Market Basket

Market Deli
OMG Paige hand crafted the most beautiful and most delicious Italian Cold Cut Sub Sandwich. She layered a wonderful assortment of fresh meats inside a wonderful fresh and soft sub roll. Carefully putting in all the veggys we requested. She is a beautiful young lady who should expect lots of Marriage Proposals if she keeps up this tasty quality. To say the sandwich was delicious would be a gross understatement. Wow is about all I can say. Oh yes and thank you.

Consistently good. I rarely worry about the cost of an item (well maybe meat as that is always expensive anywhere) prior to adding to my basket. Great selection of products. Becoming more organic friendly.
I will go out of my way to shop at Market Basket.

So I went grocery shopping this morning. About a half hour after they opened at Market Basket. Store #25. I started in the cheese and egg section. I grabbed all of my dairy products and everything looks great. I then grabbed my tabouli and hummus which I love to have on wraps. I then went to the the deli to get some American Cheese and some slice Turkey Breast. The young lady working at the deli was more than helpful. Even after 7am she was willing to help with everything. Her name was“Amy”, who is a kind person in my eyes. She started off my experience to be great. So I then went on to finish the rest of my grocery list. Still all produce, etc, was good. But when I got to the register they asked me if I wanted plastic bags or boxes. I told the cashier that I would take bags. She asked why, but still said ok to please me as a customer. I told her that when I went shopping here a few days ago, I asked for boxes (to be green) but there were cockroaches in the boxes when I was putting my groceries away at my home. So I asked to speak to the manager in private because I didn’t want him/​her to think I was looking for anything in return. I told him my situation, I believe his name was Chris, but not sure. He asked me what brand boxes they were and he apologized 5 times. I told him it’s ok but I wouldn’t offer boxes to customers without inspection. All in all I love Market Basket, but I don’t need cockroaches in my home.
Just my experience and figured I would share.

The best part about this store is the employees. I’m not just saying so because of the recent brouhaha either. I have always been impressed by the willingness of the deli, fish, meat and produce workers to go the extra mile to make my shopping experience a good one. Any worker there, if asked about the availability or whereabouts of an item, will help you find it or go out back to see if a new shipment has come in if it’s out of stock. When it’s pouring rain outside, management has employees available at the door to accompany you to your car with an umbrella.
The store is showing its age, but honestly I like its smaller size because it carries groceries and doesn’t try to be WalMart by carrying lots of non-​grocery items.
Their fish selection is especially nice (and so is the young lady who often waits on me there). Yesterday to honor the boycott I went to a Hannaford’s. The only fresh (not previously frozen) and wild caught (not farm raised) fish available was swordfish at $ 13.99/lb. I am also suspicious of the fish they sell pre-​marinated — old, perhaps?
I once asked for them to carry an item and there it was a month or so later.
Anyway I hope the current issue is settled soon because I miss shopping at my Market Basket.

Not all Market Baskets are created equally. Lately several new or refreshed stores have popped up in the area and this one has been left in a stale state and in desperate need for an improvement. No prepared food section, smaller store and leaky ceiling tiles to name a few. Go to the newer store in Epping which is 16 miles if you can or to the newer one in Haverhill which is 4.3 miles but you will have bottle deposit.
This store does have a very good selection of Gluten Free products which some of the newer stores don’t have. That I do find odd.
Rumors have been flying the last few years that a new store is going to be built or they are going to try to figure out how to make the vacant old Rite Aid stable so they can expand at the current location.

Good place for a full food shopping run thought there isn’t the selection of other more premium supermarkets. This MB is typical and needs an update and more space like the Salem and Londonderry stores to compete.

I am spoiled cuz my regular home MB is new and huge compaired to this particuler one.
I only shop here if I am in Plaistow and need to pick up a forgoten item or two.
It is smaller store, and most people in the area hope that MB will remodel and expand this store soon, as thre is a vacant Rite Aid store that abuts in the plaza.
So three stars as Unilocal will not let me give 2.5.

