FOOD BAZAAR — Attraction in New York

Disclaimer: What im going to say is going to be very biased, as I used to work for the predecesor, Fairway Market, until the company went bankrupt. So take what Im saying with a grain of salt.

Foodbazaar is a supermarket which specializes in 'affordable' food products, as well as catering to a korean-american consumer base. Now, I have no issue with the introduction of korean food, far from it. I really enjoy authentic korean food, especially when i am able to learn it from others! What I am not okay with is the fact the company, Bogopa, decided that they would remove items which the old clientele enjoyed, in particular vegan, vegetarian, and green food alternatives. I also miss getting my import sodas and ciders! This might seem like a small whine, but this is only the tip of the iceberg of things which have been changed, rearranged or downright not sold in the store.

Much of the higher end foodstuffs are simply no longer sold here, its not the same store. Bogopa also decided to unnecisarilly re-arrange the store. Bread is now where the hotfood was. There is no longer any indoor seating and eating (which, I understand due to the covid situation, but it also is discouraging because i doubt they will re-install indoor seating after the current crisis). Much of the frozen food has been shuffled around, produce is still about the same size, but they put out significantly inferior product in comparison to its predecesor, for around the same price. The bakery is being gutted to high hell, and the list goes on.

Second main gripe I want to discuss is safety, or lack thereof. Food handling is clearly not a primary concern to the store, as they have fish, lobster, and other seafood out in bins with barely any ice covering it. Moreover, while they are kept in seperate containers, they are close to one another, and it is very easy for cross contamination to happen. I have already heard from current employees that people have come back demanding the store do something about this as people have gotten sick from the seafood. Fairway had a great seafood department, guys who enjoyed going fishing and preparing the stuff. Why are they being thrown down the gutter for sick seafood which isnt even cheap? I want to indicate that I have already sent a letter to the NYCDoA about this, because it is a genuine health violation which can get people sick or, god forbid, die.

Third gripe, they decided to replace the old aisle signs with, get ready now, wooden pallets. Thats right! Wooden Pallets, which have nails in them. Driven into the ceiling, which is still leaking. Water and wood dont mix well. Having a soaked up, heavy "sign" is just begging for a disaster. Who thought using pallets as sign holders was a good idea?!

Lastly, many of the staff, myself included, who worked for fairway turned away food bazaar. They treat their employees without dignity and it shows. Giving little to no incentives for people to stay or grow within the company.

All of these things make the store quite honestly, a terrible experience. When it was fairway, I enjoyed shopping. Now, I cant...

The customer service at this Fairway is absolutely terrible. The people who work at the deli and other service counters and the cashiers at the front are surly, rude, and will lie to you without a second thought. The pre-prepared food isn't very good and it is often old. There are always empty ladders blocking up the aisles and the roof leaks into the store when it rains. There is never anyone to pack bags, you are expected to do that yourself. The fact that all of the employees seem to hate everyone around them should tell you something about how this place is run.

I once waited for 15 minutes at the sandwich counter and never got a sandwich. Another worker there said that she only worked the cash register and that the guy who makes sandwiches was getting supplies from the deli and would be right back. Eventually, they found someone authorized to make sandwiches. Of course, he wasn't restocking the deli. I was then informed that all they had for sandwiches was some old brisket in a warming tray.

Today, I had a horrible experience with a cashier. He tried to ring up a box of ziplock bags. The scanner didn't find a price. He asked me if I knew the price, I said no. However, I pointed out that the box itself said $1.49. He said that might not actually be the price, set the box aside, and then called out for a price check. (No one took any notice of that.) he finished ringing up my order and finalized it. I paid and then realized that he didn't ring up the bags. He seemed to think I was just going to leave without them. I stood my ground and made him ask for a price check again. Someone came over and told him to just use the $1.49 price on the box.

Even through we live very near this place, we will be ordering from Whole Foods using the Amazon Prime delivery service until customer service improves. I hope someone from Fairway reads this and...

If only their prices came down I would shop here more often

OK 2 months later on the Monday before Thanksgiving. On Google Maps it is highlighted in pink that the 8-9pm is extremely busy. So Why at this time and especially this Last week before Thanksgiving is their only 1 person at the Deli. The line was 5 deep. With people not willing to wait. No one knowing to take a number or just have the 1person say next. The ticket counter says 03.i pulled a 58. So we have our answer to that. I waited 11 minutes. So I typed this. At 8:05 someone came up to help after almost everyone walked off the line to wait to be served at the deli. I finished this update before I finished being served at the deli. This took another 5 minutes to post. The Google maps says on average a person will spend 25minutes here. If this is the case, and of I would take that as fact, I should go to register and pay for what I have without even venturing down 1aisle in The Fairway Market of Douglaston. Ive been a customer since its opening, right now between both visits. This one and the initial one I posted above where I was nice and thought it was an off day for the store, I would like to give a 1/2 star to the store. But that Is not an option on Google Maps Just because Douglaston Plaza is a ghost town on the main level doesn't mean it's the example when it comes to proper staffing at holidays and peak time, or the lower mezzanine parking lot in the front will match The rest of the Plaza's parking lot both on the main level and...