DeKalb Farmer's Market Needs to Get With the Times
Decatur Metro | June 2, 2008Since last we discussed the evils of plastic (or paper) grocery bags, I’ve seen a growing number of people toting their own bags to the grocery store.
Maybe its due to the proliferation of reusable bags around the Publix check out or Whole Foods complete eradication of the plastic bag, or maybe its just that people in the U.S. don’t want to be shown up by China. But whatever it is, reusable bags are seeing an upsurge like never before.
But what about the DeKalb Farmer’s Market? That Georgia-famous warehouse of chaos where one can purchase an endless variety of quality fruits/veggies/meats/spices/alcohol at a discount price (as long as you’re willing to give and take a few elbows to the face)?
We’ll, according to Deryck, its a little behind the times…
…When I entered with bags in the cart, I was told that it would be necessary to check them at the information counter. They provided a plastic numbered card. That’s easy. But wait!, you cannot retrieve your bag, an employee must do this for you when you checkout. The cashier must shout out “bag check” to get the person who eventually arrives and then gets your bag.
Meanwhile you have a lot of angry people behind you wondering why the cashier cannot complete your transaction. This slows down the process, aggravates you, the cashier and those waiting in line. They’re all usually nice folks I might add. This procedure is extremely inefficient and creates a very unpleasant shopping experience for all parties including the staff. It gives one the impression that conservation is just too damn difficult to be worthwhile. Why not place the bag retrieving person(s) at the exit doors to check the receipts of those leaving with their own bags?
On the flip side…My wife says that she has taken her bags into the store with her and not been stopped. But maybe she just got lucky.
Regardless, Deryck is right. The current setup obviously dissuades the use of reusable bags. It’s much worse than being glared at by angry baggers (barely any of that at Publix anymore BTW). Angering other shoppers is, in many ways, an even a bigger deterrent.
For an organization with such a large recycle center on site, DFM should make reusable bags easy to use. This might require a change to the way things have always been done in the past, either with a Costco-style receipt checker or designated types of bags that can be taken into the store…just thinking out loud here.
Ultimately, it goes without saying that if reusable bags continue to increase in popularity, the Farmer’s Market is going to need to alter its current “check your bags at the door” policy in order to retain a significant contingent of customers that don’t want to take home 3 dozen plastic bags.
The part where you can’t retrieve your own bags is a new wrinkle in their annoying “check your bags” policy. In my experience, there’s really only one dude (head of security, I think?) who polices carts for unchecked bags. He seems to mainly prowl around during high-traffic times. Usually, if I just fold my bags under my purse in the basket of the cart, no one really bothers me about it. Other than the bag check thing, the cashiers are much nicer/more tolerant to people who bring their own bags than the baggers at Kroger.
Hmmm….
While I agree that their bag check policy is really iritating (espeically since I have seen women with purses big enough to hold multiple frozen turkies walk in unchecked) I have always been able to get the bags myself before I head to the registers. In fact, I was there yesterday and had no problem getting them on my own.
On another note, is it just me, or has their inventory narrowed considerably recently? And their selection of local produce leaves A LOT to be desired.
The reusable bags I use:
http://usa.envirosax.com/index.php
They fold up very small and come in a set of 5, all of which fit into a carrying pouch. The pouch of 5 bags easily fits into my purse, so no hassles whatsoever with having to check bags or anything. This does not help what is clearly an annoying policy on the part of the Dekalb Farmers Market – just sharing a product I love!
Has anyone telephoned or e-mailed the management at YDFM to ask them to change the policy? It’s probably just an anti-shoplifting policy that has outlived its usefulness.
I usually just check them when I go in, and retrieve them BEFORE going to checkout. That’s allowed.
I always carry my bags to the DFM when I shop there & have for years. A few years ago they started stopping me to ask me to check them, doubtless because of shoplifting concerns. It is not a big deal at all….I drop them off when I come in, they give me a tag, and before I get in line to pay, I turn my tag in and they hand me my bags back. If they’ve changed this policy, they did it less than a week ago, because I shopped there last Thursday and had no issues with getting my bags from customer service.
Frankly, when I carry my bags into Kroger, I always wonder how much longer it will be before THEY start making people check their bags.
I shop there every week, and I have never had a problem picking up my bags myself on the way to the cashier stations.
