Three Bears Alaska Big Lake — Local services in Alaska

Honestly this place is mid. Have been doing my shopping since we moved out to big lake (around may) Here’s some things I can tell you. Their younger employees are nicer and more willing to help. The older cashier/ manager at night is not happy. On Tuesday she refused to do a return on an exchange because I didn’t a receipt. Was pretty firm and rude about it until I said I had the card I paid with. Her attitude changed and she said we are just so short staffed I just can’t, come back tomorrow morning for stuff like this. Her whole demeanor was like “oh gosh how can you be asking this of me!” She’s also never had a positive thing to say, I actually avoid her line to be completely honest because of this attitude. I had to still buy the hose and she was nowhere to be found and the cashier gave me a huge smile returning to the store as if a I know, you know ,we know. It was just a flat out lazy excuse. Frustrating! Anyways, The stores prices are HIGH. To the point I make sure to go to Costco and have a reference list on which items are worth the convenience and which are not. There’s no reason to have a 5-10$ markup..I understand you get everything from Costco, but why not just let them open one and we don’t have to deal with the markup. (Didn’t your contract with Costco just end?) The one thing I do love and wish they’d push more are the local items, like pasta, whole milk and coffee are from around Alaska.. that’s the only reason I keep...

Its a family friendly store. I think they need some different items and maybe little lower prices...revise as of November 2022...I used to like going into the Big Lake Three Bears. But as time and Covid have come through I have seen that particular store go down hill. FIRST their prices have sky rocketed. Second, they have a MAJOR problem with their parking lot!!! I MEAN, REALLY?? THERE ARE PAINTED LINES FOR A REASON!!! Apparently it's a park wherever you feel like it zone. SO MUCH FOR HANDICAP PARKING. A person can't even get into the parking lot due to the incompetence if management being able to police their parking lot. He'll, if that place were to catch on fire or have some major emergency, the fire department and emt wouldn't be able to get to you!!! I will no longer shop that store. It's very disrespectful to our people that NEED that parking and very upsetting that no one has addressed the situation. On top of that I believe that Three Bears as a whole, has used this covid issue to jack up prices as far as they can and because they are becoming a monopoly , it's making it almost impossible to get a variety or the ability to find better prices in other stores. SO I WILL NO LONGER SHOP THE BIG LAKE THREE BEARS. AND IF AT ALL POSSIBLE I WILL SHOP FRED MEYERS OR SAFEWAY BEFORE I GO GET JACKED BY THE PRICES OF OUR " FAMILY" OWNED...

I have always liked the Three Bears Organization and the much needed services they provide their smaller communities. It's very close to having a Costco. I frequent them in Big Lake. They generally have what I need and a lot of what I want. However, based on my experience the last couple of months, I plan to shop elsewhere, which will prove difficult since the choices in or near Big Lake are none and few, respectively.

Unlike Costco, Three Bears stores do not have a mask mandate. I was there a week ago. Out of about 50 customers, 4 in addition to me were wearing masks. Out of a dozen staff assisting customers, only 2 were wearing masks. My cashier wasn't wearing one. What was even more disgusting to me was the food preppers and servers in the deli weren't wearing masks, not one!

I am a senior citizen. I have an underlying health condition, and even if I didn't, I don't want to be exposed to Covid 19. It doesn't bother me that another elderly woman laughed at me for wearing a mask; it bothers me a large portion of the population in the Mat-Su are treating masks politically. I heard some one say, "A mask isn't a political statement; it's an IQ test." Its sad to say, in the area, concern for one's neighbor is low.

Again, if you need to shop, it fills the need. If you care about your health, take precautions and be prepared...