Western Beef

«We knows the neighborhood «is their slogan, but I don’t think management has been to this location in years. It is the only game in town for mega blocks, and the area has changed drastically, and is now changing even more. At least 5000 new apartments will be occupied in the next two years or less.
There never seems to be any management around, and the store is very understaffed. Wait lines are ridiculously long, especially at lunch time and late in the afternoon.
While the space is limited, and there is much merchandise, there still has to be a better traffic flow, and more of an effect to clean up the store.
It is one of the most unappetizing stores one could ever shop in.
Management should get down ASAP to this location, and make changes that reflect the neighborhood and capitalize on their very positive location

Gotta give a positive Shout-​Out to Western Beef for their hard hard hard work during Crises… Such as Sandy– Christmas Eve …(Crazy Last Minute Shoppers .) & Now during this past Snow Blizzard… Those kids on the registers as well as the grocery Stock staff and The Managers all worked their buns off. I know that Western Beef is what it is… But I have to say it… in times of trouble,…they are right there!!!

I mean I dont understand why people give this place such negative reviews. It is exactly what its supposed to be, a damn western beef. If you want perfection go somewhere else. Its no frills, no bull. So what the employees suck here but oh well its a crap hole so give them a breal. Jezz.

When I go into a place of business to spend my money, I «expect» some professional courtesy. If I do not get it, I notify management before terminating my patronage. Below is my letter to the president/​CEO who never responded:
March 28, 2016
Mr. Peter Castellana Jr.
Chief Executive Officer, President and Director
47 – 05 Metropolitan Avenue
Ridgewood, NY 11 385
Subject: Low-​level professionalism at Western Beef Store, 75 West End Avenue,
New York, NY 10 023
Dear Mr. Castellana:
I started shopping at your store back in November 2015, and have been frequently surprised by the lack of professional courtesy from your staff. Anytime that I am spending money, I do not feel that it is too much ask to get, at least a «thank you» after a transaction if not a personal greeting upon stepping up to the register.
Since my first activity as a patron at Western Beef, I have had ongoing communication with José Lopez
reporting the many checkout clerks who were less than professional or cordial with customers. Mr. Lopez kept assuring me that these employees were trained in customer service skills, and that he was going to see to it that those skills will be put into practice, but I have yet to see them demonstrated nearly as efficiently as two other nearby stores.
After sending José Lopez my last e-​mail with his not responding, I decided that it would be better that I not return to Western Beef, and spend my money in stores where I know I will be treated professionally. I will gladly return once I learn that your customer service policies have changed for the better.
Sincerely,
William H Smith Jr.

Lapin and I went to this store after the circus. We were in the neighborhood and decided to pop in (Yup, like two old people). The store was pretty empty, a bit disorganized and somewhat clean in some areas. It had a decent selection and some items were affordable. There was only one cashier available and they were still open for another 3 hours. She was nice but the other employees had a bit of an attitude.

The items might be cheap but the employees are unhappy and rude. Can’t wait for the whole foods to open nearby. They get two stars because of convenience and their vegetable selection.

I hardly write reviews but I have to say how dissatisfied I am with this store. As others have mentioned, the lines are horrendously long, and the teenagers running the registers will chat and joke with each other while pretending you don’t exist as you stand across from them waiting for their conversation to finish. I’ve been overcharged at almost every visit, and during one visit I decided to speak up about it, and the girl announces repeatedly, «It’s 40 cents! It’s only 40 cents!» Lastly, I’ve had TWO credit cards compromised from shopping here. While my first one was being replaced I happened to use an old card I never use to purchase groceries here. In one week that card was also compromised, and Western Beef was the ONLY place I used that card. Needless to say, I won’t be shopping here again even though it is close to my apartment. I’m not sure how they can continue to keep their terrible register employees.

There is a major difference between a Western Beef and Whole Foods and Trader Joes.
The variety in this store is vast but not that great. Some of the employees are friendly and some are not. Would be great if this store became a Duane Reade since the neighborhood would definitely benefit from one. Would be even better if it turned into a Trader Joes.

This has to be the worst supermarket around. They NEVER have registers open & there is always long lines that take forever & a day. The place is also always dirty. Make sure you check the expiration date on any meats because there always expiring. Can’t believe they haven’t been warned to make changes. Just horrible.

