deceptive price labeling at Key Food/JoeBrianJosephs
last night I got into a giant fight with the manager at key food because it was the umpeenth time I'd found groceries mislabeled -- and then scanned at a higher price at the register.
I'd bought a pint of strawberry sorbet -- the big yellow sale sign said 2 for $5 -- but then it canned at $3.69. I brought this up with the cashier, who then consulted with the manager for several minutes. it turned out I'd taken the no-sugar-added variety, which was half of the selection there and was not on sale.
not a big deal if it happens once, but it happens repeatedly!
the other week I saw a sign for ritz crackers on sale -- but for only a specific size package that they didn't even have (like 16 oz versus 17.5 oz). so the sale sign was in front of a large stack of crackers that weren't even on sale.
it's bad enough that the place carries bad produce and is completely overpriced and disorganized, but I've seen other people get into this exact arguments with the management before.
so last night:
manager: ...but splenda costs more! how can you expect it to cost the same? go to any other store and you'll see...
me: I'm talking about how you label. you should make it clear there are two prices.
manager: we have so many items here, do you know how many thousands of items we have? it's so hard to keep track. you have to look at the labels. it's not my fault if you don't pay attention.
me: it's your job to keep track. this happens over and over and I don't have this problem at any other store. we've seen other people have this exact problem. it's deceptive labeling.
manager: yes, other people have this problem. it's not deceptive labeling.
this goes on for a while longer. the cashiers are all staring. I storm out. I tell him I am never shopping there again.
I'd bought a pint of strawberry sorbet -- the big yellow sale sign said 2 for $5 -- but then it canned at $3.69. I brought this up with the cashier, who then consulted with the manager for several minutes. it turned out I'd taken the no-sugar-added variety, which was half of the selection there and was not on sale.
not a big deal if it happens once, but it happens repeatedly!
the other week I saw a sign for ritz crackers on sale -- but for only a specific size package that they didn't even have (like 16 oz versus 17.5 oz). so the sale sign was in front of a large stack of crackers that weren't even on sale.
it's bad enough that the place carries bad produce and is completely overpriced and disorganized, but I've seen other people get into this exact arguments with the management before.
so last night:
manager: ...but splenda costs more! how can you expect it to cost the same? go to any other store and you'll see...
me: I'm talking about how you label. you should make it clear there are two prices.
manager: we have so many items here, do you know how many thousands of items we have? it's so hard to keep track. you have to look at the labels. it's not my fault if you don't pay attention.
me: it's your job to keep track. this happens over and over and I don't have this problem at any other store. we've seen other people have this exact problem. it's deceptive labeling.
manager: yes, other people have this problem. it's not deceptive labeling.
this goes on for a while longer. the cashiers are all staring. I storm out. I tell him I am never shopping there again.
Comments
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The Key Food on Fifth Ave and Baltic is way better than all other Key Foods. The one on Seventh Ave is a relative disaster...
which one are you talking about? -
This is the one on Flatbush, between Sterling and Park.
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pitu lillet wrote: The Key Food on Fifth Ave and Baltic is way better than all other Key Foods.
I LOVE that Key Food!! I had a feeling it was not the one on 5th because I have never seen the manager (who is always on hand and always pleasant) argue with any customer. Most of the cashiers shop there themselves and many times have told me "you should buy x brand instead of y - its the same thing but x is on sale this week and y is not".
Sorry you had to go through the BS but check out the 5th Ave. store next time - you will see the difference. -
oh my... i had a similar problem at the food emporium when they rang up my milk for $6.89. I questioned cashier who was dumb as a clam, who said i should pay for it and go to courtesy counter for a refund. i basically said there was no way in hell i was going to pay for it and that i wanted to buy it at the right price.
so. manager was called over, who thought that's what the milk cost. and i had to walk with him over to the milk section and show him the actual cost.
in the meantime, because my cashier's register was on hold there was some sort of electrical glitch and all of the registers went down. lines were getting longer, people were grumbling, i was snappish and angry towards the manager. finally, they lowered the price on my milk--NORMAL milk. we grabbed our bagged groceries and headed out the door and at this point, all the customers on the long lines started clapping because we were leaving.
to this day my brother will torture me by humming the food emporium song. -
I'm a pretty big fan of the korean store on flatbush and the met on vanderbilt.
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brooklynpotter wrote:
I hate when people do that. Its not your fault they try to overcharge and get away with it. Lately, I can't even be bothered to argue, so I just end up not buying the item.
all the customers on the long lines started clapping because we were leaving. -
why dont you guys starta boycott of the place or something till it change owners or something.
