Plum Market

Not a fan– I am annoyed that you have to specifically ask that they apply coupons and that the points can be used only within an impossible timeframe.

I work in the same complex as Plum, so I’m no stranger. Decent staff, the guy working the wine section is always ready to help and the girls at the express checkout are great. I go for a lot specialty items that are hard to find. Great wine selection, Château Fontaine is one of my favorite wines and I can not find it anywhere else. Great prices on wine as well. Grocery I cannot comment on as I don’t buy my main provisions here. The hot bar needs some help though. Same items for years and sometimes they sit out way to long.

There are certain items I don’t mind getting at Plum, but I have to face the fact: Plum Market was designed for rich people. Sure, they have things you can’t get anywhere else, but at prices most people can’t afford. It’s great to see how well-​stocked and varied the selection is, but Plum feels more like a grocery zoo than a store — where you can go and see strange and exotic things up close, but are always reminded it’s probably a good idea to keep your distance. For a place that starts employees at $ 9.50/hour — about the same price as a plastic container of conventional cauliflower — I wonder how they justify some of their prices.
There are great things to find at Plum, but I have to wonder how they’re treating their employees (or how some customers treat them). On all occasions but a handful, my interactions with employees showed them to be frustrated, passive-​aggressive, flustered, impatient, and generally without humor. (One cashier even gave me this look, over the rims of his glasses — a look that I can only describe as pure irritation — and drawled out a monotonous «how are you?» while he tossed my items to the end of the belt). You’ll be asked by each one in almost every aisle if «you need any help finding anything,» but the question on my mind is, «what are they doing to you here?»

Plum Market has excellent food for which I would easily give a 5-​star rating if money were no object.
But their prices make Whole Foods (Whole Paycheck) look reasonable.
In sum, their prices are so high that it would be hard for them to serve or stock food to match them.
A great store if you’re independently wealthy.

Update to the update to the update. Roast dates are back! I appreciate the manager contacting me and working this out. Bought 5 bags and will be back.

Plum Market presents itself as a high end grocery store, and while it may not make much sense to pay 25−50% more for the same quality groceries, its a niche store for a niche market. If you’re looking for speciality goods, you may indeed find what you’re looking for at Plum Market that you couldn’t at Whole Foods, Meijer or Kroger. What draws me to Plum Market is the occasional 10−15% off coupons that I find with my weekly grocery advertisements and when used on their sale items, I actually end up getting a pretty good deal. Also, the pro tip that not many AA residents know is that they leave out a table of bakery items every night at 8pm where you can find items that range from Avalon bread to Zingerman cakes to Achatz half pies all half off. But shh, you didn’t hear it from me…

Worst online shopping experience I’ve ever had! Don’t shop online here.
Plum Market’s website was having trouble when I tried placing my order. After entering my order three times, I called customer service whose only suggestion was for me to give them my order details over the phone. Given how much time I had already wasted trying to place my order online, I asked if there was something they could do in return, such as provide me with free shipping. They refused. When I spoke to a manager, I asked if there anything else they could to do acknowledge my experience, even something as simple as sending me an email to thank me for me business. They refused again! So much for customer appreciation. I had planned to spend in excess of $ 300 on holiday gifts. I’ve only left a review on Unilocal once before, so you can imagine my level of amazement at this company’s blatant lack of customer appreciation. It’s no wonder that online reviews show Plum Market’s employee satisfaction rating is a meager 2.6 on
(
). Naturally, I exercised my option to take my business elsewhere.

I love Plum Market! Cost is on par to Whole Foods so be prepared for that, but I think for the quality of merchandise and food they stock it’s worth it. Employees are also great. My sister and I stopped in for a Maurice salad, only to find out there was just one left. We asked an employee behind the deli if they had any more, and he goes off to find out. He comes back with a few and we were estatic as we drove over from their sister Plum on Plymouth to find the salads. My only negative about it was I spent $ 7 on a Zingerman’s gelato, which come to find out was old and covered in ice crystals. I normally devour ice cream and gelato, but after one bite it went in the trash. Hoping it was just a fluke.

If Whole Foods is dubbed ‘Whole Paycheck’ then Plum Market is more like ¾. Despite this, I think growing up exposed to such wonderfully stocked places like this could lull locals into a sense of banality and not realize that the privilege exists. Consider where I currently live in Southern California: Riverside. Aside from being a «sanctuary city» the demographics of the region cannot sustain stores like Plum Market or Whole Foods. Therefore, the nearest locations are in LA and Orange Counties, easily an hours’ drive on a good day. This entails bringing a cooler and buying ice to protect your investment.
As a former insider turned outsider, I am delighted to be able to browse the store and buy things, albeit not cheap, but more than acceptable when I only had to drive one mile to get it, not a 110 mile round trip. To me it is frivolous to complain about prices when quality is so closely concentrated.
What I love? My pictures only tell half the story, but having a Zingerman’s outlet is exactly the privilege I referred to above. Where in LA can you get a bagel of equivalent quality? In sixteen — years I have not found any place anywhere close. Maybe LaBrea Bakery sourdoughs you to death, but farm bread? Nowhere I have seen, just pale imitation. The coffee selection alone is my top pick, followed by the cheese shop and bakery. Produce is good for a one-​stop shop, and other dairy items are fairly standard national brands although considered healthier.
Ultimately, I would be delighted to have a Plum Market nearby in California. I think creature comfort creates complacency and it took moving out of my hometown to obtain fresh eyes and clarity. Pricy? Yes. Necessary? Mostly. Overall, I deem the diverse offerings at Plum Market to be worth the cost. If it becomes too familiar I can see why people nitpick in their reviews, but what would you do to find such quality and variety under one roof if this store, Arbor Farms and Whole Foods didn’t exist in Ann Arbor? Think about that.

