Summary: 4 stars for grocery. 1 star for pharmacy.
So, I actually wrote a review previously for this Smith's, but it looks like this particular address has two yelp pages for some reason. I'm leaving this update here instead of the other one because this one has the bulk of reviews.
I wanted to do an update review of this store because they remodeled. The remodel is nice. The store looks less shabby now. The shelve height was increased, the walls and some of the floors were replaced/redesigned. The produce section was redesigned with some new shelving which looks very nice and open. The pharmacy was pulled forward to the front of the store instead of being relegated to the back. There is also a nice waiting area. The floral department was put up front and there is a fake tree that is lit up that looks rather nice. The self check out area was redesigned so that instead of three little lanes, there is sort of a circular area so that it seems more open and accommodating to shoppers in that area.
One thing I really don't like about the new design is that foot traffic is kind of forced to the left when coming into the store unless going to the pharmacy. There's no way to just walk straight into the aisles. The bathrooms were not remolded, which is to bad because they need it badly. One of the faucets in the women's bathroom doesn't work and hasn't for some time. I was also very disappointed that we didn't get a more comprehensive cheese monger section like some of the other Smith's locations. I still have to go up to the nearby Harmon's for a more high end cheese selection, even though this store is closer to my house.
As far as a grocery store experience, it's pretty standard. The store is clean and I've noticed that they make an effort to pay attention to the little details. I don't know if that's because it's new or if that will continue, but it's something that I noticed. I also like that they have a manager's special area for meat. Some stores don't do that, and I think it's just a waste. For the most part, the variety is pretty good. The staff, in general, is pretty friendly and helpful. It's very rare that I feel like I get sub-par service by the grocer staff.
There is a bank at this location, but I don't use it.
The self-scan check out kiosks can be frustrating sometimes because they will insist that I need to bag something when I already did, or that there is an item in the bag area that hasn't been scanned when there isn't. It's really frustrating to have the self-check employee hovering over you because their computer says there's something extra in my bags when there's not. This happens more often now than before the remodel.
So honestly, I would say this grocery store deserves 4 stars.
Except, as you can see, I gave it 3.
Why?
Simple. The pharmacy. If I was just reviewing the pharmacy, I would give it 1 star.
Okay, so, I personally use the Harmon's pharmacy up the street, but I've considered moving my pharmacy business to the Smith's pharmacy because it's much closer to my house. I have a lot of health problems, so I'm kind of a regular pharmacy goer and it would be much easier to use this location.
Yesterday (1/5/2017 at around 10:30am), I had the opportunity to try this pharmacy. Not for myself, but for a very close friend who just had oral surgery and needed her prescriptions filled. She uses this pharmacy, so I was glad to be able to write a more comprehensive update review on this Smith's.
I dropped off the prescriptions, did a little shopping, and then came back to pick up the medications. The individual that helped me was the same on drop off and pick up. She had blondish dyed hair (I don't want to use names but I want Smith's to know who I'm talking about). The service was pretty lackluster in the friendliness department, but when I picked up the prescriptions she didn't offer any advice nor did she ask if I had any questions. I thought that was strange because I'm used to that kind of service, even if I'm picking up medications for someone who isn't me.
So, I asked her if there was anything that my friend should know and she replied that if my friend had questions then should could call and that it looked like she had used these prescriptions before, so she should be fine.
Let me reiterate here. My friend had oral surgery. She could barely talk. So that was pointless.
When I mentioned the experience to my friend, she was shocked and angry because had never had either of these two medications before in her life. Not only was it poor customer service, but we both felt like this was extremely irresponsible especially when I asked point blank if there was anything she should know. The fact that she outright lied to me, was also unacceptable.
I will NEVER bring my pharmacy business to this location. The extra drive is worth having knowledgeable, responsible, and caring pharmacy staff. I cannot stress this enough. read more