Randalls

I walked in here not sure what to expect after reading the reviews, plus to be quit frank, I’ve never been impressed with the Randall’s near me in Katy. WOW! If I lived near here I’d shop here. The reviews were mixed, but I got very good service and the place was clean and the produce in particular looked fresh. I ordered food at the deli, which was prepared quickly and tasted good. A turkey and avocado sandwich, very fresh and heated up for the panini taste. If I’m near here, I’ll stop again.

This is the weirdest Randall’s I’ve ever been to. I think the employees and managers are just sluggish/​of poor quality. Which is ironic, as Randall’s is «supposed to be» a higher end food chain = better service brilliance. There is poor service over the phone when you call in… When I’ve called in I’ve been hurried and offered to be transferred to a manger for the simplest of inquiries! I’ve had a grocery cart belonging to this Randall’s at my property for (2) weeks too (it is still here) and have had to keep calling to leave reminders for pick-​up each day. They are just lazy. Moreover, when I go into the store; it’s overpriced and not matching the quality presented. The floral department is the pits, by far the worst I’ve seen, (dirty, uncreative, weakly kept greenery, dying plants /​arrangements, etc. etc. etc.!). Recently, I just walked out and went to Kroger’s for flowers, as it was not up to par. Obviously, the employees here take no pride or ownership over their job’s contractual obligations.

Due to Randall’s high prices, the traffic in this store is not too high, therefore the produce section is not fresh. Numerous times I’ve seen fruit flies or unfortunate looking produce. Another huge inconvenience is that there is no beauty department. They have toothpaste and razors, as well as an extremely edited hair product, facial cleansers, etc. It is barely enough to get by.
I only stop by here if I am too lazy to go to Kroger and only need a few things.

High Prices
Low Quality
Limited Selection
The service we received was great, but I’m going to guess that’s because this place is was a ghost town. Completely unsurprising too considering the prices, selection, and quality of food.
I should really have checked out the Unilocal reviews before going here. Its pretty bad when you compare it to your other options.

Growing up Randall’s was just so much more expensive than Kroger’s. But I realized because of the increased price you get a bit better quality and nicer shelves etc. But now with the addition of two HUGE HEBs you can get better value there and it’s nice enough for me.

The Starbuck’s at this location is awful. The employee claimed they were out of white mocha and later admitted she didn’t know what one is. When I tried to order another drink decaf vanilla latte, she called the manager over for assistance and then made it with
experience was not the best.

Probably one of the nicest and better stocked supermarkets in the area. Use you randalls card to save a buck or two cause they are PRICEY.

The staff is so amiable, but the prices seem to be a little higher than most grocery stores around. I guess they pay the people more to be nice. Good for them. (I probably wouldn’t go here it I didn’t live across the street from them though.)

Oh Randall’s. You suck so, soooo much.
Your website is not optimized for smart phones so when I punch in a zip code to bring up my local Randall’s phone number, (late at night to see if you’re open), you route me to a map (!), instead of a phone number. Fail. When I finally click the living f_​ck out of your site (while driving… a real joy), I get a phone number, and that phone number is to a pharmacy (!) that doesn’t pick up (!). When I try a different Randall’s it gives me a regular phone number with only the option to speak to an assistant. So I press that f_​cking number and wait on hold at 1:30am for five minutes. WHY? Because it hasn’t occurred to you to just route me to a f_​cking recording that says «Randall’s is now f_​cking closed… so kindly f_​ck off!» It should not take someone less time to drive to your f_​cking store, to determine if you are open, than to use a god-​damned smart phone to do the same thing.
Randalls just doesn’t get this whole 21^st century thing. Randall’s has the kind of mentality that makes Houston bumpkin-​central. Get a clue, bumpkins!

I usually don’t use words like «creepy» and «desperate» to describe the local supermarket chain, but in this case they totally apply!
Walk into this Randall’s at any time of day, any day of the week, and chances are you will be one of 10 people shopping in the store. Creepy and desolate, with distant 90’s elevator music somehow deafening against the silence. How long has their product been sitting on the shelves at this rate? You think I’m going to buy produce and fresh seafood here? NO THANKS!
To add insult to injury, staples at Randalls are noticeably more expensive than at the Kroger down the way. This is not an exaggeration, some every day items are literally TWICE as much (e.g. cream cheese: $ 2 at Randalls, $ 1 at Kroger). Recently some of their items have been sporting bold «REDUCED PRICE — USED TO BE $X, now $Y» labels. Notice that these are not «COMPARE TO KROGER» labels, but «CAN YOU BELIEVE WE USED TO CHARGE THIS AND GET AWAY WITH IT??» labels. Sorry, no brownie points for you.
One other thing worth mentioning — It appears some genius in the Randall’s marketing department thinks that by requiring every employee to make chit chat with customers, we will actually WANT to shop there. It is desperate and creepy. While looking at packaged chicken, the meat man follows me from behind the meat counter to tell me all about this «nice ribeye, perfect for the grill or oven for dinner tonight, so do you want 1 pound or should we make it 2?» Umm, is there an option for chicken? And no, produce loiterer, I do not need help putting two onions in this here baggie. Thanks though!
The French bread is pretty good here, as they have a brick oven for artisan breads. But forget finding any other kind of specialty foods or ingredients here. No kitchen on site.
I wish this store would just go away and an H-​E-​B would magically appear in its stead!
Pros: Location
Cons: Selection, Freshness, Prices, Creepiness, Desperation

