Gristedes

Awful store… Having lived on Roosevelt Island I have had to suffer with this «grocery» store as being out only option for many years. Though it did go through a remodel a few years back its remains a
Terrible store. I often times see open food items on shelves half eaten and left, or spills left in isles where employees are restocking that are ignored or the worst of all expired food. I literally just popped in there for a few things and noticed 9 packages of ground turkey all with a best before date of yesterday. I then moved on to the chicken breast and the first one I grabbed was welcomed with a date of Dec 5… Today is the 7^th! Deciding to skip the meats I wandered over to the «organic» section, or at least that’s what they call it. I was looking for a thing of milk. Now I know organic milk can cost more but $ 7.39 is insane! Despite my best efforts to give this store a shot and support RI businesses I must say STAY AWAY!

I feel sorry for those who shop there. This is the most ridiculously overpriced grocery store I’ve encountered in NYC. If you are able to make the trip to Queens or Brooklyn, there are so many other stores that offer the same products, only fresher and cheaper.

Place is decent, provided there are ZERO options in the area. I wouldn’t but any produce here. It is usually really bad. On thanksgiving we bought a turkey and was terrible.
In general, I was happy to have them in the area. Their packaged stuff is OK and most of it wasn’t that expensive

I moved to the Roosevelt Island just 2 months ago and for my first few visits to this Gristedes I felt good. It has quite a variety of products and the shop looks clean and bright. The price is not under average but not really expensive when considering the convenience as this is the only big supermarket on the island. I really enjoyed walking along the riverside with my wife after dinner and came here picking up something.
HOWEVER, all the good impressions were ruined after I saw those bad, rotten, expired meet last night. I would not even notice that the chicken leg was 2 days after expired date if it had not been tagged with such a low price. Then I realized that it was Not the only piece. There was a fly sitting still on one of the rotten chicken thigh package. And some of the ground meat was in such a dark grey color that I’ve never seen in any other GOOD chain store, even back in my hometown in China. My wife and I were literally shocked on the scenes. I would have talked to the staff in the store just to give a remind if I were in China. But I didn’t because I really couldn’t express myself well in English in this kind of situation. And plus the staff looked in a mood that she couldn’t even say a hello back to me when I came to her. Finally we just picked two bottles of water and left.
I could understand that it’s not easy to maintain a big food store and keep every detail to be satisfying especially in regard to those fresh products. But it is just the fresh food that matters most. I’ve learned enough about the tricks they played in the food market in China and I just hate it. A businessman could have thousands of excuses to protect his own profit but Please don’t play with the food. It’s the safety of lives that really matters.

«Stepping its game up»
I made a vow never to come here once I realized that the supermarket was selling expired food. I mean cans of food had dust on them.
So I decided to come back in desperation. After its makeover, this location is waaaayyyy better. Hell, it even has a craft beer section and an organic food section. The produce and meats are slightly better; but, we are talking about Gristidees. Hopefully, my mangos and strawberries will not be full of mold tomorrow and I will not have to cook the hell out of my chicken to avoid Salmonella poisoning.
Also, the prices seem to be a tad cheaper than before. Plus, it felt nice to get more than three bags of groceries for 100 bucks. I typically go on grocery shopping binges because I wait until I have a half of a morsel of food in my apt, so I really try to stock up. Granted the groceries are not as «fresh» as other pricey supermarket chains in the city. Hopefully, the prices will stay in the moderate range.

This is the worst supermarket I have ever been to. The selection is awful. The produce is often semi rotten. The aroma of the place is questionable. The stock on shelves is often expired. The prices take advantage of the fact it is the only supermarket on the island. The deli is downright dangerous. The staff are nothin short of infuriating. A girl at checkout snapped at my mother while she was here visiting because she said she didn’t need any plastic bags. The item in the bag was removed and slammed on the counter and she was told «pack your own bags then». You will never receive a smile, thank you, or anything that resembles customer service in this place. It truly is the worst supermarket I have ever experienced. I wish it would go out of business and be replaced by a respectable store.

Looks nicer after the renovation, but you have to change the management and employees in order to have a real quality business. We only use them in a bind.

