Grosstedes Does It Again

By on August 28, 2007 9:00 pm in Food, News

grosstedes.JPG

This from a BHB tipster:

Check out the "sell by" date on this container of milk: August 22. That's OK if I didn't buy it TODAY from Gristedes on Henry Street (pic attached with receipt).  Isn't that illegal to have this on their shelves? I called the store and they offered a refund if I walked all the way back. (They claimed no one was around to deliver) That's exactly what I want to do after working all day. Yes, I should have double checked the date when I picked it up. But I'd like to think that once in a while someone competent works at that store.

Any other "mishaps" at Gristedes?

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  • Mike

    THE HORROR.

  • hickster

    Hey Homer,

    It seems thet most (not all) of your your posts have a negative lean that lead people to startt sounding off and whining about such silly things such as chinees food and street smells and oh my gosh… the latest corner of cranberry venture… I was born (1967) and raised in the heights and can only look back in sorrow when I read yourm miserable blog… people take notice… all NYC restaurants have rats and or mice… alot of local shops and restaurants can’t afford to fix the sign or pay for a major renovation just so some you crybabies can feel better about the fact that you are paying a ridiculous amount of money for a shitty little (junior 2 bedroom) shoebox that you call home It is really hard for a business to establish itself and succeed in a neighborhood like the heights (rents from 15,000-30,000 dollars a month) instead of bitchin’ and complainin’… how ’bout embracing your local merchants and making positive suggestions to improve their future instead of watching them come and go.

  • hickster

    sorry about the multiple spelling errors… it’s late and I’m tired

  • Pete

    and you obviously are more than happy to settle for mediocre in your life. congrats.

  • Vishnu Jones

    Well said Pete. How is wanting something as simple as unskunky milk “being negative”? And why the lashing out at Homer? He’s just relaying someone’s story. Geez.

  • hickster

    obviously, you just don’t get it!!!!!!

  • hickster

    Hey Vishnu & Pete , how ’bout you guys open your own restaurant/shop on Montague & henry… See what happens… I dare you.

  • marco

    Yeah, Vishnu & Pete. You can call it Pete & Vishnu’s Commissary, or PVC for short.

  • resident

    Hey, I have a positive suggestion: How about they boot Gristede’s and put in a real supermarket. I can’t think of a more positive thing that could happen in that neck of the woods. It’s a terrible market. If they can afford the rent, they can afford to make sure the milk hasn’t expired.

  • No One of Consequence

    Can we all come commiserate at the PVC?
    Some of what hickster says is true, but new establishments (like CoC) really should be much better researched and planned that they seem to be. The neighborhood need not be a culinary petri dish for the likes of Fehlinger (sp?). Nor should milk purchased today.

    Grosstedes really is the worst, but I guess someone had to bring up the bottom of the list after Sloan(e)’s (I never even felt safe buying canned goods from them).

  • Pete

    Hickster – Yes, the rents in the Heights suck but it’s not like someone put a gun to these people’s head (COC comes to mind) and forced them to open mediocre places.

    If the rent is unteneable, then they can pass on the opportunity. You’re right though, the practice I’ve built in my business unit is successful because I offer a shitty work product at high prices. Our clients just keep coming back to support us hoping one day it’ll get better….

    That being said, I did pick up some soup at the Busy Chef last week. The cream of broccoli tasted like it was made with some kind of fish stock. Awful.

  • hoppy

    Funny how a post about an entirely different business comes right back to CoC.

  • elizabells

    Oh, yikes. A few weeks ago I had a painful craving for some fresh mozzarella bocconcini, and as FreshDirect had screwed up my order (*again*, but that’s a different rant), I hopped over to Gristede’s to see if they had any… which they did, but all the containers were over a week expired and disturbingly … puffy.

    But hey, the Gristede’s in Washington Heights used to sell packages of chicken breast with black slimy mold under the chicken, so it could be worse.

  • nabeguy

    If you think that out-of-date milk is a problem at Gristede’s check out the science experiments that their fobbing off as yogurt. I once confronted the manager after discovering multiple containers that were a month out of date, and he had the balls to tell me that 1st) I was misreading it and after reading it himself that 2nd) they were misstamped. My question is, if the DOH is so hot to close down restaurants for mice droppings, how are places like this allowed to slide?

  • nabeguy

    By the way, have you ever checked out the dairy manager at Gristede’s? He’s about a month out of date by the looks of it.