Its a typical western beef. they have a great opportunity to become part of a growing neighborhood and capture some customers who don’t want to travel to WF TJs or numerous other places. They still cater to the lower echelon of the area which are the income challenged patrons of the projects in the area.
The produce is mostly «use in 3 days» condition.
The meat is sketchy because you must buy in bulk and most of the customers buy the 1^st of the month and a lot of it lays up for a while.
Dairy not cheap at all, actually highest in area on most items. ie CVS sells 1gal milk at same price, eggs are more expensive then morton williams i can’t believe that!
The groceries are cheaper than most but not always, selection is lighter than most supermarkets because of size restraints. TP and PT are always low priced.
The checkouts are way behind the times, you cannot use coupons off your phone it still must be a paper copy.
Best I can say is great place to get what you Need. Get the stuff you Want at another place.
I used to run supermarket and other high volume retail locations so here is my professional advise.
1-​fix your doors! been over a month and makes it difficult for customers’ access/​egress
2-​i know what a remodel would cost and you wouldn’t invest in it even if i did it at cost. however you could get some repairs done on the cheap.
3-​stock more demographically correct items, yes its a big investment at 1^st but you need to attract the customers who can increase your basket size daily, weekly.
4-​redo your labor/​scheduling budget, you must be running about 8% to sales. it must be adjusted, when was the last time someone did a hourly sales analysis?
5-​There are a LOT of D.I.N.K.s in the area. Sell single and double portion meats. Charge more, your spoilage % will go down.
6-​Check competition prices! you should level out for area.
7-​make sure everything is priced or at least have a tag for each item.
8-​for the love of God, keep all employees off their cell phones.
9-​light up store every bulb should be lit up.
10-​get a new cooler repair company. every week i see paper towels on the floor soaking up some leak.
HAVE A GREAT DAY

Is this place for real?!
This place is not for anyone with heart problems. It’s only for…
I had the pleasure to have Zheletia (?) at the register where it’s a 5 or less items line. So I went there with six. Ok, I took 1 off, no problem. there was no line, no one behind me. So I asked to include the sixth and she said no. After I paid for the 5 items I asked to ring in my left-​out item because there was still no one on the line… she said, it’s closed! Meanwhile she was spraying windex allover me. That’s the kind of treatment you’ll expect if you go there.
By the way, overall it’s a pathetic store in every sense of the word. Try it if you like to see what’s really bad!!!

The customer service at this supermarket is terrible!!!
I live in the building, so it is easily accessible and the prices are good.
However, be ware of the poultry as 8 out of 10 times it is spoiled and has to be returned.
If you stick to packaged good and have extra time to kill in the check out line, this place is OK… just OK.

You might wonder how the super-​expensive grocery store next door (Gracefully) can stay in business when it charges twice as much as Western Beef. But you would not wonder this after actually visiting Western Beef.
I noticed this place was pretty long in the tooth as soon as I walked in. Took my single item to the teenage cashier dude, told him I didn’t need a bag, and so like any good employee, he wadded up the bag, threw it baseball-​style onto the floor a few feet away and loudly declared, «We got a hundred niggaz we mobbin’,» or some such hip hop stuff. Um.
But hey, the prices are pretty good!

I think the trick to surviving a shopping trip here is to look at the checkout lines before grabbing a cart. I’ve been here when the store is empty and the experience has been perfectly good, even bordering on great. They do have a lot of items on sale, and it’s certainly cheaper than Gracefully.
But, I’ve also been here when it’s crowded (which is to say the checkout lines have 2 – 3 people in them) and it’s miserable. I haven’t yet figured out what days/​times are best… but I will definitely turn around and walk out if there are people waiting in line. It’s just not worth the headache.
Also, for what it’s worth, I’ve found that the staff is really nice if you make an effort to be nice first.

I recently moved to the area and was thrilled when I found western beef… it is in my opinion the best value to be had in NYC. while I like trader joe’s and whole foods… The selection here is far greater with far more items on sale… I feel very fortunate to have this supermarket on my doorstep compared to the other ‘rip off’ supermarkets that exist in the area…
A few suggestions would be to have more of the smaller weight pre packed meat and beef packs as they seem to only have large quantities when I have visited…
Despite the other reviews I have rarely waited in line very long… generally visit on Saturdays.
Keep up the good work and keep making life affordable for hard working New Yorkers…

Since moving to 63^rd/​West End, Western Beef has received more than a few emergency visits from my wife and I. This market is reasonably priced and has a wide variety of goods. I still prefer TJs or Fairway to this market, but Western Beef has a few deals which are hard to pass up like $.99 five pound bag of potatoes. Sometimes they have specials for chicken breasts and beef for family sized packs. These can be great deals if you’re cooking for the week or a dinner party.
One ding is the line situation. They need to get more organized, but something tells me that they don’t really care. It’s kind of a mess and you can get stuck in a non-​moving line during rush hour.
All in all, WB is a cheap, convenient neighborhood market that I would only recommend if you live in the immediate area.

