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?
Unfortunately, this has happened to me twice in the past few months:
-a bag of English Muffins that were long expired but still on the shelves
-a bag of tortilla wraps that were not expired but were moldy
I learned the hard way to check the expiration date on everything and to keep your receipt.
[I didn't feel like going back to exchange the English Muffins and I had already thrown out the receipt. When I returned the tortilla wraps, I just showed the manager the receipt and he exchanged the product.]
Please note these instances occurred at KeyFood on Montague Street.
THE HORROR.
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.
sorry about the multiple spelling errors… it’s late and I’m tired
and you obviously are more than happy to settle for mediocre in your life. congrats.
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.
obviously, you just don’t get it!!!!!!
Hey Vishnu & Pete , how ’bout you guys open your own restaurant/shop on Montague & henry… See what happens… I dare you.
Yeah, Vishnu & Pete. You can call it Pete & Vishnu’s Commissary, or PVC for short.
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.
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).
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.
Funny how a post about an entirely different business comes right back to CoC.
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
‘Twill be a culinary Calgon when Trader Joe’s opens 2 blocks from me early next year. Worth the trek North Heighters!
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.
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/
Yes, PBDOTC, it’s sport for the cashiers at key food to smash chips.
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.
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.)
The fish sitting there at Peas & Pickles scares me to death. Anyone ever had that?
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.
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…
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?
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.
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…
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.
Unless it’s late, I just trek down to the Garden of Eden or the Perelanda (sp?). they are expensive, but tidy. I’ve been to a Trader Joe’s in Virginia and was not impressed, and Fairway is only useful to get things in bulk, no?
Add my vote to the “yes, grocery stores in the neighborhood suck and shouldn’t” side. We order Fresh Direct and when we have time and access to a car we go to Fairway in Red Hook. Or we go to Garden of Eden for anything fresh. Grosstede’s and Key Food are disgusting and I would never buy anything unpackaged there.
Maroon, Fairway’s not only good for buying bulk, but if you go there from BH, you would be better off buying in bulk, since it’s such a pain in the ass to get to. I wouldn’t go there just to pick up a carton of milk. But if I did, I bet it wouldn’t be curdled like in Grosstede’s!
Beth, that’s not a spelling error, it’s the small section that Gristedes reserves for customers who acutally like the place.
And 4U, I’m just curious to know if you were a member of the clerks union. I only ask because, besides the customers, it seems to be the biggest thing that the clerks at Gristedes and Key Food complain about.
My favorite is when you buy a steak there that looks somewhat decent and you get it home and take it out of the package and find that they put the brown/green side face down. I was appalled to see that they now offer “sushi” in their “seafood department”. As far as their prices…i don’t even know where they come up with them. A bag of Stacy’s pita chips, which i happen to be addicted to, are $4.99 at Gristede’s and $1.99 at Fairway??? My fiance and i will go in there at least once a week trying to find something to make for dinner. We walk around for 15 minutes and then look at eachother and say “Peas and Pickles?” and leave. Everytime!!! It’s hilarious. The place just sucks, and the people that work there are always yelling and screaming at eachother, talking shit about customers and eachother…It would make a great SNL skit.
Just to clarify, I do not think anyone should expect poor service or products. I was just pondering the comment about “positive suggestions for improving futures”… maybe not relating directly back to the Gristedes shopping experiences..I’ll be more clear next time…
On the positive side, we have Heights Prime Meats. In addition to very good meat and poultry, they have pasta, fresh mozzarella, fresh bread and rolls and lots of other good stuff. Too bad they close at seven o’clock. (Oh, and another positive thing . . . Gristede’s has smelled less foul lately. It’s a small step, I realize, but one in the right direction.)
Yes, Heights Prime Meats is good, but they stopped selling roasted chickens! And they were good! Guess I’ll have to learn to cook…
I recently moved here from Chicago, and while I expected prices to be higher, I was in a state of shock to find products I was familiar with, priced at 40-80% higher than what I was used to paying. I don’t know what kind of crack they are smoking when they come up with such prices. (Example: “Newmans Own” cookies, Chicago: about $3.49, over at Peas and Pickles, $3.99, Gristede’s $5.29) (Another example: plain water crakers at Trader Joes, $1.49; at Whole Foods, $2.29; at Gristede’s, $3.99) Every time I go there I feel as though I am being raped with a splintery 4×4 as they get away with charging such bullsh*t prices (which is why I almost never go now).
And while higher rents can account for somewhat higher prices, it is absolutely no excuse for poor service and filthy dirty stores. Just because the clerks behind the counter may not be happy with their life choices (re; working as a cashier), doesn’t mean I should be treated like crap.
“And while higher rents can account for somewhat higher prices, it is absolutely no excuse for poor service and filthy dirty stores. Just because the clerks behind the counter may not be happy with their life choices (re; working as a cashier), doesn’t mean I should be treated like crap.”
You don’t like filthy and rude? Who invited you to New York?
Gristedes is the worst, it always smells like rotting flesh. I’ve seen roaches running around the store. The people at the cash registers are all Americans but can barely grunt in intelligible English. They are nasty, rude, ugly. I know I shouldn’t expect much in the way of “customer service” living in New York but they are beyond tolerable rude levels..
I haven’t been back there in 3 years. I live on the corner of Clark and Henry…I walk to Key Food instead.
Hey Homer, since you probably “own” this discussion, how bout sending it over to the Gristedes Consumer Advocate; and no, I am not kidding. Or, each of us could send it over individually. Even if nothing comes of it (other than annoying the hell out of them), the service can’t get worse, right?
