Fred Meyer customer service going down hill? (Adams: employment, live)

[philwithbeard]

Originally Posted by Minervah

I am not familiar with WINCO. ....I have to stick to anything that's walking distance or busable.....

Not that this is really doable for you, but just FYI:

If you can get to Gateway TC, you can catch either the 22, 23 or 24 bus at Gateway, and take either bus 2 or 3 stops to the 1200 block of NW 102nd street(stop ID 6523) which is right in front of a WinCo Foods and across the street from Kohl's and another Freddies.

But I agree with PNW-gal, the meat is not of good quality, but is priced correctly for the quality it be; more chewy than flavorful. 15 lb bags of Idaho potatoes are at a very good prices. Bulk apples and other in season fruits @ OK prices. Sometimes, a 10lb bag of GP flour is at a good price, but generally same price for 5lb bags as elsewhere. I love their prices on pre-sliced bulk cheeses like provolone and such. Best prices on 1 lb tubs of shredded Parmesan I have found in PDX.

WinCo only accepts cash and debit cards, IIRC. Refuses Credit Cards; big hassle with personal checks. Do your own bagging in supplied paper or plastic (or your own) bags.

HTH
Phil

[Bluesmama]

The only Fred's I frequent is the old one in Beaverton, and I have no complaints about it (other than the screwed up interior re-design). Usually I can find someone on the floor if I need help with something.

Winco is my preferred grocery store where prices are concerned, but Safeway does have superior customer service. Safeway's closer to my house, so I usually just go there unless I plan to buy a lot of groceries at once. But I think the lay-out in ALL grocery stores sucks rocks Big Time.

I also like Trader Joe's. Has a bit of everything (well, most things), it's compact, and prices are good. Service is, too, although I seldom need it there.

[backdrifter]

Originally Posted by TechmanOR

They're not like what they used to be. It was fairly decent in 1990s.

Horrible service, rude employee, long return policy, yet bad customer service.

It's not the Freddy bear and Freddy's that locals have befriended. It's just now a Ohio's Kroger Co in "Fred Meyer" suit.

Going to Fred Meyer these days feel like going to Wal-Mart.

Ask where things are? Clerks usually don't do anything other than say "isle xx over there, and look around", if they even know where it is.

Originally Posted by Daisy32673

I guess my observations of service are heightened because I worked in the industry for so long but I have to ask, hasnt service overall everywhere gone downhill? This is just my perception. Whether it be in Nordstrom (which has gotten really bad) or Comcast it seems like they have a bunch of untrained, unqualified, entitled yahoos working for them. On a positive note, Safeway has EXCELLENT customer service. I am greeted every time I walk in and asked about 5 times if I need help. I hate how much of a service snob I can be sometimes but if we are paying for the service it needs to be there

Here comes the obligatory response from the Fred Meyer (and formerly Safeway) customer service department cashier...

Safeway has an EXTREMELY STRICT set of policies for their employees to follow regarding customer service, including professional secret shoppers. If you don't follow these guidelines, such as greeting EVERY customer with a smile and offer for assistance, you WILL get written up. The training is standardized across the entire corporation and is VERY rigorous. I spent a week doing the training to be a cashier at Safeway, versus three days at Fred Meyer (which were mostly just spent re-learning the mechanics of the POS system). Kroge...erm, I mean, Fred Meyer's customer service training and customer service employee policies just absolutely pale in comparison. So that is your explanation right there. Also, it does vary a lot more from Freddy's to Freddy's because the stores have a lot more leeway in implementation of corporate policies than other corporate stores, such as Safeway.

[Leisesturm]

Agreed, I should have mentioned that after a few months of feeling like we were in discount shopper heaven, the honeymoon wore off and we no longer buy meat, eggs or dairy at Winco. Trader Joe's is our source for those items as well as the occasional treats (their frozen NY style cheesecake and their frozen Ganache cake ). A bottle of Columbia Crest Cabernet Sauvingon at Winco is $8.29, not bad. The same wine at Trader Joe's: $6.99... how do they do that? For cooking, try Trader Joe's Charles Shaw red's (Shiraz, Merlot, Cabernet) much better taste than special purpose cooking wine from the supermarket. All of them $2.99 a bottle. Please don't tell anyone but we actually drink the Two Buck Chuck when not entertaining. Doable. Between Winco and Trader Joe's my SO and I might just survive the recession.

