Food Basics
Reviews and Complaints

I shop regularly at food basic on merivale road in Ottawa
on numerous occasions I have noticed outdated product on the shelves including most recently bread muffins and el Paso burrito mix. I understand they sell food cheaper than other retailers however it does not justify outdated product. I have also noticed meat that is at its due date as well missing dates on packaged meats. This is not new over the past few years I have seen it getting worse. It has made me more aware of th4 importance of checking dates. I am also doing this for the elderly who may not know any differently as far as fresh produce it is a hit or miss.i have noticed pineapple on the shelf that is cold to to the touch as if it was frozen to give you an example as well fresh vegetables that are on the verge of rot. I have let this go for some time but now I am fed up with throwing things out and is why I am now speaking out. So disappointed and feel cheated and I have lost my trust in this particular store. Staff on floor are not helpfull when I had lodged a concern to them. Bread should not be sitting on a shelfwhen it is days past it's expirary date. I work in a grocery store and can tell you this is not normal practice.ps you should also check into price fixing on bread prices. Sincerely a very disappointed customer.

Missing gift cards

I tried to fax your the main office however it wasn't working. I have faxed the information to Judy O'Brian from the Hanmer ON store. Two of our cards went missing. We aren't sure if someone has taken it or if it was missed placed. We are just wondering if you can track them? I'm sending you a letter from the person's department. Thanks for your time and hope to hear from you soon.

Wahnapitae First Nation Health Department [protected]

If a product has the sticker on it saying its been paid for why was i made pay for it

it was a case of pop on the shelve with the proof of sale still on it ...seeing how its been paid for or a staff there failed to remove it I don't see why i was made pay for it it was last case there on shelf
any other store would have just said its paid for I asked the girl and she laughed at me and didn't answer my question about policies of the store

Andrew MacFarlane
28 Stevenson St North Guelph
N1H5A5
[protected]@gmail.com

On July 4.2018, I spent my day outside the store waiting for a family a family member to be released from Barton. I spent the majority of the morning sitting in the heat waiting until I decided to go into your store and pick up some treats for him. I had a small list if things in mind:
- Juice flavouring water squirts
- Nutella
- Lucky charms
- Poptarts
- Chips
And I planned to browse through the store in case I wanted to grab something else.
So after walking a couple isles I had to use the washroom, I put everything down on the shelf and proceeded to use the facilities. When I came out an employee confronted me about concealing juice squirts so I showed him the items I had picked up so far... other shoppers are now at this point looking at me while I was being accused. Mentally I decided I was going to put my items away and leave ... I walked down the isle that has the large metal bins in the middle and I put everything down and walked towards the main doors and I was stopped again by another employee who this time outright accused me and even searched my bag in font of everyone. Customers in the cash out lanes and others still walking around were now standing staring at the scene that they were causing. Not once did I intend to or even try to conceal anything
I had been in the store to buy things for my family member and I was treated with such disrespect and was completely embarrassed by the outrageous accusations of the staff. Not only did I feel publicly embarrassed and totally offended but that I was stopped by TWO employees and searched only to show both of them that I had nothing on me. I was not there to steal as they accused me of, but I definitely felt horrible. I wish I had caught their names but in the mix of the comotion I was too flustered to think of that.

My husband and I went and got groceries today and I should have said something about it in the store but I didn't.
While we were checking out (at cash 7) I asked for 2-3 more bags after everything was paid for. The cashier asks for 15 cent and we didn't have the change. He said to use the card again to pay for it when a very nice lady went and paid for it for us. However, while she did that, he gossipt and complained to her while we were still there.

1. Paying 5 cents per bag is ridiculous
2. NO ONE working in customer service should be so damn rude of 15 frigging cents.

We are not happy with that man's service skills.

(Location that is closest to Presland Road in a shopping plaza)

sunday june 24 2018 at brookdale store in Cornwall on was putting apples in a bag I heard a big store cart near me. Next thing i know a young man who obviously wasn't paying attention rammed into my cart which then the handle bar of my cart rammed into my upper stomach on left side. I was scared and in shock and the pain was awful! I instantly started to gag and i wanted to throw up..a lady in wheelchair saw what happened and told the employee to get the manager and a chair for me to sit..The young man apologized but did nothing..I slowly had to finish my groceries in alot of pain plus was waiting for someone in authority to come speak to me..Nobody did. As i was standing in line i spotted an adult Shawn tyo i believe i quietly explained what happened after i asked for a manager he said i'm listening he asked my first name and said he would speak to young employee and said if you feel worse call the store. That was it..I left feeling very upset and hurting and confused..That is not how i expected to be treated after what i experienced. It wasn't a bump on the cat i got hit very hard..I want someone in authority to look into this!What is the right protocol? If i have health issues after this calling the store isn't going to do anything ..No information was exchanged or documented do you think anyone is going to know what actually took place? I want to know what is going to be done with this! My stomach is hurting and it has made uncomfortable and ruined my day.

