Pick ‘n Save

Why, why, why do I always seem to forget how terrible this Pick ‘n Save is? For some reason, I get sucked into thinking, «Well, if it’s in Shorewood, surely it’s improved since my last visit.» It hasn’t. I went shopping there last night and it was as if a hurricane was coming in: they seemed to be out of lots of things. E.g. only one sad sack of celery, wilted red leaf lettuce, only 3 Italian sausages at the meat counter, picked over yogurt. You get the drift.
I give high marks to the employees — they were all very friendly. But the store itself is due for a major renovation. I went to Sendik’s down the street afterwards to get what I couldn’t find at Pick ‘n Save and was disappointed there as well. (I know — crazy, right? What it just me last night?)
As other reviewers have said, the store is dingy and always seems dirty. While the outside was renovated, the inside doesn’t seem to have been updated in awhile. Even when it’s not too crowded, it seems hard to navigate. The parking lot situation is weird. Plenty of space to park, but it’s complicated by the fact that people are turning in off a busy street (Oakland Ave.) only to have to slam on their brakes to avoid hitting a shopper going into or out of the store. Not sure what can be done about it, but it’s tricky, especially at night.
I was only driving through Shorewood last night (I live in Milwaukee) and was trying to prevent a drive out to my favorite Milwaukee-​area grocery store (Metcalfe’s Market… conveniently located near Outpost so I can stock up my favorite organics if Metcalfe doesn’t have it), but after last night’s experience, I’m second guessing that decision. I’m really stunned that the existing grocery stores haven’t caught up with wealthy Shorewoodians. Where do Shorewood people really shop? That’s the real question.

Pick N Save, I’m sorry I hated on you in my previous review. After living 450 feet away from you for the past several years, I have really grown to love you.
You have almost everything I need for my random cooking experiments, some of which happen at 8pm and I am far too lazy to drive to a store.
Your employees are usually pretty cheerful and upbeat. After multiple visits every week and the occasional run to the store in my pj’s, they have learned that I am a local. I am usually asked during a visit if I need help finding anything, which is always appreciated since I sometimes want really random items.
The customer service, availability of items, and cleanliness has really improved over the past couple years — keep up the good work!!! I am going to be sad to see you go when they build the new Metro Mart on the other end of the block… I can’t believe I am going to be forced to walk a couple hundred more feet to get my groceries :/

I shoot myself in the foot every time I (mistakenly) decide to go to this location.
First off, it’s quite dingy compared to the Pick n Save on Ogden (where I’d usually go). Secondly, they don’t have a very good selection, if any (perhaps it’s so small I missed it), of organic items. Third, it smells (Why would I want to buy my groceries from a place that smells like a combination of sour milk/​bile and mold? Even the parking lot did last night!). Fourth, it’s always so crowded. I mean, I get it, it’s a grocery store, but does every inconsiderate and aimless shopper flock to this location, who apparently has hours to shop because they’re moving at a snail’s pace?!
Dare I mention the parking lot? It’s a chaotic headache with pedestrians darting out in between cars, walking down the middle of the aisle (again, at a snail’s pace), etc. I always leave this place with anxiety.
Sheesh. For Shorewood, I simply expected better.

If you search Pick ‘n Save on Unilocal,you’d almost think they’re a cable service provider for how much review animosity there is. Personally, I think this one is A-​OK. Being relatively new to the area, I imagine there have been some improvements since the majority of this particular store’s reviews were written a couple of years ago.
When I grocery shop, I try to use the strategy of sticking to the outside aisles where the fresh stuff is as much as possible. That being said, I think this Pick ‘n save has an okay produce section. There certainly isn’t a ton of variety, but the times I’ve gone, the produce has looked fresh and been mostly reasonably priced. Perhaps the most frustrating parts are that they don’t seem to have fairly common things (seriously? no bunches of spinach, just bagged stuff?) and that only half the produce items were labeled with names or prices. For being small, I think the meat section is actually pretty decent in terms of freshness and pricing. The dairy and refrigerator sections seem to be growing — lots of options with yogurts, traditional dairy, and dairy-​free products (i.e. non-​dairy milks and so on). Regarding the interior aisles, there seems to be a reasonable amount of healthier products, including gluten-​free and less-​sugary items.
While I may prefer other grocery stores down the street, this one is fairly cost-​friendly, easy to navigate, and convenient. So, all in all? A-​OK.

Every time I come here I ask myself why. First day of weekly flyer deals and they were out of 4 of the items I wanted. Not that I should have been surprised. This is typically the case.
The one on Green Tree is much better.

I only ever go here because greek yogurt costs $ 8 at Sendik’s down the street. Half the time, they are out of greek yogurt, but when they aren’t, they save me $ 3 so I’m happy they’re there.
The produce here is not as good as Sendik’s and no cheaper (Sendik’s has far better sales). I normally trek to the Bayshore Trader Joe’s for my non-​perishables, but if I can’t get there because of a snowstorm, this place offers slightly lower quality, slightly higher priced alternatives for the items that cost most of my paycheck at Sendik’s. Overall it’s pretty much what I would expect from a grocery store called «Pick and Save» (I haven’t been to any other locations). It’s not the most pleasant shopping experience, but it’s not a war zone in there or anything.

Blech.
The only reason this one gets a 2 star instead of a 1 star is because it isn’t as insanely busy as all the other ones and because their service desk was mildly helpful.
One day a crusty woman on an electric scooter began talking nonsense jibberish to me in the bread aisle and then proceeded to start stalking me around the store like a four-​wheeled puppy. When I wasn’t looking, she put a leaking gallon of milk into my cart, tugged on my jacker and told me, «Honey, do something with this before it gets all over the floor!» When I took it to the service desk and explained the bizarre thing that just happened, the two women working shrugged and said, «that’s Millie, I bet.» Kudos for at least taking the time to learn the names of the mental patients who frequent your store.

