Vons

Extremely long lines and super slow service every time I have been here. Nothing has changed in years lol. You would think they would have hired more checkers since the lines are always ridiculously long.

This is the most redic store I have ever shopped in. Came by on a Tuesday, they had two check outs open, ten or more each deep with people, this was at 5 30pm, left, came back at 730, same thing, waited over twenty min to buy one item! There was a person in front of me, she was from out of town and had to experience this horrible display of lack of a good ran business. Clearly this store needs serious help! I will never come again. I will drive to Ventura before I shop here.

So tired of this store, they call a SUPER MARKET. They 9 timrs out of 10, don, t even have enough inventory, to cover the sale item. And 5 Buck Friday is a joke, I. went into the store at 7 am and all ready they didnt have what was advertized in the ad. There answer to not having an item is that they dont have the space, or they dont even carry. the item and never did. This is nothing new. It has been like this for years. The Management suck…

This is our local Von’s. It is often out of stock on items, especially if they are on sale. You also need to expect to stand in line for a long time. They never seem to have enough checkers. I try to go to a different Vons which is about 20 minutes from home but it is not always convenient. I wish they could get this store squared away… On the plus side the dairy guys are really nice and the produce guys are really knowledgable and helpful.

I was visiting Ojai for a couple of days and needed to pick up some last minute groceries and I was happy to hear that there was a Von’s nearby.
most Von’s that I shop at are very nice and spacious, but this one wasn’t. as soon as I walked it, I noticed that everything was very much close together. there was very little room to maneuver two shopping carts at the same time. so that meant that I had to do a lot of moving and waiting for other customers to move. they are definitely well stocked but I felt rushed due to the small confinement between each aisle.
my friends and I decided to pick up some «hot and ready» food from the bakery area and they have a $ 6 deal which isn’t too bad. you pick ONE entrée and two sides of your choice. I went with the basic chicken tenders with deviled egg salad and Caesar salad. I was disappointed with the portions. the sides were very little (because of the tray it came in). they don’t over fill it, which seemed like a waste of money): but other than that, the food was good.

In Ojai, this is the only grocery store around for many miles so there are some significant drawbacks.
First lets review the Pros:
— At least there is a reliable grocery store near Ojai.
— Their shelves are well stocked… mostly (see Cons).
— Service is nice and friendly.
— Plenty of parking.
Here are the Cons:
— I came here twice, two separate days and they were completely out of Spring water. Filtered water? No thanks, it’s just tap water gone through reverse osmosis.
— The sheer volume of people that are in the store makes walking around, particularly with a shopping cart difficult and makes you feel like you’re in a destruction derby!
— The store is small. When people are waiting in line, it starts wrapping around the store, into isles and makes getting to your destination feel like a game of Chess.
Hey, at least they have a Vons here.

Vons is trending towards Whole-​Foods prices, with the same Vons quality and selection. On a trip through town I experienced some sticker-​shock compared to prices in grocery stores in the San Francisco /​Bay Area. This strikes me as a bit counter-​intuitive, but does appear to be consistent across multiple Vons locations. Adding a third dollar-​sign to the Unilocal listing would be appropriate.
The inconvenience of shopping here may soon be greater than the inconvenience of price-​shopping other locations. Something to keep an eye on.

