Associated Supermarkets

The worst market. Food here is rotten. The produce had a packed on date that was tomorrows date so they obviously lie. I wouldn’t buy anything here unless it was in a can. They also have a major rat problem outside of the store, gag!

It’s name is Key Foods and the key is that it’s pricy. Would give it 2.5 «$» signs.
Unfortunately, no too many other markets in area: the next closest is C-​Town and the other one, PathMark, is rather far (as I heard).
The aisles are crowded. It’s a small supermarket so selection is not as extensive either.

I thought that this supermarket would be cheaper than the Jubilee closer to my apartment but that was a false assumption. I based my reasoning on how falling apart it looks from the outside but apparently that doesn’t make a difference. Inside is as cramped as humanly possible. The assortment of items leaves something to be desired. Everything is hard to find and I had to ask someone for help finally. I will never go back and I am sorry I tried this place out with a grocery list in hand.

I really think this place takes advantage of the many disabled and elderly that live in the large apartment building in which this store is located. I believe they are price-​gouging.
The other day I thought I’d stop by to get some scallions. There were three (3) scallions to the .89 bunch. Three! Apart from being ridiculously priced, the produce is atrocious. I find all of their items to be priced significantly higher than at the other nearby shops.
The disabled and elderly that live in the building cannot easily walk over to the much better & much less expensive stores on John street, so they’re stuck with this ghetto style purveyor.
Buy canned tomatoes on sale or some seltzer there, if you must. But unless you don’t mind paying much more for a far inferior selection as compared to other shops, go elsewhere.

It is so hard to get used to the fact that there are no big grocery chains in NYC… you know like Ralphs, Vons, Albertsons, etc.
Keeping in mind that while there are a couple of Whole Foods in the city, the majority of your grocery shopping needs are going to have to be met in these little small markets. Associated on Fulton in the financial district is one of those small markets that you go to out of necessity, because you don’t have any other options.
There is a Jubilee market close by, and also Zeytuna, but Associated is the cheapest of the 3.
The store is small and the lay-​out is awkward and cramped. The people that work here aren’t the most competent, but this place is about as good as it gets as far as groceries in the financial district.

Alright, maybe it’s cause I’m fairly new to NY, but relatively this store is not that bad when compared to other small markets in Manhattan. The only nice grocery stores I’ve found so far have been Whole Foods and Trader Joes, but those are a trek to get to when you live in the Wall St area.
Jubilee is another store in the area with higher quality goods, but you may end up paying a lot more too.

Buy canned goods and packaged food. Period. The deli will sell you rancid cold cuts that should have been tossed days ago. The milk will have a date that already passed. The fish… well, don’t even go there. Chicken? Nope! Ground meat. Uh uh! The deli people who work at the Associated on Second Ave between 48 and 49 take the Boars Head for themselves and slice the old crap for you. It’s worse than living in a third-​world country. Aweful.

My friend Zach W. hits on nearly all the important points about this place in his brilliant review of Jubilee (a better, brighter place). He was just missing one thing, which he couldn’t possibly have known b/​c he had never gone to the Associated looking for coffee ice cream.
I am only a little crazy – to the extent that I shout at drivers when I’m walking and pedestrians when I’m driving, I am aware of my irritating yet also adorable quirks – so it is rare that I am reduced to complaining to total strangers, yet the other night I gave in to my bad instincts. I had purchased some cookies – never mind where or how, just know that they included a lot of chocolate – and thought that coffee ice cream would be just the thing to add a little freshness to such a dessert. I caught sight of the Associated, which shouted «supermarket!» «basic goods!» and other such siren songs. Sometimes I want ground flaxseed or fresh mint or kefir; in those instances, Associated would only mean, «sorry, not here» to me. But coffee ice cream?
I spent about ten minutes standing in front of a very large fridge of several different brands of ice cream. There was vanilla and cookie dough and café con leche, there was Mayan chocolate (with cinnamon) and Neopolitan and black raspberry. There was Tofutti. But there was no coffee ice cream.
Imagine my shock, and then ask yourself if you can forgive me for saying to the lady – who, understandably, was trying to sidle by me standing there with the fridge door swung open – «yeah, sorry, but I’m looking for coffee ice cream and they don’t have it!»
After some hard thinking, I just added a second star here. I understand that not everyone is looking for coffee ice cream all the time, and some venues maybe deserve stars just for existing. If you need milk, or Cheerios, or like toilet paper, the Associated probably – but no guarantees – can help you out.