H Mart Lakewood — Local services in Lakewood

I consider myself to be a fairly honest person, and I simply cannot overlook unfairness. Since moving to Orange County in 2019, I have visited this location hundreds of times, shopping regularly and always leaving with a good impression. It was a place I genuinely liked—until today.

On December 7th, I purchased several packs of fresh meat, and typically I store meat in the refrigerator to use within 3 days. However, today, December 10th, when I took out the pork ribs in the morning to use, I discovered a significant foul odor and spoiled portions of the meat—just in certain areas. I always use an insulated bag and immediately put everything in the fridge upon returning home, so this meat had almost no time at room temperature. Moreover, the sell-by date is December 13th, which means there are still three days left. If it was already spoiled to the point of having a foul odor, it’s likely that the meat wasn’t fresh to begin with. It's even clearer when compared to other meat I bought that day, which has a use-by date of December 12th and is still in perfect condition.

I went to the customer service center to return the item. An older woman with dyed hair asked me what had happened, and when I showed her the meat, she chastised me for not checking the receipt, telling me that their policy only allows returns on fresh products within 24 hours. I politely questioned whether such a policy applies to "normal" products where a change of mind is the issue, but she just repeated that a refund was absolutely not possible. She even mocked me, saying, “Why don’t you just cut off the spoiled part and use the rest?” Then she added, “What exactly do you want from us?” implying that I was a black consumer.

In the end, she called a manager, who repeated the same line that a refund was not allowed under the policy. I asked him if this wouldn’t be an exception, given that this was spoiled, not simply a case of changing my mind about a normal product. He then instructed the woman to issue the refund. She handed me the receipt with a visibly displeased expression, simply saying, “Tap your card,” and added, “Is that enough?”

I got my smart card for the first time in Koreatown more than a decade ago, and I’ve exchanged over $100 worth of HMART SMART CARD POINTS here. I’ve shopped frequently at H Mart, and even that day, I spent another $40 using the points. I’m honestly relieved I had already used up all my points that day. Even if I need to visit other locations in the future, I never want to return to this one again.

Chong A, please do not conduct business in such a manner and YOU...

I may never need to buy/make lunch ever again!

Oh, another sample? No, I shouldn't. Really, I shouldn't. Well, if you insist......

H Mart triumphantly opened up within walking distance to my home where Ralphs used to reside (Alpha-Beta prior to that). Having frequented the H Mart in Norwalk & the other Korean supermarkets in the area, I knew I was in for great deals on produce, seafood and other consumables. Not to mention the sample ladies feeding the cheapo's like me.

During the Grand Opening week, shoppers had the opportunity to sign up for H Mart's rewards program, receiving their choice of a faux-leather bound nail clipper kit or roasted chestnuts. Being already a member, I still had my pick, of which I selected the nail clipper kit. For the kiddos, fun face painting was offered.

The layout is nearly identical to Ralphs' layout. Produce on the left of the store, refrigerated in the rear, and fish/seafood on the right. The "deli" section, adjacent to the fish/seafood, has a plethora of packaged, ready-to-go food stuffs. Unbeknownst to most, the glass case housing the packaged goods can be opened from both sides, so no need to ask one of the "deli" staff to get what you want. There will be a bank opening soon. I'm unsure as to whether the former pharmacy location will be utilized, as pallets of bottled water were placed in front of it.

Service is good! Sometimes, the sample ladies can be really mean and/or have an attitude, especially to gringos like me, at the other Korean supermarkets, but so far, these chicks have been nice & have even given me multiple samples. Of course, it could be because H Mart just opened, so I'll measure this to see if it is only a temporary thing.

Parking is in a private lot and is usually quite full. Its shared by The Loft, Goody's Pizza, the Donut Palace & other businesses.

Howdy to H Mart! I'm going to grill up 2 1/2 lbs of pork bulgogi in about an hour and half. A definite upgrade from the former tenant, Ralphs, H Mart is a welcome addition to the neighborhood. Cheap prices on produce, meat/seafood & packaged items are why H Mart is always bustling any given hour. But, who's kidding who? The real reason for the crowds are the delicious samples! They get my butt into the store, and that's no lie ;P

Highly...

I want to start off by saying that I’m someone that usually stays quiet and won’t want to inconvenience any workers at a store. If I need help looking for something, I’d rather walk around for 10 minutes and just leave if I can’t find it. But I really needed the beef/ox bone broth that comes in the big pouch (like bibigo) that you pour (not the little powder cups they sold). I used to always see it there but didn’t see it there this time. So I finally asked a worker who didn’t know what I was talking about. I asked another that said “40” but there is no such aisle. If he meant “14”, it was still not there (just the cups). I asked a Korean lady (in Korean) working the mandu section just in case she happened to know because she stands very close to the area that used to stock the broth. But she snaps at me rudely saying how would she know? I then asked customer service who redirected me to the same section for the little cups in aisle 14 that I was already holding (not the broth pouch I asked about). I then had to bring another broth pouch to someone else (to show them what I was talking about), for them to check back with customer service (that I had just spoken with) before finally telling me they’re probably out. That’s at least 5 different people I asked and I was exasperated by that point. The workers looked at me like I was inconveniencing all of them and like they didn’t want to help me. I barely talk to ANYONE when I come here and the ONE time I do speak up as a paying customer, nobody could help me. That just taught me a lesson, thank you. Just stay quiet, don’t bother them, pay and go! I don’t expect a friendly customer service because this is a Korean/Asian market and I’m used to that. But at least train your staff that’s actually stocking your product to know where everything belongs. I went to Super1Mart nearby which is a much smaller market but found it with no problem (and a nice cashier who...