Ralphs

Reviews 3

A

A Private User

This ralphs offers Variety of quick choices. I say this is a neighborhood ralphs because alot of people that i know always run into each other. It is just random what old friends you will spot at this store. I have been shopping at this ralphs since 1997. Back then they were a bit pricey but there quality is better then other stores. Even now there quality is still above average. Unfortunately since the grocery market strike in 2003, they lost alot of good employees. I see that some still remained. But the quality went down because of it, it is very sad. But since 2006 i saw things pick up a whole lot better. I am going to review every department start from 2006 to 2010. BEER/LIQUOR DEPT: Small but carries common wines/liquors. Grab and go with Quick picks! Everything seems to sell very well in this dept. Everytime i go here they are low on stock on certain beers and liquors. Ha, i guess that tells you alot about the city of lake forest. They carry very common wines and liquors. there is nothing too fancy about this dept. Only because it is VERY SMALL department. During the summer time this dept has great prices on 24packs of beers or , 18, 12 packs. Especially on american beers. One thing i noticed the wines dont stay very dusty. They do a good job at keep this from happening. I spoke with RON in liquor and he really knows his wines. my favorite wine called 3 blind moose pinot grigio is discontinued. so he suggest barefoot and that is a great wine. very light and crisp. MEAT DEPT: SMALL , No meat counter. No organic meats. No choice meats. They carry Angus Select meats. there meats are very good, i have always been pleased with the cutting of their meats. The meats dont look as if they have thrown in there packages like some other stores do. The trimming of their meats is amazing and they always look delicious. Just enough fat on them to cook with. They seemed to have remodeled the meat case sometime in 2008. they switched sides with the Bacon and the raw meats. i was very confused when they did this. took a while to get used to. I cant wait until this store gets a meat counter! But the guys back in the meat dept say they keep post poning the true remodel of the store. The down side of the meat dept is the meat cutter goes home at 3pm. So if i want to get something cut i have to do it before then. I just call it in usually. They are very friendly when it comes to custom cuts of meat. I spoke with Kevin on the phone, apparently that is the meat cutter. I was asking him about stater bros meat and his and he was saying that the Angus meat they sell is better then Farmers choice meats. Angus Tastes better and is more tender he was saying. ABSOLUTELY NO hormones in the meat or chicken either! even better! SEAFOOD DEPT: LARGE selection, no rotting fish! Seafood dept smells like the ocean, NOT like a fish factory. Clean windows and clean looking fish. Wow, the variety of fish they have is alot. The only thing that bothers me is most of it is frozen and not straight fresh from the ocean. They do have Fresh fish but i talked with the seafood guy and he said fresh fish is just expensive and over 10 dollars a pound. He said if it really wanted some fresh fish he would be more then happy to take down my order and phone number. The Person i spoke with was Robbie and Aaron i believe. Those two seem to know alot about fish, i was asking them a bunch of questions and was surprised at their knowledgeable answers. their 21/25 shrimp is the most delicious shrimp i have ever tasted! And their red Trout and Halibut is amazing when i get it on sale! Their salmon is pretty good.

