It's a fine Hy Vee. The Wine and Spirits clerks are particularly fun employees to chop it up with. Any time I need help, the folks there are always on the ball. One time some random asshole college student came up to me and tried to recruit me to join his Amway team, but that's mostly just a funny anecdote and has nothing to do with the store. I hope his pyramid scheme fails and he gets punched at an Insane Clown Posse concert. read more

This review is based solely on my last experience here. I had been exposed to covid the last part of December2021 and needed to get a home test. Closest still open was Hy-Vee west. About $35 with tax. Pricey I thought, BUT I needed it to work. Come to find out recently, people have been complaining that companies are PRICE GOUGING for kits that were $15 for a two pack and now are $19 for a two pack. So, yes, Hy-Vee has been doing the same. DO BETTER HY-VEE! This is literally a pandemic. Marcy'sDinerTantrumScale 5/5- NoScreamingKids. NOT CyHawkApproved. They have lot parking. Employee I interacted with was friendly(I always mask, because I'm a RN) The place is clean. Nicely lit. Open till later, but during pandemic, not open all night. So, now the government has made tests free. I'll go there from now on. Stay healthy. Wear your masks, they DO work. My test was negative and I repeated one of the drive through ones next day and that was negative as well. read more

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My wife and I have been shopping here for more than 40 years, so I thought it was high time to review this store, especially since their reaction to the pandemic has been so exceptional. I was always a big fan of the store before but now I really would not consider shopping anywhere else. Since the pandemic (and possibly before; I never thought to inquire before) HyVee has been offering free pickup of groceries ordered online. You order and pay for them on aislesonline, a shopper does your shopping for you, and then you drive up and they put the groceries in your trunk. Let me repeat that there is NO CHARGE for this service, provided your order exceeds 30 dollars. I was a little reluctant to do this at first because I actually like wandering the aisles, making sure I get the item of my choice, the best date, etc., but when Covid cases began spiking here in Iowa we started using this service for safety reasons and now I am completely sold on it. There have been almost no glitches or mistakes in months of ordering, and on those very rare occasions that there has been, they have been promptly and courteously corrected. On one occasion, when an item I ordered didn't make it into the bag, they delivered it to my home. Their computer system allows you to select an alternate item from a fairly extensive list of choices in case they are sold out of something, and they even follow a policy of not charging you more for the alternate than the original item cost. Just today, for example, they were out of the small banana bread that I ordered, and gave us the large size that I had selected as a substitute for the same price, which I think goes above and beyond the call of duty. Back when my parents were still alive, they came to visit me from New York and I still remember my father's astonished reaction to this store-- the wide, well-lit aisles, the employees who smiled at us when we passed them (and frequently greeted me by name), etc. He kept saying that there was nothing like in this in New York City, and of course he was right. The staff here is about as friendly and accommodating as you can possibly ask for. When I have had purchase requests I have always gotten a quick reply-- sometimes they can't order the item I requested, but they always let you know why. Bottom line: if you don't already shop here, you should definitely consider doing so. This is one of my favorite stores in Ames. read more

Loooove going to this HyVee in the morning and seeing sweet George there. He's worked there forever and a day. It's a nice grocery store, though some things really are seriously overpriced. The service is usually pretty good though some of the college kids that work there are seriously jaded and unfriendly. Don't work at a grocery store if you don't want to smile. They're open 24/7 but if you go in there for a late night run there will only be one or two lane opens and the lines can take forever. read more

Their Chinese department was open til 9 but refused to cook eight spring rolls for me at 8:10 saying it was "against policy" to cook after 8. Customer service is clearly not important to this Hy-vee or their store manager who I spoke to asking them to make the cooks do their job and cook my food and they also refused. Less helpful smile and more terrible customer service here. Their workers apparently get paid to stare into space from 8 until 8:30 when they can start cleaning. Never supporting them again. read more

