Fresh & Easy

Well years after I wrote this review many things have happened. The British owned company stopped stocking unique items and fresh items and caved in to customer demands for name brands and junk food. Then due to investors not seeing enough profit they sold the company and stopped offering the weekly $ 5 off $ 25 coupons and removed most specialty items. It was still worthy to go in because they were fresh and affordable with their own brand, with some crap food (athough no coupons). But as the savings dwindled and the unique charm left it just became more of the same stuff you see and experience in any store. They then failed to thrive and died a slow painful death in SB county. Goodbye F&E

Another victim of store closure. Sad to say that all Fresh & Easy s are closing their doors forever. They are having a sale right now. I wish all the employees the best of luck in their future endeavors!

A grocery store open ²⁴⁄₇ will always win my heart, especially when the kids working overnight know exactly how to microwave up a gourmet meal at 1am.

Still there!
I’m a fan of these small grocery stores. They don’t have everything you want/​need, but they’ve got a little of everything and a few items other stores don’t carry. Yes, very similar to Trader Joe’s.
I hit up this location now and then, and it’s always clean and well stocked.

Not my favorite Fresh & Easy location, though since I like their products and they had excellent service here, I am still a fan.
Easy parking in the lot in the back, open ²⁴⁄₇ which I don’t know of any other location being.
The store itself is a bit old and run down, also small, they do not carry the full line of products.
Came here to stock up on my favorite drinks which they only have at Fresh & Easy to find out this location does not stock them.
Minus one star for that, the rest is great.

We go here primarily for the frozen lasagna which is cheaper than Stauffers and much better tasting. There are a couple other stand out items such as their ground chuck. Otherwise, most products are more expensive than other chains. You simply have less choices. This is a failed experiment by the largest English grocery chain to enter the US Market. Now owned by a company who buys failed businesses F&E has lost its identity.
They only have self checkouts unless you are purchasing alcohol and they often act up. One in three visits we need to call a clerk over to complete our transaction. On our last visit the checkout ate a twenty dollar bill and then the bill feeder stopped. We had to go to the next machine to complete our order. Late in the evening and hungry, we were very displeased. I don’t recommend this store.

I just recently moved here from San Diego and I hate it here. People are rude, snoody, and impolite. One particular employee at Fresh and Easy was the icing on the cake.
Today I decided to shop at this Fresh and Easy. I was near the vegetable station with my cart, looking at my list, and an Employee is standing in front of me with products in his hands. Politely, I said, «I’m sorry, am I in your way?» And began to move my cart. And he RUDELY says, «Uhhhh. Yeah kinda.» Are you kidding me? Whatever is in the Santa Barbara water, I’m not drinking it. And I definitely won’t be shopping there. I am a friendly, paying customer. He had no right to get smart. I almost walked out in tears because the attitudes are like that everywhere I have been so far. I’d rather shop somewhere more expensive where employees treat me like a human being.

Not too impressed. Some prices are good but that’s because they are about to expire. The only good thing is they are open late and the people that are there are nice. The produce is not appealing at all. I’d rather do my shopping down the street at The Fresh Market and Trader Joes.

Great place to shop, great pre prepared meal selections. Poultry and beef are excellent. Nice size store, can get in and out in 10 minutes. Fresh and easy branded foods are great quality as well.

Meh. It’s alright. I find myself coming here more than I thought. I work for Trader Joes, so I get most of my shopping done at TJs or Costco. There prices are lower. But I don’t always want to drive to goleta or feel like battling parking for a single item. This isn’t a place I spend for than a few dollars at a time at. I pick up whatever small thing I need and leave. It’s ok. Has its place but isn’t a primary shopping spot for me.

So glad they’re staying open! Ever since this opened, I have done 90% of my shopping here. Everything I need. LOVE LOVE LOVE the weekly $ 14 off $ 70 coupons. How many times am I not going to take that deal??? My kid loves the baked treats. I love instant dinner for 2 at a third of what I’d pay at a restaurant. As a single mom, fresh, nutritional, simple, quick and inexpensive are ESSENTIAL. F&E caters to my needs, plus they offer a lot of organic options. They have good wine specials too. Britta is a sweetheart, always friendly and ready to help, and John is very responsive as a manager. Very happy with this store!

german lady that works there is rude.
She was helping a customer and I was waiting next to her and the customer she is helping to ask a question. After she is done talking to the customer she just walks away ignoring me.

NOT fresh! I went to this place because of the name: Fresh and Easy. You walk in the doors directly to the vegetable aisle. It was very short and the vegetables were not fresh! I hunted around for a while and finally gave up and left. I never even saw the rest of the store. I went to Trader Joe’s down the street.

