The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-12-28
The Umyleldimg
Knoger Spirit
By WALT CARMON.

$160,0O0,000 year from $500 stores
thruout the country. | worked in one
Of these stores in Detroit. helped
to make this fabulous yearly income
for Mr.. Kroger. can swear to the
truth of his own story in the press:
H. B. Kroger's success that has
brought him millions was due entirely
to his ''unyielding spirit"
Because l twas raised in a grocery
store" l got the job. needed it.
Henry Ford laid us off for some
weeks too many that winter. For two
weeks l was assistant manager at a
salary of $25 a week. | learned again
how many pounds of potatoes were in
a peck. l learned the proper way to
weigh sugar to assure no loss for Mr..
Kroger. l listened to the manager.
| learned lot more by watching him
do some things he did not tell me
to do. In few weeks was the man.
ager of a small Kroger Grocery Store
that did $3.50 worth of business a
week. Strange figure it seems now af-
ter reading of Mr.. Kroger's success.
That was the initial investment that
grew to business bringing $780,
100000 year from 5000 stores.
Kept Her Busy.
| was the manager. l opened the
doors at seven each morning and /
closed them carefully against theft
each evening at six. 1 made out the
daily orders to the central office /
swept and mopped the floors. open
ed cases and put the goods on the
shelves in neat row after row. | filled
bags of potatoes in pecks and half
pecks-and sometimes just wee bit
less. l jealousy guarded each grain
of sugar. carefully watched the
girl who was only clerk in my store
Il was the manager) at SIS week
and / kept her busy.
Extra Work One Night.
Every day the district manager
came to the store. He was dumpy,
important sort of person. He per-
sonified the "unyielding spirit" of Mr.
Kroger who developed business of
| S16,000,000 yearly in $500 stores
rhruout the country. The drivers who
delivered goods from the warehouse
we're no respectors of his person. "Mr.
Kroger" they called after him in de-
rision. He was not their district man.
ager.
He was my manager. He counselled
a little more water to freshen the
vegetables. He suggested wash the
prunes that got mouldy. ooh, they're
alright. It's this damnably damp
weather we're having" He appeared
in the store and watched me wait on
the customers while / rushed around
the counters to give "Kroger Serv-
ice" to impatient women. He had the
keys to the tape in the cash register
which we could not open to read the
totals. Each month he came to take
stock of an evening for which we did
not get paid and the total of which
we also were not told. He brought
word from the office that the stock
taking "checked'-or he warned to
be bit more careful.
Work the Wife.
The business grew to 5000 a week.
We sold more Kroger products. We
made more steps each day. Some
times we did not close until seven.
Saturdays the day began at seven
and ended that evening at ten. The
store had to be cleaned and the win
dow dressed and it was eleven before
we dragged our weary bones to de-
served rest. The district manager was
not without appreciation. If the bust
ness went to a thousand week we
could have another clerk. eff your
wife would like to earn So for help
ing out On Saturday. :" Well, two
could not live comfortably on man.
ayers salary. The extra money would
come handy.
There was little graft" Drivers
from the warehouse would sell an oc-
casional bag or box of groceries that
they found accidentally superfluous in
their wagon. But this graft went to
the credit of the business, the total
of which we were never certain was
on the right side of the ledger. Your
Job depended on the fact the store
was paying" Every manager of the
$500 stores thruout the country that
were bringing in $16000,000 year
was aware that his store had to pay.
The spirit of Mr.. Kroger was abso-
lutely unyielding. The district man.
ager had the spirit. Il
An Unyielding Spirit!
ate my lunch in the back ROBIN
of the store between customers.
Strange what thoughts will come tc
a Kroger store manager: If the bust
ness grows to thousand a week.
we'll get another clerk. The district
manager said there might be raise
in it. "Of course" he counselled,
you've only been with us for few
months" Saturday sure is hell. Six
teen hours of steady walking, reach
ing, STOPPING, listening to short tenn
pers of thousand customers. Your