What happened to this Rouses?…read more
I've lived Uptown for nearly 20 years, so I'm well acquainted with the particular adventure that is grocery shopping in New Orleans. Our options have never exactly been endless, and with Winn-Dixie closing, they're getting slimmer. That makes it all the more frustrating to watch a neighborhood grocery store we actually depend on decline like this.
And to be clear: I'm comparing this Rouses only to other Rouses. I've probably shopped at 10 or more locations around Louisiana, MS, and AL...and the Tchoupitoulas store is in a league of its own...
The biggest issue is the overall condition of the store. It just feels tired, run-down, and not particularly clean. On my most recent visit, the men's restroom was genuinely awful: a visibly soiled toilet and...uh... a liquid...covering much of the floor that was very clearly not from a round of mopping. The checkout belts were dirty, too, and the floors and aisles rarely seem especially fresh or well maintained.
The customer service can be equally rough around the edges. A few days ago, I couldn't figure out where to return my hand basket because there wasn't a stack of baskets at either entrance (there never is... and I don't usually need a whole cart; so I have to go to a checkout lane and search beneath the belt to find a basket). After shopping and paying, I left the basket I eventually found at the corner on the floor by customer service counter, which seemed like a reasonably civilized solution. An employee then mumbled a complaint about where I'd left it under her breath, but with the impressive vocal projection necessary to make absolutely certain I heard it. Mind you, I'd had to ask her for it off the end of the bagging area she was standing at when I walked in because it was the only one I could find.
It was a small thing, but pretty representative of the atmosphere. And again, this isn't some sweeping indictment of Rouse's employees everywhere. I've been to other locations (including Morgan City) where the staff are consistently friendly and helpful but the store is also. Errr... in need of investment. That makes the difference here even more noticeable.
The store is also frequently out of ingredients I'm looking for. In fairness, I can't pin that entirely on this location. Trying to find one specific ingredient in a New Orleans grocery store has always involved a certain amount of faith, perseverance, and occasionally driving to Metairie.
Frequently at grocery rush hour (~5pm on weekdays) the lines are overly long when only 2-3 lanes are open. The few employees there don't seem thrilled to be there, either. Like okay, I get it, maybe that's not their dream job, either, but also maybe it has to do with corporate or management's culture?
The person shopping with me on my latest visit, with absolutely no prompting from me, walked out and said: "Wow, that was worse than Walmart."
I don't come to Yelp often to complain (in fact usually to boost a store or restaurant), and I'm not writing this just to pile on. This is a key neighborhood grocery store serving a large part of Uptown, particularly as other nearby options disappear. It badly needs some investment, better upkeep, and a general refresh to bring it in line with the quality of other Rouses locations.
Uptown deserves a better version of this store...and frankly, so does Rouse's.