JUST A QUICKIE!
BACKGROUND:
Downtown Los Angeles was essentially a small town when Charles Von der Ahe opened his 20-​foot wide Groceteria on the corner of 7^th and Figueroa in 1906 with $ 1,200 in savings. It was a neighborhood store that catered to the needs of local families, where Von der Ahe pioneered «cash and carry» as an alternative to «charge and delivery.» His formula proved so successful that by 1928 Vons had expanded to 87 stores. Charles Von der Ahe sold his chain the following year, but four years later, despite the Depression, two of his sons, Ted and Will re-​started Vons. Its growth and innovation over the next 70 years was non-​stop. In 1948 the brothers opened their most ambitious store at the corner of Santa Barbara and Crenshaw. Thanks to the introduction of pre-​packaged perishables, they were able to offer some of the first self-​service produce, meat and deli departments. This milestone marked the advent of the first true supermarkets as we know them today.
STATS:
Free shared parking
In a corner strip mall
EXPERIENCE:
Came here for a new essentials for some hiking SisTa and had planned to do. It’s like most Vons grocery stores, offering the fresh, the cold, and the frozen items. As a resident of LA County, I walked in with my own reusable grocery bag and felt as though eyes were following me as I put my items in the bag. I didn’t walk away without paying for every item, so I was in the clear both mind and soul.
What I liked about this Vons was the lack of crowds and friend staff members. With most registers open, the lines were short. Standing in line I overheard the check-​out clerk chatting it up with, what was clear through their conversation, was a local. I find towns like this quaint, although I highly doubt I could ever see myself living in one, a town where everyone knows your name and your business??? Yikes!!! There are some things I would rather not know.
Anyhow, ever find yourself in Ojai in the need of some essentials? This Vons can probably hook you up. They had everything I needed, and I was out in a jiffy.
#FOODPORN #OJAI #SHOPPING

The Dirty Truth:
I’ve been going to this Vons pretty much my whole life and it’s fine. Regular grocery store, regular amount of options, but the deli needs some work :/​I fancy myself a patient person and I used to work at a deli so I know when people are hangry they get impatient. Every time I go to the deli, it seems to be a surprise to everyone there and takes forever to get some food. It’s possible that I’ve always gotten people who are training since I don’t go there all the time or anything, but that seems like quite a bit of bad luck. I’d like to point out that they’re nice and capable, not like a lazy feeling, but more like there is no sense of urgency. Maybe I’m asking for too much, but when I worked a deli I always made sure everyone at least thought I was going to be with them quick, haha. I don’t think I’ll be coming back anytime soon and would rather go to a different place to feel like someone is trying to help me out.
The Stats:
Ambiance: Medium
Food: OK Selection
Service: Sub Par
Cost: What You Make Of It, Normal

This is the worst Von’s I have gone too first off most of the people who shop there are rude I’ve come to find out and 2^nd there is an old lady who works there in the morning who puts groceries back on the shelves that collect in a shopping cart. That decides to push the cart and let go and not look where it stops to put groceries back and it plowed into my wife. I thought is was kinda funney my wife didn’t think so… I thought it might have just been on accident and the lady didn’t see because she was old but i was shopping there a few days later by myself and the lady was there and left her «go back cart» rite in the middle of a main isle I’m sorry if she’s old but maybe make her a door greeter.

I really want to like this Vons, but I have found every time I shop at this location, the experience is so unpleasant that I’d rather spend more money elsewhere and contend with less hassle. The nice thing is that they open early and close the latest of all local grocery stores, and the staff is nice. The size & layout of the store, however, makes it a horrific experience — you are constantly running into other people’s carts, or having to move out of the way of someone else. The aisles are way too narrow, and the side aisles are overstocked. A few days ago, someone trying to navigate the checkout aisles knocked over a whole display of wine. The end of your shopping experience is greater encumbered by slow checkout lines that are always very full, and having very little space, absolutely no where to stand in line with your cart. I love Vons discounts, but would rather pay more and deal with less stress.

Okay, so I went back the next day, completed my Vons Member application, and actually received cash back from purchases made the day before without the card (or phone number). The clerk this time was pleasant and efficient. BTW, I saw the angry, rude clerk who had waited on us the day before. Yup, she’s still there, angry with life and hating her job apparently. Why she has the title of a «supervisor» on her name tag is beyond me!

I like this Vons. The staff are always friendly and polite and they carry the standard array of grocery items. I don’t have the same problem as other people do with the narrow isles, but I rarely use a cart and usually use a basket so maybe that helps navigation. I do agree this store gets very busy and if you have to shop here Friday after work you might want to bring a book — the lines will all be very long.
My understanding is Vons would like to expand this store and make it bigger, but the city of Ojai has zoning regulations designed to support small businesses and hinder large chains and so Vons can’t really grow bigger than what it is currently. If they made the isles wider, they’d have room for less stuff. :(
Lots of produce here, lots of dairy, eggs, cheese and meats. Decent selection of frozen foods. Bakery and deli are good. I really like the giant cookies they make here. M&M and oatmeal are some of my favorites.