The $ 4.99 NY steaks lured me in for the first time.
I don’t think that the sometime low prices will bring me back. All the other prices seemed high.
The fresh part is yet to be seen. The easy part ain’t so easy because self checkout is painful to watch and the clusterfuck it creates is avoidable. Hire a checker or two!
This place is doomed.

Buyer beware!
Make sure you check your receipts… several items are not at the price they are advertised at. The manager is not customer service oriented and needs some training. Won’t be going back. This place needs some work and in my opinion the owner needs to step in and make some corrections.

This place has potential to be really great with the idea of prepared meals etc. But it’s not. No character, sterile, NOT Fresh, and almost no staff. The «Fresh» foods are the worst. A lot of it is on the verge of spoiling. especially the produce. the bags of «fresh» lettuce (yuck!). Also I was checking out the boxes of cherry tomatoes and half of them were shriveled up. Which makes me wonder how fresh all that other refrigerated stuff really is?. And the self service check out is just another bummer. If the food was Fresh like they advertized, and the atmosphere was better, then I would be willing to make that sacrifice. but please! I’m going back to Trader Joes where food is fresh, and friendly staff checks and bags my stuff.
They do have a few worth while items I should mention… premade «fresh» soups & cookie dough are pretty tasty. Also, their organic ‘Annie’s” products are less expensive than other stores.
The other bonus is there is plenty of parking! Not many people shopping here!

Since Fresh and Easy opened on Milpas I think I do about 80% of my grocery shopping there. I’m single and cook simple meals. Fresh and Easy meals are just right for me. They’re just enough for a meal and left overs for one more meal. Their prices are lower than the big chains and the limited selection meets my needs. The staff is friendly and helpful. Also easy in and out parking lot. If you do go there you should sign up for their email and friends card, you will get 20% off coupons every week plus a 1% kickback. Since I live by the Bowl I’m happy that I can walk to Fresh and Easy. Although the Ralphs has a way better selection, it is just to far to walk carrying a bunch of groceries.

they have a lot of delicious, quick meals and their meats are very fresh. It is your own stupidity if you got sick because EVERYTHING has an apparent expiration date. If you do not think you will be eating it by the expiration, then freeze it. They have amazing pork chops and delicious steak. Their prices are way lower than TJ’s and although they do not have a huge selection that TJ’s has, in regards to the freshness of their fruits, veggies and meats, it is delicious!!!

How the mighty have fallen from my pedestal.
A few years back I was an excited advocate of F&E. My time living in the UK meant I had a fondness for some British food items and F&E stocked them. I’d drive many miles south to shop there. Then F&E made a transition, and dropped many of the British items I was seeking.
Later it seemed the shop tried to mimic Trader Joe’s, which was okay since I highly prefer that chain over the standard corporate grocery stores. But after a recent visit to the newly opened Santa Barbara F&E, I can soundly say I have no plans to return there.
Whether they went through an identity crisis or I only perceived that they did, the current F&E stocks cheap mainstream boxed stuff, and semi-​prepared convenience foods. In the UK, this was called Ready Meals and the food was more like salmon or swordfish with herb butters. Here, we get mac and cheese and I felt like Sandra Lee and her semi-​homemade muck was the company’s current vision (aka that «ethnic cuisine» monstrosity she called Kwanzaa cake).
I’m disappointed that F&E has adjusted to the mediocre food Americans expect to eat, rather than dishes we should aspire to. Tesco may not have been my favorite grocery store in the UK, but I certainly shopped there often, and it should continue to use its European influence to better the food we eat. What happened to the country that soundly rejected GMOs?
The baking section here had Jiffy muffin mix. The nubbins of blue bits in that mix are artificial blueberries. This is barely food, and widely available at any BS corporate chain. The British food is reduced to ye olde curiosity items like Coleman’s mustard and Branston pickle, stuff even fans only buy once a year or less.
F&E remains a step above corporate grocery chains but the disparity between them is small and getting smaller. This addition to the neighborhood offers little more than lots of plastic packaging and self-​checkout lanes, and that’s just taking the piss, because you know nobody here knows how to use them.

If I could, I would rate this place 3.5 stars. They were fully staffed with friendly and helpful people and even with the grand opening, the shelves were fully stocked (including baskets and carts) and everything was clearly labeled. It was very busy, but any where you looked, there was someone around to help out.
At the bakery area, they provided samples, happily taking items off the shelf for patrons to have a taste before they buy something. (I got some focaccia with jalapeño and cheese because of it, YUM!)
I’m not a stranger to this chain, so I had an idea of what I should expect; however the ones I’m accustomed to are much larger. Overall, it’s a pretty small market, especially when comparing it to other grocery stores in the area (or used to be in the area), but it has a nice variety for its size and some tasty ready to go meals.
Looking forward to coming back!