  • JL

    Hey Homer, how about a poll for where BH’ers do their food shopping, including Fresh Direct (unless that has already been done)? We pretty much rely on FD, with the occassional pick-up at Grosstedes, but only in emergencies. Although FD has their problems, in general, the food is pretty fresh and generally never expired, however, recieving the wrong type of milk (1% vs. whole) or missing a can of garbanzos is not atypical (but at least, I can call FD and they will just credit the account, usually instantly). Also, check this out for FD coupons:
    http://www.bumpershine.com/?cat=18

    As for CoC, had a decent roast beef sandwhich at BC a few nights ago, decided to eat at the place, and they heated up the sandwhich (in a toaster oven, much better than the old microwave) and also gave me a nice mixed green side salad, as well. Not too bad.

  • Cranky

    Hey here’s a positive comment. The cashiers at Grosstedes are waaaay nicer than the cashiers at Key Food.

    Stuff expired on the shelves, that’s the manager’s fault. I always check the dates before I buy stuff. That doesn’t mean it should be on the shelf, it ABSOLUTELY should NOT.

  • http://www.myspace.com/billyreno Billy Reno

    ‘Twill be a culinary Calgon when Trader Joe’s opens 2 blocks from me early next year. Worth the trek North Heighters!

  • http://www.petebrush.com pbdotc

    the cashier at key food deliberately slammed my tortilla chips on the counter and broke several of them

    it’s ok. i was going to break them anyway to bait rat and mouse traps because clinton / atlantic is infested.

    see? POSITIVE SPIN.

  • beth

    Why anyone shops at Gristede’s when Peas and Pickles is right next door is beyond me. I know Peas is smaller, but very rarely is there something I need that only Gristede’s carries. Gristede’s consistently smells, sale prices NEVER ring up correctly, everything is more expensive and it’s just an all-around negative experience. Oh, and they spell cookies wrong: http://flickr.com/photos/citycrab/13983886/

  • CS

    Yes, PBDOTC, it’s sport for the cashiers at key food to smash chips.

  • nabeguy

    Good suggestion JL. I’d be curious to see the breakdown between FD vs. the local supermarkets. Speaking for myself, having the luxery of a car, I shop at either Pathmark Gowanus or Fairway. Either offers better pricing, better selection, cleaner stores and fresher food (can’t go wrong with Produce Pete!), than any of the neighborhood markets. By the way, hickster, it’s the fact that people pay the exorbitant prices for housing that they expect the areas services to be up to par. It’s a bit frustrating that Gowanus and Red Hook have better choices than BH.

  • GHB

    I guess we’ve all learned to read expiration dates while in the store. I’ve also learned that you should always…I mean ALWAYS…check your receipt before you leave. I would estimate that they ring up the wrong price in 7 out of 10 purchases at Grosstede’s. Sale prices don’t register and the cashiers make mistakes on a regular basis. The only reason I shop there is because it’s right outside the subway. I do most of my shopping in the city before I get home, but I always forget something, and Grosstede’s is there. Can’t wait for Trader Joes! (Even if it means a little more walking.)

  • Pete

    The fish sitting there at Peas & Pickles scares me to death. Anyone ever had that?

  • Matilda

    Don’t get me started on the Montague Street Key Food. Anyone seen their “rotting fruit and veg on sale for 10 cents” section? Also, ever tried to get cashback? That’s when the cashiers rise to the occations. Without even asking, I’ve been told before I put my groceries on the belt “I ain’t got no cash back!”. When I complained to the manager, he told me that cashback is a “service” they are not always able to offer. One of many “services” they can’t offer, like fresh food and pleasant cashiers.

  • GHB

    Pete, I’ve had the fish from Peas & Pickles, and it’s always been fine. My problem with them is the boxed pastas which seem to sit forever. I bought a box of pasta there a while back and found it was infested with some kind of critter after I got home (and I really wanted my fusilli!) Boy, was I pissed…

  • http://www.petebrush.com pbdotc

    when they smash my chips i become a republican and laff at their low wages.

    then a few hours later i become a liberal again.

    shhh. is that wrong?

  • beth

    I had the same experience with pasta there last week.. I took it back and they took it back quietly and I got my refund. Never ever ever buying boxed pasta there again. Unfortunately the only bagged pasta they sell is the $$ organic stuff.

  • ChrisC

    I’m not dissing Homer and I fully agree that the supermarkets around BH need to shape up, but honestly Hickster’s got a point about the general complaining. We live in a very nice neighborhood, and I think he wishes folks would appreciate it more, and help it to succeed, rather than set it up for failure. As for the “rotting fruit and veg on sale for 10 cents” section, its usually called the day old section, and is very common in supermarkets. While not the most aesthetic thing I’ve ever seen, a lot of the fruit is still perfectly edible, and fills a gap for folks who have less to spend. And believe me, they do exist, even in BH…

  • http://brooklynheightsblog.com Truth Williams

    It’s perfectly normal to expect that people and businesses don’t suck. The only people here complaining about this thread are people who clearly suck.

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