I am giving it a 5 star review not because it is a wonderful place, but because it is an icon of the neighborhood. The neighborhood is comprised of a lot of poor, although most of the residents are working and lower middle class people. Broadway Towers, a high rise for the elderly and disabled is across the street, which offers easy access for people without transportation. That said, there are issues, some of which are amusing, others not so much.
There is almost always local characters in the store that provide entertainment. I have shopped here for nearly 40 years. I have had numerous hilarious encounters. To name a few- once I was walking to my car in the parking lot which was only half full. My parking space was in the middle of the lot with open spaces around. As I was loading my groceries, a car pulled up and sat there while I pulled out. Then they pulled into my vacated space. I did not find that strange because it's the Fellini Kroger.
Another time I noticed a woman in the produce isle examining avocados. she was picking them up and holding them to her ear and shaking them. I was too amazed to think to ask her why she was doing that. Maybe she knows something that I don't.
Another time, a man stopped my wife and me in an aisle so he could sing to us.
These are just a few of the Fellini moments that I have experienced that made me smile.
There are negatives. There used to be a problem with homeless panhandlers in the parking lot, but I haven't seen many in the last couple of years. Kroger hired uniformed off-duty police for a while, and that seems to have cleaned them out
Now the most disgusting thing that I have ever experienced in my life happened in the meat aisle. I was examining the meat, not looking at the floor, when my foot slid and I almost fell. I had stepped into a pile of human excrement in the middle of the aisle. I went to the rest room to clean my shoe, and informed a staff member who seemed bored, and not too concerned.
Overall, this store is an essential asset to out neighborhood and without it, we would be in a food desert. I love this store because of this and because it is so unique. read more