TODAY'S RANT: I Wish Weis Markets would pack up and go the F back to Penna.

David

Opinions are my own...
PREMO Member
Weis Markets, a regional chain based out of Sunbury, PA (10 miles from where I grew up), bought my local Food Lion about a year ago. It was the go to store because it was a mile from home and it wasn't worth running to the better store(s) 8 miles away. But, now that Weis Markets has had the chance to really F things up, I am about ready to drive that 8 miles each way to avoid their constant bull####.

Aside from their prices being significantly higher than Food Lion for the same mediocre products, Weis has a serious issue with being able to properly identify the price of items that are "ON SALE." One of their big gimmicks is to try and force you to do a volume buy to get a better price. One of my favorites is that if you buy 10 AVOCADOS, you can get them for $1 each instead of $2 each (who in the hell charges $2 for an avocado in season?). When they first opened, their infamous little signs failed to tell you what happens if you only want to buy ONE, or FIVE or NINE? Do you pay $1 or $2 each? I asked 2 employees and neither had any idea. Well, these days the sign has the decency to tell you that the single unit price is $1, not $2. I guess they finally got the message that people were sick of guessing and/or being bullied into buying more than they really wanted (who can use 10 avocados before they go bad?). Of course, there are some items where the single unit price is higher, but not as high as the "normal" price. Whatever, at least you can know what you're going to pay before you get to the checkout.

Today I find out that Weis has not improved all of their "sale" signs. I didn't get to my regular store and I wanted some tuna for lunch. They had a name brand solid Alabacore, normally $2, listed as 10 for $10. But, of course, there was no single unit price. Was one can $1 or $2 or something in between??? I assumed that by now they had learned their lesson and would have labelled it if the unit were more than $1. I also triple checked the sign to make sure it was the right product being advertised. Sure enough, it rings up as $1.79. I told the clerk to just take it off the bill. Mind you that this same can of tuna sells every day for around $1.20 at Walmart.

Oh, but surely David, this is just an isolated incident and you might have been having a bad day. Nope, sorry. I don't think that has ever been a time when I was in there that there wasn't some customer within my ear distance who was having a similar conversation with their clerk; I feel bad for the clerks having to deal with this crap every day.

I don't know if the Weis management "team" is stupid, incompetent, or they just don't give a ####. In any case, I wish they would sell the store to a better company who knows how to mark prices; after all, this is 2018 and we have Amazon as a benchmark of the right way to run a retail business.

And finally, as a comparison between how some stores deal with customer confusion: I bought a pack of the best T-Shirts that Target had on the shelves. The sign indicated a significant discount on sale. The shelves were kinda disorganized (due to customers throwing bags back where ever), so I double checked the sign against the package to be sure I had the right one so I could avoid any confusion at checkout. Well, the price rang up at full price. I asked the girl if she could take them off the order because I thought they were on sale and I must have picked up the wrong item. She asked what price I was expecting and gave it to me for that (close to $15 discount if I remember correctly).

So, to repeat those memorable words a Taxi driver in a big city yelled at my friend's mom when she driving in traffic:

GO, GO, GO BACK TO THE WOODS!

P.S. And the real kicker to the story is that our federal government forced Food Lion to sell several of their local stores. Seems Food Lion was being bought out by some big European conglomerate who must have owned some other stores in this region. So the bureaucrats wanted to be sure we were safe from a lack of local competition. Now we have to deal with a chaotically run store with significant higher prices that are really impacting senior citizens and other people on fixed incomes in this area (I know because I talk to them when I am able in the stores).

As far as the competition thing, here are all of the other stores within my shopping radius:

- Food Lion
- Shoppers
- Giant
- McKays
- Walmart
- Aldi
- Harris Teeter

So, 8/EIGHT including Weis. Many rural and inner city areas barely have one.
 
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Goldenhawk

Well-Known Member
What makes you think that they don't know how to price? I'm pretty confident that they know EXACTLY what they're doing, and it's a deliberate tactic to fool inattentive people into spending more money. And I'm pretty sure it's corporate policy, because it's true of every one of the Weis stores in the SoMD area.

Add to this deceptive practice, their much-reduced selection from Food Lion... nope.

I was a regular Food Lion customer for a decade, but I've pretty much given up on them now.
 

jazz lady

~*~ Rara Avis ~*~
PREMO Member
I agree to pretty much all of that. Lived in Callaway for years and loved it when it was Food Lion.

Wei's sucks BIG time. Deceptive advertising and pricing, poor selection and stocking, etc. I pretty much shop at SFW, Harris Teeter, and occasionally Walmart, Giant, or BJ's now.
 

vraiblonde

Board Mommy
PREMO Member
Patron
Weis is right across the street from the campground in Solomons but I happily drive to Giant for groceries.
 

