As a long-time customer of Whole Foods in the Kentlands, Maryland, both my wife and I were flabbergasted by our recent experience that started with an order with the meat department on November 12th, and ended with the store manager (Melissa Niane) accusing us of placing an order for the incorrect item; a claim by the store manager that their personnel (Seeku) didn’t write the order down incorrectly; and their personnel not being responsible for a missing order that was placed almost two weeks prior to Thanksgiving. While the incident itself was poorly handled, the accusatory and snarky attitude of the store manager against a customer, her refusal to resolve the issue, and her staunch stance that “our employees at Whole Foods are always right and the customer is always wrong” has really turned us off to shopping at Whole Foods in the future. For those interested in the details of this incident. The original order was placed on November 12th at 3:00 p.m. when I called Whole Foods and spoke to Seeku in the meat department to place an order for an 8 lb. leg of lamb with an extended bone. We had placed this order in years past with no issues, so thought nothing of placing this order again for Thanksgiving. (This order was NOT placed with the Holiday Desk). On Sunday, November 21st my wife happened to be shopping at Whole Foods and while there she went to confirm that they indeed had a record of the order and that it would be ready for pickup on November 23rd. She went to the meat department and asked them to confirm the order would be ready, and the meat department sent her to the Holiday Order Desk. After waiting for one of the two women to be available, my wife gave the women the information only to find that the Holiday order desk had no record of the order. As my wife knew I had placed the order, the women that was helping her went back to the meat counter and then brought a notebook back to show my wife that the order was in fact written correctly as an 8 lb. Leg of Lamb for pickup on November 23rd. My wife left the store reassured that the order would be ready for pick up on November 23rd. On Tuesday, November 23rd my wife went back to Whole Foods to pick up the order. When she arrived she went to the meat counter to pick up the order. The employee behind the counter informed my wife that not only did they not have our order, they did not have any lamb. My wife inquired what could be done. He asked if my wife wanted to speak with the store manager who happened to be close to the meat counter. My wife explained to the manager, later identified as Melissa Niane, the story which had been shared above. Melissa went to the back of the store to search for herself and came back and said he was right. My wife then explained she had ten people coming for thanksgiving and what were they going to do. My wife suggested they call other stores as Melissa did not offer to do anything to remedy this situation. After my wife’s suggestion Melissa in a dismissive fashion told my wife to take a seat in their cafe. My wife went to the Customer Service counter and asked for the store manager not realizing Melissa was in fact the store manager as she never identified herself. My wife could clearly hear through the customer representatives telephone, “is that that lady with the lamb”. After sometime Melissa showed up with a wrapped meat package and a piece of paper and represented the package as a boneless leg of lamb. Melissa insisted that was what I ordered and repeatedly pointed out my name on the piece paper that accompanied her and said isn’t his name Mark. Isn’t it. The accusatory tone and obsessive need for Melissa to assign blame to the customer versus working with the customer to solve the problem was perpetuated when my wife suggested that maybe the order was taken incorrectly Melissa insisted over and over that was not even remotely possible and was insistent we the customer were at fault. I should point out 3 things, first, the name on the paper was spelled incorrectly so could it be she pulled someone else’s order in error thinki
rgnix
Nice stuff, and especially good food for a grocery store, but stuff here is EXPENSIVE. Brace your wallet for the impact.
LolaGo1
On the LEFT side of the store are several islands of freshly cooked dishes and freshly cut fruits and vegetables. Cost per pound is $8.99 and items can be combined. There are tables inside the store where these items can be eaten or they can be taken home. I took my delicious foods home in their provided paper container. There is also a BAKERY located nearby where various types of bread, pastries, cookies and cakes can be purchased. Freshly prepared SANDWICHES are sold at another section while various types of CHEESES are for sale next to this section. On the RIGHT side of the store are ORGANIC fruits and vegetables, different kinds of NUTS and the SEAFOODS Section. Total of my purchases is $35.00. I'll surely shop here again due to their WIDE selections of foods and other items plus their very FRIENDLY and HELPFUL STAFF.
