Smith’s Food & Drug Centers

The store has a terrific selection. I love the artisan breads and gourmet cheeses. Produce is fresh, delicious and there’s many awesome and unique items to choose from – I mean, how many stores have rambutan? The deli section has super delicious salads and there are fresh sandwiches, making lunch time a breeze. Staff are very friendly and helpful.
Smith’s did let me down this Thanksgiving. I ordered the Thanksgiving meal, which should have made the holiday a snap. The dinners were «precooked & cold– just heat and enjoy» according to the order form and the staff. The turkey was cold alright. It was precooked, but it was frozen solid. I picked up the meal in a box, and when I got home realized there would be no holiday gathering in our house. We quickly got on the phone and gave thanks to Claim Jumper for accepting our very last minute reservation.

I like Smith’s in general, but this location is the best in my opinion. Everyone is friendly, helpful, and no one ever passes without saying hello and asking me if I need anything. The store is usually well stocked, the produce is top notch, and if I can’t find something someone will find it or something comparable for me. The butchers and produce dudes are super helpful and knowledgeable.

I love and hate this store.
Pros:
Friendly staff
The value you expect from Smith’s
Cons:
The parking lot is absolutely a disaster. The north side of it has almost no yield/​stop signs at the multiple intersections, including the three-​way one from the main road. There’s no clear right-​of-​way and it’s a free-​for-​all. It’s not safe.
I routinely find products missing from their spot on shelves, completely filled with the wrong one. Talking with managers does not fix the problem. Talking with corporate also does not fix the problem. I’ve given up on them.

I can’t really say anything negative about smiths. They’ve got a pretty good selection, and I love their rewards program for gas. I also like that they have a natural foods aisle now. They’ve put a new emphasis on customer service and that’s always nice too!

I shop at this store several times a week. Tonight I needed dinner items and purchased 2 jars of pasta sauce, a pound of spaghetti, a ½ gallon of ice cream and meatballs. I had 3 bags packed by the cashier Lauren. As I entered the house with the bags, one split. She had packed both jars of pasta sauce and the ice cream in one bag. It took a half hour to clean up and there’s probably still glass on the floor. I went back and they told me to just get 2 more jars and a roll of paper towels. I said «aren’t you going to speak to the cashier about this?» On the way out, I asked her if she had spoken to the cashier and she said the cashier stated that I had packed the bags! What a liar!

I was in there last weekend and the manager was my cashier, so I bent his ear. Praise praise praise before unloading any negative cricism — that’s my style. So I told him how much I appreciated the organic selection, and the produce, and how every time I come in the folks in various sections greet me. Then I asked him if I could make a constructive comment, and he said yes of course, and so I asked him why the kids bagging groceries are trying to kill me? Okay, no, not those words, but if you read my last review you know of what I speak. He told me that they are trained to get as much stuff into one bag as possible to cut down on the number of store bags going out the door and into the landfill. He said that probably, when a customer brings their own bags, the kids don’t differentiate and just cram ‘em full, like they do the store bags. He said he would talk to them about it.
OMG. It was that easy. I really like this store.

I’m currently on the line with the smiths store. I have one simple question for the meat department. So far I have been transferred 11 (no joke) times and not once to the meet department.
When I asked to speak to a manager they transferred me to the pharmacy. When I was transferred to the «service» desk they instantly put me on hold for 4 minutes to find someone who they thought could provide service.
Bad bad job.
Heading to Sprouts now (still holding hoping to speak to a manager).

Typical Smith’s. Great flower selection compared to other nearby grocery stores. Still scraps of stuff on the floors are the first impression walking in. Excellent cheese selection. Great bakery
Veggie selection a little slim. Good fresh ground coffee selection as well. Pharmacy yes. Banking services — yes (Wells Fargo). Propane trade — yes.

Since moving to Albuquerque, this is our go-​to grocery store. It has a pretty good selection of groceries, as well as local beers (plus!). The produce isn’t always as fresh as I’d like, but it’s not terrible either. One thing that I’m not a fan of is their ground beef. We’re not huge beef eaters to begin with, but their ground beef is really stringy and has a weird consistency.
Another couple of bonuses are that they have a water jug filling station inside the store, so you can just pay at the register instead of using change like most machines. Also, as you earn points for each dollar spent, you can use the points toward discounts at their gas station. Typically, the discount ends up being 30 – 40 cents per gallon when I gas up, which make a big difference.
Their customer service could be a little better, but it could be a lot worse too. It just seems like they focus on making sure the lines move quickly, which I appreciate, but they could put a little more effort into being nice while doing so.

Good Smith’s supermarket for buying supermarket-​related items. Special New Mexican themed items include the following (things you generally won’t find in your local supermarket not in new mexico):
1. Sopapilla mix
2. Frybread mix
3. Blue Corn pancake mix
4. New Mexican-​made salsas
5. New Mexican piñón nut coffee
6. Dried chili selection

This Smith’s is brand new, complete with fuel center. Its about 1.5x the size of the one I have been going to on Southern/​528 in Rio Rancho, and maybe even closer to my home than that one as well. Same great selection/​variety if not MORE. Signed up for a rewards card and was immediately rewarded with 10 cents off every gallon of gas I buy up to 100 gallons. The current price for regular at this Smith’s is 3.25. When you factor in the 10 cent discount, gas is very cheap all of a sudden.