Vons Ojai is my Go-To for everything Food and Drink Related. Cons: - Lines to purchase groceries always tend to be a bit long. Pros: - Prices are 150% Better all across the board, than Other Local Grocery Store. - Customer Service and Product Availability Range are 200% Better all across the board, than Other Local Grocery Store. read more

Unfortunately, the biggest issue is consistency--especially with customer service. Interactions at both the checkout and deli counter often feel rushed or disengaged, which makes routine shopping less pleasant than it should be. A friendlier, more attentive approach would go a long way. Product quality and freshness are also concerns. I've come across too many outdated or near-expired items still on the shelves. That makes it hard to find what you're buying and creates extra work double-checking dates. What's most frustrating is that this doesn't seem like a location issue. Other stores in smaller towns manage to run clean, well-stocked, and customer-friendly operations. I had hoped the expansion would address some of these problems, but things actually feel like they've declined. At this point, I often find it more worthwhile to make the drive to Ventura for a better shopping experience. It's unfortunate, because this store is the most convenient option locally and clearly fills an important role in the community. With better management focus on freshness, staff training, and overall consistency, it could be a much better store. read more

Your checker ELISABETH is really rude and dismissive. She talks down to the customers and at the same time she bosses the other coworkers around. Not very professional. I've encountered this a few times and it's just unacceptable behavior. When you're in the front and helping customers you should put a smile on your face and just fake it instead of just being rude!! ( I worked in customer service for 30 years and Never treated my customers and coworkers as nasty and belittling as ELISABETH does). I would have been hauled to the back office until I could make myself a decent human being and treat people right especially on the front line where you are the last person customers encounter and they leave with a bad taste in their mouth with the thought of never returning only to be verbally abused and dismissed right out the door. I'll go to Westridge or Rainbow Bridge and get treated much better. I used to like going here until I ran into ELISABETH several times and it's always the same story. She just has a very bad attitude. Not a good look for your store. I'm not the only paying customer who feels like this. Are you really that desperate to hire someone who makes your store look bad=lose customers =lose $$$ read more

Great meat, produce and bakery, but frequently understaffed with horrific long lines with 2 or 3 checkers.

Seems like most workers there aren't happy and hate working there and it reflects how they treat the customers. Very rude short and unhelpful. Also smells disgusting while they do construction. The food options are limited and most things are on the verge of expiration. Recommend skipping this one and going to Ventura locations read more

Still a fan. Their cakes aren't quite as good as they used to be because they stopped carrying the bistro cakes, but the hot foods and deli sandwiches are just as good and the bakery breads are also quite good. Produce in this Vons is quite good and I'm always able to find a good selection for my toucanet that only eats fruit. I want to make sure he's got great variety every day and I usually stop and Vons and then another more artisan grocery for some of the more strange fruits, but Vons has the better prices and I'm overall happy with the quality and taste of their product. I also get fair deals here for all my bunny and guinea pig lettuce, carrot and veggie needs! All that said, my husband and I eat slightly less healthy foods, but we find good quality in that here too. Their meat department is small but has good selection and fair prices. This shop is kept clean and well stocked. The aisles are a bit narrow as it's an older store and they're unable to expand it due to city allowances. Parking lot is relatively convenient and there are always spaces. I definitely appreciate the selection of frozen ice creams and sweet treats. Downside is the store is very busy any evening after work and most weekends. Lines can become quite long to check out. So if you're in a hurry and can shop somewhere else I'd recommend that, but if you're not in a hurry and want a typical Vons store here it is. Some people have mentioned unhappy employees but I can't say I've had any problem with that. Everyone I've talked to there has been either neutral or positive in their attitude. I have overheard employees talking to personal friends who were buying groceries and complaining about wage freezes or cuts, which could be a good reason to be upset or unhappy. All the checkers I see there have been there a very long time and have a lot of experience. read more

Worst customer service of any grocery store I've ever been to. 20 years in the valley and the one consistent thing is grumpy employees. No thank you, no hello, no help. Prices are outrageous, but unless you want to drive to Ventura, it is what it is. It won't change. read more

