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slight rant...Key Foods — Brooklynian

slight rant...Key Foods

tont0r
tont0r
edited November -1 in Park Slope
Why is there such a massive difference between the key foods on 7th ave vs the key foods on 5th ave? The produce on 7th ave is always crap, the meat always looks questionable, the store is always filthy, the staff is beyond slow.

I always thought thats how all key foods are until i went to the 5th ave one and it was pretty much the exact opposite. I realize there is the size difference and that makes the 7th ave store slightly more crammed, but still....

thoughts?
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Comments

  • antigone
    antigone
    I don't know the answer to your question, but I love the Key Food on 5th. It's a pleasure to shop there. Clean store, wide aisles (well, for New York), decent produce and meat. The cashiers are actually pretty nice and efficient and the lines are never too long (in stark contrast to the hell that is Pathmark). I like that they have a small section of English food. Spotted dick, anyone? ;) They seem to have a good beer selection as well. As an extra added bonus, there is the music - it's not the stereotypical Muzak that most supermarkets play. I usually walk out of there with some obscure 60's hit playing in my head. Not a bad way to start a Saturday morning! It's the only grocery store where I shop, aside from Trader Joe's (Fairway is a pain in the ass, IMO).

    I haven't been to the 7th Avenue Key Food in years, since my Park Slope days, but I remember it was a pit. Guess it hasn't changed much. The Key Food on Montague is pretty disgusting as well. I work in the area and the last time I went there, I was looking for a specific type of soda - nothing too exotic but natch, they didn't have it (but the Key Food on 5th does). The Key Food on Atlantic and Clinton is slightly better than the one on Montague, but it's tiny.
  • pitu
    pitu
    They are individually owned and managed. The manager on 5th Ave know his job, and does it spectacularly well.
  • squindar
    squindar
    I stopped in the 7th Avenue one the other day to pick up a couple of things and the cashier was friendly and smiling. I felt like I was in the twilight zone.

    But yeah. Pretty much a pit. The one on Flatbush isn't that great, either, but it's 24 hours.
  • thegardener
    thegardener
    There's a Key Food on Prospect Ave and 11th Ave in WT...and it came down to never having what I needed and I ended up having to go to the fish market and the meat market and the fruit stand...so I just stopped going totally and mostly rely on Fresh Direct now. I was paying to have the Key Food order delivered, so it's not really changing the price all that much
  • ringrunner
    ringrunner
    The prices in the 7th Ave Key Food do not always match the sale circular. Ya gotta watch the prices as items get scanned. The flip side of that coin is that sometimes the sale last longer than it should
  • longtimesloper
    longtimesloper
    Different managers is why in my opinion.
    The managers at the 7th avenue store just don't care, their feeling is they are the only supermarket on 7th avenue so if you don't like it, tough! My oldest worked there as a cashier for 2 years while in high school and beginning of college and he confirmed this attitude
  • julius orange
    julius orange
    'Cause Steve sucks. The C town on 9th street is a Steve's C-Town. The one on 5th isn't.

    It's Steve. It's all Steve.
  • longtimesloper
    longtimesloper
    What are you talking about??? This thread is about the 2 different Key Foods, the one on 7th and the one of 5th.
  • julius orange
    julius orange
    Yeah, you're right. I was confusing my crappy supermarket chains.

    So back on topic ... I think the real difference is size. The one on 5th has just much more room to stock better inventory and give proper space to their produce. I bet the produce is the same coming off the truck, but it probably lasts better if it's not crammed together on the shelf like it is on 7th. Also, the one on 5th plays better music.

    But if you live in South Slope, or have a car, I think the Key Food on Prospect Ave. is better than those two.
  • brooklynjack
    brooklynjack
    Key Food is not a supermarket chain it is a buying cooperative. Each Key Food is independently owned an operated.
    keyfood.com/about.aspx wrote: Key Food Stores Co-Op Inc. was founded in 1937. The 100 plus individually owned member supermarkets are conveniently located in the 5 Boros, Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester, Orange, Putnam and Dutchess Counties and in New Jersey.
  • MOD
    MOD
    pitu wrote: They are individually owned and managed. The manager on 5th Ave know his job, and does it spectacularly well.
    ^ This.
  • dimples
    dimples
    Only in the last 2-years has Key Foods on 5th changed its tune; rude service, dirty floors, and bad produce used to be the norm. Genetrification has lead to the hiring of a kinder, gentler group of cashiers, the purchase of mops, and fresh fruit.
  • raw
    raw
    I pretty much agree with all that has been said. The Key Food on 7th Avenue is filthy and sells rotten, over priced food. I've bought packaged food from there that was tampered with. Fresh food from Whole Foods is a lot less money than Key Food's garbage. I am not a Whole Foods fan -- I'm just pointing out what an over priced dump Key Food on 7th Avenue is. The Key Food on 5th Avenue is much better. The Key Food on Flatbush near the Q stop smells funny, but has much better prices. There are some good Key Foods in Manhattan.
  • fancy
    fancy
    The Key Food on 5th is G R E A T. I didn't like my shopping experience in the 7th Ave. store.
    The manager (5th Ave.) lives near Wegman 's in Jersey and knows how to run a supermarket. If the store was larger we wouldn't have to go to any other store in Brooklyn, well maybe except shoes/clothes stores.
    Fairway Market is a GREATER shopping experience. U must visit. (Near IKEA, Redhook)
  • 1st_streeter
    1st_streeter
    The meat at 5th Av Key Food is neon-red from dye. Kinda disgusting.
  • santa
    santa
    ive bought plenty of shitty produce at 5th ave key foods.

    also I was in Bed Stuy the other day around the Myrtle JMZ stop and the grocery store there was awesome. They had lobsters in a tank. I was blown away. Park Slope is getting the shaft.
  • longtimesloper
    longtimesloper
    Dimples wrote: Only in the last 2-years has Key Foods on 5th changed its tune; rude service, dirty floors, and bad produce used to be the norm. Genetrification has lead to the hiring of a kinder, gentler group of cashiers, the purchase of mops, and fresh fruit.

