City Market

I often stop by this place on my way home from work to get chicken strips and potato logs. Decent price and tasty chicken. While the staff is never what I would consider to be friendly or customer focused, there’s a little ginger colored jerk who is particularly nasty and passive-​aggressive. If you don’t happen to hear him the first time he mumbles something to you, he is snarky and totally rude. It seems like nobody who works there is actually happy to be there. Absolutely terrible customer service!

The staff has become more curmudgeon as time passed, but it’s a unique corner store that’s never short on a supply of entertaining people… whether it’s tweakers or entitled, drunk, midwestern bros being dickheads. They’re starting to change their products to greenwashed crap to cater to the tech brogrammers. They still have DVD rentals/​sales. Dogs are cool after dark.

Rudeness, obnoxious prices, beware — they do not close at 2AM, they close at 1:45.

Anyone else encountered the new rude girl with dark hair and glasses that works Sunday mornings at City Market?.. This is the second time she has been seriously rude to me. Apparently, I didn’t hear her say hello and then she said something and told me she was lovingly mocking me. Next, she full on did an exaggerated imitation of me tell me I’m in a bad mood… This is not the first time she has been rude, she also told a friend I was in with that the items they are purchasing are «not good for them»… Whether she was being judgmental or trying to help, I don’t think it is her place to make such comments. I lived across the street from this marker for years and it is convenient, but I will avoid it on Sunday mornings.

The place is dirty, the staff is a bunch of cooler than fuck hipsters (and by that, I mean mean), and it’s not all that well stocked. What can I say, I like cereal and I’m a sucker for abuse.

I always try to stay optimistic since I live just across the street and come here frequently (frequently because of how convenient it is). I’ve been a regular for the last year, I would say the service isn’t very friendly, but expected it to improve somewhat over time since I come in multiple times a week. Unfortunately it hasn’t. Hey, I realize working the late shift isn’t «fun» or whatever but you could at least not treat me as if I’m some sort of inconvenience to you. Its your job. Its a whirl wind in there, not worth the money or the verbal abuse. Definitely won’t be coming in here again.

I go to City Market often out of necessity. It’s the easiest place in the immediate area to buy various items. The store itself is general corner store quality. But it’s the staff that earned the one star. Nine times out of ten they’re outrageously surely and rude, especially the bearded guy. Never a good experience.

The staff is horrible. I went in Monday 2÷24÷2014 to buy some food from the deli. I got the food, and then went to check out. The cashier that night was absolutely ludicrous. I presented a coupon from ValPak for $ 2 off the 8 piece fried chicken. This coupon was on the smartphone version of the app, and not the printed paper coupon that is sent out in the mailers. He tells me they don’t take electronic coupons. I asked him why not? He explains he has never done it before and it won’t work. I follow up with, «If you have never done it before, how do you know it won’t work? Will you at least TRY to scan the bar code? on the app to see if ti works?» He just replied, «no.» When I asked him why he wouldn’t even TRY to see if it works, he said he didn’t want to, and he knew it wouldn’t work. I again, asked him to at least try it and see if it works. He refused and then told me again he didn’t want to see if it would work, he has never done it before and that isn’t the way he is used to doing things. After a couple of minutes of trying to reason with him, saying, «Listen, I understand you haven’t done it before, and if you try it and it doesn’t work, I’ll drop it, I just want you to try it.» and he still refused, I complained a little verbally to him and his coworkers, and decided I wouldn’t go back there again.
Besides, their prices are higher than average (more than $ 10 for a pack of smokes???), and the location is shady at best. A friend of mine was stabbed by their front door not too long ago. You can’t park in the parking lot without being asked for some money or a smoke.
Overall not worth the trip to be treated poorly by staff and to be accosted by outside people on your way in the door.
I do appreciate the clever sidewalk signs though,

Decent place to buy general food and groceries with great hours of operation.
Always fun music and it seems like the same people who work there never get a day off or sleep.
So far my fav non drug-​store type grocery on Capitol Hill.
I really need a good asian grocery!

There is a reason they call this place The Shady Markup. Their motto should be, «thanks for being lazy enough to shop here».
Because it’s the first store you come along walking up from downtown and because every store with a better price is uphill from this filthy, little hole, CM has the geographic advantage. Even a short walk up another block to Hillcrest Market will put $ in your pocket. Additionally, the grub whipped up before your eyes at Hillcrest Market puts the stale bread and cheap meat that CM pawns off as a sandwich to shame.
This place is pretty gross.

~10:40pm
Venue: decent
Food: plentiful but nothing that makes my taste buds tingle
Service: good enough

Sometimes these guys don’t have the things you need… and the guys behind the counter can be a little weird. But everyone there is so damn nice you love to shop there.

I seriously do not understand how this place is so omg.
It’s just another hop in grocery to me.
Not really special or anything.
The place looks dirty and not clean.
I rather eat at restaurant or go to trader joes.
Most of the food here looks like it is expired or something.

Ok, City Market. I have decided to up you star. To a solid three.
I think there is only one crabby-​ass employee here, as I have been back several times and everyone else has been nice or at least doesn’t glare at me.
Basically, it’s close, you can get household sundries here without trucking up to QFC, a great little deli with fresh sammies, wine, beer and other necessities for living.
Awesome hours. Funny signs outside.
A solid indie business that fills a void on the Hill.

My excitement of being close to a grocery store was dashed when I tried to find anything I needed and found basically nothing (deodorant!). Good place to pick up vegan junk food, I guess.
Update: a worker actually contacted me and apparently I’m an idiot who completely missed the shelf.

They carry vegan items!!!
–vegan jerky
–vegan sandwiches
–Kombucha
–Veggies (that are actually edible)
–lots of healthy options; soy nuts, organic items.
i love me a hippie-​yuppie market!

Cheap as anything, open hellsa late, and with all the snacks and … videos you’ll ever need.
I mean, you can snag your energy drinks, your corn dogs, and vegan jerky (?) to sustain a long night of debauch in a great location.

You know what’s awesome? When a business has crazy good hours and great customer service. Growing up in a household where both of my parents owned small independent businesses, I learned to love a good customer experience. In a world with Targets, WalMarts, and QFCs it’s easy to forget about the little guys, but not when they go above and beyond like the folks at City Market! I think I need another sandwich soon!

City Market is a small store on Capitol Hill that has a surprisingly good mix of products that definitely puts it a cut above the average local convenience store. On my last trip, I was looking for a quick meal and decided to check out they’re deli and was impressed with the variety of sandwiches and cooked food items.
I settled on the chicken strip and jojo’s combo that at first I thought was pretty standard price until I got home, opened up the box and saw the gigantic pile of potatoes and chicken. Needless to say I was very happy with this purchase and probably needed a nap afterward.
Outside of the deli area, you have a very solid selection of grocery and household items for sale at prices that are about what you would expect.

Thank you City Market for making my $ 2 soup dreams come true.
Thank you for carrying awesome vegan cookies and a shockingly decent selection of vegan/​vegetarian pre-​made sandwiches.
You get that one last star to make you perfect by changing your hours to be open until 3AM.
That one night when I found myself outside your doors at 2:38AM was one of the saddest moments of my life.