Terrible place, overpriced, understocked, unhelpful, aisles you can only fit one cart in, you won't believe the prices on half the stuff.. they won't have what you need, so really, don't bother, Westridge isn't an alternative with their outrageous prices, better to just head down the hill. The seafood counter is there, but I never see the product get sold, the beef prices are frightening, again, you'll go through this place noticing they are out of or never had or can't seem to keep stocked the most common items. apparently the workers don't want to or can't seem to stock the aisles before opening or after hours, so there is constantly big carts to maneuver around, it's just sad on so many levels,. It's the only place in town and they know it, you'd think they would notice items that sell out and stock more, but in my 20 years going here, they can't figure it our. Ugh. The older checkers are Sweet, but some of the newer ones are just plain grumpy which just accents the bad experience​​ read more

The only thing the Ojai Vons really has going for it is that it's pretty much "the only game in town" if you're unable to afford shopping at Westridge Market ....the place where the boujee Ojai elite do their shopping (or have someone do it for them). And of course Vons knows this, so there's absolutely no incentive to keep the place updated, clean, decently stocked, or try to keep good employees. Even as more and more Ojai Valley residents have begun making the drive down into Ventura for their groceries (Winco, Costco and Trader Joes), you'd think they'd catch a clue....but unfortunately, no. read more

They sell expired food if y'all are interested. Disgusting. If you shop here, please be careful and check the expiration dates. read more

Vons - Expired food - Grocery Near Me - Ojai, California

The deli section is out of hand. No one cleans up back there. I wouldn't even think of eating the cold, prepared salads behind the glass. sometimes the fried chicken is good, but it also tastes burnt 60% of the time. It's clear that they don't change the oil often. The potato wedges and everything they cook in that old oil tasted burnt. The staff are usually helpful, but morale seems low. read more

Aaron the store wine steward is awesome! Excellent source of knowledge on wine and spirits. Always gives great recommendations and is very helpful. read more

Awesome customer service from Aaron W (I think on the W). He special ordered 6 cases of FreWine alcohol removed wine for me. My family is in full quarantine and my dad has Dementia. Having a no booze wine that he can cheers with may seem trivial, but makes all the difference for him in the moment, and contributes to the family dynamic that is soooo important, especially in these days. Normally, we buy all the Fre off the shelves, and usually it lasts us. But sometimes we come up short and are faced with providing regular wine that we cut or trying some other mocktail he doesn't like, and he ends up feeling left out. Aaron ordered us 6 cases without breaking a sweat, was super communicative (even texting while off the clock), and understanding throughout. I placed the request through a very gracious checker (I wish I'd caught his name), and picked it up from checker John J, who also was exemplary in helping me load up and ring out. Aaron got in touch with me right away, and kept me posted throughout. The turnaround was three days, he was quick to confirm and let me know the status of the order, and really went out of the way to make it happen with a personal touch. It may not seem like a big deal, but his effort to procure this (somewhat silly) product, has made such an impact on this family of nine who's patriarch loves to drink wine, but can't have any of the alcoholic kind. Aaron, I hope you see this, and recognize how much you benefited this family, me, and my dad. Thank you soooo much. Cheers! -patrick! read more

Vons - special order wine case frewine sutter home - Grocery Near Me - Ojai, California

no customer service, dirty looks at every turn, busiest and smallest grocery store i've ever seen

