G & F Grocery

When I first moved here I was pretty stoked about having a local Qwik-​E-​Mart in the neighborhood. But now I only go to G and F only under the most dire of circumstances. Out of beer, ice, or TP.
The prices are pretty absurd. I’m fairly certain they buy from Safeway and mark up from there. The fact that they charge for credit cards is insulting given their already high margin.
The only real benefit is being able to catch a good Asian game show or soap opera (depending on time of day). Otherwise, there is no reason you should be sending money here.

The other reviews are funny, but this store is actually a menace unless you are flat out of toilet paper. Even then, they only have one ply… The store is filthy, they make their living off selling 40 ouncers to the drunks who live under I-​5, and there is no parking. We are neighbors so we used to go there frequently, until we found that our new milk was actually cottage cheese. Then we got the butter that was way past expirations. The final straw was when our kid bought a box of Junior Mints and mentioned that they were white. We looked closer and noticed that the box had be previously opened and the store owner had taped it closed. When we went ballistic on him, he explained that he didn’t have air conditioning and his stuff melted and the seals came undone on the boxes. Instead of throwing it away, he taped it closed and sold it to a little kid.
Also the alley door is a rat haven.

So this is absolutely a place.
Sometimes I find myself walking along Greenlake when it hits me — I forgot to buy a flimsy Samurai Sword and/​or rent an adult VHS from 1994 and/​or purchase an abnormally large bag of cotton balls! I need to head to the local pseudo-​7/​11 immediately!
Luckily, G&F has all of those things and more. Not much more, but more. It’s a great place for those that can’t make up their mind and don’t want to be destroyed by the Dr. Doofenshmirtz’s «Make Up Your Mind-​inator» because it has only one style of anything. One type of pasta, one kind of chocolate sauce, one type of tea. I have been in there many times and left empty handed because they have had some low cost and unappealing version of the item I went in to get.
But I like that they exist. The guys that work there are nice, even if they don’t talk much. There’s no line and it’s open somewhat late. Plus the Roosevelt High School kids have yet to start camping out here begging adults to buy them beer without adequate financial compensation.
I would shop here often if I wanted to invest more in lottery tickets or daggers, but in general there isn’t much incentive to go here over Whole Foods or QFC.

G&F is one of my favorite local marts, so convenient for many of the things I need — without forcing a trip all the way over to QFC.
A good selection of microbrews (really!), a decent selection of wine, how could it be that I can get such things within walking distance of the lake?
The usual candy/​snacks aisle accompanies a well-​stocked toiletries aisle and dried/​canned goods aisle. Surprisingly, the prices are quite decent compared to other minimarts.
Between Latona Pub, Krittika Thai and G&F, the Latona/​65^th crossing is becoming quite a destination for me :)

Drop in here every few days to pick things up, and they’ve always got the essentials. Good neighborhood place to pick up some Ginger Ale when sick, some Club Soda for mixing up some drinks, or whatever else I need. Prices are reasonable, and the people who work here are always friendly.
I chock up the «negatives» the previous reviewers listed as important elements of the G&F’s atmosphere. Samurai swords and the ominous row of porn VHS tapes have never been so nonthreatening as they are here.

Look, I just came in for my «ATF» hat, my 40 oz. and my framed poster of Scarface.
Please don’t kill me with one of your machetes. Oh, you’re just showing that to me. Uh, no thanks. I’m good on swords.
You seem nice, though.

G & F is a neighborhood grocery disguised as a quick-​mart. I avoided it for years, and went in the first time when I really wanted a beer and didn’t want to walk as far as Whole Foods. I was expecting nothing better than Sam Adams, and rows of chips and candy.
It turns out they have a decent wine selection (that is nicely priced as well) including Washington wineries. They also have those basics you might need — general groceries, dairy, etc. I was disappointed that all of their movies (well, the non-​porn) is VHS (I think I lost my VHS player in a move… 5 years ago), and it could certainly be a bit cleaner… The people who work there seem to be really nice — especially to neighborhood folk. Good place to pick up a couple of essentials when you don’t feel like walking far (if you live nearby, of course)