Woodman's Food Market — Local services in Lakemoor

Edit after a year or so: going from two stars to four.. Woodmans has upped their game and gave their produce department a makeover recently. Some of the produce is still a little sketchy, hit or miss, but I find going midweek gives the best, freshest selection. As a mom who makes her own baby purees, Woodmans has some of the best organic produce variety at fair prices. Overall, this is still our go-to grocer.

Original review: My husband does our shopping every week, and since this store has opened (4-5 years ago) he has gone to Woodmans. They have great prices and a vast selection of product. (For those complaining about the payment methods accepted, they have signs on every door when you walk in, so it shouldn’t be a surprise. Credit card fees are a huge expense for businesses. That’s how they help keep low prices… cash or debit card. If you have a Discover card, that is the only credit card they accept.)

Now for the negative part: I cannot express how dissatisfied I am with their store/department management and product quality. Basically every week, the produce we get tastes old, doesn’t last long, gets moldy, or was clearly poorly handled/stored. Every banana is beat up, raspberries mold in a couple days, blueberries get wrinkled in less than a week, honeycrisp apples are brown on the inside and flavorless. Do they keep prices low by buying the “old” stock that other grocers don’t want?? Do they not know how to properly handle and store produce at their store?? Both? After too many failed purchases, I told my husband he needs to stop shopping at woodmans, at least for produce. Costco, Meijer, and Mariano’s consistently have good, well cared for produce that lasts until our next weekly grocery trip.

My favorite expired product purchase was chicken. It stunk up our entire fridge and then our outside garbage can… you could smell it from 12 feet away.. it literally smelled like a dead body. Yesterday, he came home with bagels… that expired a week ago. There have also been other dry stock grocery items that have come home expired. After multiple product quality/expiration date issues, I have basically told my husband, “I don't care about the money we allegedly save, you need to stop shopping at Woodmans.” Every product we have to throw away or rebuy… we are wasting more time and money, not to mention risking our health.

For compromised immune systems or pregnancy, expired and poorly cared for product poses an incredible threat and could result in bacteria exposure, illness, complications, or worse.

All that to say, Woodmans management needs to do better. Walk your aisles. Train your employees. Check your stock. There are numerous other reviews complaining about the same problems. Woodmans always replies that they’re “sorry and will speak with management.” Some of those reviews are years old, so when will we start seeing change? In the meantime, I’ll work on training my husband to check expiration dates and shopping elsewhere for our...

New to Woodmans and NOT impressed. A few things will result in me not choosing this store as my weekly grocer. I’ll continue to use Aldi and Meijer.

First off, how does a huge store and chain NOT accept Visa and MasterCard or Amex!? Only the MOST widely accepted forms of payment globally. Who the heck carries discover cards seriously. I guess I’ll write a check like it’s 1985 if that’s what they want.

Secondly this deli section is super weak. It took me 3 circles around the store to even find it. How does a massive store like this have a tiny minuscule deli hidden away... not good selection with their deli, though you can buy a thousand packaged deli meats.

Overall the store layout is pretty awkward and is blocked by two layers of massive shelving. Unlike Meijer and others, you can’t see anything here. You’re further disadvantaged by Sam’s Club size shopping carts. Good luck navigating the crowds and aisles with a Cadillac sized cart.

Another massive pain for myself is having to pay for and checkout all liquor and beer SEPARATELY. So I couldn’t even shop for some beer without having to pay before entering the grocery area. It is however a huge liquor store on the upside, but I don’t like making 2 transactions.

It’s just too bad of a layout with too much stuff and not enough good pricing to justify coming back. I don’t need 180 kinds of frozen pizza and ice cream. Maybe if you’re 800 lbs it’s a plus to shop here for that type of selection of frozen pizza, but holy smokes. The pizza section is the size of Aldi!! I guess my thought is that woodmans lacks an identity. There is no real value or advantage/core strength of this grocer. I don’t get it. Sure woodmans has a few local suppliers not found by other chains, but not for any huge cost savings you’ll see in your pocket book.

So back to Meijer and Aldi for me. I was REALLY hoping with this close location to my house this would be my new store. But I can’t stand it. Maybe if I had to buy a bunch of booze for a party, but I better make sure to bring my...

If you’ve never been to a Woodman’s before, here are two things you need to know:

They don’t accept most credit cards. Payment methods include cash, checks, PIN debit, Discover credit cards, EBT, WIC, and Woodman’s gift cards. Upon my first visit I had a cart full of food and only a credit card in my hand.

Wear comfortable shoes — the store is HUGE. Seriously.

I’ve never seen so many frozen pizzas in one place in my life — and that’s just the beginning. The selection across the board is massive: groceries, cleaning products, personal care, pet food, pet toys, and liquor — you name it. And in my experience, they are rarely out of stock on anything.

I regularly use the Woodman’s app to search for products in the store because it shows you the exact aisle and bin for any item.

One standout feature for me is their self-checkout area. While the setup is similar to other stores (you scan and bag your own items while an employee oversees the area), the Woodman’s team is noticeably more attentive and helpful. Plus, their equipment just works better. If you've ever felt the rage of hearing, “Please place the item in the bagging area” on repeat at other stores, you’ll appreciate the smooth experience here.

The regular checkout process is impressively efficient as well —quickly swapping items between carts helps keep the lines moving. The staff also seem genuinely happy to help, which makes the whole experience better, especially when the store is busy.

The grocery store itself is open 24/7 which is incredibly convenient if you don't like weekend crowds and considering some competitors in the area never returned to pre-pandemic hours.

Price-wise, Woodman’s consistently beats other stores brand-for-brand. Their car wash is decent, and gas prices at their station are usually lower than nearby options — though be prepared for occasional lines...