You might think all Vons are the same, right? Well, you couldn't be more wrong. OK, so this store hasn't been remodeled or updated yet. You can tell you're walking into an old store immediately. Super, narrow aisles, no self-checkout, just to name a few things. However, I could have dealt with those things without issue. BUT, this Vons charges 10 cents for paper bags, doesn't offer plastic bags at all. I knew that LA had done this, but since I'm not from this town I had no idea to bring in my recycle bags from my car. Grouchy McChecker (Christina "R" possibly. Didn't confirm last initial) didn't bat at eye to me. Not a word of, "Oops. Sorry. I'll hold your stuff aside while you run to your car to get your own bags." NOTHING. She was so rude I about walked out in the middle of my transaction. I was forced to put all my groceries in my cart and then bag them myself at my car. If there'd been a sign posted WHEN I WALKED IN that they don't have plastic bags I would have run back out to my car. No sign. Nothing. No info or courtesy for us non-Ojai folks. Oh, and it took 8 minutes and 40 seconds for me to get through the EXPRESS LANE. Rude employees. Save your money and shop at Winco in Ventura or the Vons in Santa Paula. I will not ever be back here again. read more

Much better prices than Westridge or Rainbow albeit not with the same selection of boutique or niche foods (as is to be expected). Staff are generally friendly. I am grateful for all their hard work and good humor throughout the pandemic, especially in the face of anti-masking and other boorish behavior. read more

Staying in Ojai for two weeks in friend's guest house. Went to Vons today. Excellent store! Well stocked, clean, high quality produce section. My checkout lady was so nice and helpful, the young man bagging my groceries was equally good. How come there aren't more stars for this Vons? I almost didn't shop here because of the low ratings. I hope others wrote favorably, it is an EXCELLENT store!! And, I am picky. So, shop here!! read more

This is a smaller Vons that is always stoked and very easy to navigate. Staff are friendly and they are the most affordable grocery store in town. Also, after 9pm, this is the only grocery store open. read more

This Vons has to be the worst in Ventura County. Every time I visit to pickup groceries there are shelves that are not stocked, employees standing around and two to three checkout aisles open even though there are 8+.. now you can't necessarily blame the employees because a lot of these issues could be fixed if there was proper staffing. Vons as a company should be investing in the Ojai Valley store just as much as the others In Ventura County. read more

Worst Vons I've ever been to. The customer service here is a joke. All the employees seem to be miserable being there. And good luck at the deli counter, they'll happily ignore you. read more

So I the only reason I typically come to this Vons in convenience of it. It's just usually overpriced with not a lot of options. But it gets most of the shopping needs done. They do a good job of cleaning and disinfecting their store and carts. Most employees are friendly but today we had the RUDEST checker. And her name was Sydney. My husband was helping bag our groceries and she would throw and aggressively slide our items. Do your self a favor and wait the extra 10 min for another checker. They'll be a whole lot nicer and enjoyable then she was. read more

You would think it would PAIN these employees to just show a bit of customer service. Long before COVID ive had nothing but awful experiences here. The cashiers usually do not even greet you! No hello, nothing. Just scan scan scan and verbally tell you the price. It blows my mind every time I'm here. I live in Oak View and will travel to the ventura Vons on Borchard just to have a pleasant experience! Smile, say hello, it goes a long long way!! read more

So today was my first day doing Instacart. Now shopping for other people is harder than you think. Especially if you don't know the lay out of the store and this store is very small and it was a jam packed! Everyone there was absolutely FABULOUS to me!!!!! I was blown away, it's not common to see service like that. In a packed store, while trying to stalk can be very obnoxious. I got so much help from everyone. I had produce help me a ton, meat department on top of it. Last but not least my checker ( wish I got her name) was fabulous! I had a mix up with payments for she was so patient and never once made me feel like I was a problem. I arrived at around 1030 am whatever team you had there was just amazing!!!!! Thank you so much for a great experience as I'm trying to shop for people I don't know! read more

I had a great experience shopping here. I found everything I needed and the cashier was very friendly. Will definitely be back in the future! There aren't many grocery sites in Ojai so this place is super convenient. read more

Vons - Grocery Near Me - Ojai, California

I was in Vons Ojai yesterday and the cashier was rude and racist I've lived here for over 50 years this place must like rude people because they keep hiring them terrible place I'll go to the corner market and pay top dollar at least they're friendly read more

This place may be the worst grocery store in the country. They actually have signs that say more than 3 in a line we'll open more lines, but look there is 11 in each of the two ONLY lines open. I hate this place so much. No care for anyone or anything. Go to hell Vons. read more

