Natural Grocers — Local services in Arvada

Someone got me a few gifts from here with the receipt to exchange, return. The woman assisting me was very rude and defensive. The bamboo leggings were in the wrong size and store policy would not allow me to exchange them due to health codes. That makes sense and still is understandable frustrating to not be able to use the gift i as given, so I suggested that perhaps a sign could be posted by the leggings saying they can't be exchanged or returned. She said in a cold tone defensive, there is. I looked and looked and couldn't see and sign. It turns out it's because the sign tiny AND was in the same green color as the large green display holding the legging, it doesn't stand out at all even if you were looking for it. Much less of you are just there to buy a gift for someone and might find that information helpful. If I worked in customer service and a person who received a gift could not exchange it for the size that would make it work for them, nor return it, I would have been kind and understanding about that being unfortunate. I would have apologized about them not being able to use the gift. It's not that hard to be kind and considerate to your patrons, especially if you cannot help them. If I had been working there and someone had missed the sign that was blending in with the display about not being able to return it, I would have pointed it out that I understood how hard it was to see the sign, and that I would have suggest to a supervisor that we make the sign in a color that actually stands out and is more recognizable. More recognizable. At the very least she could have not been defensive and cold about the tiny sign they have up. Seriously is the holiday season and people don't need to be rude When they can't help people exchange their gift for something they can use! Later, the woman was having a hard time finding another gift that didn't work for me. On the receipt. I was making polite conversation with her about being willing to help her find it, look it up by the code if it was hard to find given the little abbreviated letters indicating each product. I was offering to help. She defensively retorted that she'd work there for 20 some odd years and didn't need my help. The store manager was behind me and so I went to her and in a calm tone of voice, let her know that I was having a very hard time with the person helping me given her constant biting, defensive, rude comments to me. The store supervisor turned to me and without acknowledging anything I said only said," how about you try to be a little more patient with us."at which point I started crying. Not like ugly crying, just getting all teary eyed from the hostility and rudeness I was experiencing. A very sweet woman named Terry came up at that point, and was very kind to me. She looked at me with empathetic eyes and spoke to me about being sorry for my experience. She was a lifesaver or I think I would have just run out crying and left without my $50 store credit from the two things that could be returned. I don't know what this world is coming to with customer service representatives not being willing to show basic decency and kindness to customers. But I'll never be returning to this store location again. This is not the way to treat people. And when senior staff members have such a major attitude, and are so rude to their customers, there needs to be someone willing to stand up to them and teach them how to behave with...

Today was the first time I had been in this store after a couple of months. When I walked in, the registers had all been put in different positions, and I stated to the first cashier I passed by that it looks totally different. She looked at me and then turned her head and started talking to a co-worker. After I got the items I was at the store for, I headed to the registers. I was unfamiliar with the new arrangement and didn't know where to enter the line. I went in the wrong way and walked up to an open register. The cashier just looked at me and pointed at another cashier and said, "She's open." I apologized and told her I wasn't familiar with the new layout, and I didn't know where I was supposed to get in and she didn't have a light to turn on or off, so I was unaware she wasn't open. She just looked at me blankly. I headedd over to the register she had pointed to, and asked the woman when they had rearranged, and in a snotty tone, she said, "It's been about 8 weeks." It's not what she said, it was the rude tone. Nothing about my interaction with any of the three employees at the front of the store was pleasant today. Apparently, along with rearranging the setup, they also gave their employees bad attitudes. It used to be a friendly store to shop at, but now I will go out of my way to go to any other store...

I love any natural grocer stores, but will go out of my way to shop other locations locally as they are more chipper, friendly, educated about their products and attentive in other locales like Lafayette, Boulder and Evergreen to name a few alternatives.

This store seems smaller than most NG locations and less professionally run. They don’t carry a few of the products I typically buy, so I drive further so I can obtain the products I want. Easily this store has the tiniest produce section — but they often have goody bags or grab bags marked down for produce — which my goats, chickens and other farm animals relish.

Vitamin Cottage section of the store is well organized. Good pet food selections. Nice grab and go choices - like a couple of hard boiled eggs, healthy snacks, etc., when you are choosing to avoid garbage food. I love natural grocers and this is the only location I’ve noticed is even slightly sub par in the staffing department.

Great selection. Good prices. Nice company with a great independent background story. Excellent turkey choices around the holidays and they let...