Big Apple Meat Market — Local services in New York

Memorial Day, Sept. 4, I went to the Deli Dept. ('DD") at Big Apple around noon. The first thing I noticed was that the music was extraordinarily loud for a grocery store and was pretty sure there had to be a speaker right next to the DD. Upon arriving at the counter, a tall young man behind the counter came over and asked me what I would like. So, I told him, in a voice which was as loud as I could speak without yelling, that I wanted a ham and Swiss cheese sandwich and pointed to the pre-made ham sandwiches in the glass case. The next thing I knew, he was over at the slicing machine slicing a block of Swiss cheese. So I asked him "what are you doing?" He said, "you wanted Swiss cheese didn't you?" I answered "Yes, but I just want it on my ham sandwich and again, I pointed to the pre-made sandwiches. (There was a shorter clerk right there in front of me, who I am sure can confirm what I said to this fellow who was cutting the Swiss.) The tall fellow then came over to the counter and hands over a package of Swiss wrapped in plastic. (I would like to point out at this time that the clerk never asked me how much Swiss I wanted -- 1/2 lb., a pound, etc., he just cut what he presumed I wanted.) Well, I told him "I never ordered Swiss cheese (by itself), that I had in fact, ordered a ham and Swiss cheese sandwich two times. And that was when the big shouting match started. Then the supervisor of the DD came over and said "nobody yells at my employees." I then told him that if he didn't have that music blasting so loudly maybe his employees could hear me and get my order correctly. And I reiterated this statement a couple of times so that he would get the point. I would also like to point out at this time that I have had a problem with this supervisor in the past. He says "next" to the next customer, who happened to be me, and then instead of taking my order, he goes over to the slicing machine and starts cleaning it off from the previous customer's order. And it is only after that that he comes over to you and is ready to take your order. At that time I said, "are you ready to take my order now?" He got sarcastic and said "well, I have to clean the machine first you know." I didn't argue with him at the time, as I felt I would just be wasting my time. That this guy was never going to change. (I know there was another man that was very angry with this supervisor for what I am sure was the same reason.) Needless to say, we got Into a big shouting match, and I was really surprised that the store manager didn't show up. And this supervisor told me "don't bother coming back." Yes, there was a misunderstanding, however, I am fairly sure this whole thing could have been prevented if they would turn that music off or at the least put it down a whole lot more so that the clerks can hear people. I don't have a loud voice, but I really don't feel that 1) I should have to yell in order to be heard by DD staff because the music is so loud. 2) I think that the clerk I was dealing with needs to pay better attention to what a person is saying to him, and 3) I believe that the supervisor needs an adjustment to the way he takes an order. Why should a customer have to wait while he cleans the slicer before it takes your order? You don't see them doing that in the banks, do you? Personally, I believe it might helpful if the DD was monitored via a video camera, with audio, for a while. But that's just my humble opinion. I always find the rest of the employees in the store to be very helpful whenever I go in there. I usually go at least...

The reason they've gotten a lot of customers, is their many low prices, that's their draw. Now they're gradually raising their prices to outrageous. The entire original Fairway on 74th & Bwy was so packed with customers, all day long, it was difficult to get through the aisles packed with people and carts. The son graduates from college and comes to work for dad & opens up more stores all over, BUT removes the reason everyone came to shop there: certain storemade/homemade quality food products like Fairway 16oz Chicken Pot Pies, (& Turkey, & Sheppard's Pie) the most delicious pot pie made anywhere -- 16 oz pies for $3.99 - $4.99 and they raise the price to $8.99 for the 16 oz pies. They still taste pretty great, although I believe they've started adding the chemicals and preservatives that destroy people's health, which never used to be in them. They were originally supplied fresh throughout the day, and disappeared for purchase just as quickly. And most of the other certain 'special Fairway' things that kept the place packed before -- doubled in price. [I believe it was one of the older long time deli workers there who gave the owner the ideas to offer a few choice, quality, special Fairway items for a great price, that it would be a wonderful thing, and draw a huge amount of customers, so that the store would continually be packed with customers buying their products. AND I believe the owner never appreciated and properly compensated that person for his contributions, that made them so successful and prosperous, because if they did, the wisdom would not be dropped so easily.] The bottom line is: the original Fairway and all the new stores, soon had almost no customers in their entire stores EVER. And they were too stupid to get it, and figure out a way to correct the problem. If they kept those same low prices for those few select Fairway brand products, the new stores would have easily grown a huge customer base, just like the original store had. I had long since moved to Midtown West, where there were no Fairway stores nearby, or I would have striven to speak with the owners on a regular basis to save the store, but all but one of the Fairway Markets had been sold the last time I checked. Big Apple Meat Market doesn't really have any delicious specialty items like Fairway does, so if they don't drop their prices back like before, they are definitely going to end up empty all the time, too. The draw for their customer base has always been very low prices. Big Apple is even going higher for the exact same products sold by the nearby Food Emporium, who's own prices have been way too high for most items, for a long time, causing most of THEIR stores to close. Pretty new store in a new high rise is good, but the main draw has always been the low low prices. If that goes, it's going to be nearly empty all the time, very quickly. The Nearby Food Emporium is Nicer and Bigger, and open from 7am-11:30pm, 7 days a week. Much...

Just left this establishment I purchased some steaks while checking out at the cash register I’m waiting to obviously be offered a bag because who walks around with 2 packs of steaks and of course just common courtesy (ask me if I’d like a bag before the transaction is over) any way once I kindly ask for a bag i was told that they only take cash for bags( I’ve been here numerous of times and have never been told that I can’t use the cash on my EBT, Debit or Credit card) so of course I respond by telling the cashier that she should have stated this beforehand and that I’ll take a refund I had more traveling to do so realistically again whose walking around with packs of steak in the open I’ve never heard that you can only get the bags with only cash, than she tells me oh you can pay with card than I said you just said only cash thank Goodness my daughter was with me who also heard her say ONLY CASH for bags, either way this put a bad taste in my mouth again I’ve been here numerous times and have never had a bad or unpleasant experience with anyone up until today and I also feel if she wasn’t trying to get back to the conversation with her coworker my customer service experience would have been much better… ALSO THE LAW SAYS IN NYC GROCERY STORES ARE NOT TO CHARGE EBT CUSTOMERS FOR REUSABLE BAGS AND DUE TO ME JUST FINDING THIS OUT AND REMEMBERING THE CASH REGISTER EMPLOYEE KEPT TRYNA GET ME TO PAY WITH CASH IS RIDICULOUS AND ENTIRELY SHADY I WILL DEFINITELY BE REPORTING THIS ESTABLISHMENT MY CARD WAS DEFINITELY CHARGED $1.09 FOR A BAG I SHOULD HAVE NEVER HAD TO PAY FOR AND THAT THE LAW STATES SPECIFICALLY IN MANHATTAN IS FREE TO...