Woodman's Food Market — Local services in Madison

I've been shopping here as long as I can remember. We moved to Madison in 1989 and have been shopping here since. I was 7 at that time.

The selection is great, they carry things smaller stores don't, and prices are generally lower than all other stores. Most employees are helpful, although I rarely need help with anything. Even after they remodeled recently, I still pretty much memorized where things are. And when I'm not sure, I just open the app and search. The app tells me the aisle and I find it myself. Voila!

I'd like to add that I'm providing a 5 star rating based on 30+ years of shopping here. Not every employee has been friendly, especially overnight (I often shop at 1-3am as I work late nearby). Also, my cognitively challenged brother and I came here once a few years ago, I believe in the afternoon, and he was traumatized a bit. I wasn't because I knew we did nothing wrong. We entered the store, stopping in the bathroom first. Then we went and got whatever we got that day. On our way out, we were stopped by 3, yes THREE managers putting on a power trip, accusing us of making a huge mess in the bathroom with whipped cream. My brother got scared but I stood in front of him, reassured him several times that we're fine, and I did all the talking. I explained everything I already wrote here, adding that we were never in the dairy section and even if we had been, we went to the bathroom FIRST, before going into the store (bathrooms are in the front, near both main entrances). I also said we didn't bring anything in. I know they have cameras and before I could bring it up, one of them said they were going to watch them. I said please do, in fact offering to stay and watch with them. I was calm but very firm because I didn't appreciate false accusations. I hated even more that it was stressing my brother. We are grown adults who have no interest in childish pranks, or more accurately, vandalism. Being falsely accused instead of questioned was ludicrous. I understand they are humans though, and humans make mistakes. I'm not even sure if any of them remember but I sure do, every single time I see the one manager in particular. I forgot what the other 2 even look like. Anyway, in the end, they said they were going to check the cameras and if they could prove we did it we would be banned from the store officially next time we were seen. And that was it. My brother and I were on our way, adrenaline pumping.

The next few times I went to the store, I got dirty looks from at least one manager, probably because he didn't appreciate being wrong, and proven so by the very method he was determined to use to ban my brother and me. Since it's been 2-4 years now, I don't even know if the other 2 are still there. I'm not naming or describing the one I know is still there because he's been genuinely nice and at least once he was helpful with self checkout. I honestly don't think he even remembers that incident, but he sees me there quite frequently, or at least I see him...

I just felt the need to share that unfortunate story. The point I want readers to take away is 2 parts. First, people, even good hearted people, make mistakes. Second, forgiveness is powerful. I could have chosen to either go to a different location or even stop shopping at any of their locations. But that wouldn't accomplish anything. Despite the amount of money I spend there, losing me as a customer wouldn't have even touched their bottom line. It would have forced me to pay more money at a different store. Boycotting the store would have only affected me, not them. Besides, they're also open 24 hours and they're the only store that is, besides some gas stations. Even Walmart refuses to open 24 hours again...

If you made it this far, congratulations! This is a longer than normal review. I commend you and thank you for taking the time to read it. I hope you enjoy your Woodman's experience and have a fantastic...

This Woodman's is great to shop and usually has the best prices that I've come across in town. They have a wide selection of food including specialty items that are usually difficult to find. I am very happy that they have the Mexican Coke 6 packs - a bit extra money, but less than anywhere else, and is one of my favorite treats. Liquor store is the best in town!!!

Definitely room for improvement, but couldn't bring down the star rating because I'm there so often! I have noticed that the parking lot is always full of carts. 20 years ago, I worked at a grocery store bringing in carts and bagging groceries when I started. We had dedicated people on carts and would never have the collection rails filled up like they are here. I can't tell you how many times I've come in and not been able to get a cart or basket because they aren't where they should be.

Some staff is very friendly, especially at the service desk and back in the meat department, but I have to say that many of the cashiers seem very unhappy. I feel like I should be greeted with a smile before I have a chance to say anything, not ignored and asked whether I want paper or plastic. Far too many cashiers who seem too focused on something else than the customer in front of them. Also, when using the self checkouts, please make sure that the person working them never leaves their post for anything, because that can become frustrating very quickly - and I believe the employee should also be thanking the customer when they walk past to leave since the customer just did the work of shopping AND scanning and bagging their groceries, saving time and money for the store.

I am not sure how the structure at the store works or who goes through the aisles to check product stock and make sure things are in the right place, but I can tell you that more people must be needed because I have had a few items that consistently go out of stock and aren't filled in a timely manner, and also the presentation of the shelves should be constantly fixed throughout the day so that the items look good and are brought toward the front. Stray items left by customers need to be picked up and put away, and price tags should match the product properly with the varieties of one product in the correct spot. Maybe this is just the teenage grocery clerk in me, but I see employees walk past these things and they don't fix or notice them.

Produce. Most of the produce is fantastic, and is prices very well, but I can't tell you how many times I have looked for something like tomatoes or habaneros / jalapenos and the only product there is obviously spoiled or damaged. I would rather see an empty space than smell rotten food.

Lastly, when employees have carts or pallets on the floor (whether during the day or at night during stock) attention should be on if there is room for a customer and cart to get through and get to products easily. I know that it isn't always going to be perfect, but a box collection cart shouldn't be blocking access to an aisle while the employees are having a conversation nearby (and in this situation they noticed but did not do anything or offer assistance).

My complaints and suggestions aside, this is definitely where I choose to shop and where I recommend people...

My review is specific to my odyssey in the Gammon location, however others may face similar trails with various locations:

Unfortunately I definitely would not order online for delivery or pickup. The order is seldom complete and there is little to no effort being made to prevent further issues. During the current pandemic quality of service has dropped and that is understandable. Even so the lack of regard for patrons is not new and often occurred well before any cases arrived here. Considering they usually charge a pickup/delivery fee, when other grocery stores deliver for free and/or without the markup, you would think their accuracy would be much higher.

There does seem to be a markup when compared to prices inside. This markup is perhaps there to standardize online prices to account for potential rises in price (as its easier to see a price difference when you can check your previous order history along side your current). The potential price difference is undisclosed, which is quite unnecessary and likely leads to frustration; particularly if you are unable to shop in stores due to health or mobility issues but realize you can get a better deal inside. With that being said a quick check on the price of a few common items currently still puts them in the lead for cheapest at select stores. I've also only noticed this difference a handful of times when checking online while shopping in store.

Shopping inside can result in quite a bit of anxiety, however being that the overall price of things are generally cheaper this is definitely a case of "you get what you pay for". For years my partner refused to shop here and I finally convinced them to try it just to realize my grave mistake. DO NOT recommend this place to someone who would prefer to pay a premium for reliable service.

For items that are hard or almost impossible to find elsewhere locally, I would say a quick trip inside may be worth it. Nevertheless it may also be worth it to re-evaluate your grocery list to see if you can avoid this place as much as possible if not completely. Or perhaps just go ahead and fall down the rabbit hole of disillusionment only to forget what you've already discovered.

The haphazard, ostensibly never-ending layout of woodman's can seem both attractive and daunting. It's thrilling to walk down an isle for the purpose of buying hot sauce and finding that the options are both interesting and varied. With that being said this store leaves much room for improvement, and at some point there just may be an improvement that arrives to steal the spotlight and the customers. Marvelous idea, poor execution.

In conclusion if you're feeling under appreciated just gently tap yourself on the back for comfort and remember you already paid for it, the real question is... will you pay...