Glutton for punishment that I am, I went back to Pick ‘n Save today. I was planning on making holiday treats (peppermint fudge and cherry shortbread cookies) so I headed to my nearest grocery store for supplies. But alas, I left without peppermint extract or marachino cherries.
Seriously, who is running this joint? The baking aisle was completely decimated. How could the store manager not have predicted a surge in baking supply sales the week before Christmas?!? And the stock clerk told me there was a production issue with the cherries, yet when I went to Sendik’s they had 3 brands of cherries so I’m not sure I believe that.
Well I’m off to therapy to figure out why I am such a masochist. Hopefully I can be cured so that I never step foot in Pick ‘n Save again.

Geez, a lot of animosity for this location. I think it’s all right. I don’t go there often, however, so I’m not up on the quality from day to day. The store is cramped, but the place’s footprint is tiny and they can’t really just tack on a huge addition to the building.
The location is convenient. If you don’t like the place, there are other options not that far away. Their beer/​wine selection is pretty darn good for a neighborhood grocery store. The main gripe I have is the parking lot, which, while it’s fine sometimes it can be pretty hectic and busy. I prefer the small lot on the opposite side of the building from the main lot. They could use some fresh sausages for grilling; last time they had none. This isn’t a fancy store, and it could be better. But really, it serves a purpose.

Bad Bad produce selection.
Y U SO SMALL?
An entire of aisle of sodas but not enough room for anything else.
I wish Shorewood would take the time to redo this puppy when they are redoing the Walgreens right next store.

sigh. this place is the most convenient grocery store for me to stop at on my way home from work. Even though I have known for years that the produce and meat selection is pretty dang spotty, I still continue to shop here… BECAUSE they are the only place I know that sells Today’s Temptation breads (A Chicago baker). best bread and pitas I have ever had! and. I can pick up any «normal» food I may need. They get two stars because of this and the staff is friendly and the check out lines don’t make me sad for humanity.

Dude. What is up with this Pick ‘n Save? Over the past couple years, this place has become a disappointment. I usually stop here because it’s on my way home from work and they tend to have more stuff I need than the Sendik’s down the street. But I’m going to start going somewhere else if it doesn’t improve in the near future.
This particular store is in the heart of Shorewood. The next closest one is on Humboldt off of North Ave, so it’s a natural migration point for UWM students and the residents of Shorewood, but it certainly doesn’t appear that way. Whoever is in charge of their inventory and ordering either has no sense of seasonality or believes that the college students are its only customers.
I stopped here last night to pick up something for dinner and they were completely out of any and all poultry products. No chicken breasts, no whole chickens, no chicken parts. In order to make the section not look like it was just looted, they sparsely placed some smoked turkey legs and ham hocks on the shelves. For a second I thought I was the last person to know about some upcoming hurricane. They still had some marinated chicken breasts at the meat counter, but those are usually old chicken breasts that they marinate to get a couple more days shelf life out of. Still, I was desperate and bought some.
This is not the first time this has happened. This summer, there was a period where the entire produce section was pretty much empty. I’m sure the store thought that since the students were away for the summer they didn’t have to stock produce. This seems to be the common denominator in their business model. If the students are gone, screw the rest of the permanent residents in the area and let them survive on the leftover stacks of Smack Ramen and Pop Tarts. On top of that, their parking lot is hell-​on-​earth so save yourself the headache and park on the street.
On the upside, the staff is usually pretty friendly and they have more registers open than other Pick ‘n Saves I have been to lately. Still, I’m not really sure I want to continue to patronize this place. Then again, should I really expect a lot from a company that has a title with ‘n in its name? Unless you’re going to pick up a crate of Pork ‘n Beans, I’d pass on this location.

Alright, so no Pick N Save is a fantasy land. But as far as Pick N Saves go, this one stinks. No really, it smells bad. The fruit is almost always moldy.
No organic produce, a little natural cereal, yogurt, and milk. All brand name stuff, lots of colorings and flavorings.
Employees are unhappy.
At one point, my boyfriend was several aisles down and I yelled «I feel like I’m in the bizaro world»…because this place feels like the bizaro world.

Ok. So I realize that this place is busy 99.9% of the time, and I’m cool with that (if you don’t have the time to stop, then don’t). I agree that the produce here is not the best and that some of the items are overpriced. However, I think they do the best they can and accommodate many needy and difficult customers (I have seen this on numerous occasions… remember no one likes to be talked down to). I like the bakery here, as they have gone out of their way to help me with treats for my classroom. I would also like to mention one worker in particular, Travis. He is friendly and does his job very well, I have seen him go out of his way to make sure customers are happy and he helps little old ladies with their cases of beer… who doesn’t love that?!

Eh. This store is OK, but it has a very disappointing selection of items. The store size is pretty cramped, and their produce doesn’t always seem to be fresh. The layout is also pretty strange and crowded. The last time I was there, the woman at the checkout was really snappy and rude to me when checking out. Unfortunately, this is the only grocery store close to where I live, aside from Sendik’s.

Horrible produce! One time I went there and all the lettuce was brown and juicy

Worst pick n save in the city.
Over crowded. Bad selection.

You expect high prices at Sendik’s but this Pick’n Save location they continue to amaze me the prices are digustingly high go to a different location and save your money. Most of the aisles are close together. I hate going here on the weekends when its busy.