Smart & Final

Can we please have an adequately staffed store? Ever? Please have a better staff of cashiers. All the time. Please.

Great Prices, especially on milk, eggs, cheese, meat… the basics. Lines are always really long and some of the checkers move at a glacial pace. My suggestion… go when it is NOT busy. Fresh fruits and vegetables at great prices also!

I like this place. It is like a smaller Costco. You can find most things in bulk and their prices are very reasonable. Options for things like deodorants and toothpastes etc. are pretty limited (similar to Costco). You won’t find every brand and I’m not sure if this changes/​rotates monthly or with new shipments. Their candy isle however, is amazing. They have every candy ever made and you can buy your favorite candy bars by the case!

They have some amazing deals on a wide variety of big BULK products… even some «lux» items like «designer» ice-​cream, but the GALLON!
They even sell things like a 150 pack of eggs, huge tubs/​boxes of things like huge buckets of Kikkoman Soy Sauce (who buys that?), huge packs/​blocks of Cheeses… but you need to carefully look at the price per Ounce/​Pound.
The butter seems to be the same price per Oz. at almost any size, so you do not save with bulk, but you do save alot with a huge loaf of Jewish rye.
Some of the bulk items are even cheaper than Costco & with even more variety.
Some negatives include the lack of selection that may serve other tastes or ethinc groups, like frozen Mrs. T Pirogies.
See my numerous pics for many of the
BARGAIN BULK items!
I favor the huge ICE CREAM, HUGE CREAM CHEESE, 500 Paper plates, 400 FLEX STRAW,
ONE ZILLION BAG OF POTATOES
TWO SEPTILLION CARROT, ENOUGH TO FEED A HORSE
& Hungry Man TV Dinners… not those skippy diet jobs,
Huge frozen Lasagna
& A Mini– KEG of BEER!
~~~~~
A for the Fruits & Veges, they are plentiful, some really fresh looking, & at decent prices…
FORGET THE ORGANIC Section… it is pathetic…
I also pop in here for the huge Jewish Seeded Rye Bread
You can save alot here… likely more than in Kostco for ordinary groceries.
Another sad section is the Vino… come on when are in
FINE WINE COUNTRY…
Anyways, it is a fine stop after getting EURO-​Food down the strip,
as well as, a super yummy HAWAIIAN PLATE LUNCH at the Dirt Café.
Two ETHNIC & BULK in the same compact complex…
I stopped here after the
AG FARMER“S MARKET… for the really great Fruits & Veges (amazing Beefsteak-​like Tomatoes, Homegrown Fresh Chic Eggs, Squash Flowers, & TONS OF PERSIMMONS…
next stop gown GRAND AVE…
BAKERY for MINCEMEAT PIE… wife went BONKERS over it…
especially with fresh LAVENDER Tea that I made from fresh Organic Lavender flowers from the FM…
next stop UPs, to use a Notary & mail it
next stop across the street,
Smart & Final For some Huge Items,
next stop next door Euro-​eats for
Kelbasa, two plates of yummy homemade Borsht & Tiramisu… Oh so yum.
next stop usually the Dirt Café…
but by this time it was dark… I was tired… so
next homebound…

Ugh, where to start. Such a poorly stocked produce section, with food all over the floor when I went. Also, was over charged $ 10 for cereal but I didn’t even notice because I wanted out so bad after waiting in line for over 30 minutes. Ridiculous. People couldn’t even walk in the front of the store the lines we so long. Will not be back. Under. Any. Circumstances.

Super helpful staff. Good variety, sort of middle sized store.
Always help when I ask for it.

You know I really liked this place. Small store to get in and out of quickly. Nice bulk section. Great prices. Really good fresh vegetables. But the lines are unbearable. Every time I’m here there are long lines. Mostly because the new Haggen store sucks so badly, that its diverting customers here. I was in line for 15 minutes on Sunday. I understand… all of the check stands were open. Today, Friday at 2:30, only two checkers open and the line is 8 deep and curving not down the walkway. Just to increase their bottom line. Not a fan. Going elsewhere or only shopping at really odd hours… really early or late.
9÷4÷15 updating to four stars. No lines early morning or late evening. Prices compete with Costco.

Smart and Final is a great alternative to the Vons in the area. Their offerings are not as extensive but there prices are better. I’m a fan of this company as I like to purchase some of their bulk offerings as well as their spirits selection. They have and extensive frozen food selection. Which means ice cream!

Gone are the days when I could shop at WinCo Foods, HURRY UP WinCo and get to the Coast already and give the other grocery stores here a wake-​up call! With that being said, I can go to this place and get bagged bulk items like I could at WinCo. I go here for decent prices on wine and produce, but this place can be a total cluster of shoppers during peak hours and the cashiers are very good at getting you in and out.

This store is truly a quasi retail/​wholesale store. Nonetheless, even some of the single items are bargain priced and everybody should take a look at whether their standard purchase items are a better value here, like half n’ half. Most of the bulk item purchases like restaurant supplies, large jar items, 25 lb bags of flour, etc. are a good value. There is no yearly buy-​in and no ID card. Lots of the produce is excellent, but sometimes not, it really varies. Sometimes you can get Organic for less than retail at other stores! Most of the nuts in the bins are usually a good deal, but the almonds seem to be over-​irradiated. Overall the store in Arroyo Grande is a very good grocery store.

The food and merchandise selection is ok but the customer service is the worst I’ve ever encountered.
Slow doesn’t, t even begin to describe the people checking you out.
Add that to a recent experience where there were only two check stands open on a busy Sunday with at least 10 people waiting in both lines.
My favorite experience was the time the lady in front of me wanted a balloon with more helium in it. The cashier actually shut down the check lane while she spent over 5 minutes in the back of the store putting more helium in the ballon. Great service for balloon lady but what about the customers waiting in line behind her.
From now on I’ll make it a point to shop elsewhere.

Meat variety and quality is acceptable, however sometimes it goes bad quickly if not frozen.
Brand names are reliably good quality and sometimes as cheap or cheaper than other bigger stores (such as the one that starts with a Big W, and the one that competes with Sams Warehouse).
Store brand «First Street» cheese is not good quality, smells bad from the moment you open the bag. Of course, we have only tried it a couple of times before giving up on it, so your mileage may vary.
Soft drinks and bottled water have a good variety. Prices are usually good, but «on sale» is your best bet.
Best thing about this store is the bulk goods. Snacks, candy, trail mix, cornmeal, and other stuff available for decent prices. You decide how much of it to buy, and put it in a baggy, mark the SKU, and take it to the register.
Location is good, Grand Avenue about halfway between 101 and the beach.

Hmmm… Not much different from the old market that was at this location. (Spencer’s)
Except many more things crammed into the space.
Not much in emphasis on local produce or sourcing. Prices are average to high average with the exception of sales.
To sum up in one word? Meh.