Saturday, May 17, 2008

Keeping Up with the Stater Brothers


Stater Bros
Originally uploaded by hungry_i
When my family went to Stater Bros. on Garey today, we noticed that the middle checkstand has been removed, creating a wide aisleway at the front of the store.

We got excited that self-check out was coming to our very own Pomona Stater Bros. Finally they have realized that Pomonans are civilized and worthy. When I asked our friendly checker to confirm, he broke the news that there will be no self-check out coming to town. He explained that due to the high incidence of theft at the store, they will be blocking off one of the two entrance doors, so there will only be one entrance/exit to the store.

We go to the store frequently and have never seen anyone try to steal anything. Conversely, I have watched all manner of people patiently standing in lines that are longer than lines at neighboring Stater Bros. stores.

I asked the checker what people are stealing. He said that they steal things that they don't really need. He elaborated that:

-men steal alcohol and tobacco.
-Children steal toys and candy
and
-Women steal (drum roll here) make-up.

You heard it here.

THE END

24 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh great! Now they are gonna do pat downs as we leave the store. I don't mind if Scott is the one doing them...but I think in spite of the cost of gas I will start driving to the nicer Claremont Stater's.

Garrett Sawyer said...

LOL, self checkouts...please, they couldn't even keep the store in South Pomona open. lol. I'm still wondering what they are planning for that old store.

Anonymous said...

garrett...maybe PUSD can buy it to add to their collection of blighted empty properties...maybe they already have...

Garrett Sawyer said...

I hope not, geez...lol. They own enough property on the south side. There shouldn't even be any schools on a major street...that is sooo dumb! Putting a school on a major street is like putting one on Holt where all the hookers and drug dealers frequent. lol.

Anonymous said...

I could walk to Stater's but we choose to drive to Fresh & Easy & Trader Joes, even Target for our food.
I'm done with Stater Bro's & it isn't because of the customers.
The employee's are apathetic & rude.
Mark

Anonymous said...

Rather than clean up the store to attract more families, they run it like a ghetto store and attract the worst elements in town. Then they complain about too much theft.

Anonymous said...

I guess i have a different view of Stater Bros. I've been shopping there since I moved here seven years ago. I rarely shop at any other store.

I always go with a sense of adventure because I've met some very interesting people there - struggling people needing help (and desperate enough to steal make-up, tobacco, and obviously baby formula because S.Bs has had that under lock and key for several years), successful people of all kinds, every color, political persuasion, religion,and age.
Claremont (or worse - La Verne) Staters are boring! Nothing happens, no one ever approaches me for something, the lines are short (what's the point - so you can get back into the traffic?); absolutely no fun.
Sorry, but I like life - interaction with people different than I, conversation, a little (hey - very little if we're talking about grocery shopping) adventure. If you don't like it, save yourselves the trouble and have your groceries delivered.

Stater Bros. fan

K said...

I'm with anonymous -- I love the diversity at Stater Bros. But at the same time, I really hate the long lines. I don't understand how this store could have so much longer lines than the other stores I usually frequent.

While I've found the service to be pretty friendly (if not always on the stick), I well remember having to wait 10 minutes for the manager to get some extra cash when I asked for too much. I learned my lesson and no longer ask for so much cash, but I kinda think I shouldn't have to keep this in mind.

As far as stuff getting stolen, I remain perplexed. The staff always insists that the plastic baskets used to get stolen. I'm clearly leading a sheltered middle-class existence, but I cannot imagine why anyone would steal those ugly plastic baskets. I mean, if you're gonna carry your food home in your arms, the bags hurt your hands less; and if you aren't gonna carry 'em, you'll take a cart, right? What possible use would it be to steal the baskets!?

Eh, I'm happy to be able to walk to the store, but I do wish they'd try a bit harder.

Garrett Sawyer said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Garrett Sawyer said...

You know why that store is soo busy now? Because they closed the south Pomona Staters and the Food 4 Less on Holt and Indian Hill.

Normally if we went shopping from home we would have went to the Staters on south Garey but when ever my mom wants to go shopping on her way from work (the hospital) she goes to the one in north Pomona... Now that the one in south Pomona is closed now I rarely ever go shopping with her now because she always goes to the north Pomona one and Smart & Final which is right across from the Hospitals staff parking lot. lol. I wish I could go shopping with her but it makes no sense to drive to south Pomona to pick me up then drive back. If we ever do go shopping around here it's either Winco or the ghetto Food 4 less, haven't been to Albertsons (is that even there still?) in Phillips Ranch in a while...I think I remember making a comment like this before...oh well. LOL! Deja vu happens everyday...

calwatch said...

Well, Pomona has always been short of Anglo supermarkets. I always shop at the Mexican and Asian supermarkets so I don't notice this as much.

Anonymous said...

