WinCo Foods — Local services in Bozeman

I love WinCo for their amazing selections and prices, so when I heard we were getting one in Bozeman, I was thrilled! Unfortunately the Bozeman store has turned me away. The customer service is appalling! One time, I was checking out at the self-checkout, and everything was going smoothly until I had to select my payment type. I was planning on using my debit card, as I am aware they only accept them in the store/at self-checkout. The screen was being glitchy so when I tried to select debit as my payment type, it selected cash, which I didn't have on me. In order to go back to select debit, an employee had to scan their card on the screen to help. He asked me "what did you do?!" in an accusing tone. I politely said, I am sorry! l accidentally selected cash and I need to use debit. He scoffed, rolled his eyes while scanning his card to fix it, and muttered something under his breath as he walked away... He scared me!

On another occasion, I decided to not use self checkout, (because I apparently don't know how to use it properly.) I was in line at the checkout stations when I realized I had left my card in my car! This was my mistake, but I remembered I have Apple Pay. I understand some businesses do not accept apple pay, so I asked the clerk if they accept apple pay before it was my turn to be checked out. The guy didn't know about apple pay so he yelled at a large middle-aged clerk on the next station over and asked if we can accept apple pay. This lady put on a sarcastic smile, and screamed, "do we take apple pay? We ABSOLUTELY .....do not!!!" It made a scene and others could sense her extreme sarcasm and rudeness. She told me to leave if I didn't have my card with me. Overall just an extremely shocking and dreadful experience.

I am just blown away by the rudeness and carelessness of the employees here. I know they get payed very well, so this is...

I don’t normally leave reviews like this, but I was very upset today with the way the self-checkout employee treated a couple this morning while I was there. It was around 9:30am on 9/3, she had red hair and was probably in her 30s.

The couple were non-English native speakers and were having trouble finding the avocados to ring them up. Rather than just coming over and helping them, she stood several feet away yelling, "The number is on the avocados!" Despite them not understanding what she meant, she kept repeating louder and louder, "The number is on them!" She then just walked away, muttering as she passed me, "If you can't speak English, I'm not helping you." So I went over to the couple, asked if I could help, and tried typing in the number on the avocados, and they were not coming up. I speak English, use the self-checkout often, and even I couldn't figure it out. So I called the employee back over, and she said "I've already tried to help them and they don't get it." I told her it wasn't working for me either, and I understand what she's saying, but "yelling at people and getting frustrated with them clearly isn't helping." FINALLY, she spent two seconds doing it for them (you had to type in the number, hit enter, then enter the number...), which I don't understand why she couldn't have just done that in the first place.

I will say, the majority of the employees there are kind, helpful, and hardworking. I don't think her unkindness is a reflection of the store as a whole. But she really needs some training on being kind and patient, especially in a community that is becoming a bit more culturally diverse. It's frustrating not being able to communicate effectively with someone who speaks a different language, but yelling the same thing over and over, and being unkind is...

Well, I'm sad to say, I'm disappointed. Friends recommended this store as a good monthly shopping option, and my expectations were high. On a positive note, the staff was fabulous- helpful and friendly all around - and the bulk food section seems to have everything, at good prices, but the store itself....not so great. I'm sure some marketing guru thought that making the aisles extraordinarily long would force people to walk the full aisle and make unintended purchases. To me, the double length just put me off: if I wanted peanut butter and looked down the aisle and didn't see it, I moved on. It was simply a daunting and annoying design flaw - probably created by someone who does not do the family's regular grocery shopping. And, I had heard they had their own bakery, but their bakery shelves were disappointing - not even a freshly made whole wheat bread, and the sourdough was soft and squishy, not a good sign. So, I arrived planning to do a full month's shop, but spent under $100, getting 1/4 of what I needed. (Oh, and the bathroom was filthy.) I'm still on the hunt for a good, navigable grocery store with reasonable pricing and fresh food....