Hungry at the Table : White Paper on Grocery Workers at the Kroger Company

Results from an independent survey of 36,795 grocery workers who are employed at 401 Kroger grocery stores in Colorado, Northern Washington and Southern California are described in this report. The survey received responses from 10,287 workers for a 28 percent response rate.Kroger is the only employer for 86 percent of these workers, making it their sole source of earned income. Working full-time to earn a living wage would require Kroger to pay $22 per hour for an annual living wage total of $45,760. The average annual earnings of Kroger workers, however, is $29,655. This is $16,105 short of the annual income needed to pay for basic necessities required for the living wage.Nearly two-thirds of Kroger workers say they do not earn enough money to pay for basic expenses every month. Among the workers who are unable to afford necessities, 44 percent say they are unable to pay for rent and 39 percent say they are unable to pay for groceries. Fourteen percent of Kroger workers were homeless during the past year. Seventy-eight percent of Kroger workers are food insecure, based on the U.S. Department of Agriculture food security assessment tool. These workers cannot afford balanced and healthy food. They run out of food before the end of the month, skip meals, and are hungry sometimes. Those with children report they go hungry to provide food and other essentials for their children. Kroger workers’ exceptionally high rate of food insecurity is seven times greater than the U.S. average. A significant number of Kroger workers of all ages face economic hardship, but this is most prevalent among young workers. Among workers 21 to 29, 53 percent are unable to pay for rent. Forty-four percent of Kroger workers live in inadequate housing. This includes doubling up with another family or unrelated individuals, living in a unit that is too small for the household and being overcrowded, and involuntary multigenerational housing where grandparents and parents live with their adult children.Less than a quarter of Kroger workers think the company is headed in the right direction. The most senior workers, who are the backbone of Kroger’s workforce, voice the strongest critical assessments. Turnover at Kroger is high. The number of workers leaving Kroger has increased four-fold since the onset of COVID. Departures are caused by workers’ safety concerns and desire for better opportunities.Over two-thirds of workers report having difficult experiences with customers during the Covid pandemic. The most frequent problems were customers who refused to wear masks, were verbally abusive, or refused to maintain social distance. A quarter of Kroger workers were confronted by customers who threatened violence, and over a fifth had violent incidents in their store.Workplace stress has a direct impact on the emotional well-being of workers. Over three-quarters of Kroger workers say that their workplace stress follows them home in the form of ongoing depression and anxiety