I hate to have to write a negative review about the only 24 hr grocery store in the area, as its hours of operation is a positive one cannot overlook, but warning others of a store policy that is posted nowhere publicly is unfortunately a necessity. This store sold me a carton of Stonyfield milk that, upon opening, I discovered was curdled & had a strong, pungent odor. Although they could technically be liable for this, I gave them the benefit of the doubt & didn't return the milk to a small business b/c I didn't want to inconvenience them or deprive them of necessary funds. After all, while they *could* be the reason it was expired based on how the item was stored/refrigerated, it could also have been an issue with the distribution center, the transit from the distribution center to the store, etc. Instead, I contacted the manufacturer, Stonyfield, directly w/ my complaint. Stonyfield proceeded to send me a manufacturer's coupon to replace the spoiled item. Already as a consumer I was inconvenienced, b/c I paid for a product I could not use and that could have gotten me ill had I accidentally consumed it, & I couldn't replace the item I needed in the moment until weeks later when the manufacturer's coupon was mailed to me, but at least i was able to get a replacement *eventually.* Except... I wasn't able to get a replacement ever! So this store basically profited off of selling an expired product & there is no recourse on my end! I brought the manufacturer's coupon back to the store on Sunday, June 14, and a cashier told me the store does not accept coupons. I was aware that some stores do not accept certain coupons and may not issue store coupons themselves, but I was not aware that it was possible for a store that has a relationship with a brand and stocks said brand in their store to not accept legal tender, i.e. a manufacturer's coupon. Especially when the only reason I was in this position was that I purchased a spoiled product from their store. I asked for clarification about how they were able to work w/ a brand whose manufacturer's coupons are not accepted (not even a true coupon- it didn't provide me a discount, it was for a free item to replace what I purchased already). The employee seemed unwilling to engage in any conversation- really forcefully, he just repeated dismissively, "we do not accept ANY coupons." I asked if they made the brand aware of this policy prior to contracting with them to stock their products- it seemed unlikely to me that the brand was aware of this (I called the brand later on and confirmed they hadn't heard of such a case- in fact, the Stonyfield representative I spoke with stated that "I have worked here for 17 years" & has never had a case like this get reported in 17 years). I also asked why this policy wasn't publicly posted anywhere - at the very least, if the policy was listed *somewhere*, consumers could be aware prior to making a trip to this location. It's pretty unfair to have a policy like this & expect customers to telepathically intuit it. The worst part about this is that I discovered, in reaching out to the manufacturer for a second time to let them know, is that a person in my situation basically has no recourse in the matter, which is almost indistinguishable from theft to me. I paid for a product under the assumption I could consume said product- I could not consume said product, so I paid for something I didn't use. The brand *only* sends manufacturer's coupons as compensation. If one cannot use said vouchers, then they're basically out of luck if they happen to live in food desserts (I don't live in a food dessert but the next most local grocery store doesn't stock stonyfield milk products... unsurprising given my experience w/ the brand). If they notify the store, the store of why they find this policy unfair, the store can just refuse, as this one did, to make an exception to their strict coupon policy. If one notifies the store that they should at least disclose this policy, the store can again refuse. So notifying the retailer itself does nothing. With having attempted to communicate with both the store & the brand directly, since I'm basically permanently out of the ~$7 I spent on milk, the only avenue left at my disposal is to write a review, which probably does nothing but at least it serves as a warning for others. After this atrocious experience I have started thinking about some other red flags about this location that I previously glossed over, like the fact that they have illegally added credit card fees every single time I have paid w/ a debit card or prepaid card or gift card. My understanding of New York State Law is that businesses are allowed to add fees to credit card purchases, but are prohibited from charging these fees on forms of payment that aren't credit cards, i.e. debit cards & other prepaid cards. read more