I always enjoyed the customer service here, we went today to get a couple of stuff and got greeted by Barb she was a sweet old lady, made us laugh it’s the nearest good grocery store around besides STARR market, I will be back again to get some mother days roses !!

This Vons is a tough store to shop in. There are always lines into the isles because they are short staffed. The isles are tiny and you constantly get bumped. The selection is minimal especially in the Asian food department. I do my shopping in Ventura whenever possible to avoid this store.

Pretty decent Von’s, more selection then Starr, and open later. I usually go here for my grocery shopping needs. It does the job

Impossibly narrow aisles, limited selection, and is always incredibly crowded. Some of the staff have been working there since I was a kid and it’s great to see those friendly, familiar places.
I shop here because I really have no other choice unless I’m in Ventura. Starr (Bayless) has even less selection and is more expensive and further into town.
It’s close and it gets most of the job done. I also run into everyone I’ve ever known every time I go here, but sometimes celebrities, too. So that’s a bonus.

This Vons is kept pretty clean, and I thought their customer service was very good.

Living in the Ojai Valley, this is the closest option for a supermarket. I try to avoid it, but sometimes I find myself in this little slice of Hell, regretting my laziness at not driving an extra 15 minutes each way to go to a proper store.
What’s wrong with this Vons? We’ll start in the parking lot.
It’s about a quarter of the size required, cramped, and if anyone owning one of those personal «too fat to walk» scooters is around, they can shut down parking operations completely as they meander through the rows, looking for their ’86 Buick with the Sexy Grandma sticker on the back.
Let’s go inside, shall we? In order to cram more inventory into the joint, the aisles aren’t wide enough to accommodate two carts passing without bumping each other. Again, if anyone stops to sample the Salsbury steak on a toothpick, all movement within the store stops. The walls close in, and you’re ready to swing on the next person that bumps into you or stops to look at every box of cereal. Just pick a goddamn cereal, we need to get out of here! Don’t you feel the aisle constricting? WE’RE GOING TO DIE IN HERE! CAN’T BREATHE!
Time to check out.
Oh good, the bagger has special needs. I have a special need, too: TO GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE IMMEDIATELY! No time to chat, Corky, I gotta move. Don’t stand in my way.
Nice! The checker has clearly lost patience and her marbles years ago. She shouts down the line of carts at her stand «all the other lanes are open!» Yes, and they’re all crammed full of dead-​eyed customers, just like this one. Lady, you chose to work here, I can’t help that. Let’s just try to get through this.
I’m prompted by the checkout payment device «would you like to make a donation to Easter Seals today?» Gave at the office, click «NO.» Checker turns to me and asks «would you like to make a donation to Easter Seals today?» No, thanks. A moment goes by, items are scanned, and the checker looks up at me: «would you like to make a donation to Easter Seals today?»
NOOOOOOOOO!
«Well, that was a very long and loud NO» she says.
Pointing out that I’d been asked three times already did not endear me to this woman. The $ 40 cash back I requested was delivered in $ 5 bills after she discovered that her cash drawer didn’t have any cash in it.
Snarky comments about the change, and I’m headed toward the door. Toward freedom and fresh air. Toward sanity and away from these cramped and unpleasant people.
But first, a middle aged woman who appears to be in a persistent vegetative state is wheeled in front of me on a roller gurney. Some maniac took this poor wretch on a shopping trip in the most ridiculously claustrophobic grocery store one can imagine. How is this a treat for anyone involved? Is it punishment for the whole Easter Seals thing?
Eventually, the automatic doors do open, and my wife and I emerge into the sunlight. Swearing again to never return. But we’ll be back. And it’ll all happen again.
Parking behind sexy grandma, walls closing in, Corky, mean checker, Terry Schiavo rolling around…
So what I’m saying is, I don’t like this store.

I remember 20 some years ago when I first came to this country, landing in Ojai, I got the impression that this Vons was HUGE. Actually, it’s because the standards for grocery stores back in my old country were so bad I didn’t realise it at that time. Having lived in this country now for over 2 decades, I realise now how small this Vons really is. It’s quite paltry in its selection but then again Ojai is no big village either so maybe the size of this Vons is okay.