Nelson Family Farms — Local services in Fort Pierce

Dear Owner of Nelson's Family Farms,

I hope this message finds you well. I am writing to express my concern regarding a recent experience at your establishment, which I regularly visit for groceries and fruit trees.

During my visit today, I encountered an unpleasant situation with one of your employees, Anne, who I believe is a manager. I had selected three dried coconuts among my groceries and approached a cashier to inquire if I could purchase and break open the coconuts before leaving. This request stemmed from a previous incident where I purchased three coconuts that were found to be rotten inside once I got home. The cashier was polite and guided me to Anne to confirm if it was permissible.

However, when I explained the situation to Anne, she immediately began yelling, stating that breaking the coconuts was not allowed because it would attract ants to the parking garage and that she had previously been reprimanded for allowing this. Despite my assurance that I did not intend to crack them open in the parking lot, but simply wanted to ensure their quality, Anne continued to raise her voice in front of other employees and customers. She offered to refund the coconuts but refused to allow them to be opened, which left me feeling embarrassed and frustrated.

This is not the first time I have experienced rudeness from Anne. A few months ago, I observed long lines at the registers with only two cashiers available, while several employees were restocking produce. When I asked Anne if it was possible to open another register to ease the wait, she responded defensively, stating that restocking was the top priority and that customers would just have to wait.

As a customer who spends hundreds of dollars at your store annually, I find this treatment astonishing and unacceptable. In my years of management experience, I have always prioritized customer service, believing that stocking can be deferred until the immediate crowd has diminished, except in cases where essential items are missing from the shelves.

I kindly request that someone explain to Anne the importance of proper customer service and address this behavior to ensure a better experience for all patrons.

Thank you for your attention to this...

Nelson Family Farms is a staple in the White City area, and my grandmother has lived Here for 60yrs. My wife and I moved to White City 3yrs ago to help look after my grandmother. Since we moved here we go to Nelson Family Farms several times a month for our produce as we believe in supporting the local business until yesterday. We had the worse experience when confronted aggressively by Tina (employee/manager) from Nelson's because my wife made a mistake by entering the back of the market due extreme weather with hail and lightning. The right way to handle the situation is kindly advise my wife to not use that entrance again and leave it alone. Instead Tina decided to embarrass my wife by yelling at her while pointing and waving her hand numerous times up in the air. Tina tried boding my wife (weighs 114lbs) in an attempt to prevent my wife from leaving the situation, which can be considered kid napping or being held against her will if she had actually touched her. My wife was so embarrassed and tried to continue on , but Tina pursues my wife into the market yelling at her. It was so bad and aggressive from my position in the car that I felt the need to assist/escort my wife out of the market. Tina did get a piece of my mine on the way out.The situation should have never escalated to the point that it did. If Tina would have taken the time to realize that it was pouring rain with hail and lightning, and realize my wife, whom is a customer made a mistake just trying to avoid the weather. If Tina is a manager, she needs some training on how to better her people skills.Tina needs to learn how to deescalate a situation, and be considerate of the customers under the extreme circumstances with the weather. We will no longer go to Nelson's until we have an understanding from the owner, and Tina that the way the situation was handled was uncalled for and it could have been handled better. We are not even requesting an apology as that might be too much for...

I have been going to Nelson's for years. Two weeks ago, I stopped there to check out the plants and get some fresh veggies and fruits. I had my 5mth old puppy with me, on a leash. We walked first to the plants, with no issues and as soon as I head to get a basket to grab food, one of the workers there, Chris, rudely tells me to keep my puppy on a "short leash". Mind you, I do in fact have a double handle leash, and I was already using the short one. Confused, I said, "oh are dogs not allowed here?" He said "Yea they are, but we prefer for you to carry them." I looked over at the worker next to him, Tina, which I shortly found out was the manager and she allowed all this to happen. I put the basket down and said, "It's okay we will leave." Shocked, that a well behaved 5 mth old puppy who just walked through the mud with me to look at plants to buy, is now being told, I need to carry him. In what world? I am so disappointed in the way this place has gone down hill. Forget the fact that I have spent hundreds of dollars on plants for my property but the fact you are LOCAL market, for the local community to feel welcomed here. Owners please train your staff to either learn your policies correctly without stipulations or dare I say "breed discrimination".

UPDATE: Now seeing the response from the owners, it's sad that NO WHERE IS THIS POLICY POSTED NOR DID YOUR STAFF KNOW THIS OR RELAY THIS IN A RESPECTFUL MANNER. Thank you for showing everyone how ridiculous and unprofessional you really are. In your comment you stated "Leashed dogs are not allowed in our market" and "You are welcome to have a dog in our market as long as it's carried or in a confined doggie stroller". Which is it? It is the LAW to have your dog on a leash. Be professional and train your staff to be polite. Sounds like breed discrimination to me and a ridiculous...