Yay! Finally Fresh & Easy has opened in my neighborhood. I have been so excited about this, because I love Tesco (The company in the UK that owns Fresh & Easy), and used to shop at Fresh & Easy all the time in Hollywood when I worked down there.
Well today was opening day in Burbank, and let me tell you, it was NOT EASY and I have no idea how fresh anything was because you couldn't get in.
There was a line down the street that reminded me of June on a Saturday at Space Mountain at Disneyland, and of course the parking lot was full. I had to park two blocks away.
When I got to the front door, they were actually stopping people and letting them in so many at a time. There was a girl there with a map. There were no shopping baskets or carts. I asked her about them and she said, "We only have a few, you'll have to carry your stuff." After 15 minutes I was let in, I couldn't move, it was packed. The day after Thanksgiving on 5th Ave. in Manhattan would be less crowded.
This isn't their fault, but maybe they should have had a soft opening first? I mean, if they don't even have enough baskets/carts?
I took three tiny steps and turned around to leave and was stopped by the man at the door. I just said to him, "Sorry, but nothing is worth this." I was smiling of course.
When I reached the parking lot, two young guys stopped me because I had no groceries and I said the same thing followed by, "It would be faster to drive to Hollywood than to endure that, I'll come back when it slows down." One of the boys said, "Well, yeah *giggle giggle (yes HE giggled), if you are here to shop." Then he looked at his buddy and they both laughed at me.
Shopping? The idea of that! How crazy am I?
It's a grocery store? What the hell else would I have been there to do? Was there a celebrity signing? Was there free alcohol and dance music? No, so of course I was there to shop.
I ended up at Vons, no lines, no drama.
*This said, I will go back because I love it, but I just may wait a week or so.
If anything, they will make a fortune in t-shirt sales off of dripsters (drunk hipsters).
ReplyDeleteWhat? LOL. I have been back three times already. I love Fresh & Easy, but opening was a crazy day!
ReplyDeleteI was excited about Fresh & Easy too, but I got a little tired of not being able to get everything in one store. That's a problem I find with both Fresh & Easy and Trader Joe's. They'll have 99% of what I need but I'll still have to go to Von's for one thing. Still, a nice thing about both places? Cheap beer!
ReplyDeleteI have gone almost every day.. LOL.. but you are right, it is almost exactly like TJs in that it has mostly Fresh & Easy brands.
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