Acme

Not the best supermarket by any stretch of the imagination. I’m not very familiar with Acme, so not sure if this location is an anomaly or not, but I left seriously underwhelmed after shopping here.
Overall, it has the vibe of a supermarket stuck in time, kind of like how I remember lower-​end supermarkets looking in the 90’s. This doesn’t bother me in itself, but don’t expect a vibrant atmosphere a-​la Trader Joe’s or Wegmans here.
While shopping, I noticed handful of small issues which were not particularly bothersome in their own right, but which compounded to create a poor shopping experience. Fortunately, all of them are relatively easy to fix, so I hope the management gives this some consideration:
1) Lighting was excessively bright. I realize this is to be expected at many supermarkets and retail stores in general, but this Acme location takes bright lighting to a whole new level. It really creates an environment which is not pleasant patrons to shop in (or employees to work in, for that matter).
They probably could even generate more sales if they addressed this, as it would encourage people to linger longer as they shopped. As it was, I tried to get in and out of the store as quickly as possible.
2) Store was very disorganized. I stopped in recently for a single common item (a bottle of ketchup) and it took FAR too long to find. I had to pace the perimeter of the store twice before locating it, which was rather frustrating due to the lighting issue noted above.
The signs above the aisle were not particularly helpful or descriptive, and items seemed to be organized haphazardly, rather than grouped by type, function, etc.
3) They also had FAR too many paper adverts with the Acme logo sticking out of the shelves. This added to the disorganization noted above, and when combined with the lighting issue made the store far too colorful and overstimulating for my liking.
4) Lastly, the interior and exterior of the store both looked like they could benefit from a good updating or remodeling (or at least, a thorough scrubbing). As mentioned above, the store seems stuck in the past and I am amazed that enough people shop here to keep it in business with so many better options (Wegmans, Trader Joe’s, Stop & Shop, etc.) around.
Prices seemed pretty reasonable, about comparable with a no-​frills supermarket such as Stop & Shop (where I typically shop for basic groceries). However, given that I didn’t find any amazing deals here, the prices are not nearly low enough to excuse the lackluster retail environment.
On a positive note, the staff seemed very friendly and helpful, but that’s not enough to make me want to frequent this supermarket regularly. It’s close by my gym, so I may return out of necessity, but definitely not any time soon.

When I was living in Plainsboro, NJ with my lady we food shopped at this Acme on a few occasions…
The service was always great…