I have lived in west Ames for a while and I would sometimes stop by here and buy a couple things. I've been told by other people that they will have a product 10 cents off or something and then when it goes back to a different price after that it's 10 cents higher than the original price but I don't shop here regularly so I don't really run into the issue. There was one time I looked at there doughnuts and they looked really good so I bought a few of them and they were extremely dry and I questioned if they were even supposed to be eaten but they looked 10 times better than they tasted so I won't be buying doughnuts from here or probably any other Hy-Vee again. Caseys has excellent doughnuts though. read more

Clean with wide aisles, it is a joy to shop there. No complaints and the employees are genuinely interested in help locate items not easily found. It's cafeteria is clean and the food is excellent. Drinks are small. Being handicapped, I am grateful that the store has numerous electronic carts that are usually plugged in and energized. It makes shopping so much easier. Nice seafood and fresh meat counters. Wish they had a wider selection of lamb cuts--and some goat would be welcomed. read more

Like all Hy-Vee stores, they have an enormous selection of over-priced goods. They do have the best produce in Ames though. The aisles are frequently blocked by people with dollies and carts, stocking the shelves, at any given hour on any day. The staff is nice but they always seem shorthanded and very rushed. The bathrooms are always gross. Huge parking lot, but arranged in an inefficient way, with a dangerous traffic-pattern. read more

The 5 stars is primarily out of nostalgia, since its really only a slight exaggeration to say I practically grew up in this grocery store. This location is really close to my parents house and is the primary place they've been shopping since before I was born. When I was really little my father would push me around in the cart when he went grocery shopping. When I got a little older I would come here with one or both of my parents for breakfast. In high school, all my friends worked as grocery baggers here, since its the only job you can get before you turn 16. Positives: --The breakfasts (hashbrowns, eggs, and pancakes) in the deli area are surprisingly great and really cheap, like $4 for a combo with all those things --Employee owned --Open 24/7 --Cheap. although I can't really say how it compares to other grocery stores in Iowa, its much cheaper than any place I've shopped at since leaving the state --Cakes in the bakery area are good & can be done with really cool decorations & themes, I always had one for my birthday parties growing up --Vision center where I got my first pair of glasses at the age of 26 (law school ruined my vision) --Starbucks inside the grocery store --Post office counter inside to save you having to make a trip to the real post office, something everyone dreads...this alone is worth 10 stars Overall, I think Hy-Vee is a really great (Midwest-based) grocery store chain & this location is my favorite, because of nostalgia and all the non-grocery conveniences located in the store. read more

This Hy-Vee recently finished a significant renovation, and although it's a little confusing to maneuver at first, this store is a super place to shop for selection and service. The Cafe part (which seems to be a Midwest thing) now has even more food bar choices. And who knew that this space was once occupied by a K-Mart? read more

When I moved to Ames in 1999, from small town Iowa, I had no idea a grocery store like this could exist! How many places in the world can you get a salad bar, Chinese food, pizza and more and thats just in the hot food section.. This is also a grocery store to the max with great healthy selections and friendly smiles! They have it all from pharmacy to flowers! This was my education in what a great shopping experience could be! I have probably been here 500 times since! I love this store from top to bottom! read more

I wish that Hyvee existed in Colorado. I love that it's employee owned, which makes me want to support it even more. This review and three start rating, however, aren't focused on the grocery store itself, but on the buffet. My boyfriend, who used Hyvee's buffet for a hangover cure in college, brought me there when we were visiting. You could come to the buffet and easily consume a day's worth of calories within minutes, or, you could make yourself a tasty salad topped with just about everything imaginable, then finish it off with a nice bowl of fruit. I'm not saying that's what I did, I'm just saying you could if you wanted to. My plate was full of pizza, crab rangoons, and desserts- but I was on vacation so it didn't count. All of it was pretty good;especially the desserts. Yum! Even thought the food was pretty good, I am not usually a big fan of buffets-- but that's not why I knocked a couple of stars off of this review. While I was refilling my (salad) plate, I saw an employee walk up to the salad bar and, using the tongs, place fruit directly into her hand. I don't know if it annoyed me because it was unsanitary or just plain rude. What would happen if a customer walked in and started piling their hands full of food? Gross, right? Maybe this employee just felt entitled since it's an employee owned store. read more

