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| The Fairway supermarket in Red Hook, Brooklyn. (Wikipedia) |
Since receiving no reward for bringing reusable bags to Fairway Market in Paramus, I have been trying to find out the reason for the store policy. (See earlier post, "Please be a good neighbor, Fairway.")
I called on Wednesday and asked for the store manager, but was told he wasn't in and that I could speak to the floor manager.
When I asked him why Fairway didn't give customers a token payment for each reusable shopping bag, he said that is a "corporate" decision and that "corporate" would have to tell the Paramus store to reward shoppers for not using plastic bags.
He gave me the number for the corporate office in the city.
I called Wednesday and today, and was switched to the voice mail of "Vladimir." He has yet to return my call.
Not only is Fairway's Paramus store at variance with the practice of ShopRite, Whole Foods, Trader Joe's and other markets, Fairway also doesn't take back plastic bags for recycling, as ShopRite stores have done for years.
Fairway seems to be concerned more for their image on TV then anything else. I am in the process of trying to locate the proper person to write to now due to what happened to my disabled wife who today went in to the Upper West Side store. She went upstairs to the health food floor. After making some purchases went to the coffee counter and asked for a coffee with soy milk and asked if they had any vegan muffins. The counter person said no. She was told they had nothing vegan so she said she was going to get something in the store and would be right back which she did, buying three items in the deli section across the isle then returning to the coffee section. She paid for the coffee and sat down. I forgot to mention that my wife was exhausted and due to construction in our place had not been able to eat or even make a cup of coffee at home. She had not taken two sips when the waitress came flying over and said she was supposed to order from her. My wife said she was not told that but would leave a tip. She had not taken one bite when the waitress came at her scaring her and yelled at her that she was not allowed to bring in 'outside' food. My wife explained that she had purchased it at fairway, and that the person behind the counter heard her explain that that was what she was going to do, and that she had asked if they had anything vegan-in fact they had had an entire conversation. The waitress was angry. My wife's heart was beating as the place was 90% empty and she was sitting in the far corner and could not understand why this person was so angry but figured it was maybe an opportunity (she is a positive person) to ask for vegan food on the menu in a HEALTH FOOD CAFE. So she said to the waitress get the manager. The manager came. He would not sit down with her when she smiled and invited him. Policy is one thing, this guy (Wally or Willy is his name) was a bully and called security...on an exhausted disabled person who had just spent 53.00 in his store and was just sitting for 60 seconds trying to eat what she had purchased 2 minutes before and what she though she had permission to eat in a 90% empty restaurant at 11 AM on a Thursday. Nice going Fairway.
ReplyDeleteI have had trouble with FAIRWAY KIPS BAY.. the cheese manager labels
Deletemozzarella "NO SALT" when it is full of salt... we asked for help from
customer service to no avail. People in our neighborhood are fed up with
the nasty attitude of some of the store workers.. We hope WHOLE FOODS
takes over their lease when their business fails with that bad attitude!
We had a horrible time with the "foodie" worker and Cheese manager at
DeleteFairway Kips Bay... they are rude and don't care about the customers..
we tried to get help from customer service and they keep saying they will
speak to the cheese monger who labels mozzarella "NO SALT" when it
is full of salt... we hope that WHOLE FOODS takes over their lease when
people stop buying from them.. they are the worst!
Thanks for your comment. Fairway's arrogant New York attitude has spread far and wide.
DeleteThat is so sad. I am getting to dislike Fairway's Upper West Side attitude so much, I didn't even bother going to the Paramus store a couple of weeks ago when I went to Lord & Taylor nearby to use a gift card. I'm wondering which city agency you can call to report how badly your wife was treated. By the way, "Vladimir" never called me back on the policy of not rewarding customers for using reusable bags.
ReplyDeleteI also had a very negative experience at the Fairway store in Red Hook (Brooklyn). I was parking my car in the parking lot across the street from the store but controlled by Fairway and used exclusively for Fairway parking. When I got out of my car, a car pulled up behind my car blocking my ability to leave. A man got out of the car and started harassing me to let him fix a dent in door. I told him no thanks, but he kept insisting and getting closer and closer to me. Then the other man got out of the car and just starting "fixing my car" No one was around, and there was no security guard. I was frightened for my safety as these men could have had a concealed knife and, in fact, had a sharp instrument that the one man used to poke a hole in my car. They demanded $300 for the repair that they had done and became quite insistent. I gave them $200 because I was frightened that they would hurt me if I did not give them money. I was shaken for days that I could be threatened in mid afternoon. I wrote to the manager of security who said these men were "gypsies" and had been there before. He said that the Fairway was too cheap to pay for a security guard for the parking lot. When I spoke to the floor manager and the store manager at the Red Hook store, they also knew about these men and they said I should have just told them to go away-both of these managers are over 6 feet tall, big, and male. I am 5'2", middle-aged, and female. At first the store manager said that they, through the corporate office, would do something for me (a gift certificate or something), but that was more than two weeks ago and the corporate office has not had even the courtesy to reply to my letter. I feel that the Fairway does not care for the safety of its customers and could have easily avoided this upsetting incident by in general having a security guard in the parking lot, and certainly since they knew that there were these men roaming around looking for victims, it would have been reasonable to have a security guard in the parking lot. I seriously feel that even though I like the food and prices that I will find other safer places to do my grocery shopping.
