Raley's — Local services in Merced

I'VE BEEN A RALEYS CUSTOMER PRETTY MUCH MY WHOLE LIFE. THEY STARTED AS A SMALL TOWN STORE FOR THIS SMALL TOWN GIRL. I'VE WORKED IN GROCERY AND I STARTED WITH SAFEWAY AT 18 IN 1977. SAFEWAY WAS THE TOP STORE AT THAT TIME RALEYS WASN'T IN TOWN. SAVE MART NEW DEAL AND A WONDERFUL FAMILY GROCERY STORE WAS IT. I WENT INTO THE MARINE CORP IN THE FALL OF 1977 AND WHEN I CAME HOME I WENT BACK TO SAFEWAY. MANY PEOPLE DON'T KNOW THIS BUT THE LAW FEDERALLY STATES YOU MUST GIVE A PREVIOUS EMPLOYEE THAT LEFT YOUR COMPANY TO JOIN THE MILITARY THEIR JOB BACK AT SAME RANK AND PAY. I LOVE RALEYS BECAUSE NO MATTER WHICH ONE I WALK INTO I AM FAMILY. I TREATED EVERY CUSTOMER THAT CAME THROUGH MY LINE WITH TRUE LOVE COMPASSION AND WHEN I ASKED HOW ARE YOU I MEANT IT. TODAY IT IS A DIFFERENT WORLD THAT THIS 58 YEAR OLD GIRL DOESN'T LOVE. IT'S TO FAST MONEY IS ALL THAT MATTERS AND CUSTOMER SERVICE IS NEARLY EXTINCT. I MISS MY HOME TOWN RALEYS I MOVED A COUPLE OF HOURS AWAY FOR MY DAUGHTER TO ATTEND COLLEGE. THE RALEYS HERE SOON MADE ME FEEL A TOUCH OF HOME. THE PHARMACY WAS A BIT HARD IN THE BEGINNING BUT NOW I KNOW THEM AND THEY KNOW ME. THE OTHER DEPARTMENTS ARE ALWAYS TOP NOTCH. GROCERY IS A BACK BREAKING HARD JOB AND MANY DON'T REALIZE WHAT IT'S LIKE TO BE ON YOUR FEET IN A SMALL AREA ALL DAY. CAN'T PLAN TO FAR AHEAD AND SOMETIMES YOUR DAYS OFF ARE SPLIT OR CALLED INTO WORK. BUT I LOVE PEOPLE AND TRULY CARE ABOUT THEM AND IN A SMALL TOWN LIKE MY HOMETOWN IN MANTECA, CALIFORNIA YOU KNOW JUST ABOUT EVERYONE AND THAT LOVE IS PRICELESS. ONE MEMORY THAT STOOD OUT THAT IF ANYONE ACTUALLY READS THIS MAKE IT A POINT EVERYDAY TO LISTEN AND WHEN YOU FIND SOMEONE IN NEED HELP THEM AND KEEP PAY IT FORWARD ALIVE. I WAS TAUGHT THAT BY MY GRANDMA WAY BEFORE THE MOVIE. AN OLDER LADY CAME THROUGH REGULARLY AND BOUGHT CANS OF DOG FOOD AND OVER TIME I LEARNED SHE DIDN'T HAVE A DOG AND THAT WAS ALL SHE COULD AFFORD TO EAT. THAT CHANGED. ONE OF MY FAVORITE SINGERS DIED ON CHRISTMAS DAY, GEORGE MICHAEL. LOOK UP ALL THE MONEY HE GAVE AWAY AS LONG AS IT WAS ANONYMOUS AND IF SOMEHOW THEY FOUND OUT IT WAS TO BE KEPT QUIET. SO MUCH GARBAGE STARTED ABOUT ONE THING OR ANOTHER BUT US HIS FRIENDS AS HE FELT HIS FANS WERE FRIENDS CALLED US HIS LOVELYS, AND FAMILY PUT EVERYONE'S FIRES OUT BY ALLOWING ALL THE AMAZING STORIES THAT HIS MONEY MADE HAPPEN. TELL THE PEOPLE WHO HELP YOU EVERYDAY THANK YOU AND THAT LOST ART THAT SO FEW DO OF GETTING YOUR GROCERIES OUT OF THE CART AND BAG IT AND IT'S TAKEN TO YOUR CAR AND LOADED RAIN OR SHINE EVEN AN UMBRELLA OVER YOU IF IT'S RAINING IS TO BE APPRECIATED. RALEYS IS THE ONLY STORE I GO TO FOR THOSE REASONS. THEIR NOB HILL STORES ARE EXACTLY THE SAME. I'VE MADE FRIENDS THAT KNOW MY NAME AND ALWAYS ASK IF I NEED SOMETHING AS I SHOP OR A HI HOW ARE YOU AND NOW AS I'M ALONE MOST OF THE TIME I'M BEING GIVEN BACK WHAT I GAVE IN 1977...

