Kroger — Local services in Madison

So, I will begin this review by saying I've been going to this store, because Publix on Hughes Rd. hasn't opened yet. I didn't have a good opinion of this store before today, but, being handicapped and using a power wheelchair, it was just convenient because it is close to my home.

To make a long story short, today, while shopping, I got a couple of pieces of chicken, a Coke and a doughnut to eat for lunch. I eat lunch during shopping often in this store because it is convenient. They rarely ever have the registers open by the eating area, so I keep the UPC strips from my sandwich/chicken, Coke and chips or doughnut and pay for them when I check out. I've been doing this regularly for the past few months. When the register is open by the eating area, I go ahead and pay there.

Today, when I went to sit and eat, every table in the inside was taken, (I later found out there is a hiring event going on) so even though it was relatively hot outside, I thought at least it's shaded. So, I went outside, pull up to a table on my wheelchair that is in full view of the inside eating area, and eat my chicken, drink my Coke and start to eat my doughnut. I'm the only person on the patio at this time. Suddenly, this man comes out of the door and comes up to me and says, "You are stealing food!" I thought he'd lost his mind. I asked, "What?". He said it again. I explained that the registers weren't open and that I would pay for my food when I checked out. He said, "You've left the store with it". I said, "I'm sitting on your patio in full view of your eating area full of people!". Also, I offered to show him the receipts I had in my wallet showing all the times I'd paid for my food that way. He rejected them and said he guessed he'd have to call the police. I laughed and said, "Please do!". He asked if I really wanted to go that way and I replied, "Yes, I think I do". I've lived in Madison for 20 years and regularly take treats at the holidays to the police department. I was really hoping he would call them. Unfortunately, he just went back to saying I'd stolen the food and it wasn't going to happen on his watch. I told him not to worry, it would never happen again. I just wanted to laugh thinking about the hundreds of dollars I spend in his grocery store every month, the 300+ FB friends I have that will hear about this, the 30 family members who live within a few miles and the 1200+ people who worship with me every Sunday. I guess he thought confronting an old woman in a wheelchair was worth it. I put back everything I had planned to buy and paid for the food I'd eaten, as I always do. So, be sure you don't eat any food in the store before checking out, even if you do keep the wrapper, or BRUNO, the Brutish Manager, will accuse you of stealing and call the cops! Good...

We visited the store today around 7:15 to pick up a few steaks for dinner. We waited about 3 minutes back at the meat counter while the employee bagged some shrimp and spoke to a manager. The manager walked away and then the employee looked up and said very rudely said we’re closing for the night and I’m the only one working and I’m closing early so I can’t help you. And wouldn’t sell us any steaks there wasn’t a big selection in the case and no tenderloins which we were after so I went up to customer service to ask if there was someone else who could serve us steaks since the guy working the counter couldn’t be to. We walked back to the counter to find two “closed” signs written on wax paper taped to the counter so I went back to inform the woman at customer service (forgot her name but had long dark black hair) that the employee had closed his department. She said she had sent a manager back to get the employee to help us. After a few minute your manager London started walking over and I approached him asking for assistance to get two steaks. (At this point we had been waiting almost 20 minutes) and he said “that’s why I’m back here” and walked up to the counter told the boy working the desk he needed to serve the customers pulled down his self made closed signs and disappeared into the back. No apology or sorry for your wait or anything. Then the kid with the bad attitude gets us two fillets and hands them over. He was not wearing a name tag but he is the rudest employee I’ve encountered in a long time. We typically shop at Publix for our produce and Kroger for everything else because I’ve never been a fan of your produce selection but we have always preferred your meat quality. This is the last time I will ever purchase from your store. There is no excuse for that employees bahavior or the lack of action taken by the manager. Almost 25 minutes between waiting in line at customer service and waiting at the meat department to buy two filets. You have lost...

0 stars if I could for pickup order.

I typically have Instacart delivery but decided to try store drive up. I ordered about 11am and requested drive up for 530pm. Got a call at 4pm, missed it, called back immediately, spoke to a young man who just said, "This is Kroger calling to tell you we'll call and tell you when your pickup is ready." Okay?

Then at 5:30, I get the notification in the app the order is ready and I alert the store that I'll head that way. I then get a phone call a few minutes after me responding to the ready alert that I was on the way: "I saw you said you're headed this way but the order isn't ready yet." I said, "Okay, I put in 5:30pm pickup preference when I did my order this morning and I live about 35 minutes away. Can you give me an estimated time on when it'll be ready?" (Why was I - the customer - having to probe for a timeframe?) The young man said "an HOUR AND A HALF". That means it should be ready at 7pm.

Again, my order was put in at 11am and should've been ready at 5:30pm, when 7pm rolls around, I still haven't heard from the store and my app still says the order has been shopped, awaiting pickup by me. I call the store and the autosystem takes me to a manager line - no manager picks up and many rings later, I get transferred to the pickup department line. Guess what? No one answers.

Finally, I end up calling Customer Care, explaining what happened and requesting them to cancel the order. The pickup time frame is now too late and this is inconvenient and not doable.

First and last time trying drive up/pick up at this Kroger. I'll keep to my Instacart deliveries and shop in person or drive-up...