New India Bazar — Local services in Milpitas

I have been coming to this store since the day it was opened. Before that I was going to its other branch near el camino. So I have been their customer for over 27 years. Recently on my visit, I wanted one samosa and I didnt find tongs, so I took one samosa from the container and put it in the paper bag and walked away. While I was walking away, a lady with vitilgo skin disease stood next to me and said I should use tongs.. Since I didnt need any more samosas, I just nodded and walked away. The lady went to the counter and complained that I was not using tongs. There was NO tongs anywhere to be found. the Counter lady ( in her 20s) then started shouting loudly at me that I should use tongs to get samosa and pointed to the tongs sitting on top of a shelf. The shelf top is never cleaned. I told the lady I didnt touch any other the samosas, I just took one that I was buying. But the lady kept shouting at me- as if I didnt know how to use tongs and said the customer is complaining. I asked her what was the complaint.. she kept repeating about using tongs. I have come to this store for over 25 yrs.I have always used tongs. I have seen people use hands to get samosas when there is no tongs. I noticed that lady who complained had skin disease and she was touching all the vegetables in the store, the counter ladies are touching the vegetables without gloves. I didnt touch any thing other than ONE samosa that I was buying and these two women in their 20s were shouting at me. If they were so particular- they should have put the tongs in the oven and not hidden it on top of some shelf !! This place has gone to worst culture. They dont have common sense to provide the tools, if they want the customer to use it.. and also clarify if the complaining customer is following her own rules. The original boss understood these things.. these women have to learn to identify a...

I have been going to this Indian store for over two years now to get groceries. We go there twice a month, primarily for Indian spices, some types of vegetables and an Indian brand of noodles called maggi.

The stores service and situation has not improved over the years. During evening and weekends the store gets overcrowded with hardly any maneuvering space. The parking space is also very limited with people parking on the street in no parking zones (we saw a cop giving out tickets today in the evening). If you can, avoid going there from 4 - 7 pm on weekday evenings and on afternoons/evenings on weekends.

The store cashiers are also very inefficient. Also they keep changing which probably is the problem. We had an offer for an item that was a buy one get one free. Their system didn't automatically add it and the cashier overlooked it too (we realized it after coming to our house). Most of these cashiers seem to be Indian housewives or current students with no prior retail experience. I would highly recommend that you keep an eye out when you are at the billing counter.

The shopping aisle and the vegetable counters are well stocked though. Most of the stuff is replenished very quickly and usually very fresh. The vegetables are also aggressively priced. This is the only reason why I give them two stars. Do not buy milk here because it is costlier than other marketplaces. However, their rice and pulses are also aggressively priced. The only place where you can sometimes get a better deal is Costco.

Overall, the prices and proximity to my house is the reason why I still go to this place (and turn a blind eye to some of their...

Currently, this is pretty much the only (Indian) store, within a reasonable driving distance, from which I can pick up Indian groceries and supplies. I rely heavily on their inventory for: Indian legumes and pulses (toor daal, masoor daal, urad daal, moong daal; they even carry organic varietals now for reasonably prices), Indian spices (cardamom, cloves, turmeric, mustard seeds, corriander seeds and powder, cumin seeds and powder, bay leaves, asafoetida/hing), tea leaves for Indian loose leaf tea (black/orange pekoe), ground Indian filter coffee, Indian chutneys (date, tamarind, coriander, mint), Indian face-care products (especially the neem face pack/mask), frozen ready/quick-to-eat Indian foods (parathas of all kinds: onion, paneer, garlic, plain, spinach, potato, mixed vegetable), Indian cottage cheese (paneer), fresh Indian and other produce (dates, opo/doodhi, coriander leaves, garlic, ginger, onion, cauliflower, cabbage, green beans, potatoes, tomatoes). The prices, in my opinion, are actually very reasonable even when comparing with the likes of Walmart. The staff is very immigrant-friendly and helpful. Sure, the parking is pretty challenging during weekends, but I try my best to run my errands here on weekdays to avoid the rush. I would go so far as to say that I would be pretty handicapped...