ConsumerAdvocate@gristedes.com
http://www.gristedes.com/customerservice.asp
In discussing food shopping options, I’m surprised no one has mentioned the Greenmarket, which is in business on Cadman Plaza roughly from Remsen to Pierrepont every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Lately we’ve been enjoying fresh ears of sweet corn from Stan-Pat Farms on Long Island, beefsteak tomatoes and greens from New Jersey, and peaches and berries from Wiklow Orchards in the Hudson Valley. Bakers Bounty and Not Just Rugelach both offer excellent baked goods; the latter also has outstanding beef and chicken empanadas.
Sahadi’s is also an outstanding source, not only for Middle Eastern and Mediterranean specialty items, but also for some British goods like tea and biscuits (cookies), and, of course, for nuts, seeds, dried fruits, spices and coffee.
We live on Montague, so Key Food is our “local” for much staple shopping. In general, I’ve found it satisfactory. Produce is sometimes a bit past prime, but I’ve never found meat or dairy products on the shelf past sell-by date. A few days ago I went to the deli counter and was greeted by a man I hadn’t seen before. I asked him for a half pound of bologna; he said, “Sliced thin, medium or thick?” I said “thin”; he cut a slice and asked me if it was right. When he had finished cutting, he arranged the slices carefully in two rows in the plastic envelope. I hope to see him again.
IMHO, it comes down to quality control… something not in place at many food retail stores. While I have never had a bad experience at Whole Foods, I have gotten bad meat everywhere from Stop & Shop to Fresh Direct, although both have been happy to give refunds. It’s more annoying. From the Peas and Pickles in DUMBO, the fruit is often moldy and I got milk the other day that had no top. Like the twist cap was gone. I know I should have checked, but you just shouldn’t have to, right? Key Foods is just gross, btw.
I never buy the store packaged meats at either Key Food or Gristedes. I’m too scared. So I buy the name-brand, factory packaged goods. Who knows, the conditions may be just as bad, but at least I haven’t witnessed it. It’s a psychological thing.
Claude Scales, Just Rugelach sells empanadas? That’s like Just Bulbs selling lampshades!
Seriously, I try to get to the greenmarket on Saturdays, the only time I can get there. Same goes for Sahadi. Love that store. Too bad they close on Sunday and evenings. You know the vacant store where Golden Hangers left? I’d love to see a good fish market (like Fish Tales) move in. It would be perfect right next door to the butcher. Then we wouldn’t have to rely so much on crappy supermarkets.
How late can you visit the greenmarket on the weekdays?
Whole neighborhood’s afflicted w/the “captive audience=lack of service” sort of mentality. I’d rather deal w/internet ordering than engage in any discussion w/a cashier at these stores (this includes Duane Reade, CVS, and Rite Aid). Makes me wonder whether these cashiers are unpaid parolees on a work release program. Granted there are some equally annoying customers that they have had to deal with (I’ve stood behind them in amazement wondering if I’m actually being Punk’d or on Candid Camera), but not to the extent that you’d be upset every customer who merely wishes to pay for the items in their basket?
Also, on the topic of aged food. Got a nice vintage 2001 Bud from the Chinese restaurant next to the pizzeria that had the windows covered while they were on vacation (probably to keep the rats inhabiting the place out of view from the pizza eating locals). The restaurant was gracious enough not to include the Bud on my bill.
Wonder what’ll happen when Trader Joe’s waltzes in. My feeling that the service & quality at the local supermarkets will have to improve…although there are clearly items TJ’s won’t carry, I actually go to the TJ’s in Union Square. I noticed that they have completely blinged out the Food Emporium that’s across the street from that TJ’s, and, get this, they have a self-serve auto checkout. Very Tokyo-esque. It needs some tweaking, but, hey, scanning and bagging my own stuff, I can do!
JR, I would think prisoners on work release would be more pleasant and appreciative of the job.
Whole Foods are horrible union-busters, and their CEO is a piece of work (goes online and trashes the stock of a company he’s trying to buy).
There’s a good market on Court and Pacific, btw. I was there a few days ago. It looks like a generic deli outside.
Wow, Homer. And you thought that only the CoC threads could get this long!
GHB: Sorry, I misstated the name. It’s actually “Not Just Rugelach.”
I agree; a good seafood store would be a great addition to the neighborhood.
Beth: The official hours for the Greenmarket are 8 A.M. to 6 P.M. As with all such operations, it’s best to get to the
Greenmarket early, as supplies are limited and things do get picked over. In my experience, most of the stalls are closed by 4:30 or so. If you have a day job and your commute is short, you might be able to get some shopping in early; otherwise, you’re limited to Saturdays.
From LTindaBH “I noticed that they have completely blinged out the Food Emporium that’s across the street from that TJ’s, and, get this, they have a self-serve auto checkout. Very Tokyo-esque. It needs some tweaking, but, hey, scanning and bagging my own stuff, I can do!”
Self-serve checkouts have been pretty prevalent in a majority of the rest of the US for several years, NYC business owners are very slow to adopt new technology. (Or give more than $20.00 cash back with a debit card, WTF? Most of the rest of the country can get $100 back at the grocery or drugstore.)
Just to add one more vittle to this marathon thread, I’ve always marveled at how the thermometer on the very warm-seeming refrigerated shelves of organic produce at the Montague Key Food (which are just to your left as you walk in), has been consistently over 50 degrees. Today I noticed a plastic container of guacamole there with a very noticeable “pregnant” lid. Fortunately, today I’ve also witnessed laborers working furiously to remove debris from the Indybank/future Trader Joes space.