This place is a sh*t show ALL OF THE TIME. Pardon my lovely French to start off the review :) I would rather pay an extra buck and go down the street (Shaws) then deal with a TON of patrons congregating at every turn, every aisle, everywhere! It is ridiculously bothersome when you know what you want and try to get in and get out. That will not happen here. By the time I’m done shopping I’m irritated/​stressed out… just for groceries? I don’t think so. I will never go to that particular location again. And talk about the small aisles, which does not help when attempting to maneuver around people. I can’t get everything I need there because they just don’t seem to have the same offerings other stores have, so why even go based on that reason as well. The new Market Basket that opened up in Epping is phenomenal though! New, big, clean, larger aisles, nice staffing, not crowded, MANY items available, fresh seafood, freshly prepared sushi/​made to order, no wait to check out, I could go on and on. I would rather drive a little further to go to that location and it’s a pleasant stress free trip to the grocery store.

Typical 70’s looking MB, but inexpensive and convenient for me.
There isn’t a day that it is not busy, but hey I hate food shopping no matter how many other annoying people there are.
The employees are professional and courteous (except one airheaded young lady at the fast lane checkout).
They simply don’t carry the same products as other local supermarkets and it annoys me because its the only MB in the area (besides right over the MA border) so thats why they only get 4 and not 5 stars.
The fish/​deli area always smells too. I hate that smell. And I hate taking a number to wait at the deli too I feel like I am at an auction or something.
I like the announcements they make… always with a thick mass accent!
The rotisserie chicken and to go meals are really good now also!

Good stuff: Low prices, helpful employees, good selection, convenient Mon thru Sat hours. They’ll be expanding once the Rite Aid moves out.
Bad stuff: They close at 7 on Sunday. Produce often rung it at wrong price. The stores look outdated.
You want inexpensive groceries, go to Market Basket. Any location will do you. They have no cult card but you don’t need one, they are consistently lower on prices than the competitors. You will even find the other stores having sale prices that are the same price Market Basket charges every day. I’ve even found that many of my weekly purchases are cheaper at Market Basket than at BJ’s, plus I don’t need to buy 100 lbs of it.
My biggest gripe is that the cashiers often will key the wrong code on produce so I end up paying more. They will refund it when you bring the receipt back but what a pain.
If it weren’t for the overcharging and the Sunday hours they’d get a 5.
Edit ⁰³⁄₁₉: Brought my receipt back for the latest overcharge. Made out on the deal, so shouldn’t complain … but seriously!!! Here’s why:
I got a full refund of the item. The whole amount, not just the difference in price. I pointed out to the clerk that they were giving me way more than necessary. The bossy gal leaned over and said (I kid you not here) «It’s OK, we refunded the whole thing, it was too hard to figure out.» K?

I will only do full grocery shopping at MB. The prices are so cheap compared to everywhere else. The produce isnt alwyas the freshest though so check it out first. We dont normally buy the fish there either as you can actually handle it yourself to check for freshness. Id skip that section.
Everything else is cheap though and sometimes they have good managers specials on meats which you shoudl put into the freezer or use immediately. It is hard to find health food products though but they are doing better with stocking as people request it.
My biggest peeve with MB is that during the busiest times of the day they have their workers stocking shelves which means they are nothing but in your way and rude about it. Theyre kids but they should learn to get the hell out of my way when im shopping. I wish management would do a better job with waiting to stock til its less busy. Imagine 7 people trying to squeeze through because a stocker and his pallet are taking up all the space. Bottle neck galore.

An average supermarket with average prices and produce that seems to have a shorter shelf life than the more expensive nearby Shaw’s. Parking isn’t great and like most supermarkets, avoid weekends if you can. The fish department is one of my least favorite ones anywhere except maybe the Market Basket in Portsmouth.
Don’t expect great things here, you’re not paying for them and you’re not going to get them. But for basics (for example: anything you need to make nachos) this is a place to save a few dollars.
BTW, this is an old address. There used to be a small MB at this location, but they’re now located about ½ mile noth of this spot on 125.