Nino Salvaggio International Marketplace — Local services in Saint Clair Shores

I took my step-dad to Nino Salvaggio’s but not the one in Troy, nor the one in Clinton Township, not even to the one in that highfalutin Bloomfield Township but to the one over here on the Eastside of town, on Harper off of Eleven Mile road in heavenly St. Clair Shores. At first he got distracted by the beautiful flowers available to purchase just as you walk in, but soon I grabbed a buggy and we rolled on thru starting with the most el primo fruit selection. I grabbed a peach and I got him a nice healthy pre-cut bowl of assorted melons and berries. Then it was straight to the homemade soups where we grabbed dear ol’ Ma some of her favorite Chicken Noodle then hung a left and I showed him a magnificent display of vegetables which include Dandelion greens and pickles procured right from the owners garden. We gazed longingly at all the meats and cheeses, as ya can’t have one without the udder. I showed him all of the pre-made meals I could just throw in the toaster over or some even the microwave for a real homemade Italian taste that’s fresh, not frozen. Thank goodness that location has some fairly tuff guys and gals as I had a tuff go of it trying to get my pops Anthony away from wide assortment of dairy products which included his favorite Spumoni ice-cream. Finally he came to his senses and we grabbed a hot n fresh rotisserie chicken, fresh bread of so many kinds my head spun until it stopped after catching a whiff of that fresh movie-style popcorn. After we split the bagging between both paper and plastic depending on the weight of our purchases I finally asked him; “So Antonio, what’ya think?” He took his hand and waved it away dismissively “Eh, it’s alright.” Did ya get that? He loves it on account o’ that’s the classic old skool Sicilian dismissive hand-wave of nonchalant absolute approval. Luckily a concerned shopper stopped to talk to dear ol’ Ma on account of us leaving her in the Jeep Liberty with all the windows rolled up, just the way she likes it. Sincerely Mr....

I moved to the SCS area a few years ago and I was so excited that there was a NS so close. When I first started shopping here I realized after a day or two of getting my groceries that the food was going to expire or had already expired. I’ve never had to check expiration dates so closely before or purchased food that went bad so fast.

One time I bought jalapeño bread without paying attention to the date, the following day I served it for dinner for a few guests and was so embarrassed that it was complete molded and it expired that day! I learned to pay attention to the expiration dates while shopping there and about 90% of their food expires within a few days. I’ve wasted so much money shopping here and had to throw away a lot of food that was very expensive.

I really want to love this place but my last trip was the final straw I think. I picked up one of their $10 dressings by the prepackaged mixed greens and it expired 2 weeks prior! I chose another one and it expired a few days ago. Dressing typically lasts a long time, I can’t believe this place is consistently selling overpriced, expired food to the public!

Also on my last trip there was a horrible rotten smell near the meat/fish. The smell was completely unbearable. Which leads me to wonder about their deli and the freshness of their food without obvious expiration dates. I really love Nino’s but you guys need to do better than this. I won’t shop there again until things change. Totally...

May 2024 Review regarding their Garden Flowers: As I do every year, I was out shopping for my flower gardens. I usually need 6 flats each of Begonias (same color plus 3 or 4 different colored individual ones), and six flats each of the Impatiens and Petunias but in a variety of colors. This doesn't include all the other different flowers and plants I need or would like to try. I was absolutely flabbergasted when signs were posted everywhere with "DO NOT SEPARATE FLATS". I thought surely they must be talking about the individual 2 packs, 4 packs, etc., so I asked the cashier to explain exactly what the sign meant? CASHIER: "You have to buy the whole flat as is". ME: "I need six flats (actually 18), but I need a variety of colors, what do I do"? CASHIER: "You don't" she replied! I swear this was verbatim!!!! I usually try to abide by the old adage, "If you don't have anything nice to say, dont say it", but there is an exception to every rule. One noticable positive: I will say, their hanging baskets, at 19.95, are lovely and I would be proud to hang some, but I make my own. I think I've said enough.

2023 Review: Over priced but the quality is always there. It comes down to whatever your priority or principle 🤔. Since I only live a mile away, it's the convenience that keeps me going there. Pretty much the same reason we all go to...