A

A Private User

FREEZER SECTION: SMALL, meh, they have an OK variety. just 2 aisles. I dont buy frozen food to often so i cant say much. I like there private selection brand ice creams, its normally 2.50 for 2. its good stuff. chicken nuggets are also good it was in a green plastic bag, i think it was tyson. I dont care much for the banquet brand though. This dept could use work, its kinda messy. It must be a busy department.. empty shelves in certain sections sometimes. Especially with the ice. But i guess people need their ice! DAIRY/CHEESES/MILKS: large. nice selection! large variety! there dairy dept is really really longgg it stretches all across the store. cant go wrong in this dept. they seem to have everything. PRODUCE: GOOD variety, not good big, not too small! There seems to be always a clerk in this dept. They love to talk and help out. I saw something bad in this dept and she took care of it immediately. I cant remember her name but she was so nice. The problem with this dept is the fruits are seasonal or non existent and sometimes can get very expensive. But this may be with all stores. SERVICE DELI: Good. Seems to a very Busy dept. the problem with this dept is the customer service can be slow and painful. and people pile up like crazy. They do have good deli meats and cheeses. Uh ill tell you the worst thing about this dept, the customer service. I swear you get the one person that doesnt speak english very well and you cant understand a dam word they are saying. OR they cant understand what your saying, Why is ralphs hiring these people? I got another employee and she was very pretty blonde girl. very friendly too. She even asked me if i needed anything else, wow, why cant all employees be like this? U get the handleful of good ones and bad ones of course. BAKERY: SMALL, very limited. When it comes to this dept, you really need to call ahead of time if your planning something like a birthday for example. OH delicious cakes and pastries. Cant go wrong! Ice cream cakes are pretty good too. I cant say much more since i dont shop in the bakery. so you may have to check this one out yourself. I have to stay away from this dept. I have a sweet tooth and cant eat just 1 bite! I recommend the Lemon pastries. it was yum. CHECKOUT: Better now! improved! they have like 8 check stands. only a couple times i have seen all 8 open. FINALLY they remodeled this area, and have SELF CHECKOUT!!! BIG bonus! EASY TO USE!!!!! avoid buying cigs or alcohol through self check out. its a PAIN. Cashier service is very good! courtesy clerks could use some improvement. They have some middle eastern people which dont know anything and cant speak english very well. Oh come on, is ralphs really that desperate for employees? They could do so much better. Hopefully they will improve there courtesy clerks and who they is actually qualified to be hired. There is only two employees i had trouble with. and I will say their names. Andrienna and Suzy, these two are the most unfriendly employees. I avoid them at all costs the best i can. I guess all stores have there bad and good employees. overall, this is a small store, but it gets the job done. you wont get lost shopping at this Ralphs! I hope my review has helped!

JA

James Galvez

My 8 year old daughter and I walked into this Ralphs location on a Saturday evening and while the store appeared to be very busy with many customers at the checkout stands, my daughter and I were the only ones in line at the customer service booth waiting for assistance. There were four store managers on staff that evening (among a few other employees). Several of them made eye contact with us as my daughter and I patiently stood there for 15 to 20 minutes but no one greeted us or let us know some one would be help us momentarily. I was in disbelief of how long we were standing in front of the store without anyone attending us or even asking if we have been helped. Finally one of the employees by the name of *Christine* (who appeared to be a store manager) rudely yelled in front of other customers and asked if we had been helped. It was pretty obvious we had not been helped as she noticed no one ever approaching us or the customer service counter. I responded and said: “NO, no one has helped us yet and we have been here now for 20 minutes patiently waiting”. Her rude response was: “Well, you will have to wait because we have many customers!” (as if my daughter and I were not a customer). I was not complaining just yet but her rude response was the last straw. Her argumentative, rude tone, and poor lack of customer service skills is not one of a store manager. She did not maintain her composure as a store manager should. In addition, she insisted on wanting to argue with me in front of my daughter and many customers standing in line, causing a scene, and holding her own line back. Another customer interjected and asked her to calm down and said it was unnecessary that we argue in front of customers (which I agree). That customer also requested help and Christine rudely said he would need to also wait. Christine persisted with a terrible attitude, wanting to continue to argue with me, and trying to justify the stores poor lack of service. I was not there to waste my time, argue, or listen to excuses. I was there requesting help on an item for my daughter. However, this store, and its entire management staff failed to set a professional example and help someone waiting for 20 minutes. Many witnessed the drama and stunt Christine helped entertain. If she cannot handle the pressure as an employee (let alone a store manager) at a busy supermarket, perhaps she should consider another profession. This matter is not stopping here. The power of social media and obtaining the store’s corporate office assistance is much greater than Christine anticipates. She is fortunate if she still has her job by the end next week or until she loses her composure with another customer.