Whole Foods in Lake Grove!? (Freeport, Oceanside: shops, nicest, friendly)

[Jrprofess]

Originally Posted by Sandra Rufolo

Whole Foods and Trader Joe's completely different. Trader Joe's warehouse-style with only its own brands. Whole Foods is full-service with meat and seafood departments. It won't affect Trader Joe's at all. Two different things entirely. It will be a nice addition there since everything else seems to have gone south in that area. I know I for one will be shopping there. Tired of schlepping to Jericho and Manhasset!

Hmmm, its funny because just the other day I was saying to my other half that the area had improved a lot (although more built up) with the additions to the mall, the build out of the new LA Fitness area and a couple of new strip malls (if u loove strip malls of course) put up where old rundown restaurants/bars used to be further toward Nicholls Rd. And the Lowes went in a couple of years back replacing an abandoned Walmart...Even John Harvards got itself a paint job last year... Congested, yes, going south I would tend to disagree.

[villager-li]

Originally Posted by Jrprofess

Hmmm, its funny because just the other day I was saying to my other half that the area had improved a lot (although more built up) with the additions to the mall, the build out of the new LA Fitness area and a couple of new strip malls (if u loove strip malls of course) put up where old rundown restaurants/bars used to be further toward Nicholls Rd. And the Lowes went in a couple of years back replacing an abandoned Walmart...Even John Harvards got itself a paint job last year... Congested, yes, going south I would tend to disagree.

Yes, I agree....not sure why someone would say the area is "going south". There have been many improvements over the past few years. I am curious to see how everything will be once NYS completes their massive overhaul of Route 347.

[ResearchMom]

Originally Posted by villager-li

Yes, I agree....not sure why someone would say the area is "going south". There have been many improvements over the past few years. I am curious to see how everything will be once NYS completes their massive overhaul of Route 347.

Maybe in reference to a few store closures? Pizzeria Uno, Stop & Shop, Sally's Beauty Supply, Hallmark...

But overall the area is clearly improving!

[OhBeeHave]

Originally Posted by ResearchMom

I HAVE to throw this in.

Of many bad experiences at Wild by Nature, this one stood out the most for me. One day, I took my baby with me and drove all the way to WBN to purchase a bunch of German cosmetics (by Dr. Hauschka). And yes, I was ready to spend good money there that day. Guess what. Similarly to communist Poland I grew up in (!), they kept these cosmetics behind locked glass doors Well, that would have been all right, except for the fact that they couldn't get to them!

Turns out I was unable to purchase anything, as I was not even asked, but told that I should wait 10 minutes for the lady with the key. She was out having lunch I thought this was the biggest joke as they didn't even care to say sorry, or something along those lines.

...

Never mind the broth bones I bought once. They were 1 month old

...

Never mind the time I was asked to go to a long line in the express lane, because I had a few items and was apparently blocking the regular lane

...

BTW, I still go there for... kid toothbrushes. In and out!!!

...

Whole Foods' customer service always exceeded my expectations. It's just what they do. Great customer service belongs in their business model and sometimes that's just enough to keep people coming back.

I've never had issues with WBN (except for slow check out, yet in the adjacent KK they are pretty quick.)

The Whole Foods which is planned for Lake Grove might very well have some of the same staffing problems we see in the local supermarkets -- disinterested teens getting away with as little as possible in order to earn a check. The key incident is inexcusable and I would have written the corporate office. I have done that with the former Edwards -- Giant Foods) and received attention as well as very good coupons $10 off, free this and that. Complainers (like me) are one of the best ways for the corporate offices to know what is happening at individual locations

As far as the old broth bone: YUCK! I have seen outdated products in many grocery stores (Waldbaums, S&S, KK, WBN, Shaws) as well as warehouse clubs (BJs -- don't have a Costco card) and chain drug stores (CVS, Duane Reade, Rite Aid.) As consumers we have to try and stay on top of these things (caveat emptor, right?) but like all of us, when we are rushing we sometimes forget to look, read a date wrong, etc. By no means am I absolving any store for not rotating and removing merchandise which has expired. On the occasions where I've found something expired, I've brought it to the customer service department and told them.

Trader Joes and Uncle Guiseppes are two places where I have NOT found expired products.

[OhBeeHave]

Originally Posted by villager-li

Yes, I agree....not sure why someone would say the area is "going south". There have been many improvements over the past few years. I am curious to see how everything will be once NYS completes their massive overhaul of Route 347.

The person who wrote that is a 2X poster whose two posts were complaints. S/he gives their location as Holtsville in the profile; I never realized Holtsville is the ideal upon which all LI communities should be based.

[ResearchMom]

Originally Posted by AlexisT

TJ's does its business on its own brand items, so Whole Foods doesn't really compete.

On a like for like basis Whole Foods is often competitive, but because they restrict the lines they carry, your total bill ends up higher.

---Interesting blog article regarding the competition between Trader Joes vs Whole Foods --- Brand Autopsy: Trader Joe’s … the Forgotten Supermarket Giant

[dman72]

Originally Posted by OhBeeHave

I've never had issues with WBN (except for slow check out, yet in the adjacent KK they are pretty quick.)

The Whole Foods which is planned for Lake Grove might very well have some of the same staffing problems we see in the local supermarkets -- disinterested teens getting away with as little as possible in order to earn a check.

Try the Waldbaums in Stony Brook for this. One young chap with the flavor of the month name for upper middle class suburbanites in 1992 was the most disinterested person I've ever had to deal with up there. Sitting at his register "are you open?" Silence....okay. Cutting me off before I finished sentences, "yep" and "mmmm hmmm" to my "thanks". I wanted to pull the kid outside and pummel him. I get the distinct feeling is parents drive a Range Rover.


Can I ask you guys: When did "yep" or "mmm hmm" become an acceptable reply to "thank you"? I worked every crappy job in history when I was a teenager, but I was never so outwardly rude

[Johninwestbury]

There's worse than teenagers. Supermarkets like Pathmark hire illegals. C-town is completely staffed by people who dont speak english as their native tongue, quite possibly, they are illegals too.
I never see illegals at King Kullen or Stop and Shop.
King Kullen seems to hire alot of teenagers but I have found the service I get there is the best of any supermarket. Shop Rite is pretty good too, if you live near one. Of the major chains Pathmark is the worst though. C-town doesn't deserve to be called a supermarket...bodega is more like it.

[dman72]

Originally Posted by Johninwestbury

There's worse than teenagers. Supermarkets like Pathmark hire illegals. C-town is completely staffed by people who dont speak english as their native tongue, quite possibly, they are illegals too.
I never see illegals at King Kullen or Stop and Shop.
King Kullen seems to hire alot of teenagers but I have found the service I get there is the best of any supermarket. Shop Rite is pretty good too, if you live near one. Of the major chains Pathmark is the worst though. C-town doesn't deserve to be called a supermarket...bodega is more like it.

My experience with Latino service workers, be they legal or illegal, has been much better than with Caucasian teenagers. They actually need their jobs, teenagers are just making money to spend on clothes and drugs.

I'm for stopping illegal immigration, but let's be honest.

[Johninwestbury]

Originally Posted by dman72

My experience with Latino service workers, be they legal or illegal, has been much better than with Caucasian teenagers. They actually need their jobs, teenagers are just making money to spend on clothes and drugs.

I'm for stopping illegal immigration, but let's be honest.

Sorry my experiences have not. The teenagers understand everything I say, the immigrants often do not.
And I know the teenagers have all their shots.