the Controversial Committee Report
“We don’t raise sacred cows...we just butcher them.”
“Blooming Idiots”
It is refreshing and extremely helpful when someone does assist “David,” with a few literary stones, to help garner the undivided attention of a “Goliath” corporate bureaucracy — Kroger Stores, in this instance.
And kudos go to the DMN reporter for shedding light on Kroger’s mishandling and non-utilization of local small businesses…especially M/WOBs.
And kudos go to the DMN reporter for shedding light on Kroger’s mishandling and non-utilization of local small businesses…especially M/WOBs.
The following article also spotlights a certain amount of hypocrisy with Kroger’s fluffy PR rhetoric and TV commercials of working with M/WOBs and local small businesses.
The portion of the DMN article noted below is one facet which accounts for why customers are not able to find, or utilize products and services which were once staples in the stores.
Do you think “old school” is better than untested “new school” when it comes to corporate merchandising/buying decisions? It appears some Kroger corporate bureaucrats need to go back to business school!
The portion of the DMN article, which is of personal interest to staff of the CCR, follows:
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Dallas Morning News
05-11-18
The Bloom Is Off
Kroger has bragged for years about being the largest florist retailer in the U.S. Some of its stores would do weddings, and others were known for being the place to get the decked out Texas high school homecoming mums.
“I was blindsided,” Judy Howard said about being cut off as a 30-year supplier of floral department staples such as ribbons, baskets and enclosure cards. She was also a certified supplier under the Kroger Supplier Diversity Program and has been trying to get clarity on her abrupt dismissal from local Kroger management.
Howard has a retrofitted truck with a 16-foot bed that is her mobile showroom. “I’ve had to reinvent myself. Now I’m calling on florists from here (Irving) to Prosper.” She’s hearing from her former customers about how they can only order from a warehouse and the limited selection has made special orders impossible.
Employee-owned DWF Dallas Wholesale Florist supplied Kroger stores with fresh cut flowers, vases, preservatives, floral wires and paints since the 1990s. It was a $60,000 a month contract and ended last year.
“Kroger dropped us like a hot potato,” said Karla Cole, manager at DWF. “We started concentrating on other flower shops, event planners and caterers.”
Profit margins can be good in floral, but the costs are also high because flowers are perishable and the department needs a skilled experienced person to run it well, said Bill Bishop, co-founder of consulting firm Brick Meets Click.
Kroger is scrutinizing costs of every department including floral, Bishop said, “They may shrink the size or services, but at the end of the day, floral will be there because the store needs multiple reasons to get us there.”
There are special occasions, he said, like Mother’s Day, when customers can count on the supermarket being a one-stop shop for a card, flowers, wine and chocolates.
The link to the complete Kroger article is:
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So, if you wonder what happened when you attempted to place an order at a Kroger store for a special event, wedding, or other family occasion and was told the store could no longer provide those services, don’t blame the floral department personnel. They had no say in the decision making process.
Those Kroger decisions were made by corporate bureaucrats who hardly have a clue as to what is actually happening in the floral department trenches. And those desk decisions were made to the detriment of customers with long-standing loyalty to Kroger Stores.
Desk decisions were also made for fancy PowerPoint presentations which reflected numbers that conceivably may not ever be attained. Desk decisions were made to please other corporate bureaucrats and potential investors.
Desk decisions so often prove to be unprofitable and create more process issues and losses than anticipated…all to the detriment of customers.
Perhaps, Kroger corporate bureaucrats will one day venture into the trenches to talk, listen and actually consider the advice of those who have daily contact with customers. After all, these “trench” workers know more about what is going on in a Kroger floral department store than some desk decision maker in Coppell, or Ohio.
Kroger decision makers should remember just one thing: It is the customer who will make Kroger’s bottom line flourish…not an idiotic desk decision made by some corporate bureaucrat.
Kroger decision makers should remember just one thing: It is the customer who will make Kroger’s bottom line flourish…not an idiotic desk decision made by some corporate bureaucrat.
…………………………………..Mark Holbrook
