Kroger Blockade

One of the problems about getting old and acquiring some disabilities is that you can't easily do things you once did—like grocery shopping. Nevertheless, thanks to some help from my husband, I persist. I have a handicapped hang-tag, so we can park close to the store. Usually my husband drops me off at the door, where I use my cane to walk to the handicapped buggies. However getting to the buggies can be a challenge—as can trying to maneuver the buggy through the store.

This is especially true at the Rocky Mount (Virginia)  Kroger. I like the specials they have, the e-coupons I can download, the fuel points I get for shopping there. When you're elderly and on a fixed income, every little savings helps. A few years ago, this was a wonderful place to shop. But now shopping there is a hassle.

On this post of Wednesday, May 17, 2017, I blogged about accessiblity problems I had at this  Kroger, and on Thursday, June 8, 2017,  I blogged again about the problem. After a year, you'd think Kroger would have made some improvement, right? But the times I've shopped this year, I've still encountered some obstacles. This May, I started documenting some of the problems I have there.

Because Kroger was running a double fuel points promotion on weekends, we started shopping on Friday mornings. On May 3, the handicapped buggies were blocked (as usual) by three signs behind the security panel that is just inside the entrance door—one was about recruiting new employees, another about some little plastic figures, and that partially-blocked one was promoting the 2X fuel point down-loadable e-coupon. I shoved them aside to get into the buggy.

On May 18, I again shoved aside signs, got a buggy, and encountered obstacles along the way. Here's one.

On Friday, May 25, I had to push aside two signs and a useless display of helium balloons to get a buggy. I encountered a lot of blocked aisles. I couldn't get past the one below to get to the mushrooms I wanted to buy before I turned right and went to produce. I gave up, backed up, and didn't buy any produce at all. (Some of those deli specials to the left looked good, but I couldn't get close to them.)

I might have bought some meat, but I couldn't get to the end of a counter to see what the specials were. I did manage to squeeze through on the right so I could buy some bacon.

 I was going to go down this aisle to the checkout, but it was too much of a challenge. to squeeze through. The sales associate stared at me but didn't offer to move the blockade. I backed up and went down a less cluttered aisle.

Despite the store being busy, only one regular check-out lane was open so my husband and I were diverted to an express check-out lane. It wasn't long before people backed up behind us. They only had a few items, but they had to wait for us with our two carts. Since there was no bagger, my husband had to bag.

Since I encountered so many obstacles while shopping on Friday mornings, I figured maybe shopping on a Sunday morning might be better. Surely there wouldn't be as much restocking. When I arrived around 10 on Sunday, June 3, again I found access to the handicapped buggies blocked. I shoved the two signs aside.

Again, aisles were blocked, though not as badly as they'd been on Fridays.

Luckily, I was able to meet the new manager and told him about the recurring problems. He seemed sympathetic. However, as I was leaving, a three-sign barrier now blocked the handicapped buggies. Someone had added a third sign while I was shopping.

Almost like the handicapped buggies were deliberately blocked. Almost like Kroger doesn't want the elderly or handicapped to shop there. . . .

Every week I fill out the "Kroger Feedback" survey, and I mention the problems with accessibility. 

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