Vons - Grocery Near Me - Ojai, California

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No large eggs, one container of heavy whipping cream, not one single frozen pie crust, no Swiss cheese, disgusting Deli salads. Fried chicken for lunch cooked at 9 in the morning and left under heat lamps to dry out. You think if everyone was buying a certain product they would order a lot more of it, but no, months and months and months go by and nothing. What a joke. Either people are coming here and filling their carts and hoarding certain items, which I don't think is the case but it could be, whoever is managing the store and doing the ordering is terrible at it. I mean what Market doesn't have apricot preserves? Every salad kit except the one you want, overpriced fruit, $4 for one passion fruit. The aisles are barely big enough for one cart going One Direction. Twice I've gone in recently and they were completely out of Crystal Geyser water. I mean who is out of Crystal Geyser water? Plus Vons Corporation with the coupon game they make you play, maybe if they got rid of the florist shop that's clogging up the entire front of the store that nobody seems to go to. I'm done with this Horror Story. I went back giving them a chance thinking things had changed but yesterday was just a disaster. They have a sale on brown eggs and you go back the next day and they're all gone. A sale that lasts a week and the eggs are gone in one day and not replenished. I wasn't aware of a shortage on eggs. Seems like they take sale items off the shelf so you have to buy something more expensive. I've gone and recently and there was no whole milk. How can a market not have whole milk? Save yourself the headache and go down the street to Westridge Midtown Market. They have their issues too and you'll pay a bit more but they're way better than this shitshow. Or travel 12 miles down the highway to the Vons in Ventura, it's a much better store. read more

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JUST A QUICKIE! BACKGROUND: Downtown Los Angeles was essentially a small town when Charles Von der Ahe opened his 20-foot wide Groceteria on the corner of 7th and Figueroa in 1906 with $1,200 in savings. It was a neighborhood store that catered to the needs of local families, where Von der Ahe pioneered "cash and carry" as an alternative to "charge and delivery." His formula proved so successful that by 1928 Vons had expanded to 87 stores. Charles Von der Ahe sold his chain the following year, but four years later, despite the Depression, two of his sons, Ted and Will re-started Vons. Its growth and innovation over the next 70 years was non-stop. In 1948 the brothers opened their most ambitious store at the corner of Santa Barbara and Crenshaw. Thanks to the introduction of pre-packaged perishables, they were able to offer some of the first self-service produce, meat and deli departments. This milestone marked the advent of the first true supermarkets as we know them today. STATS: Free shared parking In a corner strip mall EXPERIENCE: Came here for a new essentials for some hiking SisTa and had planned to do. It's like most Vons grocery stores, offering the fresh, the cold, and the frozen items. As a resident of LA County, I walked in with my own reusable grocery bag and felt as though eyes were following me as I put my items in the bag. I didn't walk away without paying for every item, so I was in the clear both mind and soul. What I liked about this Vons was the lack of crowds and friend staff members. With most registers open, the lines were short. Standing in line I overheard the check-out clerk chatting it up with, what was clear through their conversation, was a local. I find towns like this quaint, although I highly doubt I could ever see myself living in one, a town where everyone knows your name and your business??? Yikes!!! There are some things I would rather not know. Anyhow, ever find yourself in Ojai in the need of some essentials? This Vons can probably hook you up. They had everything I needed, and I was out in a jiffy. #FOODPORN #OJAI #SHOPPING read more

In Ojai, this is the only grocery store around for many miles so there are some significant drawbacks. First lets review the Pros: - At least there is a reliable grocery store near Ojai. - Their shelves are well stocked...mostly (see Cons). - Service is nice and friendly. - Plenty of parking. Here are the Cons: - I came here twice, two separate days and they were completely out of Spring water. Filtered water? No thanks, it's just tap water gone through reverse osmosis. - The sheer volume of people that are in the store makes walking around, particularly with a shopping cart difficult and makes you feel like you're in a destruction derby! - The store is small. When people are waiting in line, it starts wrapping around the store, into isles and makes getting to your destination feel like a game of Chess. Hey, at least they have a Vons here. read more

