Nichols Supermarkets Inc — Local services in Town of Salina

In all my years I've only been there about a dozen or so times out of despiration. Unless you're someone whose been shopping there for 20+ years actively dont even bother going. They have most things you would find anywhere else except for a few niche cooking items but you can find them anywhere if you look hard enough at the farmers market. Nearly everything, especially the meats, are either expired or sold right up to the expiration date. The meat they serve is always leaking through their trays and just makes a mess everywhere. The floor tiles look disgusting and theres even patches of grout just sticking through. Over by the produce section leading into the dairy coolers there is a VERY NOTICEABLE Incline that makes it difficult to navigate up with a loaded cart. Nichols has two different "modes" if you would, when it comes to cashing out. There are either 1-2 registers open all day or all 5 registers open for about 3 minutes when theres a heavy ammount of traffic, making it difficult for someone with a small ammount of groceries to avoid people purchasing bulk amounts of rancid smelling meat. I'm glad they have baggers that will wheel out carts yet they all look so drained and its apparent why. The managers publically shame them in front of everyone if something goes wrong. One time, a bag of mine broke through the plastic bag and I dropped a couple of my groceries in a puddle. The manager I assume was furious and had the bagger go around with him and get all new items and then had someone else bag them and take them out to my car. I regret accidentally snitching on this kid to this day. The people on the registers are nice and kind and the people over at the help center are helpful too. I cannot recommend going to this store for any reason other than getting cheap reduced meat in bulk that will go bad before you even eat it all or a decent meatball sub at their deli. If you want a better experince, honestly go to...

I have been paying the higher prices for years to support the local store because I want to support my neighborhood. This week was my last personally and we are switching lunches for my office because of rudeness to customers on two separate visits.

While I was waiting at the deli to place my office lunch order, the deli person was having a customer taste practically everything behind the counter and chat about their kids. I expect to wait always, but a person in front of me asked if someone could help him because he was on his short lunch break. The answer was next available person would help. Another 5 min later. I have been shopping at the store for years and say hi to all staff I walk past. Noone has ever bothered to say more than hi to me, if that.

Another morning this week I overheard the deli person loudly and angrily tell someone they could taste only 2 things and that's it (not a rule for their friends!).

At the checkout, an employee followed and stood behind one customer while she was checking out... watching her scan, in addition to the cashier, and ran away when he got called out for it. Would not even stop and respond to her face! Poor cashier made up some story of why the guy was watching her. BS.

Mike and team: Treat everyone the same or only let your friends in the store if that's who you are working for. I am done paying extra for the local store if ALL customers don't get the same treatment. I am done paying extra for wilting vegetables and long waits while staff chat...

Probably the happiest moment I experienced Sunday?

I found a Blackberry Pie for four dollars at this amazing grocery store in the village downtown, Nichols Market.

Did they have a run on blackberries in the fall, the entire crop bulging out of freezers?

“Pies”, yelled the baker.

“We have to bake blackberry pies and save the day”.

A water main ruptured under Salina Street, nothing I was aware of until I arrived at the bus stop near the Cafe Kubal coffee shop near the Landmark Theater.

I wondered if the rerouting of the buses would make my usual stop a dead stop.

Ten minutes after the anticipated arrival, I concluded that the answer was yes.

I offered to send home a woman I was talking to, a random act of Uber, but she declined.

Which made for my first decline in about four offers.

When I walked from the stop to see if Nikos Greek Restaurant was open, about ten people stood at the stop, awaiting buses that were never to come.

I hope the group had the idea to walk down to the hub where the buses began their journeys.

It’s hard to miss a bus home if one...