Strack & Van Til — Local services in Portage

Sherry, I think she's front end manager is really great! I'm there A LOT! Sherry has helped me with a few things, She's always very nice and patient. Angie seems to be a bit grouchy off and on but mostly the customer service ladies are awesome! Nick in the butcher department is always smiling and saying hi. Great guy too who makes you feel at home. Dave, I believe it is who used to greet at the door and occasionally bags groceries, is also very welcoming. Elaine who bags groceries seems to work very hard and is always nice. Then there's Tommy, who is sweet as pie and always singing and happy. I don't care how bad your day has went, he always makes you smile. Joan or Joannie on the other hand, a cashier, has a way of huffing and puffing if you don't "round up" or donate to whatever charity they're collecting for. I even found myself explaining to her WHY I didn't agree or want to give money to a certain charity b/c of her disdain when I declined. My only "gripes" are digital coupons don't always come off so you have to watch that and I used to stop there daily and buy the fresh baked cookies for our office. the last week,, the cookies are very overcooked and brown rather than the soft, gooey, slightly golden brown around the edges they were just a couple weeks ago. I did notice they had an overstock of the cookies my last 2 visits so I assume management will catch on that something has changed. Hopefully whoever is overcooking them will be moved to a different department. We stopped buying them the last week b/c they're going uneaten at the office. I also miss the Best Choice items. We bought a lot of those and the Hyvee doesn't have the same food options or in my opinion, quality of Best Choice. I do like the fact the store hires handicapped individuals but I believe they've got "equal opportunity" covered that's why I was saddened to see an employee attire that I disagree with but that's something to discuss on a personal level, not on a review post. As you can see, I spend a whole lot of time at Stracks and overall, like the store. Its always clean, easy to find what I need and typically...

I've kept quiet for almost 8 years, since I moved here. Today, is the LAST straw. I didn't say anything 6 years ago, when the lady at the deli counter told me: What do you expect? It's a "discount" food store" when I asked her to put the 2 lbs of lunch meat in the zip lock bags, instead of the open bags. I stayed away for almost 4 years. I didn't say anything, when I had to drive BACK to the store two year,s ago when the 5 pounds of hamburger was completely brown, inside, and out, less than 18 hours after I brought it home, before I'd had a chance to divide it into vacuum bags. But ever since the store in Hobart was bought out by a cheap skate, local food chain, I've come back, and been extra careful. NOW, they have 3 day meat sales, to "herd" everyone in at the same time. I'm guessing, to get us to pay less attention to what we're paying for! But twice now, I've had to drive there two times, because the meat sales were on a different day! THIS time, on my SECOND trip, I bought two roasts for the crock pot. I then slice them and mix with brown gravy for sandwiches. Out of 5 pounds of roast, i got 2 pounds, and had to give the other 3, to my dog, because they were so full of fat and waste! And DON'T tell me the butcher didn't know, because he put all the crap upside down in the package! I didn't check, or it would've went back to the store, AGAIN. I wondered WHY it stunk while it was cooking. I don't care if I have to drive 20 miles to get decent food, because, in my opinion, you cant get any here, and by the time I have to make 2 or 3 trips, I might as well make the drive somewhere else, in the...

This store used to be a Town and Country grocery store, but within the last year, 2018, became a Strack & Van Til. As for the store itself, they made quite a few internal upgrades as to how things are. It certainly has a fresher look than it did. They've upgraded signage, displays, colors and it's a lot more user-friendly than it used to be at least I think. They still have many of the things they used to have; they have fresh bread, fresh produce,fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, they have a deli bar, they have a sushi bar, they have a Wings bar, they have fresh meat, rozen meat, fresh vegetables, Frozen Foods, Fresh Dairy. All of the normal Staples, and all are at least I think reasonably priced. The people seem to be reasonably friendly, and the store seems to be reasonably well run. Their selection is pretty good, I don't see an emphasis on organic foods like I might like to see, and as I do see and some other Strack's stores, but all in all it's a nice store conveniently-located, kept clean, good service, good location. I think this used to be a 24-hour store, but now I think their hours are 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. If you aren't used to stop shopping at this store, and live in the area give it a try. I think you'll find it to be a good store quality store with good products. Are the prices the best? I can't say, cuz I don't shop there very often, but it does seem to have a good selection and prices...