Arlington Market — Local services in El Cerrito

I’ve been in the neighborhood over a decade, I live just a few blocks away. I only come into this place if I’m in a pinch. True They have a pretty good selection and have saved our butts during Covid being the only place with toilet paper at the time. We certainly paid the price for it. But even on a regular day their pricing is arbitrary. More than a few times both myself, and my partner felt they were making up a price on the spot. I’ve come back for the same item a day later (it was Thanksgiving, I was in a bind), and the same item was cheaper. But like I said, in a pinch, and if time is short, I’m not gonna stand there and argue. I believe the good reviews about friendly service. I’ve seen it myself. But They seem to be very selective over who they treat decently and apparently I don’t make the cut for whatever reason, despite trying to be friendly, saying hello and smiling. I’ve never had a terrible experience, but every single time I’ve left with a bad taste in my mouth. Today I came in looking for a small bunch of bananas because my pet is sick and will only take her meds with mashed banana. All of the bananas were either too green or overripe. But That isn’t my gripe. My problem: As I turn to leave the banana bin I noticed one of the owners standing in the doorway to what I guess would be the back storeroom, just leaning against the door jam, feet casually crossed at the ankles, hands in pockets just glaring at me. He’d been there the whole time just staring at me. I stopped to look him in eye to see if he would acknowledge me, but he just kept glaring. No offer to help, No “are you finding everything OK?” Like what the actual f…? No matter what he thought I was doing he could’ve come up to see if I needed help. it was creepy and it made me angry. Like I said, not a big deal really...

Very cozy corner market where you can buy grocery essentials. I go here to buy the Acme breads and they have Inca Cola! If you're familiar with Peruvian foods, you know what Inca Cola is. So good!

11/01/24 update: came here to buy bread and a bottle of Inca Cola... came away with just the bread as the entire stock of Inca Cola were all expired, some dating back to April 2024 and latest date was Oct. 7 2024.. ughhh whoever their distributor is should be ashamed.. guess I'm going to be checking dates on all my...

True neighborhood grocery. Family run and friendly. They carry healthy food including fresh breads and produce, and they even have a small meat section. Trending toward a gourmet selection of coffee and even some baked goods, their prices are still very reasonable. Far from being just a convenience store ... this is a small grocery store with a good selection of healthy foods in...