i friggin love this place. so many different awesome goodies. last time i went i got some sheep's…read moremilk soap that cured this mysterious rash i had on my chest. i also love the nonna's cookies, the ice cream, and the hair clips.

It was a very Electric City Christmas for many on my shopping list this year, and I have…read moreSchenectady Trading Co. to thank. A welcome addition to the Schenectady small business retail scene, it's very on-brand, and I'm here for it. I was able to get quite a few Schenectady-centric Christmas gifts here, and since I always try to support local makers and businesses first, this shop made it super easy - lots of one-stop-shopping potential. My haul included: - two ornaments for the Christmas trees of my Schenectady born-and-raised sisters who no longer live in the 518 - a cute little crocheted elf for my 5-month old niece made my a local granny - a rather stunning wooden bowl, handmade by a local engineer/former colleague of the owner who parkates in woodworking as a hobby - Electric City themed gifts for my boss, who's a Schenectady guy at heart, including a wooden/metal hybrid bottle opener with "ELECTRIC CITY" boldy branded on the front, a pint glass with a cool 70s-esque, retro font ("ELECTRIC CITY"), matching sticker (for the laptop!), and a coaster, but not just any old boring coaster. This one had an illustrated scene printed on glossy enamel depicting a Schenectady police officer playing basketball with a child. Not only did this fit my theme, but the I knew the coaster I chose (there were several different ones) would be significant because his father is a retired Schenectady cop. I guess the pictures on the coasters were part of a public art project, where Schenectady-themed scenes were drawn and then selected to appear on merchandise for the Greenmarket and other items, like these coasters sold here. This is a rough Cliffs Notes version of the project, but it was cool learning about it, knowing it was part of something bigger and community focused. It's the little touches like that which make gift giving feel so special, and I know I wouldn't have found any of those beautiful, thoughtful, local gifts without a shop like Schenectady Trading Co. It would have been even better if there was a small card with a write up about the art project, so I could have gifted the coaster with a bit more "purpose." I like it when I can include a write up about the artist or project or whatever interesting element might need further explaining to make the gift even more interesting. Aside from my local finds, there's plenty of other merchandise, and items that stuck out were a selection of Tough Traveler bags (hometown favorite!), "Electric City" and "Schenectady, Light Up the World!" apparel, a cool assortment of Schenectady inspired vinyl stickers, chocolates from Schenectady-based chocolate shop, Uncle Sam's, and quite a few other odds and ends. I'm thankful that shops like this exist, backed by business owners who have an appreciation for the city and realize there's a need for some Electric City gift giving magic. Wishing them lots of luck, and excited to see what type of programming the owner has in mind down the road (she hinted on wanting this to be more than a retail shop, with poetry nights and books clubs and other outlets for mental stimulation - bring it on!)

I went in to browse and found some lovely books for my grandsons and a birthday card for my sister…read more What a large assortment of stunning items for almost everyone I know. Free membership that doesn't expire. Discounted items (including book shelves of them as well) from holidays and their book selection offers. Helpful, kind present people working there. It's downtown Schenectady so street parking. (Best to go on Sunday)

The Open Door is Schenectady's locally-owned independent bookstore and gift gallery, serving the…read morecapital region for 50 years. We carry a wide selection of literature for adults and children, including those of local and regional interest, as well as an expansive variety of toys, gifts, jewelry, stationery, personal accessories and home goods. Located in the heart of downtown Schenectady on the Jay Street Pedestrian Mall, they are around the corner from Proctors Theatre and many restaurants. There is lots of parking. The knowledgeable staff is wonderful to deal with in person or by telephone. The store even offer a frequent shopper rewards card. I had to pick up a book I ordered. Like many people, I prefer to support small businesses rather than Amazon and large mall bookstores whenever I can. The store was packed with great displays of books and gifts artfully arranged. I am always impressed with the space and attention devoted to books etc. for children. Before I checked out with the book I ordered, I selected a children's board book, three greetings cards, a stained glass frame for a 5 X 7 photo, and an adorable pair of llama socks for my young granddaughter. Great retail therapy!

Mon - Friday 12-6pm Saturday 10-4…read more Sunday is closed. If they're closing early, they will post on Facebook I like this store because you can find discounted items like stuff from target at a cheaper rate.