If you’re coming here, you probably already know, but this is a grocery store exclusively for those living on Roosevelt Island without access to easy transportation. The ONLY reason to go here would be to buy something non-​perishable that you need in a hurry.
Especially problematic for me are the «non-​expired» foods that look months past their sell-​by date. I routinely see moldy cheese, and suspect that they have a refrigeration problem.
They have a sign at the cashier offering people a reward if they can prove they were charged an amount that doesn’t match the sticker price. I’m not sure if they have a court order against them requiring them to put up this sign, or if they just had such a big problem with stockboys putting the wrong stickers on things that they decided to offer this, but it makes me very suspicious, because it looks like they’re telling us they have a price bait and switch problem. I’ve had the issue there myself, so … yeah, I think they do.
They also seem to have an issue with beggars in wheelchairs stalking their customers. I’ve been chased by aggressive wheelchair bound panhandlers leaving here, and routinely see them camped out at the exit of the store. Generally, it’s outside, but I’ve also had them beg from me inside the store, or seen them camped out inside the store. This is a Roosevelt Island problem, not exclusive to Gristedes, but they are a hub for it.
Somehow, the owners of this store have convinced the powers that be to let them stay here, gouging residents of Roosevelt Island and serving them rotten, stale food. It’s a pity, because people here would love to have an actual supermarket.

Simply the worst. Never had a cashier even acknowledge me even if I say hello and thank you first. Disturbing vibe in this place.

I wish I could give less than one star. It’s much improved since the renovations, with better items, but some of the problems are the same old same old. Right after the renovations I noticed a lot of the prices seemed lower and I did some shopping there, especially since they were also offering coupons, but then the prices seem to have crept up again. Some of their items are fairly priced, but some are outrageous. I went in for a bottle of oil the other day. It’s $ 8.99 at Whole Foods. Gristedes price: $ 16.50. Seriously? They did a price match immediately, but that shouldn’t be necessary. Each time I have gone there, there are two or three items without prices on them. That’ a time-​waster. The new store looks better and some of the cashiers are friendlier. Lots of the products are better. But the prices make it worth taking a cab elsewhere. You’ll still come out way ahead.
The pharmacy area closes earlier than the rest of the store and is very limited in what they carry. I also have concerns about a couple of experiences I’ve had there. I wanted regular saline solution (sterile water and salt) for my infant. A very basic product, yet they didn’t have it. Not only did they not have it, but two employees tried to convince me that the original formula of one of the nasal sprays they carry was the same thing. When I checked the ingredients, it was of course, MEDICATED. Not something you’d give to a baby. How do they not know this? Thank goodness we have Duane Reade now. They are smaller than regular ones, but have most everything.

I often shop there at night after I come back from work. I love everything there although the price is a bit higher.
However, I have to show my frustration with a cashier when I check out. Whenever I saw her, she was taking her time chatting with the customer in front of her and totally ignored the customers waiting in line. I was ignored twice. First time, I was waiting there and seeing her chatting with an old lady for 5 minutes, which feels like half an hour since it is not pleasant at all!
For the second time, I just went directly to the other line, which is longer. But it proved that the other line is much faster. This cashier makes my experience there go worse and worse.
I hope this store will supervise the cashiers in a better way, like counting cashier’s efficiency and like” how much time per proceed”.
By the way, FYI, the cashier is a lady with weird things on her face. Customers, please avoid her at your best.

I’ll give them this: after the new renovations, they are a lot better! They now have an organic section with all the brands I go to Whole Foods for but half of the time I get home and find the produce to be moldy or of poor quality. Unfortunately this is the only grocery store on Roosevelt Island so I go here for small purchases but I still prefer to go across the river to Whole Foods or just order Fresh Direct for quality products.

