I walked into Hollywood Market expecting to just be a local name placed atop of the same establishment I had come to know as Farmer Jack. Walking in, it appeared that nothing drastic had changed. Like a bad apple though, it only looks good at a glance, but upon a closer inspection, you can see the bruises and rot.
The deli department's food simply looked gross and inedible, scaring me from buying anything from it, and their fish counter next to it smelled as if it hadn't been cleaned in weeks. The produce seemed dull and lifeless, and the staff working in the department seemed to be more listlessly concerned about how much parsley was on the shelf rather than helping me find the ginger root I was looking for.
The meat department was clean and kept up nicely, as many of my friends had told me. I had heard Hollywood Market's meat was superb. I'll say the apple sausage I bought was pretty good, but I'm not going to lie and say it changed my life or that I'd go back just for it. It was good, but not the greatest I've ever had. Their bakery department seemed understaffed. While there were three or four meat employees standing around not even trying to look busy, there was only one lone girl in the bakery. On top of that, their complementary coffee station was a mess. It was filthy, one pot was empty and the other was cold. When I brought it to the attention of the bakery attendant, she simply said it was the deli's department and she'd tell them about it. As I perused the dairy, I saw another employee come back and yell at the poor girl about calling her. It was incredibly embarrassing and forced me to leave.
On my way out, I went to the service desk to voice a concern, but the man behind the counter, I believe his name was Mark or Mike, seemed to be conversing heavily with another person he seemed to know outside of work at length. I stood there for at least a minute until I realized I was wasting my time. On my way out, I stopped by the U-Scan cashier and told them about my situation at the desk, to which the woman, a real sweetheart - I wish I could remember her name and give her the credit she deserves, told me the man at the counter was, in fact, the manager on duty.
If you never shop here, you will not be missing much. I've taken my shopping to Meijer - there customer service seems to be in better standing and their food quality is much higher. The meat counter might not be as big, but it tastes just as good. They're also much cheaper - I couldn't believe some of the prices at Hollywood. I didn't think I had walked into Nino Salvaggio's, especially with how dead their deli and produce looked.
Pros: Good meat department
Cons: Horrible service, unappealing food, high prices
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