Buy For Less

I’m gonna call this place Die for Less from now on. Sorry I don’t have any positive spin. I’d rather spend less time & more money at a bodega farther away.

I’ve shopped at Buy for Less at 23^rd & Penn for probably 10 to 15 years… not sure how long they’ve been there, but I loved the store. Never again. I purchased Hamburger Meat on the 17^th that was marked to sell by the 18^th and it was bad on the 19^th. The only other time (many years ago) that I got bad meat there was a ham, and when I returned it I was told not to bring bad meat back, just bring the receipt, so that’s what I did this time. The apparent MOD simply claimed he had been there for two years and he had never told anyone to do it that way. In other words, I was a liar and wanted to cheat him out of $ 8 after spending thousands there. I was flabbergasted that this store would not exchange the value of the meat for more. If I wanted to cheat them, why not the $ 30 Rib Eye Steaks on the same ticket. I told him I still had the spoiled meat but it didn’t matter. He did not want to refund the money and was arrogant about it, even scolded me to not snatch the receipt out of his hand. Most of the girls there would recognize me and the 4 year old I usually have with me, they all wanted me to leave him with them. It was like family going into that store, but this guy was cold and unfriendly and very unprofessional. I’m looking for a new grocery store after all these years. It should not be a hassle and become a public spectacle to return a bad product, but it did.

I think my favorite thing about this Buy For Less is the variety of ethnic foods. I enjoy the fresh produce and the deli bar. The fresh made salsa is amazing. It may not be the hippest, trendiest grocer, but it is definitely the best in the midtown area.

I live in the midtown area but usually go to Sprouts or Whole Paycheck (I mean Whole Foods). Anyways, I tried to go here to save some time and just wanted to save everyone else’s time by letting you all know that the produce here was of very low quality. I bought a bag of potatoes and there was some sort of bugs in it. Gross! The prices on many items, moreover, were more or less the same as Sprouts so do yourself a favor and drive out to the cleanier, better option.
I’m only giving this place 2 stars because I suppose it’s fine for boxed stuff like cereal and the employees seemed nice.

Of the Buy For Less’s (Buy For Lesses?) in the city, this is by far my least favorite. They have a pretty decent selection of produce normally and the grill items always look appetizing but the cleanliness and general atmosphere, make me feel a little… not clean. Although, they also normally have a very wide selection of Hispanic and International foods. What irks me the most (and makes me feel like I’m overly privileged or something) is that they don’t bag your groceries here. Normally, they’ll just stand there and look at you while you do it, even if there is no one else in line. The sales associates here are also generally more unfriendly than the other stores (like NW Expwy — that one is AMAZING!) I will probably keep going because it’s the closest to my house, but if I need a serious grocery shopping experience, I’ll make the trek further away.

So, I waited about six months. I went back in. I’ve been a couple of times in the past two weeks, for small runs, just to see how those went. The night staff is still a lot weirder/​snarkier than the night staff at Walmart, regardless of changes to said staff. They still have the serial killer looking guy. They moved one of the employees to the larger buy 4 less on Expressway. Anyway, still not going there. Still a very uncomfortable vibe. Always get commentary on what I’m buying, which I find unsettling. What if I have to buy tampons, are they gonna talk to me about my period? For f***‘s sake, just check me out, please. Ask me how my day is– initiate conversation with me, if I initiate, but otherwise, stop making it awkward.
I’m starting to just think it’s the neighborhood, and the people who are willing to work there have to put up with so much sh*t, that they can only hire people who can put up with the sh*t, regardless of their crappy attitudes. Unfortunate, but true.

I should probably give this a four, just for the fact it is such a better choice than setting even one little tiny baby toe inside the Wal Mart Market near our house. At least the BFL has enough people working here to keep it running, as they’ve spent more money on payroll than they have on self-​checkout systems that don’t really work.
There’s something almost comforting about this store, operated by a local company. It’s serving the needs of this part of our community by providing lots of ethnic foods. They keep the prices very low and honor SNAP, WIC, and other programs. They haven’t spent a ton of money on the checkout systems or fancy displays. Which is good, because many of the people who need access to the food in this store can’t afford any extras, can barely afford the basics. The people who walk here, ride the bus here, they don’t have a lot of options. There better be something in the neighborhood that has what they need to survive at prices they can manage.
It’s not fancy, it’s not deluxe. Don’t come looking for gourmet cheeses or specialty crackers. Don’t get pissed when you can’t find your particular brand of organic peanut butter. Appreciate it for its gritty patina, for the need it serves in our community.

Oh Buy 4 Less…
Where do I begin? This grocery store is one of the strangest in the city but it has some great/​fresh produce available!
This location has really worked hard over the past several years and has really turned into one of the better grocery stores ((much better than Walmart)).
People are always friendly here and really is a great place for people watching.

I can’t help that I love Buy For Less. This particular location is near and dear to my heart.
It was my local grocery shop middle-​high school. I would come shopping with my mom with hopes that she would let me get a wax paper wrapped pulled pork sandwich at the pit truck always parked outside. I was such a piglet.
It has always been a little shady– but I think that is why I like it. This location serves a varied community of shoppers and is super respectful of their/​my needs.
From Amy’s frozen dinners, to mexican cane sugar soda, to fresh corn tortillas, to pimento cheese, to balloons. They have got it. And it’s all at the right price.
I love to stop in when I visit home. I would die if it ever left my life.