It seemed to take forever for this store to open, but since it has, I've visited 3 or 4 times. They must have improved their reorder system; despite other reviewers complaints of depletion, I've always found what I wanted.
Getting through the turnstile is a bit ponderous. There's a difference in the Amazon app and Amazon Alexa. Gotta use the app. Somehow you get a QR code on your phone, then put the phone's screen over a scanner if you can figure out what flat shiny thing is the right scanner. If you have a card attached to your Amazon account online, it defaults to using that as a payment method. If you scan a different card at the entrance, it'll use that instead.
Before you go, be sure to look for a coupon. For me, the best ones come in the mail on Wednesday with all the other ones: Ralph's, Aldi, Vallarta Market, Vons (sometimes), so I need to really look for it. It will not only give you a coupon, it will tell you what's on special. If you combine the specials with the coupon, you can get out of there for a decent bottom line total. I doubt I'd ever make this store a regular go-to for weekly grocery shopping, but there are some unexpected things here.
The produce department has a broad selection of fresh herbs. Sometimes it's hard to find dill when I need it. They always have it. In the same department are the exotic mushrooms. I've never seen them out of shiitake. They usually have oyster, and sometimes enoch and king. There's also a mushroom medley pack with 4 or 5 types. I have bought steak, ground beef, and bacon on sale. All good quality and no surprises.
In the aisles, sometimes there are nice surprises. I found a 12-pack of diet cherry coke for a decent price. In the deli department are some interesting marinated or pickled things: sun dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, and uncured anchovies for instance. In the personal care section I found a face scrub for under two bucks.
Their personal care section is super small, cleverly tucked at the end of the cat food aisle. The only way I found it was to ask one of the Alexas in the store. "Alexa? Where's the toothpaste?" Cool, she told me where to find it.
I encountered only one unpleasant surprise last time I was there. Have you ever watched Dateline and noticed the interrogation techniques the cops use to "interview" a suspect? The perp will say something, then the male interrogator will say, "OK" in a deep monotone. There's a lot of that, which means, I heard what you said, but have no response. There's a 300lb wanna-be cop in the wine department. As soon as you step over an imaginary line of demarcation, he descends upon you, asking for ID. Not just a visual check. Take it out of the wallet. Scan it. (Why?) I attempt lighten up the encounter, saying I should be flattered I was being carded. His response, "OK." I walk to the white wine section and note that they don't have anything I want. He asked if I was looking for something. I mentioned my favorite. After glancing at the shelves, he advised they must not have it. I lightly said I just wanted to see what's there, it's fine. His response: "OK." Gimme a break, dude. You're a bouncer at Amazon Fresh. Not a homicide detective. This is Westlake Village, not a crime center. Intimidation is not only unnecessary, it's downright unpleasant. That self-important mall cop needs to go. Sorry not sorry...
The checkout process is very quick. Usually you can just leave. If you have a coupon, scan it first on the way out. It's pretty simple. At exit, the accuracy of charges is not evident. The receipt is emailed later... like, after arriving home. Each time I've been to this store, though, everything was accurate. Not the case with the Moorpark store. It overcharged me by about 20 bucks and did nothing to correct it.
I think, if you need to pick up a few things for tonight's dinner, you'll probably find it here without needing to sort through a gozillion brands of the same thing. Sometimes standard supermarkets are overwhelming. Because of its efficiency with product selection, along with the Just Walk Out feature, you can get in and out with 7-11 speed without the big gulp. Just buy your wine at Grocery Outlet. read more