Simon Johnson — Local services in Sydney

The staff here are not stars & no stars seem to fit better than 1 star… One would think purveyors of fine food would have passionate product knowledge & if they didn’t know something they would be enthusiastic to learn & share that information, right? Not here! During a phone conversation where I enquired about a ham… « what size is it & what is the smoke on it? » the staff « lady » was quick to huff & puff with irritation she did not know the answer & it was seemingly causing her untold grief to find out…She told me she had customers at the register to which I replied « and you have a customer with you on the phone right now »…the ham was in the deli so a chore for her to take the few steps across the store floor to it apparently to read the label so she advised I come by the store myself to find out…umm nope, « happy to wait on hold & you can get back to me thanks »…plonked on hold & some minutes later she’s back with the first two answers, though I made the misjudgement to have more questions like « how much is it & what is the use by date?”…. I then got to hear about more customers in store & how they were short staffed with one off with shmovid….I asked to be put on hold again whilst she sorted herself out… minutes more later she comes back with the answers & I had dared to have one more…”so how long does it last for once opened from the seal?”….she didn’t know that answer either & but was helpful to ask her manager instead who replied with “it depends how you treat it”…. Okkk, so I ask for a guideline, she puts the gruff(er) manager on the phone who says “there is no guideline”…”we can’t know how you treat the ham when it leaves the store… » okkk, sooo « assuming it is well handled- an estimate please »….her delightful response was « use your common sense! We’re not here to tell you how to live life! It’s ham! » I told her she was incredibly rude, I could go to a butcher & get a response to the question…She replied « we’re not rude, you have this question then that question then another question, what do you want from us?? » Product knowledge dear, product knowledge….that « ham » amongst other things provides you with an income which you are supposed to in exchange provide a service… She further added « use your common sense, it’s on the label » to which I said « yes, I cant see the label but you have it infront of you & don’t want to read it… » It didn’t end well. It didn’t start well either though… This is not what Simon Johnson was ever about. Staff who can’t be assed about the products whining to customers that they are short staffed. Not our problem love, & I was more than happy to wait or hold. Retail was my first gig & even as a teen I was capable of conducting a phone order whilst taking money & packing a customer’s goodies at the register. It’s not rocket science. If you prefer to be more dedicated & focused you can always take a message & return the call with all the information in one go like a professional customer service rep...

Simon Johnson Warehouse clearance Store in Alexandria is definitely worth a visit when hosting your next dinner party.

Love this Simon Johnson store and on their website they mention the words quality, best and passion and this is so true.

The stock and products on offer are second to none.

They even have a discounted area where if you are looking to save but purchase quality products then you will find so amazing bargains.

Simon Johnson have everything available that you need to stock up on for your next or last minute get together. Actually they have some really good gift ideas that you may not have thought of.

I am always looking for something different and these guys definitely fit that.

I love how you can purchase whole cheese wheels or bulk items to cater fir larger groups. Again at really good prices.

Outvyhe back of the store is a walk in cheese fridge where you can find great last minute bargains.

All week they have your party or post dinner staples with packaged and refrigerated goods.

I love how they have items in bulk so you can really impress your guests with a full round of cgeese, cold meats or large jars of olives etc.

Each time we have gone there has always been plenty of parking off street.

There is an option for click and collect or delivery is available too.

I don't recall seeing any trollies here ( there could bevtrollies but I did not pay attention ) but baskets are available at the entrance.

Good friendly service by all staff members and the transaction smooth quick efficient and without fuss.

Good location with easy access and enough space to move around. Though could be different during peak periods when there are more shoppers.

Overall good store and has everything I needed and stocked...

I was introduced to this particular store by a good friend of ours who knows what passionate foodies we are. He was super excited to show us around as part of an Alexandria/mascot food store tour we were embarking on.

I usually wince with pain at the prices that some delis and gourmet food stores charge for their goods and this outlet of Simon Johnsons was no exception. Still keen to see what selection was on offer, we continued to keep on looking around as there were some interesting items with a lot of imported cheeses, dry goods, oils and chocolates.

We were impressed enough by the cheese selection that despite the inflated price tags we decided that a cheese and wine night was in order for the salivating shoppers, and were busy deciding on our purchase whilst one of our parties was taking a photograph with his phone for uploading on line.

Before he had a chance to finish his upload a flustered shop assistant came flying at us loudly protesting that we put our phones away and stop taking photos. When we politely offered our reasonings as wanting to upload the photo to a social media site , she flatly said No, you are not allowed.

Our looks of astonishment at her answer had her go on to explain that Simon Johnson does not like people taking photos and sharing them on social media sites as he has no control of what the images will look like. Lady, are you for real?!!

So not only did we put down our phones, we also put down our intended purchases and walked out empty handed. Fair enough Simon Johnson, if thats your policy then thats your business. Im not going to give you free advertising if you dont want it and will reserve our 1,000,000+ reach to other companies who like our form of social...