Sobeys

I’ve been going to this store for two years now, several times a week, because other options are too far on foot. I go there enough to justify this review.
Their produce is anything but fresh. Ever. I have never bought a lettuce there that wasn’t already starting to rust. The broccoli is usually starting to limp, etc. I once had to take back a deli cole slaw salad that was off. Disgusting.
On another note: The staff in this store seem to have been trained to believe that customers are those irritants who get in the way and interrupt staff social time. I’ve stood at a cash register waiting for the clerk who was over at the other cash chatting away with his/​her coworker, even after clearly seeing me there.
Their stock staff need retraining too. They park their stock carts in the exact center of the aisle, making it impossible to navigate around either side, sometimes blocking access entirely when there is clearly a better way to position their cart. They take their sweet time and pretend they don’t see you standing there. When you say «excuse me» so you can pop in and grab something, the attitude is clearly that you, the customer, are inconveniencing them.
At times, I’ve seen the stock person chatting away with another employee, not at all concerned about finishing his/​her task, and not the least bit concerned that customers are waiting to access the area they have blocked off while they chit-​chat.
Sometimes, they’ll stand together in a cluster of three or four of them in the middle of a high traffic area, engaged in some hilarious anecdote that simply can’t wait, and they seem to have no awareness that several customers are trying to navigate around them in different directions.
Getting along with your coworkers is great, but the daily spectacle in this place is a bit ridiculous. I think most have forgotten the «work» part of their job.
It’s infuriating and it’s a culture in that place. It’s obvious that it comes from the top. I was a Loblaws customer in my previous neighbourhoods and had positive experiences at every location. I can’t wait for Loblaws to open in the madison condo building. I’ll be gone from Sobeys for sure. In fact, I’ve already cut my shopping there by about half, opting instead for Marcheleos or even Shoppers for many items.

I planned to buy a cake for my husband’s bday and i’m happy that i chose soby’s :) Bought a red velvet cheese cake and it was AMAZING! It was a ready-​made cake, so nothing customized and stuff but it looked decent enough. Because of its red and white combination it sure did look fancy enough and most of all i loved the flavor !

The staff is friendly enough. But certainly nothing special going on here. It’s a Sobeys Urban location. Not sure what that means, but from what I can tell it means smaller store, less selection, same price, if not higher.

This Sobey’s is small but clean and the staff is friendly.
The eclairs from the bakery counter are surprisingly good (the cream filling is not too sweet) and reasonably priced at $ 0.79, plus I like that I can buy just one.
TTC tokens are available for sale, but they have them locked up, so you may have to wait for someone to get them.
There is free street parking, for those who may not want to attempt the rather steep ramp down to Sobey’s free parking garage.
There is a Rexall and a large Shoppers nearby.
[3.5 stars, based on 12+ visits, mostly late weekday evenings and Saturday afternoons]

This grocery store stresses me out. There are some good things about it and some bad things.
When clementines first came out, I was excited and hoped they’d be delicious. They must’ve been bottom of the barrel crop because they did not impress.
Boxed lettuce (organic or not) always smells bad. I’m going to guess the refrigerators aren’t cold enough and the lettuce goes bad. This is not a problem at any other store I’ve bought boxed lettuce at, just this Sobey’s. This has happened on more than one occasion.
Renée’s dressing is a total rip off here, if you’re into that. Bread section is lacking when it comes to natural/​organic choices.
The tea section has Mighty Leaf tea at a good price, which is great. They carry all these random flavours. I asked them if they could carry the earl grey flavour, twice, to two different people, and both seemed to be pretty convincing that they could, saying they’d tell the manager of that section. It’s been at least two months and still they haven’t ordered that flavour. I don’t expect them ever doing it. Earl grey is my favourite Mighty Leaf flavour, and that’s the best earl grey I’ve found. They’re so stubborn it seems. The Mighty Leaf shelves are starting to look kind of bare and they still won’t order earl grey even though I’ve asked… I guess it’s not beneficial enough for them to order it… Loblaws carries it, albeit at $ 10 a box, I’ll just buy it there, and I go through it pretty fast.
Ready to go foods are $ 5 and pretty tasty but be careful, some of that stuff might make you nauseous for whatever reason. I felt sick after mashed potatoes and meatballs (but not after chicken).
Sometimes they have good deals but watch the register to make sure they ring through. An item will say $ 2 and ring up at $ 9! Then it’ll take around 5 minutes for people to fix that problem. The male cashier I went to once was rude and slow. Definitely not the type you want working in a grocery store.
Also check your receipt after the fact to make sure you indeed got your bonus Sobey’s points. Sometimes they don’t ring up. If they don’t you’ll have to call the Sobey’s Club when you get home. Pain in the butt.
Definitely not the best grocery store experience but still better than both Metros in this area… and at 2-​stars that’s not a very high standard. In this ‘hood, you’re better off shopping at Marcheleo’s (small) or going somewhere else like Loblaws (far).
Free parking but a really steep hill to go up/​down. Kinda dangerous because it’s so steep you can’t see if someone’s coming down/​up while you are.

This grocery store is clean, well-​organized and almost never crowded.
The deli and bakery section is good. The people working at the cash are all very friendly and efficient. Also, a lot of their stuff here I find to be cheaper compared to Metro.
I’m generally able to find everything on my grocery list. I find difficulty in purchasing meat because their frozen meat section is usually limited and sometimes doesn’t have almost anything. Their produce usually lacks freshness and a lot of the times, and the milk I buy (organic meadow) is either out of stock or near expiration date. Other than that, I don’t usually have a problem shopping here. Also, at Sobeys you receive Sobeys points if you have their card; when you collect a certain amount of points you get money off your next grocery purchase.

This is a nice Sobeys. It is deceivingly big, well organized, well stocked, and the staff are friendly. I’ve had good experiences with the bakery items and with the hot food section. I also find that the prices, not on everything, but on several items, are lower than at Metro.