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caaahyoko wrote: Lately, I can't even be bothered to argue, so I just end up not buying the item.
i'm too much of an idealist and advocate that i actually watch each item scan and nearly always find something incorrect. some markets (consciencious--sp?) ones, give you the item free if it scans incorrectly, but not here.
it happens constantly at the pathmark in gowanus. -
Subject: Re: deceptive price labeling at Key Food/JoeBrianJosephs
shop at met on vandy / it's been maintained by the same family for well over a decade and it gets better and better each month. I've shopped there for years and have never ever had an item scan incorrectly. They even let people post-date checks for groceries....they'll order items they don't stock if you ask nicely etc etc
you can tell it's well managed because the cashiers stay for yearshelloyellow wrote: last night I got into a giant fight with the manager at key food because it was the umpeenth time I'd found groceries mislabeled -- and then scanned at a higher price at the register.
I'd bought a pint of strawberry sorbet -- the big yellow sale sign said 2 for $5 -- but then it canned at $3.69. I brought this up with the cashier, who then consulted with the manager for several minutes. it turned out I'd taken the no-sugar-added variety, which was half of the selection there and was not on sale.
not a big deal if it happens once, but it happens repeatedly!
the other week I saw a sign for ritz crackers on sale -- but for only a specific size package that they didn't even have (like 16 oz versus 17.5 oz). so the sale sign was in front of a large stack of crackers that weren't even on sale.
it's bad enough that the place carries bad produce and is completely overpriced and disorganized, but I've seen other people get into this exact arguments with the management before.
so last night:
manager: ...but splenda costs more! how can you expect it to cost the same? go to any other store and you'll see...
me: I'm talking about how you label. you should make it clear there are two prices.
manager: we have so many items here, do you know how many thousands of items we have? it's so hard to keep track. you have to look at the labels. it's not my fault if you don't pay attention.
me: it's your job to keep track. this happens over and over and I don't have this problem at any other store. we've seen other people have this exact problem. it's deceptive labeling.
manager: yes, other people have this problem. it's not deceptive labeling.
this goes on for a while longer. the cashiers are all staring. I storm out. I tell him I am never shopping there again. -
Subject: Re: deceptive price labeling at Key Food/JoeBrianJosephs
elitt wrote: shop at met on vandy / it's been maintained by the same family for well over a decade and it gets better and better each month. I've shopped there for years and have never ever had an item scan incorrectly. They even let people post-date checks for groceries....they'll order items they don't stock if you ask nicely etc etc
oh, i don't think so. it's far too crowded in there and lots of the produce is close to death. frozen food are all covered in layers of ice. and the place isn't cheap, either. in fact, it's pretty pricey considering how grimy it is in there.
you can tell it's well managed because the cashiers stay for years -
I have had the same experience at the Key Foods you're describing at Flatbush and Sterling--being charged a different price than is posted. Or, noxiously, there being no price at all, neither on the item nor on the shelf, which means any price goes.
I've always had a good experience across the street at Natural Land on Flatbush, but it's awfully expensive. -
Let the buyer beware! Pay attention when they check you out. If the price is wrong, if they don't fix it immediately, then tell them you don't want the item (which leaves them the hassel of having to get someone to put the ice cream back before it melts, and ultimately winds up costing them more due to spoiled items). I think the Key Food of Flatbush's practices are pretty standard and I've seen the same at lots of supermarkets in neighborhoods all over this city. I'm not excusing it, but I pretty much expect people to rip me off if I'm not paying attention.
On the other hand, I totally agree about Met Food on Vanderbilt. It's not pretty from the outside, but the supermarket really has a lot better selection than you'd expect. Of course, I don't go to the supermarket that often anymore because the green market and Fresh Direct take care of most of my needs.
The only reason I really ever go to the Key Food is because of the 24 hour thing, which actually makes me really glad the place is there despite its shortcomings. Having a 24 hour supermarket is a huge asset to the neighborhood. -
I find I can usually satisfy the late night munchies with a trip to natural land. I love their fancy chips and mac-and-cheese... and fruit and vegetables and nuts!
Carnivore wrote: The only reason I really ever go to the Key Food is because of the 24 hour thing, which actually makes me really glad the place is there despite its shortcomings. Having a 24 hour supermarket is a huge asset to the neighborhood.
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I second the suggestion of the Met on Vandy. Of course, I would not buy produce there if it were the last place in the world (I would buy frozen veggies). Their prices are great (they beat Fairway on a number of items, including vanilla extract and Tropicana juice), the staff is so friendly, and yes, though it looks grimy, check out a newspaper clipping they have posted on the wall, from the DN or NYP (not sure which) in which it is rated one of the cleanest grocery stores in the city. Also, the less attractive interior may make you think they would not have things like Lavazza espresso... but they do! Add to that that they operate a recycling redemption center outside the store, and I love 'em. It's also a real neighborhood store, and the staff regularly says hi to me already, when I've only lived here a couple months! But, I do all my produce shopping at Fairway in Red Hook, because shrink-wrapped bell peppers on styrofoam trays (which Met does) are very sad.
