Fareway ???

[dmclone]

The one thing that people always fail to mention about Fareway is everything besides their meat departments. There meat departments are full service and pretty impressive but their other departments (the ones they have) are usually garbage. I haven't been in one in 5 years but every Fareway I've ever been to had a complete joke of a produce section. If I went to Fareway for meat I would still have to go to Hy-Vee or Dahls for everything else. Plus I like to shop on Sundays.

If all you care about is cheap prices than go to Aldi's and call it a day. You won't find cheaper prices than Aldi's.

I shop at Dahls just because it's the closest to my house and I have a feeling that is what a lot of other people do as well.

It's also probably bad to generalize. I worked at 5 different hy-vee's and in two of those stores I worked in every single department and it was different from store to store in how things ran. The store managers have a lot to do with how good a store is at Hy-Vee.

 

[Freebird]

I go to Fareway when I can but they are a little out of the way for me. Like many, I prefer their butcher counter.

My only complaint about Fareway is the narrow entrances coupled with the fact that it is almost inevitable that some elderly person will get right in the door, grab a cart, and stand there to read the ad or look through their coupons with no regard for the people trying to enter the store. GET OUT OF THE WAY!

 

[CykoAGR]

You sound like a gem.

Clone52- do you tip everyone who has a tip jar? Second which fast food/coffee house do you work at so I can avoid it so you dont spit in my food?


I tip when I am provided a service and tipping is commonplace (restaraunts, bars etc) and as stated before I almost always tip 15-20% depending on the level of service.

Maybe I'm a jerk but i dont think that driving a bus full of people deserves a tip because I always handle my own luggage. Cabs cost a **** ton to begin with so I dont think they need MUCH of a tip but I usually leave a little.

I also dont think that someone who barely makes eye contact standing behind a counter and takes 2 seconds to pour my coffee or make a sandwich really deserves a tip.

 

[tazclone]

The one thing that people always fail to mention about Fareway is everything besides their meat departments. There meat departments are full service and pretty impressive but their other departments (the ones they have) are usually garbage. I haven't been in one in 5 years but every Fareway I've ever been to had a complete joke of a produce section. If I went to Fareway for meat I would still have to go to Hy-Vee or Dahls for everything else. Plus I like to shop on Sundays.

If all you care about is cheap prices than go to Aldi's and call it a day. You won't find cheaper prices than Aldi's.

I shop at Dahls just because it's the closest to my house and I have a feeling that is what a lot of other people do as well.

It's also probably bad to generalize. I worked at 5 different hy-vee's and in two of those stores I worked in every single department and it was different from store to store in how things ran. The store managers have a lot to do with how good a store is at Hy-Vee.

I find their selection to be poor as well. Love the meat counter but really nothing else.

 

[sunnysideup]

Went into Fareway on Monday to pick up some bacon for BLTs. I usually like the really thick cut stuff, I find it at Hy-Vee but was in the neighborhood with Fareway. Anyway, I go back to the meat counter and buy the labled "thick cut" bacon. It was so disappointing. I had some leftover Hy-Vee thick cut and it took over two pieces of the Fareway stuff to match the thickness of the Hy-Vee bacon. Not ammused at all. I like Fareway's brats that is about it.

 

[Ms3r4ISU]

I go to Fareway when I can but they are a little out of the way for me. Like many, I prefer their butcher counter.

My only complaint about Fareway is the narrow entrances coupled with the fact that it is almost inevitable that some elderly person will get right in the door, grab a cart, and stand there to read the ad or look through their coupons with no regard for the people trying to enter the store. GET OUT OF THE WAY!

If you're ever in Ames, try the new Fareway (1 yr old) in Somerset. Nice wide aisles and very clean.

 

[dmclone]

Hy-Vee seems to try some weird things. In one of the stores I worked in they had a baseball card shop. One of the WDM stores had a clothing store.Their non-foods areas can make a lot of money but they are no Target thats for sure.

I won't even mention Regal beer.

 

[Wesley]

I tip my wife.

