FRESH by Brookshire's — Local services in Fate

It's disheartening to find myself in the position of writing this review, but there comes a point when one must confront the question: what does it take for a person of color to receive equitable service? Having invested in my community with the purchase of my home two years ago, I was enthusiastic about supporting local businesses like Fresh, which promised quality produce, meats, and service closer to home. Regrettably, my experiences at Fresh have consistently fallen short of expectations, culminating in a particularly egregious incident this past Sunday that compels me to share my dissatisfaction.

Upon entering the store with the intention of preparing a special Sunday dinner, I sought assistance in the specialty cheese section, specifically interested in exploring Brie. Despite the presence of three employees adorned in smocks and name tags, my inquiries were met with indifference as they engaged in their own conversation, neglecting to acknowledge my presence or offer assistance as I navigated the cheese carousel. When I finally confronted them I said "Do any of you work here... do any of you provide service to customers and if so, what does it take for me to get some help? Employees in this store never offer to me". Their response was dismissive, and only after insistence did one begrudgingly provide guidance, albeit with a backhanded remark implying that certain recommendations were reserved for those with greater income. The associate said "well if money was no object for you I would recommend this brand". How do you know if money is or is not an object for me?

Disappointed but undeterred, I proceeded to the fresh seafood counter, where I encountered a familiar employee who has a pattern of neglect. Despite being a regular customer, I consistently find myself overlooked in favor of white patrons, subjected to lackluster service, and, in multiple instances, blatantly disregarded in favor of another customer who arrived after me. Even when seeking advice on seafood selection, I was met with apathy and misinformation, only to later discover that the requested service had not been fulfilled as promised. (I requested oysters and asked for them to be shucked, I waited in the store for 20 minutes and was assured that my oysters were shucked - I got home and they were NOT). The particular employee who helped me is always rude to me, never acknowledges black patrons unless we call out to him, and he places the food near himself on the counter - he does not slide it to you or place it in your hand (for black customers), or say thank you/have a nice day.

The final affront came as I approached the checkout, only to be met with unsolicited commentary from cheese staff regarding my shopping choices—a clear indication that I had been under unwarranted surveillance throughout my visit. The woman said "oh we saw you get steak and oysters, you must be going all out today" - why were you watching me throughout my 30 minutes of shopping?!!!??? The pervasive sense of profiling and surveillance casts a shadow over EVERY interaction at Fresh, leaving me feeling unwelcome and underserved.

In a time when the U.S. economy is grappling with challenges and consumers are tightening their belts, major retailers like Target have responded by lowering prices to remain competitive. Yet, Fresh, with its significant markup on products, seemingly fails to recognize the importance of valuing and respecting customers, particularly those who consistently contribute to its revenue stream. It begs the question: does the black dollar hold less value at Fresh? As a conscientious consumer, it's disheartening to feel marginalized and overlooked in an establishment where loyalty and patronage should be celebrated,...

My husband and I shop at this store about every other day. We have purchased and gone through their monthly flights and bites for the past 7-8 months BUT tonight at their flights and bites we were treated in such a rude and hostile way that we will not ever shop there, buy gas there, or do their flights and bites ever again. Never ever ever ever were we ever told when purchasing a flights bites ticket that the card we were given was to PROVE that we PAID for the $7 per person ticket. When we pay they put a colored paper bracelet around our wrists EVERY SINGLE TIME which shows each vendor that WE HAVE PAID for the flights bites. I never carry the card, my husband carries one that we are given when we pay our ticket but WE HAVE NEVER EVER EVER NEVER EVER been told that ACTUALLY the card is to prove we have paid (the wrist bands do not mean anything as we found out tonight) so i was refused service tonight by one of the wine vendors because my husband was carrying the card for us even after I showed my grey wrist band I was refused service by one of the vendors since I did not have a card for her to sign. WHAT WE WERE TOLD SINCE THE FIRST TIME WE DID THE WINE WALK WAS THE CARD WAS FOR EACH VENDOR TO WRITE DOWN WHAT WINE THEY WERE SERVING which is what the vendors have always done. BUT tonite I was refused service since I was not carrying a card. The people who take our money every month when we buy a ticket see that my husband just takes one card for the both of us and it is always a different person selling us a ticket and we have NEVER EVER NEVER EVER EVER EVER been told that EACH of us HAD to present a card to each vendor. If that is the case then why give us wristbands??? I was refused service from a wine vendor because I DID NOT HAVE A CARD IN MY POSSESSION which tonight no other vendor had a problem with that and for the past 7 months no vendor had a problem with that. If we had been told that these cards were required as proof of payment for each station (even though we have always had wristbands put on our wrists when we paid) then I would have no problem showing a card BUT WE HAVE NEVER BEEN TOLD these cards were required as proof of payment (even though we have colored wristbands) SO….my family, who shops at the Brookshire Fresh in Fate about every other day and buys gas there will never step foot on that property again after the rude way we...

I have been shopping at this store for awhile now because it is on my way home from work. I try to buy most things at other stores because the prices are outrageous and often for poor quality. The produce is hit and miss. It is usually unripe even if it is in season. It often won't get ripe and rots before it can, even if you put it in a paper bag. If you can make the trip, you can buy much better produce at Central Market. For example, "Fresh" has persimmons for nearly $5 each that are nowhere near ripe. Central Market has them for $1.99, and you can find many ripe ones. The baked goods at Fresh, including the breads are MEH. You will find that many things have no flavor. Once, I went in to get a red velvet cake for my husband's birthday. The lady in the bakery said, "We are out of the cake mix for red velvet right now." That's right people, you are paying $30 for cakes made with mixes, and really don't taste that great. You work in a grocery store lady. You can't grab a recipe and make some cakes??? What happened to the old days, where people improvised when they were out of things to make customers happy. Everything has very inflated prices. For the prices that they charge, noone should need to go through self checkout--JS. The store and the parking lot, including the gas pump area, are not nearly big enough for the population. This area is growing fast, and it is hard to get in and out of the parking lot in the afternoon. I could go on and on. All in all, I avoid going there. It is crowded because it is too small, which makes for an unpleasant shopping experience. I drive 40 minutes to Central Market when I have the time, where I can get chef prepared items for lower prices. Things that...