ReplyDeleteAnother strike against Fairway Market's haughty attitude. Gypsies offering to fix your car have been roaming around Brooklyn for decades; I remember them from my youth in the Sixties, when I bought my first car. You were simply extorted out of $200. You might have considered calling 911 or going to the police. If Fairway is going to have a lot for customers, it simply cannot leave it without security, especially when it knows there is a problem.
ReplyDeleteI am very disappointed with this info.
ReplyDeleteThey should have a base to have complaints discussions and suggestions
You think being a customer is bad, trying being a in a relationship with a Fairway worker. My boyfriend and his friend work their ass off for the Fairway Paramus store. Do you think they've received raises..ummm no. They get treated like slaves no offense intended working for Fairway. My boyfriend told me that the lady the heads the cheese dept is the worse. Everyone in Seafood,Dry Foods and Nuts,Meat Dept hates her. She treats her staff like their beneath her. My boyfriend works in maintenance. He said he overheard the old cheese boss telling a employee today that he wasn't promoted to manager beause the head cheese lady Avvenell didn't like his wife. OMG!! i didn't know when we at the workplace go up for promotions they have to consider our spouses and relationship status. How ridiculous and very discriminatory is that on all levels. I hope that guy sticks it to Fairway legally. I've gone in the store and all the managers there seems so artificial and very rude. I hope someone from the ACLU, DOL and others read this and report Fairway for their wrongdoings. They deserved to be exposed
ReplyDeleteYou think being a customer is bad, trying being a in a relationship with a Fairway worker. My boyfriend and his friend work their ass off for the Fairway Paramus store. Do you think they've received raises..ummm no. They get treated like slaves no offense intended working for Fairway. My boyfriend told me that the lady the heads the cheese dept is the worse. Everyone in Seafood,Dry Foods and Nuts,Meat Dept hates her. She treats her staff like their beneath her. My boyfriend works in maintenance. He said he overheard the old cheese boss telling a employee today that he wasn't promoted to manager beause the head cheese lady Avvenell didn't like his wife. OMG!! i didn't know when we at the workplace go up for promotions they have to consider our spouses and relationship status. How ridiculous and very discriminatory is that on all levels. I hope that guy sticks it to Fairway legally. I've gone in the store and all the managers there seems so artificial and very rude. I hope someone from the ACLU, DOL and others read this and report Fairway for their wrongdoings. They deserved to be exposed
ReplyDeleteI have been trying to get a phone number, email address or fax so I can file a complaint with the corporate offices at Fairway. Yesterday, I was standing in line waiting for my number to be called, the person behind the deli counter decided that he would go off script and call “next on line”. Everyone on-line protested loudly about this diversion, me included. Order was restored when another person behind the deli counter went back to calling numbers. After more than a 30 minute wait Isaiah called my number. He repeatedly called out number 83 (from the extreme end of the counter) and I repeatedly responded. The other customers also chimed in and said, “she has been responding to you!”
ReplyDeleteFinally, out of frustration I said, “number 83 is here. Isaiah came barreling down the aisle towards me and said, “you don’t have to have an attitude about it.” Since when is it appropriate for a sales associate to speak to a customer in that manner? I was outrage and asked to speak to his manager. His manager assigned him to another customer and helped me instead.
When I reached the checkout I asked to speak with the GM, surprisingly enough the GM was not available, the floor manager was sent to assist me in his stead. I was advised that my grievance would be addressed; however, I am not satisfied with leaving it in the hands of the floor manager. Just a side note, as I was leaving the store another customer was complaining to the floor manager about an encounter they just had with a clerk at the deli department. Judging from what I have just read, this must be the Fairway culture. Fairway is not the only name in town. Balducci’s sells quality meats, cheeses, etc., and the employees are pleasant.
Good luck. Fairway has lots of attitude but not much in the way of customer service.
ReplyDeleteThey are disgraceful to employees too. My husband was told not to come back until I had 'given birth', terminated but received nothing in writing to announce he was terminated (he knew cause his email was turned off) and STILL hasn't reimbursed him travel expenses he was promised. DISGRACEFUL.
ReplyDeleteI have never seen an employee of any market bake bread without gloves on. I was discussed and in aww of these practices. This happened today at the fairway on 6th ave and 26th in NYC. I couldn't believe my eyes and will never buy anything that is not sent there packaged already an in fact I might just do 100% of my food shopping at Wholefoods.
ReplyDeleteOK, thanks.
Delete