Mrs. Heather's Strawberry Farm — Attraction in Hammond

My family and I have gone here for 3 years now. It became our Spring tradition. Unfortunately, we'll be finding a new one due to their selection of what type of people/families can have "extra" strawberries upon leaving.

When we arrived, they claimed they were out of the $10 bucket and the $20 bucket. Instead, they had the plastic clear containers with the lid you would have your strawberries in at the grocery store, and Mrs. Heather's was charging $10 still. Since my family usually get the $20 bucket, I bought 2 containers with the thought that I could get close to the equivalent of the larger bucket since they ran out by having a slight over flow (about 10 strawberries) into the lid. However, when my husband and son went to bring them to the car while my daughter played, they were told the lids had to be able to close and that we could either buy another $10 clear plastic container or leave what WE already picked with them to sell to others. After he came back and told me what happened, I went to the table and stated that we weren't informed of this upon entering and that in the past we buy a $20 bucket (which are pictured and obviously hold more), but they were out so we thought what we did should be okay. I asked if we could just know for the next time so they will not go to waste and keep them? We were told no and that they won't go to waste because they will put it with the flats to sell to other visitors. Her response was shocking. Not only had my family and I took the time to pick them, but I was now being told I couldn't have them despite a sign not being displayed nor me being told that the lid needed to close, which she claimed they were telling everyone who came in. However, O received verbal proof that they were not.

A crowd began to gather so she stated she would defer to the owner, Heather. So, I stepped to the side with my son and waited. When she came back, she stated that Heather said I can get my $20 back and leave all the strawberries. I told her I wanted to keep one for $10 still, and she said no, that it was all or nothing and implied that I would still need to leave the overflowing strawberries in the lid.

I took a moment and walked away. I even asked a (Caucasian) woman with her family that had just walked in if she was told that the lid needed to close. She looked surprised and said "no, we weren't told that." I said, "then why were we?" The woman said, "I don't know." She then proceeded to state that she saw several people walking out with containers overflowing and open. There were even people with stroller baskets with overflowing strawberries.

My family is black. This may or may not have had something to do with how they responded to us, but there was a form of discrimination due to the choice of them letting many people go with overflowing containers just like mine, even with my family and I being polite, but yet we were told we had to close our lid....

I have NEVER in my LIFE experienced worse customer service than when I went to Mrs. Heathers dirt pile the other day for a field trip. DO NOT WASTE YOUR GAS. Take your $3 to Walmart and get WAYYY better strawberries and customer service. The two ladies selling tickets at the door made me wait in the sun and would not let me get to the group that was 20 feet away to grab cash for entry. They intentionally embarrassed me and made me cry. The entire line behind me was appalled at the way they treated everyone, especially me. I explained I could not get in without cash and asked if they took another form of payment in which they BLATANTLY lied to me and said no. I had driven from Baton Rouge to Albany and my kids were in tears that I could not join them. After leaving in tears I found out that in fact they take cash app and Venmo and purposely lied to keep me from coming in simply because I asked if I could walk 20 feet in to speak to the teacher and my children. The strawberries they brought home were tiny and not even ripe. Worst experience at any business in my 34 years of living. Not sure why they had to be ugly to everyone that walked up and even ugly on the phone when I called. Smile, be nice…or don’t run a...

Myself, my mom and my two daughters went and were not impressed at all. It has definitely changed a lot since I had been there a few years ago. There were over three hundred public school kids there on a field trip so my youngest got a $10 bucket and picked it and then I purchased a flat (already picked) and my mom got a half flat (already picked too). The strawberries looked good in the bright sun but once I got home that afternoon and stared taking them out of the box they were rotten. The top layer was the only good ones in the box. My moms half flat was the same way. I tried calling but no answer. I tried emailing with pics but still no answer. I even sent a message of Facebook messenger with pics. No answer! I drive 40 minutes there and 40 minutes home and between my mom and myself with spent $55 and got rotten strawberries. Sad how they won’t respond. Maybe they will read this. My family...