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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Kroger Buggy Update

Last month, I blogged about the problems of shopping at Kroger On Senior Day. I mentioned how hard if was for those of us who are mobility-impaired to get around the Rocky Mount store in handicapped buggies because many aisles were blocked by restockers and their huge carts. Those buggies are sometimes difficult to access, too.

Every time I fill out the "Kroger Feedback" online questionnaire to get more fuel points, I mention the problems that handicapped folks have. Last time I even included a link to the blog-post about them. The aisles are a bit better now, but there's still a problem with buggy access—BIG SIGNS that prevent those who need a handicapped buggy from getting one. About two weeks ago, when I told the manager about the new big red signs  blocking the buggies, he said those signs were a corporate decision and they concealed a monitor that detected stolen items. He said he couldn't remove them.

Ths past Monday, I found that another sign had been added to further block the buggies.  See—it blocks the entry area into the buggy's seat.

Notice that the buggies are lined up so close together that even someone who isn't old or crippled would have trouble getting one. Notice the big box blocking the far end—so the buggies aren't accessible from either end.

Luckily I had found a buggy outside and didn't have to try to get one out of the line. But there were no doubt others who weren't so lucky.

Why is Kroger so handicapped-unfriendly? How 'bout moving those signs? 

UPDATE: On June 13, the smaller sign had been removed and the buggies were more accessible. But on June 26, the small sign was back and I had to shove it out of the way.

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Senior Day at Kroger

For nearly two decades, I've been enjoying Senior Citizen Day at Kroger, when those of us over 55 get a 5% discount every Tuesday. However this senior perk ends next week. A lot of us seniors are angry about this.

I'm angry about something else Kroger does—or doesn't do: make the store where I shop handicapped accessible. Those of us with mobility problems have to use the handicapped buggies. To get to a buggy, I've often had to push aside one or two signs that block easy access. Yesterday, after I'd pushed the signs away, and gotten into a buggy, I remembered I had my camera. You can see that the other end of the buggy row is blocked by a box and a sign:

A lot of aisles were blocked, too. I wanted to go down this one to get some organic sweet potato chips, but there was no way—between the pole and the stacks of boxes—that I could do it.

I thought maybe I could get into the other end of the organic section. But when I tried to make the turn, there wasn't quite enough room.

Finally, by taking a long way around, I got to the other end of the organic aisle. Nope, that was also blocked. 

 Later, a sales associate did go down the aisle for me, but there weren't any organic sweet potato chips. Meanwhile, I headed for the produce section. Again, there were places where the handicapped buggy wouldn't fit. I couldn't quite make the turn here, and had to back up and take the long way. . . .

. . . only to find the section where I wanted to get mushrooms was blocked.

I went back several minutes later, but the aisle was still blocked. I asked the guy if I could get through, and he pushed the big black cart to the side so I could squeeze through and get the mushrooms. In another part of produce, I had to ask another employee who'd blocked the aisle if he'd hand me a cauliflower, which he did. There was no way I could maneuver the cart close enough to select one myself. 

In the meat department, I couldn't get close enough to the case where the bacon was on special. I couldn't even get through what is normally a very wide aisle. Totally blocked! (Do you see any sales associates here? Neither do I.)

At that point, about a third of my journey through the store,  I stopped taking pictures, I did encounter several more blocked aisles, though. And there were a few things I didn't buy because I couldn't get to them.

I wonder about all these blocked aisles. Would they be a problem if a fire broke out? Are they just blocked on Senior Citizen Day, or are they blocked at other times? Why is it necessary for so many boxes to be brought out at once? Do all the Kroger stores do this, or is it just the one where I shop?

Anyhow, for those of us who are old and gimpy, these obstacles don't make for a pleasant shopping experience.

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