I’m rather late to this discussion, but I had a run-in with the security guy today when I refused to check my bag when asked by one of the employees to do so, and went on my way shopping. He approached me soon after and I argued with him. He of course just keep saying it was the owner’s policy, not listening to my position that there were others walking around with bags and large purses, as Ted noted.
I decided to say I would take the bag back to the car, as he was about to pull my carry basket out of my hands, and instead just went to the register and checked out with the few things I’d already gotten.
My issue is two-fold–that the enforcement of the policy is random and like Ted said, women carry purses large enough to fit a ton of stuff in. In fact I observed a few cases of that before the security guy approached me. I also feel discriminated against because I don’t carry a purse, so I put my one bag in my carry basket. I can’t fit it into my pocket, which is apparently OK based on another run in I had several months ago.
I was approached by two employees and I argued with them. I said what if I had a bag in my pocket–what was the difference? They said, that’s fine, you can put it in your pocket. So while they watched, I attempted to stuff my largish canvas bag into my pocket. It was too big, and bulged and hung out, but they seemed satisfied and went away. Is this ridiculous or just me???
I will be writing a letter to the owner.
The policy is ridiculous and arbitrarily enforced. FYI: Heliotrope on Ponce sells really nice shopping bags of light weight materials that fold up to nothing. You could easily keep several pockets and they hold a lot.
We went through this sillinessa Saturday. I can only assume it’s some arbitrary rule from Robert Blazer and I can’t imagine complaining would have any effect on him. I was aggravated by seeing a woman stuffing a huge Trader Joe’s bag in her cart. This is a minor annoyance compared to the 15 minute ordeal of buying a fruit tart with only three people ahead of me and about a dozen people working behind the counter.
I’ve been shopping there forever and love the place. All of the employees are friendly and helpful, except the security people. I recently stared bringing my canvass bags. I’ve been told twice to check my bags, and not in a very friendly manner. The thing is; I’m a regular. I don’t quite see how a middle-aged, married man who has a green bent and shops there every week for 25 years – fits the profile of a shoplifter. The security people need to learn a little tact and diplomacy, and focus on some realistic problems. Its kind of insulting
I was shopping Saturday and was asked for the 1st time ever to check my two reusable shopping bags. I have carried them in several times with no problems. The man who told me to check them was quite rude and did not even look like an employee- he had no uniform or identification. Rather than argue I just returned them to my car and used about 15 plastic bags (you know they only put 1-3 items in each even when you tell them to put in more). This place is already annoying to shop at and this just adds to the difficulty of shopping here. How about accepting Visa too- who writes checks anymore?
9/12/2008 I am sorry to hear so many people are having problems w/ the DeKalb Farmer’s Market but am glad to know I am not alone. My experience is just like the ones others have described. On a recent Wed. evening I went in w/ my 5 year old and 1 year old. I knew I had to check the grocery bags but I also use small fabric produce bags and I wanted to bring those in. When the bag-check woman said I could not bring them in, I asked to speak to a manager. The ‘manager’ was the non-uniformed security officer who was not particularly polite. He told me that I could put all my produce in plastic bags, then transfer them to the fabric bags at check-out and recycle all the plastic bags. When I told him that the purpose was to avoid the use of resources in producing and recycling the plastic bags he told me that people were paid to do the recycling–it was their job–as if that made any sense. I asked him if I could talk to the general manager of the store. He said that the manager wasn’t available and when I pressed, he gave me a card with the general number on it. He said that the owner wanted things this way and “would never change” his policy. I said that if enough customers suggested a change, the owner might hear us. In response, he basically said that I would be wasting my time trying to contact anyone in management or the owners to voice my complaint. I know that about 18 months ago I shopped at the farmer’s market using cloth produce bags and my own shopping bags and the check your bags at the door policy was not in effect, so clearly the owner does change things.
The guard was so rude that I really had no choice but to leave. My bewildered 5 year old said “plastic bags are bad. We can’t shop there because they won’t let us use our bags?”
I am not planning to return and welcome suggestions on a grass-roots lobbying effort to get them to either change the bag policy or change their promotional materials to reflect that they are not environmentally friendly.
I have left 3 messages for the manager and have not had a return call. I am planning to write the owner but don’t know if it is worth my time. If others will write, so will I.
My story is not about a bag but a very bad experience from Friday, September 12, 2008.