Living in the Ojai Valley, this is the closest option for a supermarket. I try to avoid it, but sometimes I find myself in this little slice of Hell, regretting my laziness at not driving an extra 15 minutes each way to go to a proper store. What's wrong with this Vons? We'll start in the parking lot. It's about a quarter of the size required, cramped, and if anyone owning one of those personal "too fat to walk" scooters is around, they can shut down parking operations completely as they meander through the rows, looking for their '86 Buick with the Sexy Grandma sticker on the back. Let's go inside, shall we? In order to cram more inventory into the joint, the aisles aren't wide enough to accommodate two carts passing without bumping each other. Again, if anyone stops to sample the Salsbury steak on a toothpick, all movement within the store stops. The walls close in, and you're ready to swing on the next person that bumps into you or stops to look at every box of cereal. Just pick a goddamn cereal, we need to get out of here! Don't you feel the aisle constricting? WE'RE GOING TO DIE IN HERE! CAN'T BREATHE! Time to check out. Oh good, the bagger has special needs. I have a special need, too: TO GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE IMMEDIATELY! No time to chat, Corky, I gotta move. Don't stand in my way. Nice! The checker has clearly lost patience and her marbles years ago. She shouts down the line of carts at her stand "all the other lanes are open!" Yes, and they're all crammed full of dead-eyed customers, just like this one. Lady, you chose to work here, I can't help that. Let's just try to get through this. I'm prompted by the checkout payment device "would you like to make a donation to Easter Seals today?" Gave at the office, click "NO." Checker turns to me and asks "would you like to make a donation to Easter Seals today?" No, thanks. A moment goes by, items are scanned, and the checker looks up at me: "would you like to make a donation to Easter Seals today?" NOOOOOOOOO! "Well, that was a very long and loud NO" she says. Pointing out that I'd been asked three times already did not endear me to this woman. The $40 cash back I requested was delivered in $5 bills after she discovered that her cash drawer didn't have any cash in it. Snarky comments about the change, and I'm headed toward the door. Toward freedom and fresh air. Toward sanity and away from these cramped and unpleasant people. But first, a middle aged woman who appears to be in a persistent vegetative state is wheeled in front of me on a roller gurney. Some maniac took this poor wretch on a shopping trip in the most ridiculously claustrophobic grocery store one can imagine. How is this a treat for anyone involved? Is it punishment for the whole Easter Seals thing? Eventually, the automatic doors do open, and my wife and I emerge into the sunlight. Swearing again to never return. But we'll be back. And it'll all happen again. Parking behind sexy grandma, walls closing in, Corky, mean checker, Terry Schiavo rolling around... So what I'm saying is, I don't like this store. read more

Vons is trending towards Whole-Foods prices, with the same Vons quality and selection. On a trip through town I experienced some sticker-shock compared to prices in grocery stores in the San Francisco / Bay Area. This strikes me as a bit counter-intuitive, but does appear to be consistent across multiple Vons locations. Adding a third dollar-sign to the Yelp listing would be appropriate. The inconvenience of shopping here may soon be greater than the inconvenience of price-shopping other locations. Something to keep an eye on. read more

Because of the recent renovations, Vons has become a more tolerable place to shop. I don't know if it's always going to be like this, but since their grand re-opening, they've had plenty of sales. Unfortunately, with some items on sale, they shave off a few cents on high-demand items, which don't exactly yield any significant savings. It's best to arm yourself to the teeth with coupons and mail-in rebates. The aisles have widened a little, but that hasn't deterred people from putting their shopping carts in the middle of the aisle and talking to old friends about the "good ol' days," their kids' Little League baseball games and why their lives no longer have a purpose. I'm here to shop, not to watch "The View," but this isn't Vons' fault. The staff is professional and they have a lot of tolerance, especially at the deli counter, where they are understaffed and running around to cater to the customers' needs like a chicken with his head cut off. And speaking of the deli counter, I have to say: their sandwiches are surprisingly great -- so if you're tired of Quiznos and Subway, look no further than Vons. Check out the Tuscan Chicken and the Primo Italiano sandwiches, but don't take my word for it. Try them all. Vons isn't bad. You know the town is in decline when the most happening place there is Vons. read more

