It's a small and even comfortable supermarket, easy to walk inside since it doesn't have the tumults of other super markets. DeCicco's has agreements with various mental and disability depts. including boces (Boards of Cooperative Educational Services) where those with certain conditions and special needs may work in this supermarket, offering a grand opportunity for social interaction.
It is an Italian family market of many generations. It is taken care of Italian owners, but baggers, employees, cashiers and managers are ethnically diverse, but still predominantly white or Latino of Mexican origins and the few African American employees demonstrate a desire to be white. It has certain exquisite products in its cheeses, dairy, sushi, cold cuts, etc, but has a very scarce amount of kosher products in which they sell at double and triple price compared to other supermarkets like Stop & Shop, D'Agostino, Fairway, Shoprite and even Food Emporium.
DeCicco's in Pelham not only charges way too much for online delivery but also products sky rocket in price. The latino food section is also very limited, they mostly have common goya products. Olive Oil is much more expensive than smaller Italian family stores of Westchester. Some of the cashiers are ill mannered and questioners, the baggers, with or without mental issues, lack expertise in placing products in a bag (like mixing meats with the soaps), and joke around when double bags are required for heavy glass products like salsa jars. The managers, with some exceptions, have a complexion of superiority and barely listen to customers with their worries and questions.
DeCicco's also has different packaging sections for cold cuts, meats, dairy products, which is handled by their employees without protective gloves in which they place the seal of DeCicco's on. The return policy is uncomfortable for those who pay in credit or cash. The cashiers never ask for your DeCicco's discount card to apply weekly or monthly sales. Some natural products are evident that they are packaged with DeCicco's policies such as the Seventh Generations brand soap have been sold at a more comfortable price but the soaps protective seal is missing unlike those that are bought in Mrs. Greens. Customers in the village of Pelham complain about these unsealed products, the high prices of the smoked salmon which cost only $3.99 in other supermarkets like those mentioned above, but DeCicco's sells the same size and weight for $6.99.
Customers especially complained about the supermarket's milk. DeCicco's sells Crowley, a cheap milk brand that, although is sold as a non rBST treated milk, it is still bad quality. DeCicco's has all the organic brands of milk for those who do not wish to use Crowley, not giving options to the consumer of other non-organic brands, with or without rBST. To fill this gap they sell brands like Local Week milk(five acre) that do not have the quality of brands like Farmland milk that also has not been treated with synthetic hormones like rBST. High quality milk distributors require certain preservation conditions because better milks don't have as much preservatives to keep the milk stable or else the milk has to be eliminated every certain period of time. DeCicco's like any business wants to invest less in the product and profit more, which is not a bad thing and it is logical for business but the supermarket should not sell so expensively. It is not about how expensive the product is, in any case, but DeCicco's should at least give alternatives to the consumers even if it is expensive for both the business and the customers, as stated earlier, brands like Farmland is demanding for both of them. Yet how is it that a low-income neighborhood like the Mexican area in New Rochelle (Union) sells mainly Farmland milk but DeCicco's in Pelham Village does not? Pelham is a higher income and predominantly white neighborhood. But don't worry there are other options in Pelham to get the better milk like Paper Chase deli and a two delis in front of the Pelham Memorial High School. There is even a little farm that sells fruits, vegetables, wine and plants where this sweet old man Richard Pell that still charges with pen and paper and rarely does he get the sum wrong.
One should not forget blacks and latinos are patrolled and watched over. In a simple visit to the precinct you can see how photogenic you are in their videos... (mv) read more