C-Town Supermarket

I have shopped in this store my whole life and I say no thank you to their store.
I only would go for the sales and dry food products and discouted items.
They do not really check their meat, poultry nor have ture concern for treatment of items, you will see when you go to the store.
I would always clean the food with the hydrogen peroxide and glycerin.
Hope you all read it from the heart.

At this point I only shop at C-​Town if it is an emergency, and if so I will only buy dry goods. They don’t sell natural or organic meat, so I can’t buy meat there because what they do sell doesn’t look like it has not passed any kind of inspection. I wouldn’t give the meat the sell there to a dog if I had one. The produce looks like it is one day from turning brown. Even lemons and limes are hard as golf balls when you touch them. I mean, c’mon the lemons can’t even be fresh? Before I found Fresh Direct and Peapod, I would have to go shopping at C-​Town with a magnifying glass and inspect anything I selected to make sure it 1) didn’t have a whole in it 2) wasn’t close to or past the expiration date. I have had to take a loss on a multitude of spoiled, hole in the side of, or molded products because forget about trying to return or exchange. My main gripe with this particular C-​Town is the lack of customer service, that is if you are not from the Dominican Republic and speak Spanish and have light skinned. Yes, you read that correctly. Apparently the extreme racism that exist in the Dominican Republic against Haitians (or anyone that has African– roots) is alive and well in C-​Town. The other day we were out of juice and I just didn’t feel like taking the walk to Gristides which is 8 blocks away. In retrospect, I should have sucked it up and pounded the pavement. I made the mistake of going to C-​Town. I picked up juice which I thoroughly inspected before getting in the line, but it was what I experienced in the line which makes the experience so disgusting. I watched as the cashier jovially exchanged pleasantries with the customer before me. She wasn’t friends with this woman, but because she is Dominican she was given the star treatment. When I walked up, this woman demeanor went from pleasant and jovial, to cold and rude. She literally turned her smile into a frown. She did not look up to even give me the respect of eye contact. As she had cheerfully thanked the customer before me, there was not a thank you from this cashier, but instead a blank stare and look of disgust. This woman’s attitude was not just because I didn’t speak her language, or that she was having a bad day. This attitude is pervasive in this community towards dark skinned people, and it’s disgusting. They need to wake up and realize that the neighborhood is becoming gentrified. Washington Heights does not belong to the Dominican people. Last time I checked this was the United States, and they cannot expect to survive the future if they continue to treat customers in this way. Leave your cultural issues aside and treat all of your customers equally and fairly.

I mean, it’s another C-​town. There’s everything you need, but it isn’t the cleanest place to get your groceries. But when you’re in Washington Heights, there really isn’t any other option.
I like buying my meats here, but their packaging seriously sucks. Whenever I pick up some chicken breast or beef stir fry, I get blood all over my hands. Seriously? Is it that hard to drain the blood and seal the styrofoam. Whatever.
There was one instance when this cashier asked me where I was from. I said California, and she said, «No, where you really from?» I thought she misheard me, so I just repeated myself. She sighed and said, «No, like your parents.» I said Korea and her other cashier friend proceeded to cheer loudly, boasting that she was right. Then the bagging guy gawked at me awkwardly and kept croaking, «Pyongyang? Pyongyang? PYONGYANG!»
Thanks for reminding me of my minority status…

It’s better than Associated I guess. 2.5 stars…
I don’t care much for reviewing these b/​c I don’t think anyone reads them, but you NEED to know this… DO NOT buy meat here. EVER. When I first moved here, I looked all lost and innocent, this local older man stops me as I have chicken in my hand, he says, dont buy meat here, go to associated. I was like… yikes. Ok.
So I come here for other things, because they do have a good selection of random things like flour (they carry wheat and almond flours!), lean cuisines, and dressings. Also has a good selection of cake decorating stuff like candles, gels, and décor for your cake or cupcake.
i dislike you can’t bring in bags… they check them at the door. I don’t trust that, I’m sorry but not in this neighborhood. I live here, and know how it is. if your gonna grocery shop, drop your shopping bags off at home, then come back.

The Good:
— Low prices! Much lower than anything you’ll find at Gristedes or Associated.
— Large selection and generally well-​arranged aisles.
— Cleaner than other grocery stores in the neighborhood.
— Very conveniently located just off the C at 163^rd.
The Bad:
— Horrible meat selection! Sure, they have plenty of gizzards and hooves and feet, but where are the steaks? Where are the organic… ANYTHING?
— They seem to be in a perpetual state of restocking. Most aisles are blocked by boxes and ladders at any given time of the day. This is something to be done AT NIGHT.
— I get the cold shoulder from several of the cashiers, seemingly because I don’t speak Spanish. I watched my cashier carry on a LENGTHY and giggle-​filled conversation in Spanish with the lady on line in front of me. When I got up to pay, she was extraordinarily rude to me, hardly making eye contact and yelling at me, «HELLO??» when I didn’t hear her ask me a question. There’s no need for rudeness. Calmate.
I’m moving later this summer and I hope I move far enough uptown that I’ll be able to use the new Fine Fare they plan to build in the GWB Bus Terminal. Though I wish someone would build a Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s… Maybe in my lifetime at least?

The staff here is always nice and helpful, and the cashiers very beautiful. There food and product is always fresh. To start off there deli is very busy, but there service is very nice and they always show curtsy. Good luck buying there rotisserie chicken, its always sold. This tells you the deli is always having fresh product. And there not cheap with the sandwiches, they are all made with love.
The produce section is also fresh everyday. And the canned products are always rotated with new dates, same goes with there busy seafood section. Just try not to go on the weekends cause the place is always packed and the lines are long.

I, personally like this C-​Town!
The staff have always been nice. You can find some great deals if you hunt around. The produce isn’t bad for this kind of market. The german chocolate cake at the bakery is THE BOMB!!! And you can find some cheap beer.
Don’t know it til you try it, y’all!!!

Yeah, C-​Town is no Food Emporium or Whole Foods. BUT it is just as fine as D’Agastino and much less expensive. This location is the more roomy than other C-​Towns I’ve been to and they’ve never let me down for something I need! This one has a nice ethnic foods section, especially Spanish food.
The cashiers speak English and Spanish, but the people bagging speak only Spanish, so if you brought a canvas bag (they never seem to notice!), be sure to learn the phrase «no necesito una bolsa!»