NorthBeachPerso

Honorary SMIB
Food Lion was bought by the same company, Royal Ahold, that owns Giant. That's why the various Food Lions and Giants had to be sold, anti-trust issues for the most part.
 

tipsymcgee

Active Member
And they have far less generics. I mean, they have those pathetic Valu Time cheapos in some things, but they often have no generic line and want you to buy name brand, and sometimes a name brand is even slightly less (Hunt's can spaghetti sauce vs. Weis). You have to pay $4 for Nabisco cheese crackers or nothing. These items are also rarely on sale it seems. I go there still some because Safeway's produce and meats are outrageous but I make the wife get certain things at Walmart/Target.
 

Popster

Member
I concur. Aldis is my go to place. Would go to Weiss for kale and other greens (for us and the rabbit.) Weiss produce often over watered/slimy and relatively expensive and incorrectly priced. Teeters, where I was prepared NOT to shop has better greens at at better price- go figure. They even have black kale.

In addition, the Weiss adds just killed it for me. Buy 1 get two free with no price mentioned. Page after page of fine print and conditions. Buy 3 on Tuesday, but 4 on Friday. Spend this much for discount on 3.5 of that. I don't want to spend my life dealing with that crap. Their ads are designed to be confusing. I solve the problem by going to Aldis!
 
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littlelady

God bless the USA
I concur. Aldis is my go to place. Would go to Weiss for kale and other greens (for us and the rabbit.) Weiss produce often over watered/slimy and relatively expensive and incorrectly priced. Teeters, where I was prepared NOT to shop has better greens at at better price- go figure. They even have black kale.

In addition, the Weiss adds just killed it for me. Buy 1 get two free with no price mentioned. Page after page of fine print and conditions. Buy 3 on Tuesday, but 4 on Friday. Spend this much for discount on 3.5 of that. I don't want to spend my life dealing with that crap. Their ads are designed to be confusing. I solve the problem by going to Aldis!

We all have choices in grocery stores. What is important to me is how are Hattie, Beanie, and friends. :smile:
 

Popster

Member
Capture.jpg
 

frequentflier

happy to be living
Weis is right across the street from the campground in Solomons but I happily drive to Giant for groceries.

The Giant in Lusby SUCKS and has gone waaay downhill in the past two years. Shopping at 1PM last week on Weds, their produce section appeared to not have been restocked yet from the day before! Since that is where I buy the most groceries (produce), I find that unacceptable. I do buy a majority of my produce at Weis in Solomons and at least they do have someone restocking at all times. I wish I had time to go to other stores (still have not been in HT over the bridge) because my time off is limited.
 

LightRoasted

If I may ...
If I may ...

The Giant in Lusby SUCKS and has gone waaay downhill in the past two years. Shopping at 1PM last week on Weds, their produce section appeared to not have been restocked yet from the day before! Since that is where I buy the most groceries (produce), I find that unacceptable. I do buy a majority of my produce at Weis in Solomons and at least they do have someone restocking at all times. I wish I had time to go to other stores (still have not been in HT over the bridge) because my time off is limited.

Yup. It's like this Giant is like the armpit of food stores. Way too much employee turnover. When Cindy, the customer manger was there, everything ran smoothly and top notch. About two years ago they moved her to Prince Frederick after she had been there since the store opened. Now, ignorant, non-caring, constantly changing managers rotate through there as if it's some training ground on how to deal with the lower end people of Calvert.
 

frequentflier

happy to be living
If I may ...



Yup. It's like this Giant is like the armpit of food stores. Way too much employee turnover. When Cindy, the customer manger was there, everything ran smoothly and top notch. About two years ago they moved her to Prince Frederick after she had been there since the store opened. Now, ignorant, non-caring, constantly changing managers rotate through there as if it's some training ground on how to deal with the lower end people of Calvert.

Yes, Cindy was great!
 

MR47930

Member
We gave up on Weis as well and now pay a little more for the overall better experience of going to Safeway in Prince Frederick. Heck I can even get a Starbucks coffee while the wife is doing her thing.
 

nobody really

I need a nap
If I may ...



Yup. It's like this Giant is like the armpit of food stores. Way too much employee turnover. When Cindy, the customer manger was there, everything ran smoothly and top notch. About two years ago they moved her to Prince Frederick after she had been there since the store opened. Now, ignorant, non-caring, constantly changing managers rotate through there as if it's some training ground on how to deal with the lower end people of Calvert.

like yourself?
 

GURPS

INGSOC
PREMO Member
P.S. And the real kicker to the story is that our federal government forced Food Lion to sell several of their local stores. Seems Food Lion was being bought out by some big European conglomerate who must have owned some other stores in this region. So the bureaucrats wanted to be sure we were safe from a lack of local competition.


Don't You Feel Better YOUR Gov. Saved You ......... :sarcasm:
 
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