I went to the YDFM on Friday to return a sour Key Lime Pie I bought on Tuesday. I forgot the receipt. I was told regardless of that it was more than 2 days. I’ve had over 20-30 of these, 1st bad pie. I have been shopping here over 20 years, when they were at Emory in the little store. The clerk was rude, would not give me Manager’s Mike complete name, put her hand over her name so I couldn’t get her name and tell it to the radio station what person was giving me a hard time. Security was called because I asked for an exchange for half a cake instead of another bad pie. 4 bakery women came out, took the pie in the back, said the Mgr. ate some of the pie I bought there and that it was fine, I told them it wasn’t. I was told to fill out the form. I finally did. Got ready to leave and was told Mike wanted to speak with me. He said he tasted the pie it was fine and that they will not do anything to please me regardless of the years I have been there. I told him I would tell the owner when he calls me, he said ok. I told him I had also told radio about it. He told me not to come back to the store again if I’m going to threaten them; I told him that I am an American and that I have not done anything wrong and that I can shop anywhere I want to as long as I am not doing anything wrong. Which I wasn’t. I walked off, went to pay for my seafood and I had the bad pie with me which they wouldn’t take and they tried to charge me for this bad pie. I had to go back and get the cust. svc. lady (the rude one) to tell him that I bought it in with me. He did apologize. Now, I have spent over $500 a month there especially in the summer, and I have told a lot of new people to the area to come to the market and bragged on it and it’s history. Never Again! The owner is supposed to call me next week. I’m having a radio conf. here in Atlanta tomorrow and I’m going to let them know the rest of the story. I am totally saddened by this. I even stood up for them when the war started in 1991 & it was boycotted.
Pros: There aren’t any anymore, over 20 years and I got treated like I didn’t matter as a customer!!!
The YDFM treated me so bad recently that i reported them to the better business bureau. I bought a cake that tasted just like old, rotten, fish. That cookie and cream cake made me very sick and caused me a big headache when i tried to return it. When i attempted to return it within the proper time frame with the receipt, the customer service person told me that they had the right to taste the cake to determine whether they would give me my money back. The policy does not say we must taste the item to determine a refund. A cake manager tasted a tiny (sesame seed size) piece of icing and told me he didn’t taste fish, while the female cake manager whispered its the cake not the icing. I couldn’t believe they were acting so ignorant. I told him if he really wanted to taste the fish, he would need to cut a piece of cake and eat it. Even though the receipt says they have a 24 hour return policy with receipt, they refused to refund my money. Even though security advised the employees to refund my money, they refused. Only shoving a customer comment card in my face. They’ve got some nerve, I don’t know who they think they are. Especially since i have been shopping there for about 14 years. I am disappointed with the YDFM entirely. I realized they have poor customer service skills, there food has gone downhill, and if they can’t abide by there own policy than who will. Plus, they seem so arrogant and discriminating. I just hope they clean up there little nasty act.
Well here’s hoping that with Publix coming to downtown Avondale Estates maybe there will be a little more competition for your grocery dollars and if YDFM and Publix compete quality, selection and price will improve.
Wow, just had a very unsavory run-in with the security cretins at DFM yesterday – my very first (and last) visit there. I was almost accosted by the rent-a-cop, like others have said, as if I were already guilty of stealing something. I told him what an idiotic rule it was, and he actually had the gall to kick me out. Laughable! I’ll be emailing the store with the gory details, but from what I’ve read here, I won’t expect a response. I’ll also email the BBB, which btw, has given DFM an “unsatisfactory” rating.
http://atlanta.bbb.org/WWWRoot/Report.aspx?site=39&bbb=0443&firm=20001402
Let me start off by saying that I love the food at the Farmer’s Market and have shopped there pretty much every week for the last six years.
However, you might end up spending the day in jail if you try returning something without a receipt.
I had a major run-in with the security staff yesterday. I knew that returning coffee without a receipt might be an issue, but I didn;t expect to be kicked out of the store and threatened with being handcuffed and jailed because I demanded to speak with a higher-up.
I was trying to return several packages of coffee I’d bought there. Since it is labelled DeKalb Farmer’s Market I didn;t think I’d need a receipt. But the woman at “customer service” said ‘you must have a receipt.’ When I showed her the package, which obviously came from there, she said that the date was too old and they wouldn;t take it back.
I told her – in a loud, voice, that I wanted to speak with the manager.
A non-uniformed man standing a few feet away said “You can’t speak to her that way”. I asked”Who are you?” He said he was with security and walked up to me until he was standing right in front of me, a quarter-inch from my nose.
