Village Fresh Marketplace — Local services in Perry

This is the closest store to my house. I try to avoid the place, but will go here if necessary. Always make sure you get a receipt because things do go bad and are not properly handled in the store. I've had unopened milk go bad before the expiration, chunky laundry softener on separate occasions. You will pay top dollar here as well. They also mark down products, but you have to make sure to check the date because they sell expired products and sometimes they are weeks or months after expiration which isn't even legal to sell. The sign literally says it's marked down for either being damaged or expired, not expiring soon.... actually expired. If the health department came in they would have a field day. They have prepackaged salads in the deli that were all bloated today and if you didn't know, that happens when products are above safe temperatures for too long and go bad. That's probably why my milk went bad. I don't usually have an issue with the staff. They are usually friendly but not eccentric. Tonight around 7 there were 4 teenagers working and they were all at one register. None of them said a word to me. They were talking to themselves the whole time and one of them was swearing. Swearing doesn't bother me, but I'm sure it does to other customers. It was a very strange experience. No one said hello, goodbye, let me know the total bill, said you can put your card in, or thank you for shopping here. It was the most awkward grocery experience I've ever had. I tried making eye contact and at least smiling but the cashier didn't look at me until she handed me the receipt and still didnt say anything as i just walked away. So...

I went in to the Village Fresh Marketplace to purchase a bottle of Witches Brew wine that was pictured in an advertisement sent from the business to our address as being $7.49. Upon checking out, I realized that I was charged full price for the bottle at $10.69. I noticed this error before I left the store. I went back the register and pointed out on both the advertisement and the shelf where I got the wine from that the wine was advertised as being on sale. The Witches Brew original wine was pictured in both places. The cashier called the manager, Michael, to the register. I pointed out the discrepancy in price between what I was charged vs. what I paid and showed him the advertisement that was sent to my home and the location on the shelf as well. He said “are you sure it’s included in the sale?” I said “yes, it’s pictured here on the advertisement and on the shelf.” He pointed to the ad and said “it says ‘select varieties only’.” I said “I understand that, but it’s pictured in the ad.” He essentially said that the picture in the ad isn’t specific and there’s too many products to specify what is included in the ad. He said “all stores do this.” I clarified “so even though it’s pictured in the ad, it’s still not included?” He said “yes.” I asked “how are you supposed to know what is included in the sale?” He said you’d have to find a staff person to have them price check it for you. I said “well I’d like to return it then” which he did. I also returned the rest of my order and will not be back to this store. What this store did is...

For what it is - a small town country grocery store - Carl's is a 5 star example. Do they have 10 brands of everything? No. Is the produce section 2 acres in size with 30 different types of apples to choose from? No. However, the store is clean and well kept, the folks there are friendly, and given it's size, when they have sales on things (e.g. I especially pay attention to prices on meats), the prices are as competitive as any.

I'm out in the country, and the "mega" big stores are all about 20-25 minutes away. I have two more accessible "small town" type of grocery stores an almost identical distance from my house 10-12 minutes in opposite directions - one is Carl's, another is a tad more familiar chain name store that's a bit bigger, in a slightly larger town than Perry, with a somewhat more sizable selection. My wife and I pick Carl's every single time we need to run out for a couple if items,...