“This place is a mess.”
This place is a mess. Two stars only because of the convenient location, good hours of operation, and lower prices than the Whole Foods next door. I've reluctantly been going here for over a year (can't stomach the prices at WF), and have had lots of frustrating experiences.
The produce section is by far the worst aspect of this store. They're regularly out of standard items (spinach, berries, spring mix), and when they do have what you want, it's often of poor quality: fuzzy strawberries, bright-green unripened avocados, and wilted lettuce. Whenever I ask an employee, they always seem to be "waiting on a shipment". Not sure how they haven't figured out how to stock their produce section after having been in the neighborhood for years.
The aisles are tight, which is to be expected of a city grocery store, but they inexplicably always have unattended cards with boxes and products just lying around. This is especially problematic when occurring in the produce section, which is both at the entrance of the store and is extra-snug to begin with. I see these unattended carts every single time I visit - last time I counted 7 just in produce. Additionally, their cart return system is easily-overwhelmed and they don't seem to have enough carts to handle peak shopping times, so it can sometimes be tough to get one while there are numerous holding trash or product out in the store.
The check-out lanes are super close to the shopping area and they never seem to have enough open during busy periods, which causes lots of congestion and awkward lines through product aisles. The first several aisles seem to be permanently closed (and often full of trash/boxes), which may have a good reason but looks bad and is frustrating when you're waiting in a long line.
Customer service is also hit-or-miss. While some employees are genuinely nice, many look bored or pissed that you're there. I've seen employees take their frustration out by snapping or yelling at customers who aren't moving fast enough for their liking. Most employees are teenagers (which is to be expected of a grocery store), but many VISIBLY couldn't care less about their jobs, which is awkward as a customer. I also once saw 2 employees openly mocking a customer as she walked away.
It's the closest grocery store to my apartment, so I begrudgingly go there and it's certainly better than getting groceries at 7-11 or something. I'm just baffled by all of the blatant issues, especially during peak shopping hours: uninformed or uninterested staff, cluttered aisles, poor organization, and abandoned carts and trash throughout the store. If I were a manager or worked in operations at this store, I'd be embarrassed.