I told him to back up and move away from me. He did not, and told me that I should take my coffee and leave the store. I said that I would not, and was given the following choice: “You can walk out of the store on your own or we can take you out in handcuffs”.
Two other guards came to back him up. One of them told me that he was an off-duty member of the DeKalb police force and threatened me that I woul;d spend the afternoon in jail if I didn;t leave.
And all I wanted was some shrimp and vegetables!
The reason I was returning the coffee was that it was mislabelled — it was French Roast but was decaf — and the word Decaf was obscured by the logo on their bag. It was readable, but not noticeable unless you looked very closely.
I returned the next day with the actual receipts but the ‘manager’ who I asked to speak with refused to take it back because I had bought it the previous week.
When I complained about my treatment the day before, the same security guard walked out and basically told me to shove it.
I actually love the food and prices here, but I have to say, their food is tasting a lot more sour as a result of this experience. They’ve never heard of customer service, so check the labels and be warned that if you don;t return something in 24 hours — no matter how long your drive is — you;re out of luck.
I’ve had a few encounters with “customer service” and have had mixed results.
I try to imagine myself in my first job in America after having pulled up roots and moved to the US.
Although I’m not aware of it, I am working for a lunatic. As far as I know, all businesses in the US are run by evil geniuses such as Robert Blazer. I’m grateful to land this job because my native language is spoken here. It is regimented environment and therefore, predictable.
I try to keep my head down and do as I am told: “No returns after the return date is expired!” Positively no returns or refunds without receipt!” Taste the product for the truth!”
Sometimes I look up and see Mr Blazer pacing excitedly, in a rage in his mezzanine office overlooking the market below. He may be on the speaker phone with a vendor, the county police chief, or one of his siblings.
A man who runs a $70 million a year grocery business, a man who brings so much gustatory pleasure to others, must be a king or a god.
And a god or a king cannot be bothered with unreasonable and disrespectful demands of the customer.
I want to be a business owner someday. Mr Blazer is my guiding light.
I do my shopping at YDFM on Sundays, and I have to say that given how crowded it is every weekend, I don’t think a few complaints from some pesky whiners are going to change anything. I think there are enough shoppers there to keep the place afloat who must not mind the BS. I have read all the complaints here and have continued to shop there every week, but after a bout with some rancid parmesan, I am considering taking my dollars back to Kroger. Actually they offer quite a lot of organic alternatives and the customer service there is super.
I believe in patronizing businesses that deserve patronage. There are businesses that I will never patronize again, most recently a credit card company that exhibited bad customer relations. Others include another company that long ago displayed complete disregard for environmental issues. There are nearly always alternatives available and I do business with those unless and until they show me a reason not to.
YDFM is on my list of “do not patronize” for many of the reasons noted on this blog and others as well. When they began, they were the only game in town for many things. 25 years later, there are many competitors who are much more deserving of my business.
Despite all of the issue, I still love the YDFM and go there sometimes 3 times a week. For me at least, there is simply nothing else like it.
Has anyone who has complained on this blog about YDFM’s bag policy sent an e-mail or placed a phone call to YDFM’s management asking them to modify the policy?
I literally hid my bags in my jacket last weekend because I forgot to bring my purse–I usually stuff the bags in my purse. When I got enough stuff in my cart, I hid the bags under all my merchandise. So stupid.
Andisheh – I sent a long letter to management some time ago, which DecaturMetro kindly reposted. I have not had any response. They do not have a public email address. I have also complained in person to the “Security Guy” (I don’t know his official title, but he wears plain clothes, apparently a native English speaker, seems to have a serious power trip.) He was totally a jerk.
It’s silly of them not to respond.
I’m going to give them a call when I have some free time.
I too have a love/hate relationship with YDFM. It’s our primary grocery store, and I have to say, the vast majority of my experiences shopping there over the last three years have been exceedingly positive. Somehow we always end up spending less there than we think we will based on the amount of stuff in our cart. It’s still one of the best, most affordable selections of quality organic ingredients in town (and it’s reasonable to assume that the trade off for those benefits is a very strict return policy — it’s not Costco). I’ll also note that I’ve seen more customers mistreating the staff than vice versa over the years, sometimes in very offensive “I’m an American and you’re fresh off the boat, so shut up” kinds of ways.
