkout option. This means that during busy periods on busy days - almost everyday - there are lines of people waiting at the self-checkout stations AND lines at Associate-run lanes.

While customers are waiting, Associates can sometimes be seen wandering around the front of the store. Kroger needs to institute a policy and train its Associates to monitor the checkout situation and respond quickly and briefly to these checkout rushes. This means that as the lanes or stations begin to back up, INSTANTLY, Associates should open other lines - if only for 3 to 5 minutes - to alleviate the wait times related to the rush. This is simply good customer care.

KROGER SYCAMORE/BREWERY DISTRICT NEEDS AT LEAST 8 TO 10 ADDITIONAL SELF-CHECKOUT STATIONS, AT LEAST HALF OF WHICH ARE ALWAYS OPEN.

KROGER SYCAMORE/BREWERY DISTRICT NEEDS TO REMOVE AT LEAST 5 OF THE ASSOCIATE-RUN CHECKOUT LANES, TO MAKE ROOM FOR THE 8 TO 10 ADDITIONAL SELF-CHECKOUT STATIONS.

Customers, who are checking themselves out, should never have to wait.

ASSOCIATE - TO - SELF-CHECKOUT - RATIO Currently, on the north end self-checkout, there is one Associate to assist 6 stations; on the south end, one to 4. This means that Kroger has reduced normal checkout staffing from 6 to 1 and 4 to 1. This means that customers often must wait for assistance, when things get hung up. What can happen and what type of help is required? Coupon assistance; proof-of-age assistance; pricing or input assistance; weighing or product lookup assistance; system gets confused about what has been placed in the bag.

Although the Self-Checkout Associates are very friendly and helpful, Kroger needs to increase the ratio, so that customers are not forced to wait while providing their own service. Human resource cost savings are important, but, in the area of Associate checkout, Kroger has become too lean.

SMALL SHOPPING CARTS The Kroger Sycamore/Brewery District provided a large number of small, individual-sized grocery carts, when the Sycamore location first opened. Reportedly, most of the small carts were stolen by customers. For this reason, Kroger management has refused to invest in replacing these carts.

The small carts are an important part of the shopping experience. The store probably has 10 small carts available and they are always in use. More small carts would certainly be appreciated. This is the only method of transporting inventory that I would use, if the small carts...

My wife & I was just in this Kroger to pick up my wifes medicine and to do a little shopping. When we went to check out at a register we went to a normal register with an actual employee working, after when we went to leave the old man security guard grabbed my arm to try to stop me from going out of the store when I flung my arm to get his arm off of me he decided he was going to grab the shopping cart with our groceries and are one and a half year old granddaughter sitting in it to try to stop us from leaving the store, then because we did not show him our receipt in which in the state of Ohio there is no law saying you HAVE to show your receipt even at the store itself ask you to. Then the security guard decided he was going to follow us out of the store insulted my wife an insulted me, said that we look like the type of people who would steal, smh so we continued to our vehicle and put our groceries and granddaughter in our car, then the other security guard decided he wanted to walk over and try to take pictures of us and my car until I decided to flick him off, yes he got the middle finger then he just stood there looking like a moron not knowing what to do. After we left my wife decided to call the Kroger and talk to a manager, the manager on duty got on the phone talk to my wife and my wife explained to her the incident, I don't remember the manager's name but it was a female manager told my wife that they had people reviewing the footage of the incident, she told us the security guards are from a third party company and when we asked for the company name and the. security guards names the female manager wanted to act dumb and tell us that she didn't know the guards names or company, how are u going to be a manager and not know what security company is at your store or even not know the guards names smh, so we asked her to do her job and walk down and get us the guards name, the manager then put my wife on hold for about 15 to 20 minutes and then hung up the phone, so my wife tried calling back for 10 minutes and no one knew how to answer a phone. Needless to say when I get home I will be filing a police report on the security guard and pressing charges for harassment, detaining us for no reason, defamation of character, I will also be contacting the district manager of this store and reporting this terrible manager who don't know how to do her job! If my granddaughter wouldn't have been in the shopping cart I probably wouldn't be taking this, this far but now I will not stop until both of these security guards and the manager on duty lose there job and have to deal with...

Went to Kroger on my lunch break to grab an onion shredded green leaf lettuce Roma tomatoes because that’s what I like and brioche burger bun and vegan bacon! Went to self checkout and watched the security guard that was watching my coworker and I as we talked and checked out. We have on identifiable clothing (work scrubs and badges) royal blue to be exact! Only for the guard to approach us and ask for our receipts! 2 bags each we both had and others had carts full of groceries! Never approached anyone else to ask for their receipts as they were walking out freely without being asked for a receipt he clearly seen me obtain after checking out! He watched me the whole time as I kept looking at him because he was so focused on us. To say that was hurtful and degrading is the least! To stop us only and let the lady with 2 overly full shopping carts go out the door was insulting! How do you fix things like this for the people that actually get up go to work and earn an honest pay daily? How does this not happen to the next person being watched scan all of their items and all you ask for is a receipt but not actually look at my items like at Sam’s club or Costco?! I did a little bit of research with that same coworker and found there are only 5 states that are required to show receipts walking out the door and OHIO is NOT one of them! I never felt so embarrassed in my life! I have worked since I was 15yrs old! Talking first to the supervisor seemed to have had more compassion than the manager I talked to second on the phone! All he said is what world you like me to do and if you don’t want to ever come back again I understand!! What? Excuse me? How do you say that to the person that works in the field that help saves lives?! Then says do you want me to take your phone number? You know what at this point just make it better for the next person that looks like me! For your armed security guard that’s as old as my grandfather to say I don’t have eyes in the back of my head and continue to keep with the disrespect and went back to his wall he was holding up after we walked...