Kroger announces 'Hero Bonus' for all hourly frontline workers

PHOENIX - Grocery store chain Kroger has announced all hourly frontline employees will be paid extra during the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to a statement released Tuesday night, March 31, all hourly frontline grocery, supply chain, manufacturing, pharmacy and call center associates will be given a so-called "Hero Bonus," which is a $2 premium above their standard base pay rate.

The bonus, according to the statement, will be applied to hours worked from March 29 to April 18. The announcement made Tuesday is in addition to a previous announcement, made on March 22, that every frontline grocery, supply chain, manufacturing and customer service associate will receive a one-time bonus.

The bonus, according to officials, will be paid out on April 3. All full-time associates will get $300, while part-time associates will receive $150.

Kroger, besides running its own grocery chain, owns a number of other grocery chains across the country, including Food4Less, Foods Co., Fred Meyer, Fry's, QFC, Ralphs and Smith's.

Roundy's is a subsidiary of Kroger, and operates Pick 'n Save and Metro Market stores in the Milwaukee area.

Roundy's officials on Wednesday outlined ways for customers to complete no-contact transactions while shopping in-store or online during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“At Pick ‘n Save and Metro Market, we have instituted several safety protocols in our stores during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic," said James Hyland, VP of communications and public affairs for Roundy’s  in a news release. "We are installing Plexiglass shields at customer/employee interaction points. Signs and floor decals are in place to remind customers to exercise social distancing at various transaction points throughout our stores. Another preventative measure available to our customers is contact free checkout through our store pickup and delivery options or at the register and self-checkout lanes through Kroger Pay."

The company explained the different ways to use contact free checkout services:

⦁ In-Store Shopping Using Kroger Pay: Download the Pick ‘n Save or Metro Market App from the App Store (iOS) or Google Play (Android), go to the menu and select Kroger Pay. Once you’ve set up your Kroger Pay wallet, you can use in-store for completely contact free checkout. The Kroger Pay wallet is linked to your Fresh Perks loyalty card enabling you to automatically accrue loyalty points and redeem digital coupons when making an eligible purchase using Kroger Pay.

⦁ Online Ordering for Pickup: Our online grocery shopping platform is a great convenience for our customers and more important than ever during the COVID-19 event. Pickup is a contact-free checkout service as payment information is provided at the time of the order and customers never have to leave their vehicle as our store associates will load their groceries directly into their vehicle.

⦁ Online Ordering for Delivery: Grocery delivery is a great option for those who cannot shop in-store due to transportation, health or other concerns. When ordering for delivery online, you have the option to check a box indicating you wish the delivery service to leave your groceries at your doorstep ensuring a contact free transaction.