That said, the bag check policy instituted this year certainly has made things more unpleasant. Most of the time we are able to check bags and retrieve them without too much hassle, but it would be nice not to have to go through that process, especially when our only goal is to do right by the environment (not to mention save YDFM money on bags). My wife got in a pretty heated debate with one of the rent-a-cops over the bag policy a few months back. This strikes me as the kind of issue that is not going to be addressed by management until it gets some local press and makes them look bad. Perhaps not even then. But I would at least like to hear a justification for the policy backed up with figures or incident reports of people using reusable bags to shoplift.
Until that happens, there’s a line of ultra-collapsible bags that my wife and I use that we love. They squish up into a pouch the size of a deck of cards, and it’s easy to carry two or three in a pocket or purse. People are always impressed when we whip them out. You can find them here: http://www.reusablebags.com/store/acme-bags%E2%84%A2-workhorse-style-1500-p-1.html
I go there weekly with my children weekly and have noticed that things are sometimes a pain at checkout time or if needing help from a non-English speaker, but in general, it’s a great place to shop. I drop off my bags on the way in, pick them up BEFORE checkout, and pay attention to make sure that my discounted items have discount stickers attached before I take them to checkout. It’s a quirky place at times, but you simply cannot beat the produce prices. Unfortunately, it’s not as user-friendly as our local Publix, but I pay about three times as much for produce at Publix, so I can deal with some minor inconveniences.
FYI – You don’t have to pick up your bags yourself. Hold out your ticket while you are in line and someone from YDFM will take your ticket and pick up your bags for you. They seem to have assigned people to walk around to pick up bag tickets.
My wife and I use collapsible plastic boxes from the Container Store. You put one in your cart while you are shopping. Then during checkout, the YDFM clerk puts a piece of tape on the box (marking it “approved”) and puts your items back into the box. Better than using a dozen little white bags per visit.
The rest of the week, these containers double as holding newspapers/metal cans/plastic bottles for the recycling.
Wow. And here I thought my husband and I were the only ones who had had negative experiences shopping at DFM when we had returns. I no longer buy meat there, though I do buy fish on very rare occasions. We had bad fish, bad chicken, bad beef, and bad pork. And like some other posters, we tried to return the bad pork without a receipt a day after the 24 hour turnaround they then had in place and got so incredibly hassled: it had the DFM sticker so it was something we had obviously bought there, like the coffee, but the customer-no-service person said that the meat manager would have to approve the return. He was in the meat dept. When we walked over there, he was not there. We had to walk around the store several times until we threatened the place with a lawsuit and press from CNN, then he mysteriously showed up to authorize our money back. That was the last time I ever bought meat from them. Deli meat has so far been fine. Coffee, which I bought from them for over 20 years, began to taste like pencil shavings so I buy Newman’s Own instead. Better product, better quality, and can get the flavored coffee for those special occasions.
Also, their selection of locally grown produce has really shrunk in the past 2 years – everything comes from California, which adds more food miles to the produce, even if it’s cabbage, kale, or collards (which I do sometimes see as locally grown). Or apples or pears. I’ve begun shopping at the local Decatur farmer’s market on Wednesday afternoons, when I pay the farmers directly (though it is a little more expensive) for lettuce picked that morning, carrots that are so sweet they don’t need to be peeled, rare kinds of potatoes, beans, peas, and tomatoes. If there is some rare veggie or I’m buying something else already, I’ll buy produce from DFM, but no longer are they my exclusive produce vendor.
On the other hand, their cheese and pasta and dried fruit and nuts and grains selections can’t be beat. You get a lot for a little bit of money. Ditto with spices and herbs – something obscure that you would never think you’d find is right there in its very own container.
As far as the bag thing goes, if I bring a bag I hide it with my body when I pick up a basket and just keep walking on by the customer service station. I have been talked at once and just surrendered my bag with all my plastic bags in it for a card, and the lady told me I could pick it up when I was ready to check out. Ever since then, I have been very careful to make sure that no one observes me while I walk in. On the other hand, I figure if I forget my canvas shopping bag, it’s more money out of their pocket to keep ordering plastic produce and grocery bags (although it’s bad for the environment, etc., etc.).
And for those who brave it on weekends – you are better humans than I. Just can’t do it any more – too many rude people, kids running around, and I just can’t deal with it any more.
Speaking of kids, if R. Blazer and staff are worried about shoplifting, they need to keep an eye on folks standing around taking a free sample of grapes, fruits, etc. While the sign clearly states “No free samples” or “No sampling before buying,” I’ve seen adults and children hanging around an open bag of product X munching their hearts out. Hmmmm.