After the major make-​over — I can definitely say I am a fan of the grocery store, with some small reservations as they are still getting things settled, but what a huge improvement!
I want to say hundreds of new products, organized in a much more alluring way. I see non-​moldy produce — for CHEAP? — at least much cheaper. Strawberries were 2 cartons for $ 3 and smelled very fresh.
They opened up a new organic/​natural food section containing brands such as Annie’s, Puffins Cereal, and gluten free and organic brands I haven’t heard of.
The also have a «warehouse/​wholesale» section that allows me to purchase 12 paper towel rolls at once and walk back to my apartment across the street.
I still do my full grocery shopping in Flushing where it is much cheaper (2 boxes of strawberries for $ 1 — I kid you not), but come here for heavy or missing ingredients without hesitation.
They really did a good job improving the place during the renovation — let’s hope the prices stay at «grand opening» levels cheap, and the produce continues to stay non-​moldly.
Give this place a try again!

This place is filthy and expensive. Sadly, it is very close, so I will go in to buy necessities — milk and cleaning products I don’t want to haul very far. I’d never buy anything that didn’t come in a sealed container. The produce here is terrible, and occasionally rotten/​moldy. If it’s produce or meat I will buy it elsewhere and haul it in. And for canned goods, bread, and bulk paper products I’ll drive to the Aldis in Rego Park before shopping here.
The checkout staff is always slow and hence there is always a line. The management is incompetent. I asked if they knew when they were getting more of an item (Dr Brown’s Cream Soda in the 2 liter bottles) and was told by the manager (or «one of them») that he didn’t know, the driver just dropped stuff off. Huh?
The prices are more expensive than any other grocery store in the city, by a serious margin. I can ride the tram and get Coca-​cola, for example, at the D’Agostino’s for 2.29 and the Gristedes sells it for ~2.89. And the D’Agostino will actually have it on sale fairly regularly. The Gristedes, never.
My advice — shop somewhere else.

I live right across the street from this store but would rather starve than shop there. Filthy and overpriced. Zombie employees will have you contemplating hideous acts during your endless wait in the «express» line, as you enjoy the screeching death rattle of a radio always carefully tuned to simultaneously broadcast two stations. I actually found a toilet brush here priced to sell at $ 29.99. Amazed, I asked for a price check. Yup. There was no mislabeling. That was the price. I give this portal to Hell one star for making me get off my butt and search out alternatives.

This place is just DISGUSTING.
I went there once. Never go there again. i was walking by the meat department… ewww is the only thing i can say.
The prices are too high. The food quality is like s**t. The staff is even worse, unprofessional and rude.
Even if i live across the street and my fridge is usually empty when i get back home, i NEVER go there. i prefer starving all night long.
Gristedes needs to go out of business.NOW.
99.9999% of the people who live in Roosevelt Island are willing to have a new supermarket instead of this awful place.

Everytime I walk out of that store I feel as if I have been raped… The prices they charge are ridiculous, the store is dirty, and the people there are not friendly one bit.
I do most of my grocery shopping in the city now because the city prices are cheaper then here on Roosevelt Island… If you must by something on the Island, you really need to go to Duane Reade and their prices aren’t that much better, but it is cheaper and you know what you getting will at least be safe!

Other reviews say it all: bad produce, high prices, awful service, and even worse management. The check out lines can get ridiculous.
It has been like that for decades, since before Gristede’s took over.
The pharmacy inside offer expensive products. Some of the staff there is from the old Bigelow pharmacy — friendly.
They are lucky to be the only supermarket on Roosevelt Island. I don’t know how all Gristede’s stores have not gone out of business yet.

This place is as dirty as sin, crap, whatever. It smells like dead carcass meat and old ass milk that curdled in the back of the store. Also, when they have dairy products on sale, beware. They are usually expired or 2 – 3 days prior to expiration. I don’t trust their dairy section AT ALL, except for the aerosol whipped cream.
Overpriced to high heaven and many items look like they’ve been there for years (i.e. hair supplies, lotion). And there are creepy men who lurk…
I buy the random, low priced things, which are VERY hard to find. The help in the store isn’t even helpful. Always nasty attitudes.
Literally, a shithole, but unfortunately convenient. I trek to Morton’s, Whole Foods, Food Emporium, and god forbid Trade Fair before coming here.

Gristedes is New York’s bed bug. Is all over the place and is disgusting. I don’t know why they have so low standards: the place is dirty, the cashier are always rude and is pretty easy to find out of date food.
With out mentioning a few health department violations.