Open Letter to Fry's management: turn off the stopwatches

2012-07-31 Dear Mr Dillon (Kroger CEO)

Please end the 5-year pilot to micro-measure checkout times!

Fry's is a great store in most respects: clean, good fresh fruit, competitive prices, and it used to have happy employees.  

Now, when I go to check out, the stress is visible.  It is sad to see hard-working people, some of whom I've been seeing there for years, stressing out because a label was put over a bar code and this is going to slow them down and apparently have some real effect on their job evaluations.  I've worked jobs where I was micro-managed in a similar way, and I'll tell you that the primary result is to have employees who want to leave as soon as possible.  It also destroys team spirit to know that some members who really are trying their best but are a little older or just not quite as quick are under constant pressure or are going to be impacted in some material way.

I would much rather have a slightly longer wait time and feel that the people around me are respected and comfortable.  

Thank you for your consideration

--Golda Velez
Tucson Arizona Fry's shopper

Cc: (these are the other execs and board of directors.  readers - do you know any of them?)

Warren F. Bryant
Don W. McGeorge
W. Rodney McMullen
Robert G. Miller
Joseph A. Pichler
Darrell Webb

Reuben V. Anderson
Robert D. Beyer
John L. Clendenin
David B. Dillon
Susan J. Kropf
John T. LaMacchia
David B. Lewis
Don W. McGeorge
W. Rodney McMullen
Jorge P. Montoya
Clyde R. Moore
Katherine D. Ortega
Susan M. Phillips
James A. Runde
Ronald L. Sargent
Bobby S. Shackouls