Kroger — Local services in Panthersville

I came to return a Muscle Milk protein powder I bought last night at Kroger for almost $27. Just a few hours later, I found the exact same product on Amazon for $13. That’s not a small markup—that’s price gouging, plain and simple.

So I showed up at 7:00 a.m., less than 12 hours after purchase, to return it. The store was open, but customer service was closed. I was told flat out: “We don’t do returns until 8:00.” I spoke to the manager, thinking they’d help or at least show some common sense. Instead, I was told to come back in an hour. The kicker? I know for a fact the manager could have easily processed the return. They just didn’t want to. No flexibility, no care, no effort. That told me everything I needed to know.

Meanwhile, I could’ve stayed home, ordered it from Amazon Fresh, paid less than half the price, and had it delivered to my doorstep—without burning gas, without wasting time, and without dealing with indifferent employees. On top of that, Amazon gave me 3 months of free delivery. I didn’t have to stand in line or hope someone felt like doing their job.

And here’s the part that matters for the long run: This is exactly how retail dies. First the customers leave. Then the jobs go. Then the building sits vacant—and everyone acts surprised. But it’s not a mystery. It’s this exact combination of bad prices + bad service + lazy management.

In 5 years, when this Kroger is boarded up, I hope someone finds this review and understands why: Kroger trained its own customers to leave. Trained us to value our time. Trained us to order from Amazon. They gave us the push—and Amazon welcomed us with open arms.

This was my last Kroger...

It was the worst. The majority of the carts were in the parking lot. When I walked in, an employee, with name tag and collecting carts, was talking with two non-employees. The employee was cursing during conversation with friends. I walked in to go to the restroom which is past the Starbucks. Water was leaking from Starbucks into the hallway, on the floor.

The bathroom was horrific. Holes in the ceiling and walls; trash on the floor; toilet paper receptacle hanging off the wall.

I left, got a cart and started. The store's organization is confusing. Too many of the items I wanted were out of stock and too many of the refrigerators we leaking onto the floor. There were no warning signs and it didn't seem like employees cared.

When I went to the meat section, too many were empty. Since when do you run out of chicken? The fish department was also sparse. Packaged lunch meat was bare. Eggplant, empty; squash, empty; zucchini, empty; cucumbers, empty,...too many others.

When I went to check out, I got on line and after, the employee turned off her light saying she was closed. I went to the next line and greeted the employee, no response. I laid the items out in a specific order, ie cold items together. Instead of packing as she went, she shoved the items down the belt. No one was there to bag them, so I did. When someone did come, I stepped away to pay and the bagger left.

I have been to Krogers all over GA, I've never seen a store look...

This Kroger is bias, as I attempted to pay for my goods, they informed me i could not use my MasterCard. I'm currently holding up the line as if i can't afford what I'm paying for. They stated, they only accepted debit. At that point i said okay and left... I called the in-store customer service and they confirmed that it was in fact, untrue. I asked to speak to a manager and he was very rude, over-talked me and eventually hung up on me because he felt I shouldn't have been purchasing alcohol . I have a Government issued licensed which also matched my credit card. I can't help it if i take care of myself and I look better than majority of the people he knows, apparently.... How dare you!! My girlfriend buys 2 12 packs a week from you guys, on top of her household shopping. You just lost a neighborhood customer...and you damn sure won't find me shopping with you all. The audacity of you! I won't shop at any Kroger period- FYI, i did call corporate and made a complaint as well.... This is why America is in the state that we are in now... People take their biased opinions and use it in their line of work and duty. I have the right to buy what i want when i want... Sounds like the manager and his crew...