BAJA FRESH KING FARM
Good service
871williams789
I went on a Saturday night around 8 specifically for carrot cake bars but they didn’t have any even in behind the bakery so I got a cookie instead which was great I got some curry tofu really good blueberry cornbread and Brie cheese a nice dinner will try to go earlier next time
LolaGo1
After having lunch at the Vegetarian Restaurant located near it, we decided to stop here and check out their fruits and baked goods. Noted the presence of Organic Blackberries, Strawberries and Bananas that we purchased. We also bought some baked cookies and tarts, plus a loaf of multigrain bread. They have several islands of hot cooked foods and salads which can be eaten at the few tables and chairs inside this store or take out. Cost is $8.49 per pound. Total of what we ordered was $55! Was surprised how expensive these few items cost us - $5 each for the tart and bread, $4.99 for a pint of organic fruits!
Nancy M
This used to be The place for the best, meat etc. Now, just another market pushing Amazon Prime at all who shop here. I don’t come in as often. While Balducci’s might be a little more expensive, the quality is there in every department. Too bad for Whole Foods
jaseaton
Or the other way round (probably makes more sense to get the food first). Whole Food has excellent salads, soups, and hot dishes served buffet style. It's not gourmet, and the eating area, while quiet, is anything but classy. Still, no one interrupted us for nearly 2 1/2 hours, we both were pleasantly full, and we got a lot of work done. MUCH better than the nearby Panera in terms of food options and room to spread out.
The Nar Side
It's all about Java. Great coffee and great service.
LolaGo1
We stopped here after dining at a Vegetarian restaurant near it. Our plan was just to buy some desserts from their Bakery, ended up doing our grocery shopping here as well. Vegetables and fruits are organic and looked so fresh. We bought some apples, carrots, cashews, flaxseeds, goat cheese, etc. From the bakery, we bought multi-grain breads, tarts, and other desserts. Their macaroons looked so delicious and tempting - decided though to just stick to the tarts and small pieces of desserts. Total of our purchases is about $70. Will stop here again to shop and try their other goods when we're in the area.
Stopped in on a very busy Sunday around lunch time. Got a kale smoothie and it was just OK, nothing special, definitely not very flavorful nor sweet. Tasted like it was made with unripened fruits. Checked out their hot food bar while there and it didn't look appealing at all. In fact, much of it looked old and like it needed to be stirred or replaced. The store was crazy-busy too, too busy to make for an enjoyable shopping trip. what this plaza needs is a Wegmans to give these folks a place to really shop.
As a long-time customer of Whole Foods in the Kentlands, Maryland, both my wife and I were flabbergasted by our recent experience that started with an order with the meat department on November 12th, and ended with the store manager (Melissa Niane) accusing us of placing an order for the incorrect item; a claim by the store manager that their personnel (Seeku) didn’t write the order down incorrectly; and their personnel not being responsible for a missing order that was placed almost two weeks prior to Thanksgiving. While the incident itself was poorly handled, the accusatory and snarky attitude of the store manager against a customer, her refusal to resolve the issue, and her staunch stance that “our employees at Whole Foods are always right and the customer is always wrong” has really turned us off to shopping at Whole Foods in the future. For those interested in the details of this incident. The original order was placed on November 12th at 3:00 p.m. when I called Whole Foods and spoke to Seeku in the meat department to place an order for an 8 lb. leg of lamb with an extended bone. We had placed this order in years past with no issues, so thought nothing of placing this order again for Thanksgiving. (This order was NOT placed with the Holiday Desk). On Sunday, November 21st my wife happened to be shopping at Whole Foods and while there she went to confirm that they indeed had a record of the order and that it would be ready for pickup on November 23rd. She went to the meat department and asked them to confirm the order would be ready, and the meat department sent her to the Holiday Order Desk. After waiting for one of the two women to be available, my wife gave the women the information only to find that the Holiday order desk had no record of the order. As my wife knew I had placed the order, the women that was helping her went back to the meat counter and then brought a notebook back to show my wife that the order was in fact written correctly as an 8 lb. Leg of Lamb for pickup on November 23rd. My wife left the store reassured that the order would be ready for pick up on November 23rd. On Tuesday, November 23rd my wife went back to Whole Foods to pick up the order. When she arrived she went to the meat counter to pick up the order. The employee behind the counter informed my wife that not only did they not have our order, they did not have any lamb. My wife inquired what could be done. He asked if my wife wanted to speak with the store manager who happened to be close to the meat counter. My wife explained to the manager, later identified as Melissa Niane, the story which had been shared above. Melissa went to the back of the store to search for herself and came back and said he was right. My wife then explained she had ten people coming for thanksgiving and what were they going to do. My wife suggested they call other stores as Melissa did not offer to do anything to remedy this situation. After my wife’s suggestion Melissa in a dismissive fashion told my wife to take a seat in their cafe. My wife went to the Customer Service counter and asked for the store manager not realizing Melissa was in fact the store manager as she never identified herself. My wife could clearly hear through the customer representatives telephone, “is that that lady with the lamb”. After sometime Melissa showed up with a wrapped meat package and a piece of paper and represented the package as a boneless leg of lamb. Melissa insisted that was what I ordered and repeatedly pointed out my name on the piece paper that accompanied her and said isn’t his name Mark. Isn’t it. The accusatory tone and obsessive need for Melissa to assign blame to the customer versus working with the customer to solve the problem was perpetuated when my wife suggested that maybe the order was taken incorrectly Melissa insisted over and over that was not even remotely possible and was insistent we the customer were at fault. I should point out 3 things, first, the name on the paper was spelled incorrectly so could it be she pulled someone else’s order in error thinki
Nice stuff, and especially good food for a grocery store, but stuff here is EXPENSIVE. Brace your wallet for the impact.
