Saubel's Markets — Local services in Fawn Township

In its current iteration, this Saubel's - one of three stores making up this small local family-owned chain - is excellent. Nobody expects to find a modern, full-service grocery store like this in what is basically the middle of nowhere. But it's here, at this otherwise quiet crossroads, and it's got the deli, bakery, seafood, pharmacy and it also has a little "gift shop"-type area, a floral department which I think actually has a real florist working it, and a small cafe area with seating and free wi-fi with no password.

The store building even has a liquor store which is a separate entity from the grocery part and has a separate entrance, but can also be accessed from the grocery area. I used to come here a lot a few years ago when I wasn't old enough to drink and I thought there was just a small selection of wines in there and that was it. Since I was underage at the time, I just ignored the liquor section whenever I was accompanying someone on grocery trips here.

Now I'm of age and just today I was in the Whiteford area returning from Pennsylvania. I was going to go down to Bel Air and pick someplace there to grab a six-pack. Then I said to myself "You know, I'm near Saubel's and I would imagine they have beer at their liquor store." So I took Route 136 to Saubel's and entered the liquor store. And that's when I learned that they have a full selection with all the top brands and even a beer fridge with an automatic sliding door. So this "middle-of-nowhere" crossroads not only has a "real" grocery store, but a "real" liquor store as well. It's as good as the Bel Air-area Ronnie's Beverage Warehouse and Ronnie's beer fridge doesn't even have a sliding door.

The presence of Saubel's makes the intersection of routes 136 and 624 one of the best crossroads in the North...

Great since it was Graceton’s… Aside from them not being able to help themselves from asking you to say your birthday out loud when they have your ID IN THEIR HAND… And then if you don’t pull out your ID and just tell them your birthday… They ask for your ID… I never had that problem buying alcohol their since they had it… Then about a year ago the weirdest thing happened… The short girl with long brunette hair… Kinda cute… Glasses… Very, very badly wanted me to say my birthday out loud while staring right at my ID… That’s when I was told that is store policy… Not only that… She said it’s common in all stores… I could have fainted because I’ve never seen it in my life and there isn’t and alcohol store within a 40 mile radius I haven’t been in… So naturally I’m stunned that she actually believes that… You take my ID and refuse service or not… Don’t you just feel uncomfortable saying your birthday out loud in this day and age? It’s the main way people confirm identity in the Information age… When you call the doctor…They confirm it’s you by doing what? Exactly… Call the bank and what do they ask? Right! But she was like blown away cocky and smirking with this kid standing next to her… That was the worst part… He backed her up with firm audacity! They just need to card people and leave it at that like everyone else!! We get you have to type the birthday in but that’s no reason to just be normal man… Look at the ID… Type in the BD… And keep it pushing!! Once they fix it they will...

Pains me to write this, as I've had decent experiences with their seafood dept before, but recently I've had some issues with getting crabs there. While their prices are good compared to local competition, they've fallen short recently in a couple areas. First off, when we've had set pick up times they've been ready on time but still haven't been anywhere close to warm. Not only have they not been warm, they were so cold we had to take them home and warm them up ourselves. I've also asked for heavy seasoning and they've hardly been seasoned. I then called and inquired if they used JO2 spice in their mix when they steam crabs. They said yes and I told them that was great because I love that stuff. They said that if I wanted extra JO2 just mention it when I order and they will add it. So later that day we called back to order and asked not only for heavy seasoning but if they could put extra JO2 that would be great. My wife picked them up later that day and honestly we would have settled for warm (not hot) crabs with a little extra seasoning, regardless of any extra JO2. She brought them home and they were cold as could be with hardly any seasoning at all. We had to warm them up, again, and add our own extra seasoning. So at this point we will continue to go there for everything except crabs, as they are a great store all-around. Better, it seems, to pay extra and just use Blue Crab or somewhere else local, knowing they always come out hot with exactly the amount of...