Lunds & Byerlys Northeast Minneapolis — Local services in Minneapolis

Just had had deeply upsetting experience I had at your store on April 18th, 2025, at approximately 7:00 PM.

When I approached the register, I noticed an older Caucasian woman organizing plastic bags. I politely asked if her register was open. Her response was shockingly rude and unprofessional. She said, “Jesus, do you not see the lights are on?”—in a very dismissive and hostile tone. I was stunned by her reaction and decided to walk to the next register instead. Moments later, she turned off the register light, adding to the confusion.

After completing my purchase, I attempted to file a complaint about the incident. At the main register area, I approached a male employee who was standing there and asked to speak with a manager. He rolled his eyes and responded with “Whatever, I’m not a manager, can’t help you,” despite earlier claiming he was the manager. He then walked away and told another employee in a pink top—who appeared to be a supervisor—“I don’t know what he’s talking about, something about filing a complaint. Please deal with this,” again, in an extremely disrespectful tone.

This was one of the worst customer service experiences I have ever encountered. Sadly, this is not the first time the same elderly woman has been rude to me at this location. It’s beginning to feel like customers from the Somali immigrant community are not welcome at your store. I am not the only one who has experienced this—others in my community have also shared similar negative interactions.

To make matters worse, I was not even using EBT—yet I couldn’t help but think about how customers using EBT are often treated at this store, with judgment and condescension.

No customer deserves to be treated with such disrespect and hostility, regardless of their background. I am spending my own money at your store, and I expect basic courtesy and professionalism in return.

I strongly urge Lunds & Barley to investigate this matter seriously. The behavior of both the older woman at the register and the male employee who refused to help was completely unacceptable. If they are treating me this way, I have no doubt others are being treated the same.

At this point, I would caution members of my community to consider shopping elsewhere until these issues are addressed.

Update:

I previously shared a disappointing experience at this store on April 18th, 2025. After filing a complaint, management responded, acknowledged the issue, and assured me they would speak with the employees involved.

I appreciate their apology and willingness to address the situation. While I hope this leads to lasting improvements in customer service and inclusivity, I will be watching for meaningful changes. I encourage the store to continue ensuring all customers—regardless of background—are treated with respect and professionalism

Thank you!

*Given their response, I’ve updated my rating...

I ran into the rudest associate today. I was going through produce, trying to find good strawberries. She didn’t like that I was sorting through them. She asked what was wrong. I started pointing out cases of berries that had mold or rot or dry spots on them. Fran took one from me Looked at it, said “oh my God!” Slammed it down in front of me and walked away. I heard her talking to another associate Saying that there was nothing wrong with them implying that I was just being unreasonable. Excuse me… You guys are charging like five or six dollars for a pound of strawberries. I will look at them and make sure they are good, And not getting ready to go in like a day or two and I was sorting through them and putting them was Going to put them back as soon as I found an acceptable package. Fran rudely started yanking them away from me and them. So I had to sort through again to find something that was decent. Rudest person I’ve ever...

Yes, Lunds is pricey, but you get what you pay for. This place was very clean, orderly and the shelves were beautifully stocked -- and this was at noon. There is also a nice looking variety of hot foods, sandwiches and salads to go. Most importantly, the staff members were professional, pleasant and extremely polite. The young lady who helped me at the deli went out of her way to make me feel acknowledged and appreciated. I got the same feeling from the gentleman at check-out. He made me feel valued with a genuine "thank you" -- and you cannot put a price on that. As for high prices, get the app to look for deals. I got 25% off of the Tuna Pea Pasta salad, which was so fresh and so good! The whole experience reminded me of the old downtown Dayton's food and deli downstairs (if anyone is still around who remembers their consistent level of quality service and well-prepared food items.) I feel NE is lucky to have this...