Save A Lot — Local services in Aurora Township

I was a patron before I was an employee at the aforementioned Save-A-Lot. It's an uphill battle against human fallibility, but I try to employ an impartial disposition in life; as such, I offer one review from behind the register and another as a customer.

I think Save-A-Lot's primary owner, Joe Sr., is good for the Aurora community. As a rule, blighted communities of color are subjected to business owners invested solely in themselves and not the welfare of those they purport to serve. This is commonly displayed by Arab business owners who view locals with disdain and treat them as foreigners in their birth-righted country. Often these owners are content with offering customers the bare minimum of quality and respect. They are without integrity.

Joe Sr.'s pride in the quality of every aspect of his business is not just a reflection of himself but of the human dignity he realizes and values in his customers as well. His diplomacy with suspected thieves and charity with customers met with financial hardships is admirable and good for business.

Perhaps less dignified are the employees. I and a co-worker parted ways with Save-a-Lot after we were demanded to work without pay by a secondary owner and his on-duty "manager." The irony is that this occurred on Labor Day of all days. The hilarity of the timing seemed to make everything right in the world. It continues to serve as storied laughter around dinner tables seated with friends and family. One dear friend quipped, " well I guess that's how they save a lot..." The not so funny side reveals the dangers of a conscience piloted by greed rather than compassion.

As a customer, I am content with Save-A-Lot. The store is clean, organized, varied in selection, and fully stocked. Staples like milk, eggs, and cheese are always fresh and kind to the wallet. The meats I think are fantastic, not just for a foodstamp store, but for any store for that matter. The butchers are kind of culinary artisans bringing a little piece of their native cultures to the trade. It's not just a job to them: it's a passion that affords creative agency.

The produce is a no good and arguably a compromise of public health. Exceptions include things like potatoes and perhaps carrots. Otherwise the produce is not fresh and cleaned to even the minimum of standards. I made a habit of buying bananas and nectarines on my breaks and most of the time they were molded within. A cautionary tale: stay very far away from the zucchini - avoid it as though the plague! I made a zucchini dish for my partner and a business acquaintance. Thankfully I tasted the final product before serving it. It tasted like a 666 laxative used in the ol' south.If unfamiliar with that, think castor oil. Consequently, I fell ill for several days from just a taste of the zucchini.

Save-A-Lot is an off-brand store so I encourage future customers to experiment. It's hit or miss for your taste buds. J. Higgs brand chips come in many flavors all of which are to die for. They are my go-to snacks for football and hockey parties. The off-brand cakes and dessert foodstuffs are as good if not better than Meijer's. Cermak's? No. Standard Market's? Hell no. Just competitively good. Also, the off-brand pasta sauces and pasta itself might fool a few foodies familiar with the palette of Italy.

A downside is that they charge for bags. I would think it smarter to set themselves apart by providing free bags, but the store is in its infancy and not yet profitable, so I understand.

Nevertheless, I will continue to patronize Save-A-Lot for the remainder of my time in Illinois, in spite of past employer-worker conflict. My reasons primarily being the meat,convenient location, and its stewardship for the local...

Tapped my American Express card to pay, unknowingly as there are no signs saying that they don't accept American Express and ended up freezing the point of sale. "Manager" David comes to "help" out the cashier and cannot come up with a solution without calling owner of the store. Finally after about five minutes he says that the owner said to just wait it out and the computer would eventually fix itself. Next he says "I'm gonna have to keep you here for a while until it fixes itself". I say "no I don't have time for this I just got out of work and have a baby at home, can't you check me out on another register?" He replies " no I can't risk you freezing up another checkout" I say " I'm going to use a different card that you guys accept so there should be no problem". So he agrees to let me check out on a different register and I say ok "besides if you keep me here any longer you'll have to start to pay me" ha ha funny right? Noooo not to mr manager David.. apparently I must have said something horribly offensive because it's at this point he goes full mall cop and exercises his right to refuse to sell to me and tells me to "get out" I tell him he must have misunderstood and that it was a joke, no offense it was supposed to be funny and he still insisted that I leave the store. What an IGNORANT manager to treat a local paying customer this way. Especially in an area where a lot of the business is riff raff. I think something is mentally wrong with the store manager David, which makes me wonder why he has been appointed a position of such "responsibility" in the first place. I went to dollar general since I was so rudely thrown out and no hassle there. Plus they had better ice cream cones. Merry Christmas David and thank you...

Despite the owner not giving me a job when I first returned to Illinois. I still return there as much as possible ....I believe I get the most for my dollar ! Aldi & save-a-loy have to be neck and neck . but savealot has more to offer than Aldi as far as food goes, plus the people are always friendly...you know they keep an eye because there's a few idiots in the neighborhood that like to come in and take what's not theirs ! so I understand and I respect them and their position. after they get to know you they respect you ...and show it in there customer care whenever posible. they are always friendly no matter if they know you or not... I hope one day to work there on a part-time basis for a avenue of revenue in addition to my full time job.....take 100$ to jewel or any other grocery store and look at your cart upon leaving.....you will find as I did that the same 100$ goes ALOT further...