Grand Opening - August 19, 2016
I was eager to check out the new BULK BARN opening today at Coppersmith Shopping Centre - a brand new store was built to accommodate this new retailer.
Here is Bulk Barn's company line..."In each of our stores, you'll find over 4000 products, each one sourced for its amazing quality. We are constantly adding more products to meet our customers' evolving needs whether it's vegan, or non-GMO. We are also proud to offer hard-to-find international products like British candies."
PROS - Amazing selection - cooking grains, nuts, candies, baking supplies, spices, health food items, beverages. Labels were clearly marked, scales available to check weight prior to buying. (Suggestion to management - this is 2016!!!! Digital scales would be more helpful and easier for customers determining their purchase weight and price - I personally helped 2 confused customers estimate their purchase on the analogue scale.)
CONS - Freshness and Sanitation are going to be an issue. For the Grand Opening, YES all the bins were immaculate and appeared fresh and pristine. Each of the 4000 items has an unfastened metal scoop available nearby. This setup terrifies me - as handles inevitably are dropped into food, or there can be cross contamination as customers use 1 handle for 2 or more items, the handles can drop on the floor accidently and then wind up scooping your food and of course you don't know how many unwashed hands have touched this handle before you have to use it. It is easy to foresee that It can get filthy fast. Also, the deepness of the bins concern/scare me. I was not compelled to buy anything on day 1 (knowing contents are fresh) - would I come back 2 weeks later to buy from the same deep bin? - knowing dirty handles and many unwashed hands had been in there for awhile.
Why doesn't Bulk Barn use the lever/chute- style dispenser where you put the bag under the chute door and pull a lever for the bulk contents to fall into the bag. This way, nobody ever touches your food. This style of chute -( found at Whole Foods, Save on Foods, IGA -..everywhere really except Bulk Barn apparently!!! ) has small batches and the perception is its fresher and its definitely more hygenic. Had Bulk Barn had these modern and clean dispensers, instead of the archaic Bronze-age scoop bins and barrels, I may have made a purchase.
In each and every bin, you potentially have a disgusting science experiment. Literally a petri-dish of accumulating germs through communal food touching in deep barrels sitting for weeks.
*UPDATE: I was told by staff there are actual timed slots that regulate freshness on the deep barrels which gave me a bit more comfort. read more