Remember how crappy the Vons by 5 points treated us? With weekly specials on Kool-Aid and Cup-o-Noodles? The Smart & Final “extra” hasn’t been much better in that department, stocking mostly processed foods but this time in bigger quantities. We make do because at least they have some veggies. And at least they have some decent beers. But lately when I’ve gone in just to get a few items (beer, creamer, eggs, cheese, coffee, broccoli, snow peas, aguacates, onions, ginger, aluminum foil: I think that is the extent of my shopping there, with a few other random items) they haven’t had any of the portable baskets available by the front door. Sometimes they run out. But after repeated visits with nary a handheld basket in sight I responded to the cashiers corporately mandated query of “did you find everything okay?” with a question about the baskets.
“Oh, people stole them all, I think we have three left.”
I assume they don’t plan on getting replacements since it has been awhile. Not a surprising strategy for a corporate store in a working neighborhood but you know this wouldn’t fly in a fancy-lad suburb. Poor people don’t complain cuz there’s other bullshit to deal with. I have too many complaints about this world to focus on just one. But maybe this post will reach some Lincoln Heighter that will make the calls, talk to the manager, write a letter.
On my way out I spot one basket. I feel like going back and stealing the last three.
UPDATE! 5/7/11
I went by today and things just get worse, now they don’t even have shopping carts! It wasn’t that busy today but look, just the cart I have and one extra.
On the way out, no carts at all. I saw people looking around the parking lot for some and others were asking exiting shoppers if they were done with their cart.
One over there.
One over here.
And one hiding in the corner because its tired of being overused.
Compare the current situation to a pic from when they first opened and had 3 lines of carts. You be stupid S & F!
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I think I’ve been pretty open about my strong dislike for Smart & Final for YEARS! 😛 That’s for Smart & Final. I ALSO HATE that I have to put my own bags in my cart! WHAT THE HECK!
It’s like the same crap of Home Depot. They check your receipts at the door. I was at the San Fernando Road Home Depot the same night at the one on Figueroa and San Fernando didn’t ask for a receipt. Same goes for the Sears on Olympic. They ask for receipts. Other Sears don’t. Grrrrrrrrrrrr
Time for a lawsuit?
Stores think they can get away with shitty service in poor communities because they know most people don’t complain, but come on, no fucking baskets? Don’t you want us to buy more than we can carry?
I’ve often put up a fight about the receipt thing too, refusing to show them my receipt after paying for my items. It leads to confrontations. Now I just avoid places like Home Despot.
On the positive side, your car door will not have any shopping cart dings in it.
I suppose the Store Manager does not care about his sales numbers either. No carts = less sales.
I was there on Friday after work and there was not a cart anywhere to be seen. Not in the cart corral, not in the parking lot, nothing. Finally after waiting around for about 5 minutes looking like a dumbass, a guy came up with what I’m guessing was the last basket in the place and put it down. About 5 people were looking at it, but I was there at the right place at the right time and I snatched it up.
Baffling. Don’t they use the carts that get stuck when you try to exit the lot?
As for the receipt grilling, it’s not about you. It’s about checking to see if the cashiers are giving you something without charging for it. Looking at the receipt doesn’t magically cause shoplifters to get discovered.
Make a phone call to corporate and it’ll get resolved in a blink of an eye.