I'll probably come back and update this review, as it's currently being renovated. This Hy-Vee is on the other end of town, so I don't usually stop at this one, but occasionally I'm heading that direction already, so this is where I wind up. The remodel really seems to be adding a lot of floor space, which was needed at this Hy-Vee. But it also seems to be moving things around to different places - and NOT the same places as the Hy-Vee on the other end of Lincoln Way. I would always assume that chains would like each location laid out the same to make it easier for their customers. Hy-Vee apparently does not agree with that philosophy. Also, a lot of the new refrigerated cases at this location have doors, where other locations have them open. I understand that this is a great way to save energy, but it makes it even harder to find things that just aren't in the same spot in the store that you're used to. read more

I loved Hy-Vee before this experience. I had an interview and was told I had the job and they would email me the information. Two days later I received an email informing me of the opposite . I emailed the lady I interviewed with and she said she was sorry for miscommunication? I'm also a former employee of a different store. I'm furious. read more

I will never go back to this location again. $12 for a two piece fried chicken meal! There are always employees standing around the checkout lanes but no one will ever help. If I want to check myself out I shouldn't have to pay the whore house prices they charge for groceries. read more

Ordered breakfast with my family since village inn had a wait, so we thought hey hyvee will be fast let's go get breakfast there. We ordered at about 10:39 and it is now 11:23 and still no food. This is unacceptable. This better be the best breakfast I've ever had because it's already lunch time. read more

Decent vegan selection for a regular grocery store, which I appreciate. However, every time I come after eight pm there's only one or two lanes open and very long lines. read more

The store is always clean and is large enough to have a great selection yet not the size of a used car lot. This Hy-Vee is in a great location for all the western expansion Ames is experiencing over the last years. read more

One of the best meat and deli sections of any large grocery store I have ever been to. The prices are also very reasonable.

Standard grocery store. Nothing special and definitely not the best prices. Produce is typically always fresh. But I prefer Fareway for my meats at unbeatable prices, and outstanding service. You don't find service like that ever. read more

Large, clean store with incredibly friendly staff. This particular location has a nice meat selection at the butcher counter. Ask for John, he knows his stuff. read more

I use Hy-Vee every time I buy groceries because of convenience and customer service. With just about every aisle, I am asked if I am finding things okay, or if I need any help. On multiple occasions, I have needed help. Each employee that has helped me did so without a complaint, and in a great mood. Now for the real reason I rate this Hy-Vee so highly.. I recently purchased two filet mignons from the meat counter. I was super excited to bring them home and cook them up. I ended up freezing them for about a week before I actually cooked them. As I unwrapped them, they looked fine with quite a bit of fat, but I was not worried. I then cooked them up and tried to eat them. That is when I realized that one was almost impossible to eat due to the amount of fat, while the other tasted as if it had bacon wrapped around the outside. I hate bacon. I was a little upset over the quality of meat, considering how much those pieces of meat cost. I decided to contact corporate Hy-Vee via email to let them know about the meat in case other customers had run into the same problem. Within ten minutes, I had an email back from corporate that my email had been forwarded to the Ames Hy-Vee to further investigate the problem. Within less than 10 minutes of that, I was called by one of the mangers from my local Hy-Vee saying he was very sorry and wondering what could be done to make me feel satisfied with how things were handled. He continued by saying he will reimburse me money for those steaks, and deliver two new steaks to my front door! Talk about great customer service. I will fully recommend Hy-Vee of west Ames to anyone due to the diligent customer service. They were so helpful, and willing to go the extra mile in order to meet my needs as a customer. read more

Perishables Manager Steve Loder just delivered a goodie bag with a fresh pizza and a free movie. There was a misunderstanding earlier this week about their Halloween event for kids. They went so far out of their way to take care of our kids that HyVee has earned my respect 10 times over. Thank you so much. read more