This is a grocery store that I frequent because they have wonderful produce and a wide variety of different Indian food as well as a wonderful Bakery and Deli. They also carry some of the Beyond beef products that I absolutely love and which are hard to find at other stores. I also love that they carry canned crab meat which I also have difficulty finding. Today, while at the self-checkout, I was having difficulty ringing up a bag of grapes and made a mistake. I needed assistance so I approached Janice, who was having a (flortatious) personal conversation with a fireman. She glanced in my direction and returned to her conversation with the firemen. I waited another twenty or thirty seconds before the tall dark-haired gentleman with the nice smile asked if I needed assistance. He came over and helped get me situated. The lady who was ringing up her own items in the self checkout next to me, needed assistance because she was trying to ring up alcohol and Janice told her she could not ring up alcohol at the self-checkout. Then, Janice approached the lady and began to take the pack of beer from the checkout as if she were going to take it away from her. Janice then ask her whether she wanted it or not and seemed completely careless of the lady's purchase and if she didn't want to get back into another LONG line... and the lady replied saying yes she wanted it but would she have to wait in line again. Janice refuse to assist her to get into another line with quicker assistance. She was very rude in my opinion. I have never been mistreated by any employees at the store. All of my experiences shopping there over the past two years have been Pleasant. While I was outside putting away my cart, I happened to see a manager named Frank who was helping collect carts. He was very pleasant and I told him about the situation that had occurred. He promptly apologized and even said he would address it with her. I also would like to give kudos to the tall dark-haired mustache younger guy working at the self-checkout. I have been helped by him before and he is very pleasant and friendly. Because of Frank and the mustache man, I am giving three stars. Unfortunately, Janice with the attitude which matches her eyebrows, takes away from the experience all together and left a bad taste in my mouth this Fourth of July weekend. I will continue shopping there I just hope I don't have to run into her anymore. I do hope to run into...

So one night I wanted some oysters and I know they don't always have it in stock even though their ad says they're having a sale on them. So I called in advance to make sure they had some in stock before I head over there to get some. I was told they had some in stock in the back. I asked if there were plenty enough so by the time I get there, there should still be some left and they assured me there were enough. I live 5 minutes or less away from raleys and got there in that amount of time. I rang the service bell but no one came to help me. I waited 15mins by the service bell. Apparently the meat department had left for the night and no one bother to come tell me they all had left when workers saw me standing there waiting and ringing the bell so I stood there waiting for 15mins before I went to ask someone at the front to help me. So I waited another 10mins before someone was able to go to the back to look for the oysters. 5 mins later she comes back to tell me there weren't any. I couldn't believe it. I literally had just called and was told there were some before I showed up and then waited atleast 30 mins only to be told there were none. I wouldn't have even gone there if they had told me from the beginning, when I called, that there weren't any but that wasn't the case. I was so frustrated. I called in advance and was told there were some, then I waited ringing the service bell for 15mins while workers saw me and didn't bother to tell me the meat department had left, then I had to wait longer for someone to eventually help me only to find there weren't even any oysters. So 1 star for them. This could have been corrected before this event unfolded. I thought raleys was supposed to be very professional. I wanted to complain to corporate but was transferred to the store supervisor which didn't help anymore than the other employees. I hope they correct this issue so it doesn't...