UPDATE; when I shopped in this store the next week an employee made good on my poor experience and…read morelet me pick a replacement item out of the bins. They also were very apologetic and kind. Will update my review accordingly. Honestly after having shopped here for awhile I'm disappointed that this store could be selling potentially dangerous food products to its customers. Went in here on a Thursday when it was $2.00 and purchased many items like clothes, cd's, and a couple food items (cheerios and panettone bread). Went to open the panettone bread today and there was a large chunk missing out of the bread and someone had very deceptively re sealed the box with packaging tape on the bottom. I understood that no refunds are given and all sales are final and no returns. I took it back anyway feeling they would want to know about this. We just received a response of oh wow and sorry. I did expect that they would refund the $2.00 as this was very deceptive to resell a food product that had been opened and very discreetly resealed but no refund was given. I urge all customers here not to purchase food items as they may be potentially dangerous. if they have been resealed. I'll still be a customer for other items here but will never purchase food because of the safety of how food is handled.

The pharmacy manager will take it upon himself to second guess your doctor's judgment and deny…read morefilling your prescription on the day that you need it. Sometimes he will claim that he doesn't have your prescription in stock, but he will not help you find another pharmacy that does have it. If are regularly prescribed controlled substances, save yourself a lot of problems and just get them filled elsewhere. He doesn't want your business.

I bought a pair of cheap walking shoes from this store and the bottom was so smooth and no tread at…read moreall I slipped and fell and my foot twisted and my ankle was broken badly, the doctor had to do surgery and put a plate and screws in my right ankles on my right foot it was badly broken, the doctor said I would never walk again without surgery, it was 4 months of recovery, it was a long hard road for me, all because of Walmart horrible shoes, I would never buy another pair of there shoes. People watch out what shoes you buy from Walmart.

Happy to have two Targets near my home. Since I have a back issue, I like to use the Drive Up…read moreoption to purchase groceries, cleaning products, and toiletries etc. I have never had a problem with Drive Up being unavailable at the store in Glenville as it has been several times at the Niskayuna store because a particular exit "door was not working." When drive up is not available in Niskayuna, the options are to switch to Pick Up in store or cancel order. I like Target drive up because pickup can be made during any hour the store is open. You are not limited to a time frame like Hannaford and Market 32 set. I am pleased that several types of RETURNS can be made using Drive up. It can be done along with Pickup. I initiate the return on the Target app and get approval. Then I place the return item in the back of my SUV and return at my convenience. A Target staff member comes to my car and scans the code. Within a few minutes, the refund is noted on my Target credit card. The process is efficient and clear. Refunds are prompt!

Easy returns. I appreciate it! The guest desk was very helpful at the Glenville store.read more

BJ's Wholesale is my happy place. Never busy -- feels like I've got my own private Costco, but…read morewithout the bumper cars in the aisles. Shelves are always stacked high, everything clean enough to eat off the floor (not that I tried... yet). The workers? Absolute gems. Friendly, helpful, and actually look like they want to be there -- rare find these days. Only hiccup is the deli counter, which sometimes moves slower than a sloth on vacation. But hey, the prices and offerings are worth the wait (and where else can you get enough cold cuts to feed a football team?). The crown jewel? Mobile checkout. Scan, pay, bounce. No waiting, no lines, no nonsense. Straight in, straight out -- like shopping on "easy mode." BJ's, you've officially got me spoiled.

This is not a bad place overall there's a few things that make it so that I am not excited about it…read moreand the reason why it lost a couple stars. First off let me start off by saying that the appearance of this place is not horrible, but not good either I understand that you're walking into basically a warehouse turned into a grocery store. My only issue is that it's still looks unkept in a lot of areas. They do have a machine that goes around and does inventory and it does not care that if There's a customer in its way it just plows right through you. I had my cart and was looking at ribs and it came around the corner and kept coming until it hit me not hard, but in other words, it wasn't moving from its path, which is strange to me because I see it move other times and I'm not exactly a small person. Another thing that I'd like to add that lost a star for me is the fact that you would think that with this you're buying in bulk to save money. I was looking at the ribs there and we ended up purchasing the ribs. We ended up getting less than what we originally planned . Also, it was hard to find what we were looking for because they were all over the place one was in one section another, and another section instead of just having them all together. And then when we went to another store, I found ribs that were actually cheaper and a better quality, but because we already purchased them, we did Not Buy the ones that were there. Overall, it does have pretty much everything that you're looking for it's just a matter of how much you're willing to spend and is it really bulk or are they saying bulk but not meaning bulk. Check it out if you're ever in the area make a decision on your own. It's not a horrible place. Just some things that could be improved. Thank you for listening.