Worst Vons Small, not staffed or stocked appropriately. Drive an extra 15 minutes to any Ventura Vons. read more

Slowest check out ever! Somehow the cashiers can move the products fast across the barcode scanner. ATM is on dialup speed. Lots of folks still writing cheques read more

On December 11th 2017, I was brutally attacked and beaten in the parking lot of Vons on Maricopa Highway. One of the young men that was stalking produce outside watch the whole thing but refused to help me. And then when I went into the store to talk to the manager he refused to give me the young man's name or the number for corporate so I could call and report an incident. If you don't ever have to go into that store don't ever go in there because those people are disgusting and they don't help old ladies in need. I'm 55 years old and disabled and got beat up by a 38 year-old woman who was illegally parked in a handicap parking spot in front of the Vons when I have a handicap placard that allows me to park in front of the Vons. She brutally attacked me ripped my hair out and slapped me in the face with her expired handicap placard and Vons did absolutely nothing to help me. read more

I was visiting Ojai for a couple of days and needed to pick up some last minute groceries and I was happy to hear that there was a Von's nearby. most Von's that I shop at are very nice and spacious, but this one wasn't. as soon as I walked it, I noticed that everything was very much close together. there was very little room to maneuver two shopping carts at the same time. so that meant that I had to do a lot of moving and waiting for other customers to move. they are definitely well stocked but I felt rushed due to the small confinement between each aisle. my friends and I decided to pick up some "hot and ready" food from the bakery area and they have a $6 deal which isn't too bad. you pick ONE entree and two sides of your choice. I went with the basic chicken tenders with deviled egg salad and Caesar salad. I was disappointed with the portions. the sides were very little (because of the tray it came in). they don't over fill it, which seemed like a waste of money ): but other than that, the food was good. read more

If I could give this store no stars I would: called to ask how late they would be open during the fire and I received a nasty response, "until they tell us to close!!" I would work on your customer service, pretty terrible when there are two grocery stores in ojai, you would think they would want the business!! Go to westridge midtown market! Friendly service, great food! read more

I've read quite a few of the reviews and I have to say that I have never had any of the Vons team ignore me or be rude to me or fail to try to help me. One review disparaged the customers. Honestly? These people are our neighbors and friends. I find people to be friendly and nice. Yes, the store can get crowded as they try to meet everyone's product expectations in a small store. Of course because of the pandemic, many products are in short supply but that won't last forever. My only issue is that I can't tell you how many times I've checked my receipt and found that I didn't get the Advertised price. They always make it right but it is distressing that when I've bothered to check my receipt, i've often found discrepancies between what I was charged and The advertised price. I've been told that all the prices are in the computer and if it was wrong at their store it would be wrong at all Vons stores. I don't know about that because I don't often shop at another Vons store since I live here. Also, The weekly ad is designed to make it difficult for you to easily get the advertised price. That, of course isn't the responsibility of the local staff. The responsibility for the confusing ads and app lies with corporate. read more

Impossibly narrow aisles, limited selection, and is always incredibly crowded. Some of the staff have been working there since I was a kid and it's great to see those friendly, familiar places. I shop here because I really have no other choice unless I'm in Ventura. Starr (Bayless) has even less selection and is more expensive and further into town. It's close and it gets most of the job done. I also run into everyone I've ever known every time I go here, but sometimes celebrities, too. So that's a bonus. read more

I always enjoyed the customer service here , we went today to get a couple of stuff and got greeted by Barb she was a sweet old lady , made us laugh it's the nearest good grocery store around besides STARR market , I will be back again to get some mother days roses !! read more

Vons - Grocery Near Me - Ojai, California