Kim’s Fruit & Vegetable Store

Super clean place… people were nice here.
Bought ice and beer with E for the rooftop party.

Apparently Kim’s thought it worth more to get $ 10 out of me than to keep my business. I’ve been a customer of theirs for easily over 10 years, the last two of which I have lived in the neighborhood and have frequented their store at least 2 – 4 times a week. I understand their traffic is great and don’t expect them to remember my face. But tonight’s incident is unforgivable. I purchased some boxes of tea and gave them a $ 20. But when I got the change it was only for $ 10. When I called them on their mistake they the guy told me I was wrong and basically (saying through hisgestures because he apparently can’t speak English) that I was crazy and that I was lying. Why was I so sure that I had paid with a $ 20? Besides looking at the bill as I handed it to him, I had just used their ATM machine and got three $ 20’s from it. After the purchase I only had two $ 20. PLUS… I SAW HIM SWITCH OUT THE $ 20 FOR THE $ 10. Now… this might be an innocent mistake from the cashier, confusing himself as he shuffled the money to make up my change. But the fact that he was not willing to believe me for one second when I said I gave him a $ 20, and the fact that he didn’t listen to my reasoning when I explained to him that keeping me as a costumer would be more profitable than getting $ 10 out of me this night (I figure that I spend at least $ 1000 a year there on small purchases) is unforgivable. Up until this night, I would have easily written a good review of their store, but sadly I won’t be going there any longer.

They sell spoiled products!
I bought 2 half gallons of Crow Hill Apple Cider («Sell by» date — Sept. 8), both of which were spoiled. There should be some natural variance in the taste of apple cider, depending on the time of year and such, but having bought this same brand from Kim’s every week for over five years, I knew something was wrong.
When I took the cider back for a return/​exchange, the owner only agreed to exchange one jug (from the «Sell by Sept. 10 batch, which were untainted), after several minutes of protest and a cursory swig of the tainted cider, which he insisted was just fine.
I looked and several more jugs from that same «Sell by Sept. 8» batch were there, waiting to be sold. Beware.
UPDATE:
Both Crow Hill Orchards and the NY State Dept. of Agriculture and Markets responded promptly after I reported the incident. Both organizations investigated the store and warned them not to sell spoiled product.

Kim’s isn’t a real grocery store. Kim’s is a stoner grocery store. When you’ve already got your smoke going on, and Smiley’s ain’t gonna cut it, you will fucking find something at Kim’s. They only stock shit you’d want after you’ve been hittin the pipe.
It’s where I discovered ‘POM TEA’ I’m convinced that POM Tea is made from liquified baby because it is heaven in a glass. I’ve got video of Mr. Kim in the back, shoving babies into the Jack Lalane Power Juicer and filling the jars himself.
Puff puff pass — I need me some fucking Nilla Wafers and a Butterfinger and some pineapple cottage cheese.

Deli loyalty is a big issue in New York, so allow me to throw my «I’m a Kim’s customer» sign here.
My friend M., who used to live upstairs for me, was strapped for cash for a few months and didn’t shop here at Kim’s as much as she used to. Though the primary overnight-​shift Korean guys here don’t speak English much, she swears they were pissed at her, suspecting her of cheating with a deli on the next block.
Kim’s is clean, has fresher produce than either the (gag) D’Ags or (also gag) Key Foods on 7^th, and a good smattering of household and food necessities. I like the way they carefully bag everything. Prices on most items (yogurt, produce) shockingly comparable to the grocery stores, though I’d avoid stocking up on staples here (cereal will set you back). I only cheat when a) I think they’re going to judge me for a junk food purchase, or b) when I need flowers — in that case, head to Garfield.