H

[Minervah]

Originally Posted by philwithbeard

Not that this is really doable for you, but just FYI:

If you can get to Gateway TC, you can catch either the 22, 23 or 24 bus at Gateway, and take either bus 2 or 3 stops to the 1200 block of NW 102nd street(stop ID 6523) which is right in front of a WinCo Foods and across the street from Kohl's and another Freddies.

But I agree with PNW-gal, the meat is not of good quality, but is priced correctly for the quality it be; more chewy than flavorful. 15 lb bags of Idaho potatoes are at a very good prices. Bulk apples and other in season fruits @ OK prices. Sometimes, a 10lb bag of GP flour is at a good price, but generally same price for 5lb bags as elsewhere. I love their prices on pre-sliced bulk cheeses like provolone and such. Best prices on 1 lb tubs of shredded Parmesan I have found in PDX.

WinCo only accepts cash and debit cards, IIRC. Refuses Credit Cards; big hassle with personal checks. Do your own bagging in supplied paper or plastic (or your own) bags.

HTH
Phil

Thanks Phil, but yeah I can't see me schleping fifteen pound bags of 'taters on the bus.

Still, if I am ever near one, I will check it out.

[PNW-type-gal]

Originally Posted by Leisesturm

Please don't tell anyone but we actually drink the Two Buck Chuck when not entertaining. Doable. Between Winco and Trader Joe's my SO and I might just survive the recession.

H

Buy a couple bottles of Two Buck Chuck and let them sit for 2 years - you'll be quite surprised at the result.

[hamellr]

Originally Posted by Bluesmama

The only Fred's I frequent is the old one in Beaverton, and I have no complaints about it (other than the screwed up interior re-design). Usually I can find someone on the floor if I need help with something.

This has actually stopped me from shopping there. I simply can not find anything in that store any more. I've been shopping at Freddies since the mid-80's and seen them go through many store redesigns, but this one is the worst.

[Bluesmama]

Originally Posted by hamellr

This has actually stopped me from shopping there. I simply can not find anything in that store any more. I've been shopping at Freddies since the mid-80's and seen them go through many store redesigns, but this one is the worst.

Honestly, the only reason I still go there is because it's right across the street from my job. I guess I need to spend a whole lunch hour one day to get an orientation (or further "disorientation"). This new lay-out is just stupid.

And why do so many grocery stores insist on displaying rows of non-food-related items right in the middle of the store? Do people really buy that much gift-wrap or even greeting cards? Or the fleece throws and camping gadgets that's thrown in for whatever reason? It's just one of many quirks I've noticed. Whatever.

Anyway, when you can't find something in a store because it isn't where logic tells you it should be, that's when we're in need of helpful service on the floor. Safeway in Hillsboro is also guilty of the above complaints, and so I'm grateful that the helpers are conscientious.

[PNW-type-gal]

There is an entire field of study on designing store aisles - you've probably heard the main ones, such as putting milk and meat in the farthest corners of the store because those are the two most commonly purchased items and putting them all the way back means the customer has to walk past other, higher profit, items.

One of them also has to do with shaking up shopping patterns. Stores get remodeled every so often because if you know exactly where everything is, you'll skip aisles, and they want you to go up and down all the aisles.

At one point I thought that things were put in such odd paces because store managers who didn't actually cook decided where things should go and how they should be grouped, but now it's all done off register tapes (ie: what items are purchased together most frequently), product placement "allowances" from manufacturers and other marketing concerns.

Part of the issue is that at one point stores did all their own stocking - now a great deal of it is done by industry employees/contractors. The amount of shelf space, the placing of the shelf space (including the dreaded bottom rack), the placing of curved shelves or kiosks - all done by agreements between the store (mostly at the chain level) and the companies providing product.

[roneb]

Maybe it's just because we shop one of the oldest Fred's in Portland in a fairly stable neighborhood (the Burlingame Freds), but I'm still happy with the quality of Fred Meyer. True, it WAS better before the Krogers buyout, but I still find the produce quality is better than Winco, and MUCH better than the Safeway up the street (Barbur). We generally get our bulk foods at Winco and pick up milk, produce, and meat from Freds.