I needed to stock up for usual plus some upcoming events. Didn't want to drive through town at rush hour, waited till about 8.
Spent an hour filling about 60 items and a lot of produce. Lots of employees stocking shelves, 3 or 4 watching the self checkout to stop thievery, 3 front door greeters shooting the breeze. Not one checkout lane open. WTF? I asked a greeter, he said go to customer service, I said I did, lights are off and they are closed. I said, well they can pay someone to put all this stuff back and walked out.
I did the same at Krogers early one morning a couple years ago. Customer service, what a joke!

I’m recently back from the self checkout at Walmart. One has to be prepared ahead of time for the ordeal. I check alcohol first.

It’s like the game plan to meet the perp in a dark alley. Don’t expect much from any customer service.

I'm not a fan of the whole self-checkout trend. But what I really don't understand about it is why are half the self-checkout lanes always closed? You're literally making me do your job for you, saving you money on staffing and overhead, and even then you can't manage to keep all the lanes operational and open.

Two words:
WalMart pickup

I went into the store a few weeks ago and there is nothing anyone can say that will convince me that ordering ahead and picking it up is not the way to go.

quote:

Originally posted by trapper189:
Two words:
WalMart pickup

I went into the store a few weeks ago and there is nothing anyone can say that will convince me that ordering ahead and picking it up is not the way to go.

Ok, I gotta ask and I'm sorry for the hijack, how do you get things like produce? I'm particular about my produce and I cant have someone else picking out my tomatos.

One of the reasons I only shop at Publix is because of the customer service.
I've been the 3rd person in the checkout line and they opened another line and called me over. They open and close lines with the ebb and flow of the customers.

And don't ask an employee where an item is located and expect a simple answer. They will walk across the store with you to make sure you find it.

quote:

Originally posted by MikeGLI:
Ok, I gotta ask and I'm sorry for the hijack, how do you get things like produce? I'm particular about my produce and I cant have someone else picking out my tomatos.

THIS! X 100.
Produce and meat. l don't even let my wife pick out my steaks let alone a stranger.

I like Walmart pickup, because I can order things online, let them have a paid-employee find the items (sometimes the shelves at our local WM are a mess), and pick them up when I get the text notification. And if they don't have it at a particular store, often they will deliver it or ship it free, if I have made a certain purchase amount.

In recent years, in my experience, going to WM for a few items often turns into a SAR mission, where lots of time is wasted trying to find things.

And sometimes, the prices online are different than in the store, as in cheaper.

Customer service at so many stores these days can be hit-or-miss.

quote:

One of the reasons I only shop at Publix is because of the customer service.
I've been the 3rd person in the checkout line and they opened another line and called me over. They open and close lines with the ebb and flow of the customers.

And don't ask an employee where an item is located and expect a simple answer. They will walk across the store with you to make sure you find it.

This

We have only Publix, Walmart, Krogers & ethnic stores. In Nashville Krogers are dirty with no customer service & employees with a bad attitude. I only go to Publix or to the Walmart Neighborhood grocery. We do go to the Kurdish markets for vegetables not found elsewhere.

quote:

Originally posted by SpinZone:

quote:

Originally posted by MikeGLI:
Ok, I gotta ask and I'm sorry for the hijack, how do you get things like produce? I'm particular about my produce and I cant have someone else picking out my tomatos.

THIS! X 100.
Produce and meat. l don't even let my wife pick out my steaks let alone a stranger.

Farmer’s market and Publix for produce. Use Publix pickup for produce, but you get your money back if you don’t like what they pick. We’ve been doing it so long and we’re among the first to embrace pickup that my wife is on a first name basis with the Publix person that picks her produce.

Meat is the reason I was in WalMart before the Fourth. I picked up a whole brisket and pork butt and then stood in line 4 deep to pay with all self checkouts open as well as 12 registers open. All I could think was I should have done pickup.

In Florida, I get meat from Sam’s Club, use the app to pay, and bypass the lines. I use a local butcher for steaks in Michigan.

We take advantage of shipping from Sam’s Club and WalMart as well. Toilet paper, motor oil, water, soda, cereal, etc.

Publix does have the best customer service, and the highest prices as well, but you get clean stores, lots of good employees, produce is better.

Wal-Market Store near us is always packed, good selection and better prices.

We used Kroger for delivery for a while, the produce was almost always good, only a few times was there any issue on availability. Sadly Kroger closed down in CFL so they are gone.

Daughter uses Wal-Mart grocery delivery all the time and is very happy with it, we need to start doing that, or pickup as well.

I think you save more money with delivery or pickup because you don't browse every aisle and get hit with deals on endcaps.

quote:

Originally posted by HRK:

Publix does have the best customer service, and the highest prices as well

I use the Publix app or the website to cruise the listings that are published every Thursday, paying particular attention to their BOGOs and special savings sections to plan meals. I'm just feeding wife and self, so it's pretty easy to keep the grocery budget under control by making the majority of Publix purchases from these "bargain bins."