On the LEFT side of the store are several islands of freshly cooked dishes and freshly cut fruits and vegetables. Cost per pound is $8.99 and items can be combined. There are tables inside the store where these items can be eaten or they can be taken home. I took my delicious foods home in their provided paper container. There is also a BAKERY located nearby where various types of bread, pastries, cookies and cakes can be purchased. Freshly prepared SANDWICHES are sold at another section while various types of CHEESES are for sale next to this section. On the RIGHT side of the store are ORGANIC fruits and vegetables, different kinds of NUTS and the SEAFOODS Section. Total of my purchases is $35.00. I'll surely shop here again due to their WIDE selections of foods and other items plus their very FRIENDLY and HELPFUL STAFF.
Good service
I went on a Saturday night around 8 specifically for carrot cake bars but they didn’t have any even in behind the bakery so I got a cookie instead which was great I got some curry tofu really good blueberry cornbread and Brie cheese a nice dinner will try to go earlier next time
After having lunch at the Vegetarian Restaurant located near it, we decided to stop here and check out their fruits and baked goods. Noted the presence of Organic Blackberries, Strawberries and Bananas that we purchased. We also bought some baked cookies and tarts, plus a loaf of multigrain bread. They have several islands of hot cooked foods and salads which can be eaten at the few tables and chairs inside this store or take out. Cost is $8.49 per pound. Total of what we ordered was $55! Was surprised how expensive these few items cost us - $5 each for the tart and bread, $4.99 for a pint of organic fruits!
This used to be The place for the best, meat etc. Now, just another market pushing Amazon Prime at all who shop here. I don’t come in as often. While Balducci’s might be a little more expensive, the quality is there in every department. Too bad for Whole Foods
Or the other way round (probably makes more sense to get the food first). Whole Food has excellent salads, soups, and hot dishes served buffet style. It's not gourmet, and the eating area, while quiet, is anything but classy. Still, no one interrupted us for nearly 2 1/2 hours, we both were pleasantly full, and we got a lot of work done. MUCH better than the nearby Panera in terms of food options and room to spread out.
It's all about Java. Great coffee and great service.
We stopped here after dining at a Vegetarian restaurant near it. Our plan was just to buy some desserts from their Bakery, ended up doing our grocery shopping here as well. Vegetables and fruits are organic and looked so fresh. We bought some apples, carrots, cashews, flaxseeds, goat cheese, etc. From the bakery, we bought multi-grain breads, tarts, and other desserts. Their macaroons looked so delicious and tempting - decided though to just stick to the tarts and small pieces of desserts. Total of our purchases is about $70. Will stop here again to shop and try their other goods when we're in the area.
Restaurantji Recommends
Stopped in on a very busy Sunday around lunch time. Got a kale smoothie and it was just OK, nothing special, definitely not very flavorful nor sweet. Tasted like it was made with unripened fruits. Checked out their hot food bar while there and it didn't look appealing at all. In fact, much of it looked old and like it needed to be stirred or replaced. The store was crazy-busy too, too busy to make for an enjoyable shopping trip. what this plaza needs is a Wegmans to give these folks a place to really shop.
It is near whole foods. Coffee is ok
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