Meijer — Attraction in Valparaiso

I have been a loyal Meijer customer ever since the Valpo location opened. I even have a Meijer credit card! But I have been disappointed in the store for awhile, and I was really disgusted by what I saw at the store tonight. I stood in the checkout line for at least 30 minutes. Of the 17 lanes that could have had cashiers, only 5 were open. With New Year's Eve and the winter storm in the forecast for tomorrow, management HAD to know the store would be more crowded than usual. No one likes the self checkouts, but they were also crowded with people who just wanted to get out and go home. At 8 months pregnant, 30 minutes in a store line is a big ask for my back and my feet. Thankfully, I had snacks and water and muddled through. Someone in the checkout line next to me, however, fainted. I don't know this person's medical history, but I bet whatever was going on with them was not helped by having to stand for 30 minutes in a grocery store in the middle of a pandemic.

To the staff's credit, they reacted very quickly and an ambulance was pulling into the parking lot less than five minutes later. I couldn't help but notice the three employees (I think management of some kind) who appeared out of the woodwork to help. Good on them for helping, but what were they doing before? Why couldn't one of them have been on a register?

Now, you might be thinking, "hey! Meijer has free pickup. Use that if you don't want to stand in the long line." I tried that a few weeks ago. The website took forever to navigate, I was told my order was ready for pickup at 3 even though I scheduled it for 7. I approved several substitutions, only to be told when I got to the store that they were ALSO out of the substitutes that were suggested to me. I ended up leaving the store with about 2/3 of the things I ordered, missing things that have NEVER been out of stock when I have shopped myself. So either Meijer was having a spectacularly bad day for inventory, or the person who collected my items was bad at their job.

I get supply chain issues. I get that there is a labor shortage, but the lines are always close to that long, and frankly, it's dangerous. The managers of this location need to hire more people, treat them well and compensate them fairly so they retain good people, and train them so that they can move faster, and fix this issue. I'll be taking my business elsewhere until they get their...

If i could put no stars I would do so.......Just got done speaking to Vanessa regarding my visit to the Valpo store last night. Although she explained that certain people have medical issues and cannot wear a mask. She informed me that she would pass my concerns on to the appropriate person. Sounded like that was simply to placate me to end the conversation. The person that was at the self checkout speaking to an employee regarding the fact that he was NOT wearing a masking seemed reasonable but was unable to deter him from his right not to wear a mask. I finished paying for my purchase, and approached the employee who was speaking to him and asked what the policy at Meijer was regarding NOT WEARING A MASK, she informed me that Meijer policy did not allow them to inform a customer that wearing a mask was a requirement to enter or purchase anything in the store. I informed her that I would not be shopping in the store again unless the policy changes. Just like NO SHIRT, NO SHOES, NO SERVICE that all stores require in our area, ALL the stores, Home Depot, Menards, Target, Strak and VanTil are all requiring that you MUST have a mask on to enter the stores. In the worst time that we have experienced since the PANDEMIC began, the infection rate is at an all time high. It is IRRESPONSIBLE of Meijer not to stand with all of us against this horrible outbreak. The self checkout that he was at should have been closed down and sanitized after he left so that all the droplets that were coming out of his mouth as he was stating his reasons for not wearing a mask were not spread to the next person. I will not shop hear until the policy changes, perhaps NEVER due to their total lack of concern for what is happening nation wide!...

While I realize that Covid has caused some of this, the other grocery stores in the area are not having these problems to this extent. Meijer’s is out of so many things and not just on the weekends. Entire shelves are vacant. If they know there’s a shortage, they could bring in another brand but they don’t do that. Other stores do. If they stocked more local products, they would not have to rely solely on the food giants. I started coming in early to avoid the crowds so I don’t need to wait in line for 30 minutes. No, I do not want to go to the self check because I have an entire cart full and it takes too long to weigh and so on. But early isn’t good either because they don’t restock the shelves early so they’re ready shortly after the store opens. They’re restocking at 10 AM on. But the worst thing are the lines. All the time even on a Tuesday morning. Three checkers at noon last Saturday. The poor checker looked like she was ready to cry. She was probably 18. I tried to encourage her but she didn’t even have time to talk or look at me. I waited in line for 30 minutes. When I got near the front of the line, I took back my ice cream and waffles and swapped them out while a lady watched my cart. I had a long way to drive and they were half melted. I don’t know why anyone ever shops...