Literally?:wink:

 

[Zenthar]

you guys should tip Menards carry out people. :smile:

 

[drednot57]

Me and my wife regularly shop at the Fareway in Nevada. It's the only grocery in town, but we usually find the prices, vis-a-vis with Hy-Vee, to be 5 to 10 percent lower. Hy-Vee's selection is better, and get stuff there we can't get at Fareway, even so the vast majority of our grocery shopping is at Fareway. As far as cleanliness is concerned, we've always found the Nevada store very clean. The store on 6th street in Ames is the oldest in the area now and gets huge business. The foot traffic has stained the floors, so it looks dirty and what people do at the produce section adds to the impression. They really need to replace that store very soon, it opened around 1970. For comparison purposes, the building directly north of YSS, across that parking lot, used to be the original Ames Fareway store. Think of shopping there before the store on 6th street opened like my me and my Mom did many times. Fareway has its limitations, but is the most economical full service grocery store in Central Iowa. Aldi's is cheaper, but it is definitely not full service. Cub Foods is a total rip-off. The most expensive store anywhere, and not full service; you have to bag your own groceries, and carry them to your car. I'd rather grocery shop at the Walmart Super Store than shop at Cub Foods. Walmart grocery is the most frustrating grocery store to shop in; the layout is absolutely not logical at all compared to Fareway, Hy-Vee, and even Aldi's. For replacing the 6th street Fareway, they could buy the lots next to 20th Century Bowling where Ruttles and the Century III theaters used to be. That area is big enough for a new grocery store. The lot where Benson Motors used to be is too small and building on South Dayton near Thiesen's is too remote. Building in place is too small as well.

 

[isumills]

Fareway gets my business be default, Hy-Vee's mark up on food is too high!

+1
It is ridiculous what they charge their custmer compared to what they paid wholesale price. Its Fareway or Costco for me, Hy-Vee lost me along time ago.

 

[terryk]

Best Beef in center Iowa. Sheeders at the Des Moines farmers market

 

[dmclone]

+1
It is ridiculous what they charge their custmer compared to what they paid wholesale price. Its Fareway or Costco for me, Hy-Vee lost me along time ago.

I think you'd be surprised how little the mark-up is if you just stay in the aisles (non-frozen). From what I remember it averages out to be about 2-3%. I think this is pretty standard across grocery stores. Things may have changed in the last 15 years though but I doubt it. The only reason I remember this is because on my first day someone, ok it was me, broke a $2 bottle of pickles and the manager told me that they would have to sell $100 worth of groceries to make up for it. I thought he was kidding at the time but later I found this was true.

 

[VeloClone]

I do tip "barbettes" ladies at cost cutters. I don't tip for one beer either I usually wait till I get my 2nd. I never tip at dairy queen, they don't get less pay based on tips like a waitress. Yes I also think tip jars everywher are a racket, I'm gettn fired up just thinking about it!

If I am not going to tip on every drink, I tip on the first. You get better service for the second than if you stiffed them on the first.:wink:

 

[Clone1450]

I think you'd be surprised how little the mark-up is if you just stay in the aisles (non-frozen). From what I remember it averages out to be about 2-3%. I think this is pretty standard across grocery stores. Things may have changed in the last 15 years though but I doubt it. The only reason I remember this is because on my first day someone, ok it was me, broke a $2 bottle of pickles and the manager told me that they would have to sell $100 worth of groceries to make up for it. I thought he was kidding at the time but later I found this was true.

Yes, but the average grocery bill per customer is also probably $100, so it's not that big of a loss for them.

 

[isufbcurt]

I refuse to shop at Fareway, mainly because Sunday is our grocery day and they aren't open. We go to HyVee and Cub here in Ames.

 

[TarHeelHawk]

Hy-Vee seems to try some weird things. In one of the stores I worked in they had a baseball card shop. One of the WDM stores had a clothing store.Their non-foods areas can make a lot of money but they are no Target thats for sure.

I won't even mention Regal beer.

That was the store on 74th, way back when it opened in 1998.

 

[tim_redd]

One time at Fareway a pregnant lady working there tried to bring my groceries to the car. I insisted that I could manage on my own...

 

[ISUcy08]

I worked at Fareway for three years in high school. Wasn't supposed to take tips, but some people insisted. I only took about 5 bucks worth in tips during the entire three years.

 

[tiberius]

It is hard to beat Fareway's meat.:biggrin: Bought a bunch of chicken breasts at hy-vee because the price was $1.88, went to Fareway a couple days later and they were matching the price and when I cooked up the weeks meals the Fareway breasts looked and tasted much better.