City Market/Onion River Co-op

Reviews 7

MI

Mikhael Cohen

Best co-op, period. Best local foods store. Highest grossing single-location co-op in the nation. When I moved back from a year in Hawaii, this is one of the things I looked forward to most. Ive lived in a few places, and no other store compares. Gluten-free? Vegan? Conventional diet? They have everything. Whats good: Produce. Local and distant, organic and conventional. Pricing is fair. I dont wish to promote meat or animal products, but they have the best local selection of this stuff, if youre going to buy, dont buy from the conglomerates. BULK. Bulk everything, in exactly the amount you need. Teas, coffee, pasta, soup, baking needs, grains, nuts, snacks, candy, dried fruit, peanut butter, Dr. Bronners, dish soap, laundry detergent, olive oil, maple syrup, the list goes on. Bring your own container or use theirs. Tare your own bottle on the scale right nearby. Hot bar. Cheapest in town, always good food. Selection doesnt change as frequently as Id like, but its always good. It does bother me quite a bit when I see staff grab the spoon that landed in the chicken and put it back in a vegan dish, but at least they offer a good vegan selection. Great bread from most local bakeries. Cookies, chocolate, beer and wine selections are all grand. Deli is great. Grab a bagel in the morning, theyll prepare it however, they have everything for it. Grab a coffee. Sit and use the Wi-Fi in the eating area. Its somehow magically distant enough from the commotion to be semi-peaceful. Oh, there is that. Remember how this is the highest grossing single location co-op in the nation? Its busy. All the time. Have patience for your neighbors, were all in this together. And hey, theyre expanding to Pine St soon! To add to this point, the parking lot can be hell during commuting times. Im surprised more people/cars arent hurt here. Its too small, and people are too hurried. The staff are all great, I feel like Im in there so much theyre always part of my life. Extremely helpful if help is ever needed. Its well-managed, and they take great care of their staff. Theyre involved in about 17 community volunteering efforts and ever-expanding, with very significant discounts to members who volunteer in their community. Open til 11 EVERY night, after my day is beyond over I can still go in and grab some food. Great place, cant recommend highly enough. Could be my most favorite business in town. In fact it is.

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MI

Michael Dombek

As the only grocery store in downtown Burlington, City Market has somewhat of a monopoly, which is reflected in their high prices. Good selection of local and organic foods. National name brand foods sold at a noticeable markup compared to Hannaford, Shaws, etc. In addition, not a very good selection of non-organic options for those of us who cant afford to pay the premium. Prepared foods are decent, but dont let the down to earth organic vibe of the store fool you: look closely at the kitchens and you will see plenty of Sysco items (not very local or organic). Surprisingly poor gluten-free selection. Good for vegetarians and vegans with many grocery and prepared food options. Checkout lines can be very slow at mealtimes, and parking is somewhat limited. The store almost always feels crowded. If you are part of the locavore organic crowd, a UVM student with cash to burn, an emerging adult living the dream in Burlington, or do not want to make the effort to go to a "normal" grocery store, then you will enjoy this place. For anyone wanting to buy groceries on a regular basis at a reasonable price, go elsewhere.

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Kristin Mestyan

I Love it there! I feel like I can be in my own little world, or engage with any of the super helpful City workers or shoppers! And who is that wine guy?? :-) What a riot! I havent seen him the last few times I was there, so disappointed, but incredible knowledge base and if he doesnt know, hell find out for you! Lots of fun. Needless to say I left with lots of interesting wines that night... (well, maybe a few nights. ;) City Market ~ Ethnically balanced, and I mean that in the most wonderful way. <3 A great feel there. Prices reasonable while supporting local farms, artists and businesses! Nice variety, vegetarian /vegan, & gluten-free friendly! Produce beautiful, every corner turns up something so interesting and healthy. They have the most amazing coffee there, so go grab a cup a little larger than usual, and take your time to check it all out... you wont be disappointed! And to the sweetest little cashier who rang me out the other night about 10 minutes before closing,

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Darrell Garrett

The products are great. It is not a huge issue for me to pay a premium for good quality products; however, the customer service by many of the employees is horrible. I avoid going into some cashier lines and asking some deli/sandwich staff for assistance. I know I will get a rude passive aggressive smug response, attitude of i dont really want to help you but i need this job because cant ask my parents for money anymore kinda individuals. Full of granola heads and white privileged hippies who tokenize African staff as a cover for lack of real racial, ethnic diversity. I wish there was a competitor closer to my home, id never shop here. I feel like I have to because the next best thing in terms of geographic area is in south burlington. If you are a white professor, settled established vermonter, single middle class and upper middle class individual you will love it here.

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C Wi

Usually I can sync my grocery shopping with my favorite non-wheat specialty bread delivery, which is fantastic to offer. I just started to also make the stop in for my unprepared lunch afternoons. Some things in their prepared foods section are done really well, others, like their salads are incredibly upsetting. I paid shy of $10 for a delicious looking package of salad with my favorite Vermont creamery goat cheese and cranberries. At first bite, I was delighted. The second bite had me gaging. I fully understand greens need to be grown in dirt. I would eat lettuce right from the ground and not mind a small encounter with dirt. However when I emptied the contents, just incase it actually was from the vinegrette, I found the ring at the bottom of the container filled with dirt. I will probably not take the packaged salad route again.

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Daniel Fortier

CM/ORC has a manageable selection of good quality foods and general home products including a nice amount of locally sourced items. Relatively diverse customer base. A bit pricey but good deals can be had. They do participate in and support number of community hunger relief/food insecurity programs, as well as provide a number of discount programs, including "member worker" program that gives members discounts for volunteer work both in store, and several community partners. In store kitchen makes a cornucopia of delicious dishes that are sure to satisfy anyone, to conveniently eat there, or to take with. Right now, theyre selling Christmas trees for just $35 and in support of COTS, Committee On Temporary Shelter, who can always use our help, but especially this time of year!

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Madi Ruby

My boyfriend and I come here almost everyday to get sandwiches and more than not we usually have to bring them back because whoever made them didnt do their job. Today the women who made our bagel sandwiches switched the tops and bottoms of our bagels, giving us 2 sandwiches eachwith one half bagel plain and one with poppy seeds. My bagel sandwich was made with 2 bottom bagel halfs of 2 different flavored bagels. I ask for extra lettuce and they put 3 small pieces on. I ask for regular bacon and they put so much on I have to take my sandwich apart and pull what seems like an entire package of bacon off. There is always a problem practically every time I go. Iv been a loyal customer for years but I am never going in to that overcrowded overpriced city market ever again.

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