Kroger
Kroger's treatment of Elderly, War Veteran, Minority employee and customers

February, 16, Dear Mr. Moeder, I want to tell you about a person that has taught me more than he knows about customer service and making sure your customer has a lasting experience, my father! Now being in a position where I value and am proud of my employee’s that in your words “… provided great customer service! ” Representingour companies the way they should, your company’s image of the experience grows and your customersnotice it. My father with great humility was wonderful growing up, he worked with Braniff InternationalAirlines for 28 years. During his time there he worked grave yard shifts, overtime, double time, all at the same time not ever missing any of his three sons (3 and 4 years apart) football, baseball, basketball, soccer practices and games from 7 years old to college sports. We new we could look over to where the parentswere and there was his car every time. Moreover, we never needed anything because our parents providedus a wonderful loving youth by giving us the opportunities to be individuals and not accept racism but beyourself and look forward and be the best at whatever you do, like my father.

His commitment, hard work, and most of all, his loyalty to his family and career or job was something toadmire and hard to duplicate. For example, Braniff Airlines went belly up, as you know, back in the late80’s and he was so loyal and loved his job he stayed with them through all 3 bankruptcies and in the endthey stole like Enron all their pensions leaving him now with only $121.00 a month instead of $2,800.00. After a brief shock he took a job he knew nothing about in sales with you will remember as Group W Cable (Paragon Cable) in 1987 to 1991. Within the first year he was the #2 salesperson in the nation for this new type of TV.By this time I had already left for college and my older brother who played for Joe Paterno’s Penn State Nittany Lions National Championship team in 1982 through again in 1986 and wears the firstNational Championship ring had come home and began his career abroad working for Fountain FifthWheel and Meritor in Panama City, Panama and Mexico City. I can know if my older brother was writingthis letter to you he would be stating the same things I am, and that goes for my little brother as well.

A few years later in 1991 he was offered a position with Sprint headquarters in Dallas, TX where we grewup. He started with 3 others in their new International Customer Service Center and did so well they grew to more than 140 employees handling Minority calls of different languages in a span of 10 years. Duringthis time I came back from Oklahoma University in Norman and returned home to help take care of mymother while by chance starting my career with Vitro Packaging/Anchor Glass Container Corp. Before Igraduated from The University of Texas at Dallas while traveling the nation visiting Distributors asNational Account Manager of General Lines. I was able to do this because of the example my father hadset for me and my brothers.

All three of his sons were given an example of how to give 100% Service, 100% Quality, 100% of theTime! My little brother decided to leave the University where he was playing football because college wasnot for him, but he began to work selling Group Health and Supplemental Insurance and like my father isloyal and has been with Reserve National Insurance out of Oklahoma City, OK for over 17 years now. Moreover, again another one of his sons continuously is a top producer year after year.

I am telling you all this because my father grew up in downtown Mexico City, Mexico, D.F., and fought is a Korean War Veteran of the United States and has the bullet hole to show for it. Also, his High School education with 3 years of technical college from Mexico he has accomplished more than most minoritieseven try or have the opportunity. He never had the opportunity in the US to start his own business, but myself with his support have started 2 businesses, one shut down on 9/11 after the attack and the second as a managing partner in a Flooring Dealer and Installations for residential and commercialbuildings I saw the writing on the wall in late 2007 and decided to resign my percentage of partnership andpack up my home and parents whom have been my dependents’ since 2001 and move to Jackson, MS where my little brother lives so my mother (in her own right is by far the pillar and strength of this family) could marry him off and help with a baby coming.

I want you to know with great anger, as it turns out this elderly old Mexican bagger with a rich history that is now 73 going on 74 and from my count received 4 letters from you personally stating how proud you are of him, giving him 4 keys which he has lost working outside gathering carts in the cold and snow and gifta card for $5 dollars, his name is Rafael Miguel Angel Martinez Sr. J-900, “MY FATHER! ” Just to let you know I was in the store to get contact information for your Sponsorship/PR contact John Elliott, but instead saw my father get humiliated by someone I can only believe is uneducated and prejudice. I can’t you how angry I was, but more so, SAD for my father excuse her treatment as ignorant and for me to leave alone because he likes his job and does not want to get fired. After years of a 1 ½ years of working for Kroger’s and every job before where he was respected because of his reliability and customer service and work ethic, I want him to quit, but he will not!

Finally, my name is Victor Hugo Martinez, son of Rafael Martinez, your best employee I am sure by the the amount of letters you have sent him in the short time he has been in your division for this particularstore, Executive Director/President/CEO of the SOUTHERN INDIANA MINORITY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, INC. Also known as (SIMCOC). We want to support the grocery store where my father works, but after seeing how Kroger treats their minority, elderly, war veterans, I am totally rethinking myattempt to ask for sponsorship, much less advising all minorities who visit our web site and are members grocery stores that treat people like this. I am debating posting this story on our web site and ask minorities not shop at Kroger’s, but instead go to Marsh, that could use the help or Walmart knowing my father will be fired or have to quit as recourse. As I noted, in my letter earlier, he is terribly loyal and will not quit atmy request because he chalked up the way your supervisor Susie as ignorant and uneducated, but I see it as it really is “racism”. Mr. Boeder, as President of the Central Division has the power to change the experience and perception your customers do or will have to endure watching our minority senior citizens be treated without respect.

To finish, I am leaving the door open for Kroger’s to rectify this bigotry and recognize your allowed treatment of your own minority elderly employees from Indianapolis and all of Southern Indiana, even more how Kroger’s would and does treat its minority customers with is the smallest ethnic food section in all the grocery stores I have ever been in. Take this in the manner it is being said from an angry son and leader of an influential Minority Chamber of Commerce “Their needs to be a change in how Kroger visibly and publicly supports their minority employees and customer’s and SIMCOC can help you do that for you or against you as a call for all minorities to boycott Kroger’s after they read this email that will be posted within 10 days if we are not acknowledged, recognized and supported! ”

Respectfully,

Victor H. MartinezSIMOCSon/ED/PR/CEO

Company: Kroger
Country: USA

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