I have a love/​hate relationship with Western Beef.
LOVE: it’s so close! Much closer to me than Trader Joe’s, Gracefully, Whole Foods, Food Emporium, Gourmet Garage or Fairway. (Obviously near the Lincoln Center there is a plethora of grocery shopping options.) It’s also quite a bit cheaper than any of the aforementioned grocers.
HATE: checking out takes so long, I’d probably be better off going to the Fairway in NJ to save time. There are never enough lanes open, and the express checkout counter is also customer service, so I usually get stuck behind someone buying lotto tickets or making a return.
The cashiers are slow, occasionally have serious attitude, and need a manager for everything.
That being said, Western Beef is where I go late in the evening when I just need a few things, or when I want some cheap, basic staple foods. Because of the convenience of the location, and the cheapness, I will keep coming back.
[Plus, during Sandy, they were the only place that stayed open and still had water and batteries. Just for staying available for the community, they earn extra brownie points with me!]

Be still my sale shopping heart!
Sales! Every week there’s a sale! Okay, I will admit that the organic selection sucks, but 2 for $ 5 Turkey Hill Birthday Party Ice Cream is worth the preservatives and antibiotics.
For those who complain about the store layout, there is a rhyme and reason. The standard supermarket layout (something that Trader Joe’s can’t figure out) is to herd people around the perimeter, then thru the middle. If you follow that route, you’ll be able to find everything you need.
As a native New Yorker, I have a great appreciation of all Goya products. Where else on the UWS am I going to find Sofrito… um, nowhere.
Western Beef is where you buy your staples. Huge bags of rice… on sale. Toilet paper… on sale. Yogurt… on sale. Get the drift? Unless you’re made of money or just like throwing it away in order to look cool on your Foursquare check-​in, try Western Beef. It will grow on you.

Western Beef is amazing primarily because it is one of the few grocery stores where the variety of responses and divides bring out the same type of passion that only a small group of high-​end or niche restaurants might get. As usual, I read through the reviews in an attempt to provide something «else». Here is the breakdown of your likelihood of liking this place…
1. If you are an OCD clean freak…
In NYC, this is not a large group, so yes, you guys get your own category; and no you will not like this grocery store. Instead, you will be overwhelmed by the clutter and questionably clean floor that comes from the other groups on this list who compulsively can’t stay away. Oh you’re not paranoid, groups 2 – 4 — since they’re not OCD — are secretly are happy about that mess…
2. If you are ethnic and have traveled to a country that has made you appreciate a flushing normal toilet…
Oh man. this place is heaven. It’s one of few places outside of your peeps specific ethnic community where you are not made to feel weird for your food culture. You need goat? no problem. Ham Hocks… check the pork section. Chicken hearts? Yup, as much as you want. Sorrel, check check. If you’re Latino or Carribean, but live in midtown, let me just say… FINALLY!!!
3. If you’re broke, stingy, or just like value and are not OCD…
Cheap. So Freakin Cheap. Even delivery is cheap. $ 3, and that guy will deliver it usually within 2 hours. Tip him and make sure to give it to him as soon as the last bag is delivered or before. I was delayed in giving him the tip and I can promise you that he will let you know his feelings in both English and Spanish (the one time I wish I wasn’t from Florida…).
4. If you like to cook for a lot of people…
Wonderful! You can get Flintstones sized meat and normal size groceries for a normal price without trekking out to Costco, Brooklyn, or Jersey
These people will have a love-​hate relationship and yet you’ll always go back:
a. People in category 1, but also in categories 2 – 4
b. People in category 2, but have never been outside of the U.S.
c. People in category 3, but have never been to a country where the word «toilet» requires more qualification before a decision can be made on what to do next.
d. People in category 3 and 4 that have a studio and no ability to store food. This place is a zoo and multiple trips can wear you down.
All and all, the place is efficient given the number of people, their kids, and the amount people are buying. Because of the way the register is set up, you often can’t see a few of the lines that are nearly empty. It takes a while to figure out where things are and how they are laid out but you get it after a few trips. People are nice if you just ask them where stuff is. Going early morning is key. This particular one is far larger than it’s West Village counter part and therefore slightly less painful, but early… early.
I give it three solid stars!

Meh, more of the same. I came in here again in need of a few things I cannot get at Whole Foods and was sick of over-​paying for at D’Agostino. Low prices is the only thing that saves the place, IMO.
One of the aisles was mis-​labeled. Certain sections smelled bad. For both the peanut canisters and the Diet Coke 8-​packs I was looking for, I had to rummage around to find cans /​canisters that were not dented.
What a mess.