Kroger Knows the Value of Training
Kroger is intent on educating their meat department employees on the A-to-Z’s of beef; that’s why their Atlanta division recently held its third Beef Training Camp session. According to Kroger-Atlanta Meat & Seafood Sales Promoter Tom Menke, attendees of the April session were highly engaged, as presenters kept the session “fresh and exciting.”
Beef Training Camp is a comprehensive training program designed to give retailers a competitive edge at the meat case, providing meat department employees the tools they need to transform shoppers into loyal customers.
An audience of 210 attendees, mostly Meat Market Managers and Assistant Meat Market Managers, arrived at this Beef Training Camp session eager to learn. Facilitated by Kroger’s Atlanta Division, the Georgia Beef Board and Cargill, the five-hour session started with a plant tour of Cargill’s Newnan, GA, processing plant.
Following the plant tour, attendees were treated to a “Gate to Plate” presentation. This presentation provided an overview of all stages of beef production, from the birth of a calf through fabrication and transportation to supermarkets.
Speakers from the Georgia Beef Board then led the group through presentations on some industry hot topics, such as “Corn’s Impact on Beef Prices,” “Organic/Natural/Grass-fed Analysis,” “Nutritional Myths and Facts” and “Flat Iron Dynamics.” All of these topics should be top of mind with meat department employees these days.
Kroger’s Tom Menke teamed up with a speaker from the Georgia Beef Board to close out the day with a Customer Service presentation. One of the best ways for retailers to out-do their competition is through superior customer service. This presentation aimed to give Kroger’s Atlanta division employees the tools to greatly improve their customer service.
Attendee feedback from this session was extremely positive. Attendees had comments like “All management and meat department employees should attend the customer service presentation” and “Overall, the session was very informative and useful.”
In Tom Menke’s experience with previous Beef Training Camp sessions, he has learned that the real impact of these sessions is experienced after the attendees get back to work and interact with customers again. He said, “Many do not realize how valuable the information is until they find the need to use it throughout the year."
For more information on Beef Training Camp and how to host your own sessions, click here.