I'm a pretty exacting shopper when it comes to price & quality, so am happy to live right around the corner from Met. I don't think Key Food on 5th comes close to Met's value (though produce is much better) and I shopped at the Key on Flatbush for the last time when I bought some truly icky hummus and tasteless pita there - the worst I had eaten ever in my entire life! Natural Land's prices are through the roof, and I don't find the selection so great.
The only quibble I have with Met are the hours - I routinely forget when they close, and especially on a Sunday, am often bummed out. -
Love the Met on Vanderbilt... Even their vegetables!
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i always watch the scan at key food on flatbush because virtually every time i've shopped there, something scans at a higher price than marked. especially sale stuff. however, i've never had a prob when pointing this out to management. they sometimes get annoyed, but always correct the error. that and various other ineptitudes at that store make me a much more frequent shopper at met on vanderbilt. i love this place and agree on the superior management and enjoy supporting them. not for produce, tho. natural land on flatbush ends up being my 'convenience' default for fruits and veggies and cheeses and the other random surprisingly interesting noshes one can find there. i also think their fish is a good choice for a neighborhood place.
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The beer prices at the Flatbush Key are kind of awesome, though.
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Finn wrote: The beer prices at the Flatbush Key are kind of awesome, though.
I agree, though you do have to watch out for the occasional ancient sixer - I've sometimes found seasonal brews from at least 12-18 months prior.
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roux42 wrote: Love the Met on Vanderbilt... Even their vegetables!
Love Met too -- behind the ATM machine they posted an article that found their location to be one of the two cleanest supermarkets in the entire borough.
And Foxy Brown used to bag there. -
qtrain wrote:
I can't vouch for the cleanliness or non-clenlieness of Met, but I can say that the article is misleading - an example of sloppy journalism by the News (who I think wrote the article). What really is the case is that Met had the fewest violations for the year in which the article was written. What the article doesn't point out, because they were perhaps to lazy o do their research, was that the market had been open for less than a full year (it had just changed ownership. So, while other markets had a full twelve months to accumulate violations, Met had only a few months.
Love Met too -- behind the ATM machine they posted an article that found their location to be one of the two cleanest supermarkets in the entire borough. -
jml wrote: [quote=qtrain]
I can't vouch for the cleanliness or non-clenlieness of Met, but I can say that the article is misleading - an example of sloppy journalism by the News (who I think wrote the article). What really is the case is that Met had the fewest violations for the year in which the article was written. What the article doesn't point out, because they were perhaps to lazy o do their research, was that the market had been open for less than a full year (it had just changed ownership. So, while other markets had a full twelve months to accumulate violations, Met had only a few months.
Love Met too -- behind the ATM machine they posted an article that found their location to be one of the two cleanest supermarkets in the entire borough.
Heh. -
Subject: Love the Met on Vandy!
Not only do they have a great selection but every time I've asked the owner to stock an item, he promptly looks it up on his suppliers list and gets it in by the next time I shop.
I agree that the Met's produce could use improvement, I've given them my 2 cents on stocking more organic etc already. Perhaps, if enough of us let the friendly Met owners/managers know that as shoppers, we are hoping for and would purchase, better produce, they would! -
Met is cool. The owners are very nice and they have gone out of their way to get certain items that I have requested even though they didn't stock them. However, they make a lousy cup of coffee.
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i'm a met fan. they have most everything i need and a great beer selection. produce is usually fine in my book--i've paid double at the farmers' market for lesser quality--although like anywhere you have to watch what you're getting.
fifth avenue key though has everything. it's like a giant suburban supermarket, has excellent produce, and even has a parking lot. so if we need a lot of stuff, we drive there and load up.
we used to live near the flatbush key and are happy not to anymore. the wrong pricing, while it warrant the anger expressed in this thread, is less a malicious conspiracy than garden-variety incompetence. not that that justifies it. they should give you the posted price, whether they posted it by mistake or not.
best bet: shop elsewhere. -
Smokin' Joe wrote: the wrong pricing, while it warrant the anger expressed in this thread, is less a malicious conspiracy than garden-variety incompetence. not that that justifies it. they should give you the posted price, whether they posted it by mistake or not.
i'm with you on the best bet.
best bet: shop elsewhere.
as for whether incorrect scanning is a mere matter of incompetence, i wholeheartedly have to disagree. watch some dateline, or 20/20 segments to see how some stores have done just this: "accidentally" had different prices on shelves than what rang up on scanner.
the pathmark in gowanus is, in my opinion, the perfect example. constant scanning errors to the point that i contacted pathmark headquarters (i'm difficult that way...). they gave me a song and dance about new managers, apologized and said they'd handle it, and sent me some coupons. to see whether they had i went back a couple weeks later and purchased the same items, and had the same difference in prices. i don't think it's an accident at all. -
I'm a little confused - did the sale sign not indicate which variety was on sale? If that's the case, you should call the Better Business Bureau. If the sale sign does indicate which variety is on sale, you need to pay better attention and not assume that everything behind a sign is covered by the sign.
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