Sticker Shock

Sticker Shock

A year and a half ago, I got my first official job. I'm a courtesy clerk, which is basically just a fancy word for bagger. I also work carts, and when necessary clean up spills. I am  thankful for the job and the opportunities Kroger has given me. I realize I have limitations and I appreciate that there is a company willing to help those who need a little help. While I think that Koger is a good company, I feel that some of their employees don’t share their vision of helping those who need a little extra help.

As I've mentioned before, I help at my old grade school. The students really like me, and as a result, parents are always coming up to me and telling me as such. One time at church during my first year, two students introduced me to their mom, their dad, and their baby sister. This kind of stuff happens all the time!

Now people with autism, can act differently depending on the day/mood. They can be shy, or confident, happy or sad, angry, or incredibly joyful. I usually try to stay on the positive end of that spectrum, and I can be very eccentric. I've come to believe that some of the people at my Kroger, don't really like me because of my mannerisms. I realize I’m not the most efficient person, I struggle with a lot of things.  It takes me longer to do things that others might do quickly. But, I always do the best I can. I always try to stay positive!

When I first started working at Kroger, they had a system in which if a customer compliment an employee, or a boss saw an employee do a “good job”  that employee would get a coupon. They were $3 coupons on anything in the entire store. I don't know exactly how many I racked up, but there were a ton! The longer I stay at Kroger, the more confident I have become, I really appreciate the recognition (even though I never used the coupons). 

At the beginning of this year some things changed. One of the things that changed was the coupon system. It was replaced by a sticker system. We all got a little chart, with 15 boxes on it. For each compliment from a co-worker, boss, or customer, an employee is supposed to get a little heart sticker. If an employee gets 15, he or she can go online and redeem it for a reward. An employee can save up charts and get really big awards (for example, a TV). 

This change happened in early January, and by the end of January people were starting to really rack up stickers. I'm not going to lie to you guys, I was kind of starting to feel left out. I was trying my hardest, and I was getting no recognition. I didn't even care about the prize at the end, I just wanted a single sticker. By mid April I still didn't have a single one. 

I started working on Tuesday mornings, as opposed to Monday nights because I couldn't get back from my last class in time for the evening shift. One Tuesday morning, the mom of one of my students, and her youngest came into the store. She came to my register, and while I was bagging she asked me what the chart was. I explained what the chart was, and how we are rewarded with stickers, hoping she would get the message. Nothing happened, so I assumed she didn't understand.

A week later, I ran into her again. She asked me where my stickers were, and I was confused. She told me she gave me a compliment, and that my boss said she was going to give me one. She then asked if the store manager was in. I said I'd seen her that day and I asked why. Turns out the manager at my store is married to her cousin… *Maniacal laughter*. 

When I got back from my break, my boss came up to me and she asked, “Mitchell, where have you been putting your hearts?”

“What?”

“Your heart stickers, your supposed to be putting them on the chart! I've given you a bunch!”

It was at this point that I realized that my bosses had been holding them from me. She gave me five, and then tried to convince me that I had been forgetting to put them on. As an aside, I still had only five until I lost my chart on Thursday. :(

I'm writing about this now because since receiving those 5 stickers, things have gotten slightly worse. I'm not the world's best bagger, and I don't claim to be. I get that I can be kind of annoying. I'm kind of a klutz, and I may or may not be one of the loudest people in any room… But they keep making me do the odd jobs. The jobs behind the scenes - the bathrooms with the accidents that don’t make it in the toilet, the spills throughout the store, etc... It's not that I mind the work, but it feels like my bosses are trying to keep me out of the front as much as physically possible.They have never trained me how to do some of these jobs. Especially the bathroom cleanups. Literally every time I mess up, I hear whispering and then a few minutes later, “Hey Michell, you want to do (insert random job here)?” I actually would be okay doing the job if they would show me how to do it right.   

I appreciate that Kroger has given me this opportunity. I’m bummed that I lost my five stickers that I worked for seven months to earn. I’ve decided that I will put on my positive attitude and do my best. It’s all I have.

Have A Greattastic Day

J. Mitchie Ulibarri