I have a love-​hate relationship with this Randall’s. While they carry a few products that I absolutely adore and rarely find elsewhere (Desert Pepper Black Bean Dip, Lucerne Low-​Fat Cottage Cheese w/​the pink label, Sugar Free Cool Whip) and they employ a super-​tall cheery African man who often works checkout and is the epitome of charming customer service, much about this place aggravates me. To wit:
— Poor Quality Produce and Seafood: I cannot tell you how many times I have bought a $ 2 red bell pepper only to have it be black on the inside. Limp broccoli florets floating in tepid water are the norm rather than the exception. Asparagus spears are often woody and past their prime. The «fresh» seafood counter is a joke with limp, dried out filets of tuna and catfish draped on beds of shaved ice. And I want to know if anyone really ever purchases that nasty looking «stuffed flounder».
— Fighting the Traffic to get into the Parking Lot: As many of you know, it takes a lot of patience and vast reserves of bravado to enter and exit this parking lot from Shepherd.
— Prices: I am not a bargain shopper but even I have noticed that the Kroger on W. Gray is cheaper on most items.
— Nut Hut: This came into existence during the recent remodel wherein Randall’s decided to ape the décor of a Starbucks. The Nut Hut is manned by a preternaturally cheerful man whose job is to hand out samples of ground nut butters, wave and generally «man the Hut». I feel discomforted everytime I see him. I am free to come and go as I please but he is trapped in the Nut Hut and that seems unfair. When he comes home from work, is his wife able to say with a straight face, «Honey, how was the Nut Hut today?». Does he recount tales of tricking a customer into trying cashew butter when they thought it was peanut butter? Does he get tired of waylaying customers perusing the organic frozen food section and beckoning them to his Hut? I know a job is a job in this economy but I can’t help feeling that the Nut Hut job is demeaning. About on the same level as the elderly greeter guy who stands by the buggies and bacterial wipes, waving and saying over and over «Thanks for coming into Randall’s!»

This is the cleanest store in Montrose, I don’t know what all the gripe is about. Yes back in the day Randall’s was one of the most expensive stores in town. But Safeway has come in changed that dramatically. I think it was a story on KPRC found that Randalls came in more times as the cheapest when compared to Kroger or HEB. I also find the Safeway brand of products of higher quality than the Kroger ones and at the same price.
I mean where else can you find California Pizza Kitchen knock-​offs for $ 3.50 a pizza and taste exactly like the real ones? Not Kroger…

I am reviewing this Randall’s for two reasons:
1) it has shitty reviews?! I guess I don’t get people’s gripes about this place… then again I’m not a local. But every time I come here (right down the street from my parent’s house) it comes through for me — from the Starbucks in the store (even though there is a Starbucks 50 feet from the stores entrance in the same shopping center) to the well stocked floral section, to the biggest best strawberries I’ve ever eaten (purchased on Mother’s Day — I know its not a government holiday or anything, just surpised they were open that early).
but more importantly,
2) Shout out to the grind your own nut butter section. They have a few varieties to grind (fun!), but also offer fresh cashew butter! and Macadamia butter! holyhell, bring it on!

It’s a bit of both for me. Pros and cons.
Pro: I love that this store is so close to me.
Con: I miss locally owned and operated Randall’s stores… there is a distinct difference.
Pro: Store got a much needed facelift last year
Con: Although nicer, it somehow got less organized.
Pro: The Manager and employees at this store are really nice and do a great job, some know my name, good energy.
Con: The Safeway Corporation does not care about me.
Pro: The selection and product services (sushi, bakery, deli, etc.) are good.
Con: The stocking is spotty (many nights… no milk)
Pro: The pharmacy and pharmacist are very nice.
Con: I need meds to deal with the worst, the freaking worst, muzak in the world. I mean I have heard some bad stuff but this is amazing. Crank up the iPod to prevent suicidal feelings.
Special props to Raul and Vicki in the bakery for last minute repairs of my son’s birthday cake!

This place blows and if it wasn’t for the sushi market, Starbucks and Wells Fargo inside they would have a lot less clientele.
Not only are their prices laughable, but a wide majority of their deli and produce are riddled with out of date or short dated items. The first few items I grabbed… milk, OJ, wheat tortillas… all were expired or about to expire. I walked the F out after about 5 minutes of scanning their high priced merch. Seriously, who’s the manager responsible for the amount of fail in that place? Shame cause it’s in such a convenient location but I was never a Randalls fan anyways.
Long live Fiesta!!!

The Randall’s flagship store on Westheimer under went an extensive make over last year and for what? Well, they put in a sushi station (nice) with 2 workers making fresh sushi throughout the day. However they do charge more for brown rice sushi (Kroger does not). They really increased their wine selections and moved it to the first aisle just beyond the bakery (replacing the produce). Some good choices (half bottles of Ggirgich Hills Cabernet) and reasonably priced (Houston Wine Merchant is across the street with more upscale selections). A new dry goods section with an impressive selection of nuts include freshly made peanut butter. Some additional organic produce and Starbucks inside round out the meaningful changes. Now I used to shop here religiously and mostly because of the service, but they have practically priced themselves out of the market. Within a 3 minute drive are: Fiesta, Whole Foods, and 2 Kroger’s. Their competition consistently kills them on prices and Kroger has finally stepped up and instituted a better customer service approach. I’m not a coupon cutter and like the next guy, I have my share of frivolous purchases (do I really need Smart Water?), but the glaring disparity in cost and to some extent selection has led me to shop elsewhere.