World Market & Cafe — Attraction in Hollywood

I apologize for the long review, but I wanted to share my terrible and humiliating experience with this store. This is actually the first negative review I ever write, but I want.

I am a regular customer of the store and for year and a half me and my husband were shopping there every single week (because they have variety of European stocks that we like) until yesterday, when I was accused of stealing and was treated by security guy like a trash. I have never felt so insulted and humiliated in my life. There are two small cashier counters where you put your stocks on the right to be scanned and there is not a space on the left where they are usually transferred before be put in the bags. I use reusable bags out of respect to the nature, and since the pandemic started in all stores they have asked me to fill them myself because of Covid safety measures. So even though restrictions are loosened already, I keep doing that. Also, I always try to not make the other people on the line waiting too long. But the risk of that, especially with this inconvenient small one side counters is that you can accidentally put back in the bag something that wasn’t scanned yet, or while filling your bags in the cart (because Again, there is NO place to put the stocks on the other side of the counter) you can miss something that is still there. So that is what happened to me with a bag of potatoes and and a chocolate. Even though I payed more than $70 about two bags of other products together with this.

So I went to speak to the manager, because even in a situation of a real theft, your job is of course to take care of it, but not to start humiliating people on assumptions in front of the whole store. And while I was explaining to her my situation, the security guy stormed into the room and told me that I can come and see how I am stealing on the cameras. I saw the tape and I tried to explain that I understand they have a lot of cases when people are stealing, and that I am not one of them. After all I spend $1200 in their store every month and I can afford buying stuff and don’t need to steal potatoes. Potatoes!!! I tried to explain that I haven’t realized the item wasn’t scanned, but how can one convince somebody that things like this happen sometimes when your brain is multitasking in some other dimension and is running the next errands in advance (I am a woman after all). So I paid what wasn’t scanned and left. During all this time the guy was rude. And I have seen that same guy being rude with other customers before, even naming them with not so nice words. Anyway, he came out after me and started taking pictures of me and said that I am not welcome to the store anymore.

Well, guess what, even if I was, I wouldn’t come here ever again. We found another store like this one with the same variety of products and I will be happy to start being a loyal and paying customer for them like I was here. So it’s their lost. All the friends I have recommended the store to before said they won’t shop there anymore.

Later yesterday I checked the reviews to see if anybody else had such experience and I found out there were other cases of similar problems with the security. Because even if I really was a thief, that’s not the way to approach. I won’t comment all the other times in the past I have seen him “interact” with some customers. And also they have to rearrange this counters as they are really inconvenient and risky.

So i general, the store has variety of European products, which is great, it's a good store, but it needs reorganization and staff(especially security) needs to be better...

I have been a long term customer at World Market. It is one of my favorite places to get fruits and vegetables because there is great selection and usually they are very fresh with very good prices. They also have a great selection of chocolates and international goods, baked goods and deli. There can be long line for check out which do move quickly. The cashiers are usually pleasant and professional .There is a beautiful showcase of bakery goods which only the cashiers can provide information about because the products are not marked or priced. Yesterday on March 17, around 6pm, it was the first time I would inquire about the pastries to the cashier (She was on the register next to the door closest to Pembroke Road). However it was also my first time with a rude cashier. Many customers and cashiers are Eastern European and speak Russian. I am not and I speak only English. There was no line at the register. Before the cashier started to ring me up, I inquired with her about the bakery items fillings. The cashier was fluent in English. She stated that she wanted to make it clear to me that she would only answer questions about the bakery goods after she rang up my produce. I explained to her that I was not going to buy any baked goods today but I wanted to inquire about the fillings because I would return later in the week when I was expecting company. She reiterated that she would not answer any questions until she rang up my purchases. I was surprised at her rude and condescending attitude. World Market should post information in English about the bakery goods. Information should be provided equally to all customers. Customers should not be subjected to the moodiness of a cashier when trying to find out about pastries. I felt very uncomfortable by this incident. I hope her poor attitude to me is not because I am not Eastern European. Her behavior and attitude was not normal when dealing with the public.

Updated 8/11/2024 I have edited the review from 3 to 5 stars because I could not give an entirely new review. Since the bad experience, I have returned to the store many times. The customer service has been great and I have not had any bad...

The lady at deli counter had nasty attitude like she was doing me a favor by serving me when I ask her a question had a stupid answer this is not Russia you are in USA so stand behind the counter and do your job I am here as a costumer not to put up with your attitude the deli counter is Prity empty had to go across the street to do my shopping because there was nothing to buy at the deli counter lots of new stores in the area to shop I will defiantly go somewhere else where they appreciate my business i spent $150 across the street the people being the deli counter wore extremely polite and helpful and knowledgeable the people at this place don't care they don't even have a clue when ask about some products at the deli counter this place is a dirty dump compare to any other store in the area and they don't use cloves when serving you a health violation in first place Florida health department rule NO BARE FOOD CONTACT MUST WEAR GLOVES NOT AT THIS PLACE...