Earth Fare

My husband and I shop at this earthfare almost every day. I splurged and bought some prepackaged steaks the other day and when I took them out of the package to marinate them they smelled awful and rotten. This was 7 days prior to the expiry date. When I went to return them I was told I couldn't because I didn't have my receipt even though it is a brand that is not sold anywhere else. (At this point one of the steaks had turned green by the way - very fitting since the name of the brand is Verde). All l was told I could do was exchange them. I did so, worrying that I would just get more bad steaks since they were probably from the same batch. I got home and we opened them up and the first one smelled ok, the 2nd smelled rotten. My intention was to go in and not only get my money back for the steaks that I splurged on, but also kindly let them know that the prepackaged steaks they were selling that had an expiration date way in the future were bad, and they might want to check all of them so that more people didn't buy them. I also assumed they would let me return them even though I lost my receipt because they are a small local grocery store chain. And it was a unique brand of prepackaged steaks that only earthfare carries. I have been able to return very common name brand stuff to Publix without a receipt. I figured then, that earth fare would be more than accommodating. Instead I happened to go when there was only one person working the check-out, who must have felt rushed as there was a long line, and who didn't even try to be helpful and wait for me to explain my story. And I ended up with more rotten steak. Once again I shop here every day. I don't intend to anymore.

Went in today for the first time since the re-open. I gotta say, I wasn't impressed. They have much less product than before. Everything is spaced out to make it look full, but it's so much less. I bought a canned matcha drink, only to find out it expired before the store even reopened. Seems like they didn't sell out of everything when they closed and put stuff away in storage, and then restocked it. But maybe check your dates? Gross.

Earth Fare needs to work on its customer service. It’s striving to be a high-quality fresh organic grocery store, but the quality of produce is in decline. Recently I purchased 2-3 lbs of organic peaches recently, all of which were mealy. Earth Fare charges a premium for their produce, but when I returned the mealy peaches (~$12), the Asst Manager “T” would not refund the purchase or replace them because I hadn’t saved my receipt. It’s unfortunate that Earth Fare cannot provide the premium customer service (found at other stores like Publix, WF) that you expect with premium prices. I own a small business on Devine St and live in the neighborhood but unfortunately won’t be purchasing produce again from Earth Fare given the cost and risk.

This is the only place in the area to get Homestead Creamery products. Earth Fare carries nearly every variety of milk, and they even have HC lemonade (both kinds!) and Chocolate/Vanilla ice cream. If you've never had their milk before, I highly recommend it, though be mindful of the $2 bottle deposit so you don't have sticker shock. Cowpuccino (coffee milk) is my personal favorite. Everything is well rotated and I am yet to have a bad product from this store. Homestead Creamery is about a half-hour south of Roanoke, VA, and their dairy comes from local A2A2 cows. I've also noticed this is the only store, probably within a few miles, where I can get frozen clams and octopus. So for very specific things, I like visiting this Earth Fare.