Vine Ripe Market — Local services in La Mesa

Racially Profiled, Harassed, and Falsely Accused On June 30, I went to this store to purchase a single sale item and had no issues. However, what happened on July 2 was deeply humiliating, traumatic, and unacceptable. I returned to the same store that I’ve being shopping for a long time, on July 2 to buy three items that were advertised online as part of their weekly sale (July 1–7): watermelon, raw almonds, and celery. When I entered the store around 12:13 p.m., I had my personal shopping bag with me, which contained two items from another grocery store. I’ve done this before without issue. I needed to use the restroom, and a cashier instructed me to leave my bag on the floor near the customer service desk. I did as told. I was in the store for a total of six minutes — my receipt shows my purchase was completed by 12:19 p.m. While standing in line to pay, I tried to enter my phone number to get store points, but the cashier rudely told me no and said the manager was “working on it in the back office.” She then asked if I needed a bag. I said no — I had my own bag, which I pointed to and said I’d use for the items I was purchasing. I brought my bag to the counter and placed it down. The cashier tried to reach into the bag, and I immediately told her that those items were from another store. At that moment, the store manager approached me without warning. I had no idea I was being watched or profiled. He demanded, multiple times, that he needed to “talk to me.” I calmly told him I wanted to pay for my items first before speaking with him. He continued insisting — interrupting my transaction and trying to prevent me from completing my purchase. I felt confused, embarrassed, and targeted. I insisted on paying first, gave the cashier my money, and waited for my receipt and change. Only after that did I agree to follow the manager. He led me back toward a cashier desk next to customer service area and aggressively accused me of stealing — saying I steal from the store “every time I come in,” that he has seen me on camera “numerous times,” and that he just saw me “steal again.” I was shocked. He told me to set my bag on the counter, then began going through my personal items. When he saw the receipt for the three items I just purchased at his store, he then pulled out potatoes and a mango from my bag — which I had bought from another store. He demanded proof, so I showed him the other receipt. Even after seeing both receipts, the manager told me I was trespassing, claimed he had “spoken to me before,” and said he had reported me to the police for stealing. He ended by shouting, “DON’T COME BACK.” I was horrified. I immediately went to the local police department (just a mile away) to report the incident. The desk clerk took my name and phone number, then checked the system — there was no report or call from that store. At that point, I broke down crying. I was completely overwhelmed and humiliated. As I sat in tears, a police officer came to speak with me. I explained what happened — still crying — and the officer listened, then said they would follow up with the store. The officer gave me her name, badge number, and an incident report number.

Why I’m Sharing This What happened to me was racial profiling, public humiliation, false accusation, and harassment. No one deserves to be treated this way — especially not in a public store while shopping. I’m sharing this to warn others — especially people of color — to be aware. This kind of treatment is discriminatory, dehumanizing, and...

[Update 2/21/21] This visit compared to the last two was so much better. It probably helped that the person behind the deli counter knew who I was and that it was me who left a negative review. This was evident by her comment at the end of our transaction. This level of service is what I had gotten used to which was why I was surprised when it tanked the way it did.

Management had reached out to me and stressed that they strive to give their best. They laid out what was going to be done to fix the problem and voila, problem solved. I probably should've ordered the same sandwich as last time but ehhh I wasn't in the mood for it

Kudos for making customer service a priority. This is something other stores have let fall on the wayside and fail to recognize they are just hurting themselves by alienating us.

[1 Star on 2/15/21] It's sad that I have to write a bad review about this place given that I was singing its praises not so long ago. Unfortunately, two separate incidences in the same department have made me weary. I didn't report it the first time on here but I did at the store to the front manager because the manager that handles the back had already gone home. Anyway, my bad experiences take place at the deli counter. The first incident was back in January. A woman with black and blond hair was the attendant. First, it took her more than 5 minutes to recognize she even had customers lining up. Then when she finally did it was with an attitude. I figured she was just having a bad day and I ordered my sandwich and side and did some more shopping since it takes them a while to get it together. I come back for my sandwich 10 minutes later and she's still not finished. I wait 5 more minutes and she gives me the sandwich but no side. I had politely asked her to give me a side of antipasto salad I believe it was and she looked as if she wanted to kill me. So much so that the other customer looked at me and asked me, as the attendant turned to get the container for the side, "What did you do to her?". I replied, "I just ordered a sandwich." Then to top it all off which I hadn't noticed until I got home, I got charged $7.99 for the sandwich and $3.99 for the side which was supposed to be included.

Anywho, skip forward to Saturday (2/13). A new person is behind the deli counter and I order a Tri-Tip Feta sandwich on Foccacia bread. Right away I noticed the person didn't know what to do, so I told her I'd be back. I went and purchased some meat. The guy behind that counter has always been friendly to me but it's busy, so I waited for my turn. In the meantime, I note that the deli person is taking care of 3 customers while I'm getting my meat. I go back to the deli counter after getting the meat and now the person is on the interphone, which I'm assuming is to ask for help. Someone finally shows up and meanwhile 3 other customers are being taken care of. It took 21 minutes to finish 1 sandwich and to top it off, it was salty as heck. By the time I got it home, the bread had fallen apart. It was sooooo sloppy! Never again will I order anything at the deli counter and if I have another bad experience, I may not return to the...

Overall a small local market with good prices and convenient deli and bakery. However, poduce can be hit and miss. Some of it is very good and well stocked such as eggplant, onions, potatoes, and cucumbers. But citrus, apples, tomatoes, herbs, and others sometimes give the impression that they were not that fresh even before they were stocked. Produce typically has some blemishes, which is ok for the price reduction trade-off. But over ripe or lower quality items will sometimes have you making a trip another market on the way home.

Prices are typically lower than supermarkets for most items. I have had very good experiences with butcher, bakery, and deli departments. One of the few places to find fresh dark breads. If you need something for an eastern european or middle eastern meal then this is a great place to shop because of the variety of brands and ingredients. Bonus points for dried spices, bulk bins, good cheese selection (several styles of feta) fresh squeezed juices and prepared meals, fresh salads and...