Big Ben Market — Local services in National City

We've been going to Big Ben for over a decade. Sometimes it's for last minute dinner due to our busy lives but mainly because the people and customer service were decent. The key word being "were". Ever since the remodel, there has a decline in the quality of employees. Especially at the food counter. Half of them never seem to know how to use the register let alone handle customers. The last few experiences with that counter have been lackluster and today, just outright bad. When we came in, there was only one other customer at the food counter. I waited behind her for about 5 minutes while two ladies were fiddling about the register. They took another several minutes ringing her up. During this time, a man came up. I stepped up to order some food after they were finally done with her. The lady told me that she was helping the other customer first. Naturally I took my business elsewhere. Worse yet, I called to address this issue with the manager and was put on hold for 10 minutes. The store may look better but with the lack of basic common sense and training of some of the employees, the money spent on the remodel is a waste and they'll be losing more than just our business...

This is just 2 1/2 blocks from my mom my house the big Ben market. I used to walk there every morning. For a grocery store in the neighborhood it has a pretty good variety of things if your tastes run to the Hispanic almost exclusively. For example I tried to buy a bag of candy there for Halloween and there was nothing In a multi pack like snickers Hersheys Twix Kitcat Nestlé crunch I don’t think they even have a Nestlé crunch bar in there. No Twizzlers. I see these as commmon things. They have a great variety of liquor and beer. They have a counter with a butcher and I don’t know why because most of the things back there are frozen. Or were frozen and he’ll tell you the truth he’s a nice guy. I asked the produce guy for green beans he led me to the canned food Section. Finally I do remember an incident where a customer left the store absolutely irate one of their clerks had some sort of language problem she had to be over 60 barely spoke English couldn’t help the lady and I remember Trying to help as I am bilingual the clerk wouldn’t have...

I had a really uncomfortable experience at big Ben Market and won’t be returning. I walked in just to browse and maybe grab some prepared food, but instead of being greeted or offered help, I was followed around the store by a man—possibly the owner—who didn’t say a single word. No “hello,” no “can I help you?”—just silent, uncomfortable surveillance.

I’m a 37-year-old man, casually dressed in gym clothes, and I wasn’t doing anything suspicious. Yet I was treated as if I didn’t belong there. If the goal is to prevent theft, a little basic customer service would go a long way. Greet people, ask if they need anything—don’t just follow them around like they’re doing something wrong.

The whole vibe was off, and the way I was watched made me feel unwelcome and disrespected. I support small businesses, but not ones that treat their customers...