Big Y — Local services in Worcester

Update: I tried doing my weekly shopping here twice since the Price Chopper on Cambridge St closed: prices are too high and having trouble getting everything on my list.

Pros: Great markdowns on meat, sushi is delicious, employees are helpful and friendly, especially at the deli, self-checkout app is nice when I'm not selected for review twice in a row, my kid loves the wing bar.

Cons: The prices are no longer competitive. As during COVID, the "sales" are markups then markdowns. For example, the "4 for $20" saved me maybe $1 after buying 4lbs of meat. The 4 for $20 deals used to have $7 or $8 packages of meat. Now they have $5.25 packages of meat. I saw one package that was "$5.07". The original price of chicken is inflated during the 50% sale. The beef is never on sale and if it is, the sale price is higher than the regular price at nearby stores. I heard an announcement for a 4 pack of croissants for $7.99. How is that a sale?

There is so much missing: the eggs shelves are bare. I take the time to visit another store to get eggs, and there are limits, but the other stores have eggs. Last week there were no yellow onions in bags or loose, only red or vidalia loose onions. Last night, there was no milk chocolate chips other than store brand for $5/bag. Hershey was on sale, but only a few bags left and no milk chocolate. The sushi and chicken shelves looked post-apocalyptic. Same with the hamburger buns and store-brand bread. There were no carts, all of them in the parking lot everywhere. It was hard to park.

I'm hopeful this is a transition to the influx of Price Chopper customers. That store was large, well stocked and well-maintained, and the sales were awesome. Chopper customers have higher expectations. I think I'll take a break and drive to another Chopper or Market Basket and give this store time to catch up. I live very close by, so I will be in for milk and sales. Could you please add some things I will actually buy to "My offers"? My friend gets a free large pizza and 20% of meat purchase. I get $1 off vegan protein bars or fancy frozen Italian dinners, which I would never, ever buy due to the price.

Previous review: Big Y seems to be responding to inflation and high price of food with amazing sales and it is helping me feed my family. Today I finally downloaded the app and loaded up the special deals with the help of the Wonderful Kathy at the Service Desk. I liked and plan to use the tablet there again. I can't believe the deals I scored on granola bars, frozen pizza, smart chicken nuggets, broccoli and hummus. I filled a cart and got waaaaay more than I planned, but saved over 50%. So we both won! Thank you, Big...

Up until about 4 weeks ago I have been satisfied with the way big y market on main Street in Worcester for almost 10 years now and thought that they have been handling PPE/covid and customers following theseTthese rules. Unfortunately, the last few times I have gone to this market, today specifically, There was no one overseeing people in line. However, there were stickers on the floor clearly showing the 6 feet apart for social distancing which is fine, but again, there was no one overseeing that customers were following appropriate social distancing. When I got to my register and waited 6 ft away from the person who was cashing out to finish and leave, I then began to unload my cart at which point people started lining up behind my cart not at all following distance protocol. Before I even cashed out and my items still on the the belt the person behind me began putting all of his groceries on the grocery belt. When he first started putting his groceries on the belt I said loud enough for this person and the cashier at register #4... isn't he supposed to wait until I'm done?? At Which point she acknowledged what I said to her but she did not even have the courtesy to give me a respond nor did she ask the person behind me to stop what he was doing. And simply explain that he needs to wait. During these crazy times when going out to a store could potentially be life threatening. Managers should be constantly making sure they're covid-19 PPE procedures are being followed at all times. I won't come back here ,this was the last chance on my end. And it's very disappointing to have experienced now twice that people in charge and even the cashier's or any other employee don't feel confident telling customers they need to follow the know rules. if she did that it would have made me feel better but unfortunately my experience was just another customer service fail and a reminder that not all people care to follow guidelines. I respect the socially distance rules that have been put in place for a good reason.... You guys need to step it up unfortunately and go back to how you were handling it when you're...

Unfortunately, I cannot recommend this bakery. If you’re considering ordering a cake or any baked goods, I strongly suggest driving to a neighboring town instead of dealing with the unprofessionalism I experienced here.

I recently picked up a sheet cake, and not even a mile down the road, I noticed the writing on the cake was smudged. I returned to the store to ask for help, hoping for a simple solution. Instead, the manager—who wore a black chef coat—immediately became hostile and started yelling at me and my mother, insisting it was our fault the cake was ruined. At no point during pickup were we given any instructions on how to transport the cake. In fact, I had cleared out my entire trunk to safely place the cake, which was made for 100 people. When I calmly explained this, she rolled her eyes and told me I should have held the massive sheet cake on my lap. Completely unreasonable and incredibly rude.

What made this experience even more disappointing was the attitude. There was no attempt to resolve the issue, just blame and condescension. The manager’s behavior was appalling. I was left in tears—until another employee, who saw what happened, kindly stepped in to help and comfort me. She was compassionate, helpful, and genuinely cared. I even offered her a tip for her kindness, because the contrast between her and her manager was that extreme.

This manager does not represent the values or customer service that Big Y is known for. It’s upsetting to see one person tarnish the reputation of an entire store’s bakery department. After reading other reviews, it’s clear I’m not the only one who’s had a negative experience with her.

I won’t be coming back—and I strongly encourage others to go elsewhere for their bakery needs. Big Y management needs to take a serious look at who is representing their brand. No customer deserves to be...