Because I don't drive, I have to shop at this store. If I could, I would shop elsewhere. The Shaw's near the Boston Globe is a much better store.
This store is less than 10 years old. It replaced an older one that was horrendous. Since the new store opened, the only consistent thing about it is that they keep cutting things. Originally, it had a seafood department - gone. The greeting card section - reduced to 2 small racks. They had a pharmacy - gone. There were at least a dozen products that I bought regularly that are no longer sold. TGI Fridays Frozen Dinners - gone. Starbucks Double Shot Espresso Drinks - gone. Terra Potato Chips - gone. Prince Spaghetti products - gone. Tostitos Hint of Jalapeno Scoops - gone. I've asked about numerous products that have disappeared and nothing is ever done. I've asked about this and nothing is ever done. Cutting products is bad enough, but they also do a poor job of stocking. They're very bad at this. Many shelves are often bare and they restock popular products slowly at best.
The store is being renovated now - something they wouldn't have to do if they'd only perform regular maintenance. With the renovation has come a new layout, which seems arbitrary. They've moved everything around so regular customers can't find anything. They've even made some aisles narrower! I mentioned this to a manager and was told this was not the case. I had to walk her over to the aisle and show her. They're so narrow, 2 carts can barely fit side by side. She acknowledged this and claimed she was unaware of it.
Recently, they instituted a policy that requires stickers on anything you carry out that isn't in a bag. To me, this says you don't trust your customers. It may be a corporate policy, but it was never enforced at this store until the last few weeks. I found this out because an employee asked where my stickers were. I went back a few days later to buy more groceries. The cashier didn't put any stickers on the bottled water I was buying. When I asked why, I was told they didn't have any stickers!!
I know it's tough to find halfway intelligent people for the money they pay, but this store must be unable to find anyone with a brain. The last time I went in, I saw 4 or 5 employees just standing around in a group shooting the breeze. Nobody cares what customers want or think. People at the store often show no common courtesy and never think of putting the customer first.
I've purchased items from the store in the past that were spoiled, opened, thawed and refrozen. I got a package of ice cream bars that were all distorted when I opened them. They must have been left out too long and began to melt and were then put in the freezer, to refreeze. I got a pie from the bakery once that had mold on the bottom.
I once asked a deli employee why they stopped carrying a particular brand of sandwich wraps - they were usually right in front of the deli counter and had not been stocked for weeks. The person didn't know what I was talking about and had no clue how things were ordered. I spoke with the deli manager and he didn't know why they weren't stocked either, but promised to get them in a couple of days. It took at least a week.
At the service counter, they had a sign listing lottery jackpots. This was taken down and I asked about it for months. I was given 3 different explanations as to why it wasn't put back up. I spoke to 3 different managers about it. I finally sent in a complaint via the corporate web site and the sign finally appeared a few days later.
Their seafood is horrible. Nothing is fresh. They originally had a number of prepared seafood dishes, but stopped carrying them. They had real sushi years ago. Now, they have this alternative with low quality ingredients that is barely palatable.
Stop & Shop corporate and the management of this store are doing a disservice to the community. My guess is they only care about customers insofar as they impact their bottom line. This store has serious problems that are easily solved. For some reason, the corporate folk and the store management are unable to properly respond to customer needs.
I've lived near this store for over 20 years, so I know what I'm talking about - unlike some of the people who have posted reviews, who seem to be one time shoppers or don't shop regularly at the store. I saw one review from someone who lives in Rhodes Island! I suppose they have a right to voice their opinion, but the problems this store faces are most important to regular customers and they need to be addressed soon. read more