    I very much disagree, the Key Food on 5th Avenue has been much much better than the 7th Avenue one for years now, not just the p0ast 2. I don't really buy my produce from any supermarket, but, the 5th avenue key food always had nice cashiers, etc.. They have also had the same managers for years, I think that makes the difference, the 7th Avenue Key Food changes managers a lot.
  • antigone
    antigone
    Yep, ITA with longtimesloper. I've been shopping at the Key Food on 5th Avenue for about 12 years now. I don't go there every week, but I go there often enough. I have never had a bad experience there. From about 1996 till 2003, I used to frequently stop there with my daughter while walking her home from school. I don't see a marked difference between now and 2+ years ago - it's always been a good place to shop. In my experience, it was never dirty or rude. Granted it's not as cheap as the Hell that is Pathmark, but I'm willing to spend a few extra bucks for a stress-free shopping experience.
  • opossumqueen
    opossumqueen
    I now live near Steve's on 9th and it's decent, but I miss being near that 5th Ave Key Foods. I would load my super-sized cart to the brim and roll it home, happy. They had some of *my* products that not every store has (like canned diet dr. pepper), which kept me happy.

    Oh, and they often have those Jalapeno Bubba burgers which are so tasty when you want to go lazy on at home burgers and not mix your own patties. Try them!
  • stooplady
    stooplady
    OK, but ave you ever shopped at the Key Food on Flatbush??? Upon entering the store one is hit with the ever-loving bodega smell of Pine Sol. The cheese cooler is next to the front door, where it is warm. They kept fruit and other odds and ends outside, under an awning but in the sun.
    Some of the aisles are dark and the shelves are really high.
    VERY squishy, especially the freezer aisle.
    The 7th Ave store is a palace next to this one.
  • zeebee
    zeebee
    I'll go by the 7th Ave store if I'm in the area but won't buy 'real' food from them, only things like Kleenex and canned soda. I lessen my stress by avoiding the cashiers and using the scan-it-yourself checkout lines.
  • count floyd
    count floyd
    StoopLady wrote: OK, but ave you ever shopped at the Key Food on Flatbush??? Upon entering the store one is hit with the ever-loving bodega smell of Pine Sol. The cheese cooler is next to the front door, where it is warm. They kept fruit and other odds and ends outside, under an awning but in the sun.
    Some of the aisles are dark and the shelves are really high.
    VERY squishy, especially the freezer aisle.
    The 7th Ave store is a palace next to this one.
    Yeah, I live right around the corner from the Flatbush Key Food and I just cannot deal with it anymore for grocery shopping. I only use it for quick milk/juice/bread runs. You literally cannot reach 50% of the stock without a footstool. It's pointless to try to cram a supermarket into that space.
  • bklynbks
    bklynbks
    I don't get it. Why don't you go to Fairway--regardless of the shlep--it's worth it. You simply cannot compare the freshness of their foods with anything else in Brooklyn.
  • antigone
    antigone
    ^ We don't have a car so Fairway is a pain in the ass. From my admittedly limited experience shopping there (when we rented a Zip Car for something else), I don't think it's worth the effort. I suppose if you have a car and a schedule that permits you to shop during weekdays, it's probably better. Personally, I'll stick with 5th Avenue Key Foods and Fresh Direct.
  • bdeskin
    bdeskin
    ^ you don't have a car? Whose car is Louie driving over to my house, then?
  • raw
    raw
    If you don't have a car going to Fairway in Red Hook, Brooklyn is not an option.
    However, if you're in Harlem, you might be able to carry a few bags from the Fairway on 130th Street on the subway. Not exactly worth the trip unless you already have business in the area.

    Trader Joe's might be an option. There are buses to and from Park Slope to the Trader Joe's on Atlantic Avenue. If you had to, you could also drag a few bags on the subway to Brooklyn from the Trader Joe's at Union Square.
  • twentytwenty
    twentytwenty
    ^there's also a Fairway on the UWS (approx. 74th/Bway....but can't remember exact streets right now). It's fairly subway convenient.

    Where are those TJ buses? I have a car, but like to load up and parking near TJs here is not easy
  • mancunian
    mancunian
    I like the Key food on Flatbush, sure its small, but they have slightly higher-end products and a decent selection of veggie burgers; the beer selection is also pretty nice.

    I just don't get why they put the shelves so high. I mean, I'm 6' 5" and sometimes I have to strain. I can't imagine that they sell anything up there to normal size people.
  • carmen
    carmen
    the 63 is right at TJs bk
  • antigone
    antigone
    Flexichick wrote: ^ you don't have a car? Whose car is Louie driving over to my house, then?
    Louie is learning how to skateboard.
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