Don’t get to the west side often, but when I do, I often manage a stop at Plum Market. True, sometimes it seems like Plum’s main function is to make Whole Foods look cheap, but its produce, meat, spice and ingredient section, beer and wine offerings, and prepared foods section justify the extra expenditure. Usually.
Plum Market may not have the largest produce selection in town, but I can find many common and not-​so-​common items there reliably (unlike at Whole Foods or Busch’s, where produce tends to be now-​you-​see-​it, now-you-don’t) – I have never yet failed to get any greenage that I needed. The beer and wine selection is fantastic (bigger than at many rival stores), and often there are some very good deals on wine. Plum has a wide array of single beers so you can try some of those exotic craft beers before taking the plunge on a six pack.
The range of ethnic spices and other ingredients also surpasses many of its rivals, and when I make a trip specifically to Plum, it’s for some of those. The bulk bins, unfortunately, pale in comparison to those at WF and Arbor Farms, due to high prices as well as limited selection. As for the prepared foods bar… a bit steep at $ 8.99/pound but the quality of the food is very good. I usually go for the spicy stuff and the Indian and Thai curries I’ve eaten there might not have matched those of the best restaurants, but they didn’t leave me feeling cheated either.
And it must be said – the samples they put out on weekends ROCK!
Plum will be opening a store near me later this year and I can’t wait, even though my grocery bill is going to rise.

I shop between this Plum market and the others near West Bloomfield. I LOVE them but I wish they would send coupons to me instead of my aunt :(I live in New Boston and my aunt is in West Bloomfield and she always gets the coupons and remembers to tell me about them when they expire. Please send me coupons Plum Market, I would be there more often if you would send them to me! Lol.

This is a magnificent market. Not too big and not too small. Unlike Meijer, I don’t feel that I have to run a marathon just to do my grocery shopping. The wine and beer selection rivals many liquor stores in town. You get what you pay for. If you want topline products and want to run with the big dogs, come here. If you want to run with the small dogs, stay home with your Chihuahua! Enjoy!

A great place to shop, whenever you find that Whole Foods is too cheap and too crowded with hoi polloi. I always feel uplifted to know that I’m amongst the Ann Arbor elite whenever I shop here.
I thought the sushi was Kroger quality. But since it was priced the same as in a restaurant, it must surely have been better and my senses must have been fooling me.

If I lived in Ann Arbor, I would shop here all the time. I like to support real local businesses that support local vendors. While in Ann Arbor, I took advantage of Zingerman’s deli quite a bit and was excited to see that Plum Market carries a lot of their breads and baked goods. They have a great natural section and nice looking meats and deli items. The staff were great, offering samples of anything I was curious about. We bought a few things for our hotel stay and if we head back up there, we will stop in again.

Plum Market is a really nice store and I’d probably shop there more if I made more money. As a result, I don’t shop there very often. I did stop in recently on a whim and found all of their Christmas items on sale 75% off!!! I got a few things for a great price.

Plum Market’s Plum Kitchen/​salad bar is one of the best kept secrets in Ann Arbor! Their kale, sweet potatoes, and fried chicken are some of my favorites. They use fresh ingredients and add appropriate seasonings and spices which makes them even better. You can take purchased items to Zingerman’s which is conveniently located in the store and eat them right there.

I’ve been here several times over the last few years and just don’t see what the big deal is. This is really not the grocery store to shop at if you are on a budget, even if you do take advantage of the 10% off coupons that come in the mail. More recently, I came here looking for some medium shell whole wheat pasta and was a little surprised that the whole wheat pasta selection was so small. There were plenty of gluten-​free options though, so if you’re gluten sensitive, this might be a good place to get your pasta fix.
They do seem to have a nice wine/​fancy beer selection, but I’m not really into that.

Good products, but pricey. And their Rewards program is a joke. Whenever I try to redeem some technicality always seems to crop up. Once again today, no discount. And I get told, «well, you can email corporate…».
Seriously, Plum — get it together on this aspect. You charge a premium, deliver premium service.

I love Plum Market! It’s got a vibe I enjoy much more than Whole Foods, and this location is very convenient. Great wine selection, staff with great cheese knowledge and yummy, yummy prepared foods.
Why not 5 stars? It’s hard to find a decent parking spot (I don’t mind at all in the summer, but dang, it’s so cold and awful this winter!). Also, selection can be hit or miss. I stopped by for two things tonight and neither were in stock. Also, the bathrooms always seem to be in need of some love.

Plum Market is very much going after the Whole Foods turf — fancy bottled water, a whole wall of single-​serving kombucha, and a selection of organic tahini for making hummus. There’s a «wine cave» (walk-​in cooler, no actual rock) and a fairly well-​stocked cheese counter with the usual porter-​veined cheddars, La Tur ripened soft cheese, and (like everywhere else in Ann Arbor) Line «Ski Queen» brown cheese.
Prices are very much on the «Whole Paycheck» model; there’s bulk bins, but not cheap bulk. The staff experience is in the Whole Foods range as well — instead of green aprons, it’s black American Apparel track jackets.
None of the quirkiness of the People’s Food Coop or off-​label prices of Trader Joe’s, but well stocked and easy to shop.
Access is acceptable by bike (Maple’s not great), but quite good for cars.