Anglo supermarkets? Calwatch, segregation has been over for quite some time. Or did you mean a store that sells Anglo foods? I still don't get it. Actually I do get it I am just amazed that you would even post this. Why don't you check and see if WHITE WAY MARKET is still on WHITE AVE. Or would it bother you that it is near Alvarado St.

Anonymous said...

I second Calwatch's observation that the Latin and Asian markets are the best bet. I shop at LaFavorita, Cardenas, and Hoa Bin. Cardenas often has lines; LaFavorita and Hoa Binh are typically line-free. And, when the pantry really needs filling, I hit the bulk section at Winco. I've lived in Pomona for three years and may have visited the Stater Bros three times total since moving here.

Anonymous said...

Pomona has had 4 Stater Bros. on Garey Ave. in my life time, with 3 open at the same time.

Anonymous said...

Wow anonymous, no need to get so feisty with Calwatch...maybe mainstream supermarket is more blatantly P.C. and would have soothed your easily offended spirit. Call me a stupid gabacho, but I sometimes feel out of place shopping at some of the other non-mainstream supermarkets (did that language suit your fancy instead of saying Mexican or Asian?). Oh yeah, and if your going to attack people on the board, at least have a pen name.

Ed said...

I'll sheepishly stick me head out of my hole and state that I like shopping at Stater Bros. We are Costco regulars for most bulk items, but before Pomona, our neighborhood store was the Vons on Baseline. If you want to talk "Anglo" stores.... I guess it all depends on your starting point.

It would be interesting to look at their numbers (total sales, thefts, staffing, etc.), maybe they have a point. Catching and prosecuting shoplifters is probably the best deterrent. Will these changes facilitate that goal without inconveniencing the honest shopper?

Garrett Sawyer said...

My mom loves mexican, chinese, filipino food but she never makes it, and she wont ever buy the stuff for me to make it when I ask, which is a shame...All of the mainstream stores have mediocre selections of other types of food. Sometimes just 1/2-2 isles dedicated. I don't care much for the Japanese selection at any stores around here. I think my mom thinks it'll be awkward to go into the non-mainstream markets. I've been into all of them around here and I have no problem...it's pretty much the same as being around the neighborhood folks and saying hi as you walk around the block or a five block radius. lol. I love California. <3

K said...

Yeah, I generally wind up at Stater Brothers 'cause I'm doing my bachelor shopping for OJ, grape juice, yogurt, and frozen food (I wish I could say beer, but Stater Brothers beer selection is small and overpriced). My sweetie buys all of the vegetables and cooking supplies and healthy stuff elsewhere.

I naively assumed that the Stater Brothers was the closest place to get that stuff. I suppose I oughta check out the carniceria down on Holt.

calwatch said...

Stater Brothers prices are, on the whole, uncompetitive, especially for produce and meats. The saving grace is that they don't have club cards. Generally, my favorite mainstream market has been Albertson's, although my college roommate refused to patronize them because they ruined Lucky's.

I'm not Anglo and so I find that the Anglo markets don't meet my food needs. For produce, it's generally the Hispanic markets, especially the well run ones like the Cardenas on Holt (notwithstanding the shady parking lot) or La Favorita (Bestway or whatever they call it now is too far gone in that department). Hoa Binh has always been ghetto for my Asian needs, even when they occupied the old spot at the corner of Towne and Holt, where Walgreens is now. When La Favorita was Bangluck, we'd go there a lot, but generally we'd always make the drive down to Rowland Heights. With the 99 Ranch open in Chino Hills that need is lessened, but with errands in Rowland Heights or San Gabriel anyway, it is not much more trouble to patronize the markets in those communities.

Garrett Sawyer said...

I like that whenever I ride the bus through Rowland Heights down Colima all these older Asian ladies get on the bus and they start conversating with one another in their native langauges practically yelling at eachother...It's not really yelling but some of them talk really loud on the bus...lol. I think those are my most pleasant bus rides, most all the older asian couples just sit there and keep smiling at me and I don't have to talk to them because of the obvious language barriers. It's not like that on many other bus routes, there is always some crackhead that tries to talk to you on the other ones. One time this lesbian lady that freaked me out kept talking to me...lol. I know this has nothing to do with Stater Brothers but calwatch just reminded me of these things and I thought i'd share. haha.

Anonymous said...

Have any of you ladies out there, checked out the manager at the State Brothers in Pomona? He smells so good, let me know when the pat downs are going to start so I can be the first one in line....hopefully Scott the hotest guy in that store will pat me down....

Anonymous said...

I swear..... you people have no freakin life to sit on this site and downtalk a freakin supermarket.
Find something else to chat about...and that Manager is not even cute!!!! Hes fat

Anonymous said...

.

Robin said...

Well, I'm way late for this party, but I'd like to mention what I heard about the closed Stater Bros. on south Garey. That particular store was leased, not owned by SB, and the owner tried to increase the rent fourfold. This is why it was closed, according to the checker.