Most of the Dollar General stores I've been in are so disgustingly dirty and cluttered. There's no…read moreroom to walk in them because there's boxes everywhere. The floors are a mess.

Recently I had occasion to take one of my kids by an old storefront that had been a Woolworth's…read morewhen I was a kid, and I found it difficult to explain the wonder that was the Five and Dime. He asked if maybe the Five and Dime was now the Dollar store, because of inflation? And it is true, the same basic small footprint of the old Five and Dime is similar to the Dollar stores, but the retailing niches have changed much more significantly. Target, et alia, now basically take the niche of the "little bit of everything for daily household life" that Woolworth's once had, except instead of ten Woolworth's there's one Target or Walmart. But the equally odd thing is, even as we no longer have Five and Dimes, we don't really have Dollar Stores anymore. It used to be things were actually a dollar there - remember the schtick, "everything for a dollar"? You don't see it anymore. What you see in Dollar stores are closer to the general stock of a larger department store, much more regular, but with lower quality goods. The prices aren't that much better, for the most part, than Target; Dollar stores have more moved back into the niche of neighborhood stores for people with relatively bad transportation options and the occasional bargain. But item for item, I'm not really seeing anything these days in dollar stores that can't be had in higher quality for the same price at Target et alia, and that's really saying something. Dollar General, having been one of the original exemplars of the dollar store, is in sort of bad straits, with older stores and considerable more wear and tear on them than some of the other dollar stores, but they also seem to have moved into the Woolworth's-Lite niche relatively sooner. The advantages here are if you want to look for, say, school supplies, you can find some, although maybe not everything on your list, and if you cherrypick the true bargains and go to the Walmart aisles you might just save a dollar. But it's a lot of work, which is sobering, to save a very little amount of money. The staff at this location are nice, but it doesn't quite make up for the overall dim atmosphere of the press of economic necessity suggested by both store and customers here.

Sain's Discount is a neighborhood convenience/grocery store and full service deli. They have plenty…read moreof snacks, chips, cold drinks, coffee, ice cream, frozen foods, tobacco products, household products in the back, flooring looks updated. The full service deli counter near the front of the store offers halal foods, breakfast sandwiches, pizza, fried chicken, chicken tenders, potato wedges, empanadas, fried fish, sandwiches, gyros, burgers, falafel & rice, and salads. The prices seem pretty reasonable. I ended up ordering takeout from Sain's Deli through DoorDash since I had credits to use. I ordered the Beef Gyro Combo with Fries & Can of Soda ($7.99 plus tax) on the DD App. I arrived early and they were making my food on the grill and fryer with food items stocked from the glass freezers in the back. The place was steady with customers stopping in for takeout food, snacks, and pizza slices. My food was ready for pickup in about 17 minutes after placing my order. The good sized gyro had soft grilled beef gyro meat (4) with tomatoes, grilled peppers, onions, and lots of yogurt dressing on a soft flatbread. The slightly thick golden fries were hot with a firm texture. I also got a can of cold Sprite to go with the food. Overall, I was satisfied with the gyro and fries and cold drink for under $9 (in 2023).

From the owner: Deli meat, cold and hot sandwiches, chicken wings, burgers,smoothies, grilled sandwiches, fruit…read moresalad,cold beverages, snacks, groceries, tabbaco.

Hey, it's a dollar store, but it's by far the best I've seen in the area. Clean, organized, the…read morestaff are friendly and helpful. If you're shopping for small household products, toiletries, party supplies, etc. it's worth a stop. Tucked next to the OfficeMax on the way to BJ's off Campbell Rd., opposite the dreaded Rotterdam Mall, just past Burger King.

Update 2021. There is a new manager on Campbell Rd and she has cleaned this store up nicely. No…read moremerchandise on the floor and everything is neat and organized. I'm guessing the old manager got moved to the Altamont Ave. store because that place is a disaster. Cigarette butts and trash all over the parking lot and merchandise on the floor. I have no idea why the residents of Rotterdam feel throwing trash on the ground is acceptable behavior. They obviously do not take any pride in their town.