Three's a crowd

[pseudo3d]

The key is to not make a customer feel forced to use self checkout or be punished with a long wait for a staffed cashier, but still offer the self checkout as an option. Like, one staffed checkout open and self checkouts. That makes many people feel obligated to use self checkout (or wait a while). Or worse, only having self checkouts open. That is outright unacceptable.

I think that's what Kroger does at certain hours. One of the OTHER two Krogers in town (the ones that didn't close) decided to have only self check-out at night (it's technically 24 hours), and then only have one of those things open. They already dragged one of their cashiers out to staff it (who was always tired and in a bad mood), they might as well open a real line. Also, I couldn't even get a simple jar of ibuprofen after the pharmacy closed for the night, which was the thing that really put me off.

[Super S]

The key is to not make a customer feel forced to use self checkout or be punished with a long wait for a staffed cashier, but still offer the self checkout as an option. Like, one staffed checkout open and self checkouts. That makes many people feel obligated to use self checkout (or wait a while). Or worse, only having self checkouts open. That is outright unacceptable.

The worst offender of this is Lowe's. I lost track of how many times I have gone in there and they don't even have a cashier at the lumber end or at the garden center, and all they have available in the main checkout area are the self-checkouts. I do remember well when the attendant was nowhere to be found and a customer was attempting to slide a piece of plywood over the scanner. And then the Lowe's setup will ask if you want to buy an extended warranty on items like $6.00 doorbell buttons and is one of the more annoying self-checkout systems. Home Depot is only slightly better as they frequently only have self-checkouts open in the main checkout area, but to their credit, always have regular cashiers at their lumber end.

I don't really understand the logic in having poorly staffed front ends in so many stores. People get tired of waiting and leave merchandise scattered about (a problem with grocery stores and perishables), or worse, decide to just walk out the door with it.

[storewanderer]

Yes, I have seen some Kroger divisions with forced self checkout overnight. That does not happen in my area. It was attempted... Absolutely terrible service. Also completely discourages large cart transactions. Fortunately their management around here is smart enough to understand that.

All Ibuprofen is locked up? That is pretty bad given there are many $1 24cts...

[pseudo3d]

Yes, I have seen some Kroger divisions with forced self checkout overnight. That does not happen in my area. It was attempted... Absolutely terrible service. Also completely discourages large cart transactions. Fortunately their management around here is smart enough to understand that.

All Ibuprofen is locked up? That is pretty bad given there are many $1 24cts...

Yeah, I was thrown off by that, because it didn't seem like a bad location, in fact it was actually in one of the better sides of town (the store it replaced was a former Family Center in an aging part of town). If theft was a problem, then they shouldn't be open 24 hours. It was another one of those things that really had turned me off from Kroger, but due to some variable experiences between stores, between Randalls, H-E-B, and Kroger, things have kind of evened out so I have a love/hate relation with all of them.

Anyway, the failure of 3's a Crowd really seems like Albertsons just isn't ready for running a large-scale retail operation again. In the most optimistic analogy, it's like a good athlete got really sick and had to spend a few years in the hospital, then choked down protein supplements, and is trying to run a marathon again, when it's obvious to everyone else how he's not nearly strong as he thinks he is and hardly the athlete he used to be years ago.

[storewanderer]

Are all Texas Krogers 24 hours as a rule?

NorCal Safeway used to have an "all stores 24 hours" rule but I have noticed in recent years a location here and there stops being 24 hours where it makes sense for one reason or another (small town, issues with liquor during the no sale hours, theft). Still, by default, they seem to be mostly 24 hours.

[pseudo3d]

Are all Texas Krogers 24 hours as a rule?

NorCal Safeway used to have an "all stores 24 hours" rule but I have noticed in recent years a location here and there stops being 24 hours where it makes sense for one reason or another (small town, issues with liquor during the no sale hours, theft). Still, by default, they seem to be mostly 24 hours.

The Kroger that closed in town had 24 hours, even though it had been unprofitable for a few years and the traffic was never great even during day time hours, though not all stores are 24 hours (like the old Greenhouse off of Polk, or even the "Kroger of the Villages" in Houston. Beer and wine are not sold after midnight, and even on Sunday mornings not until noon.

[lake]

NorCal Safeway used to have an "all stores 24 hours" rule but I have noticed in recent years a location here and there stops being 24 hours where it makes sense for one reason or another (small town, issues with liquor during the no sale hours, theft). Still, by default, they seem to be mostly 24 hours.

A lot of it could also be local regulations. I know that the City of Roseville does not allow the Safeway on Sunrise Ave to be 24 hours due to it's proximity to neighborhoods. Meanwhile, the Rocklin Safeway on Sunset Ave is probably the worst performing store in the area and does not maintain 24 hours out of choice. Stores such as the infamous Stabway on R St are 24 hours despite having much higher theft than the other stores mentioned. Then again, the R St store is the top performing store in Sacramento for Safeway. It really seems to be a performance thing, more than a theft issue.

[storewanderer]

Safeway NorCal had its Carson City and South Reno Stores open 24 hours right up until both closed. Both were VERY low volume operations (~ $200k a week in sales; both large full stores). Why? Corporate policy for the division- store managers had suggested eliminating 24 hour operations in an effort to reduce theft (stores hardly had any theft but when you have a struggling store you try to plug every hole you can) but were told no by corporate. May have had something to do with the leases Safeway signed with the slot machine tenants in the stores but that hasn't stopped Save Mart or Smiths from eliminating 24 hour operations from certain stores and they have the same slot machine tenant as Safeway has. But smaller town stores like Lovelock, Hawthorne, Quincy- no problem not being 24 hours.

[storewanderer]

The 3's a Crowd signs were gone from the NorCal Stores I visited today. No reference to the program ANYWHERE.

The only hanging signs on the front end currently are the state required signs regarding the scan guarantee/item free if overcharged under $5/sold at marked price+$5 gift card if overcharged over $5 signs.