Hello,

On June 16, 2018 my trip to the Food Basics at 3 Clair Road was very frightening, at approximately 1:19 I had the most shocking experience with the manager : Mr. John Deensagh.

My name is Paulina Joseph, I'm 65 year old who made a quick stop to the Food Basics
store at 3 Clair Road West in Guelph. I went into the store mainly to purchase lottery tickets and few items so I got the small basket instead of the shopping cart. I eventually picked up only two items: a bottle of bleach and a bottle of vinegar which I had in the basket, after I cashed out, my intention was only to use the basket to carry the heavy items closer to the cashier at the lottery counter. As soon as I bent down and get the basket, the manager reached over to me and just yanked it out of my hand while using the words " You cannot take this basket outside the store, what are you going with this basket ? I immediately got confused since what else can anyone do with a basket in a grocery store but to shop, ? my reply to him was, " It's mine, I'm using it" His reply was, "this is not yours, it belongs to the Food Basic store.

What was he thinking, what was really going through his head at that moment. A white lady next to me shook her head and said
" If I were a white person, this would not have happened" I now honestly think that's so true.
Coming from a manager, I expect common curtsy, respect to customers and not to ASSUME all customers are the same.
I was so very confused, hurt and embarrassed, I honestly had no idea what else to think at that point but to get my stuff and leave.

I'm a 58 year old woman and had the worst experience of all time today.
I suffer from scoliosis and neorapathy. My spine is curved and causing saratic pain through both of my legs. I can barely stand up straight in the mornings, (I take 3 different pain killers for my pain but 2 are only at night time so I can sleep)
I usually am ok about a half hour later where I can get up and make a tea and try to straighten my back up and get on with my daily chores.
Today was bad. I couldn't straighten up and these two crippling diseases have progressively gotten worse over the last year.
Anyhow I went to food basics about lunch time and I intended only to buy a few items and grabbed a basket which got filled up fast because they had alot of good deals on.
Well I looked for a cart and saw 3 lined up beside a cashier stand that was closed
I went around and took the last cart which had maybe 6 small items in it and the other two carts had a few items in them as well.
I pushed the cart to where my basket was and took my contents and put them in the cart and took the other stuff like one trip to put it in one of the remainder two carts by the cashier stand.
Well, I heard a rough voice, garbling something and I turned around and it was this cheezy cashier chomping gum and yelling at me that they were using that cart!
I looked at her and said "you are not even near the carts and I need this cart cause as you can see my basket is full and I want to buy the specials.
She continued on till I just walked away with the cart.
You would think that would b the end of it right? Forget it
I shopped for a good 45 minutes (I try to help my son and his father out by shopping for them, my ex has severe health problems so that is why I was even there)
Anyhow I am now ready to check out and this elderly woman approaches me and asks me if im in a lot of pain.
I told her my conditions and she said her husband who is 86 suffers from the same things I do and she said she knows the pain I am enduring. She asked me what I was taking for the pain and I told her. She offered to help me unload my cart and I accepted.
I tell her about the incident and being a nice old lady she tells me not to worry about it not to stress
She wasnt there to witness the ignorance I endured when I took the cart.
The cashier says interupts me when im talking to the woman helping me
And I look at her and tell her I wasnt talking to her I was talking to the woman behind me and to mind her own business.
The cashier informs me it is her business as im talkig about the cart!
Do u beleive this garbage?
Now im pissed and have over $200 in groceries in my cart. Im contempalting leaving it and walking out but ive already spent 45 miutes shoppig and why should I have to anyway?
My ex is sitting in the car all this time waiting for his groceries.
I looked at this [censored] and said to the woman that was helping me"I think food basics should close their doors today just like starbucks!"take a course on public relations
Soon as I said that she paged the store manager!
I thought"no! It has to be for something else "she is whispering to him whe he shows up and I heard her say I was swearing and called her names which 1000, 0000% I did not!
I looked at the manager and told him she was absoultely lying to which she rolled her eyes! Unbeleivable!
I told the manager about the first sachier and the utmost importance of this sittig cart. I also told him I was a regular shopper and spent at least $1200 or more a month here and I told him I would never come back and guess what? He shrugged his shoulders and mumbled"ok"
I left and called head office and the woman I talked to was apalled and said that senior magement would be addressing this immediately.
The damaage is done and I will never go to another food basics again.
I was crying all the way home and had to wait two hours to calm down before I called head office
I said"where is the customer service? I am bent over like im a hundred and they are worried bout a cart that had 6 or less items I it, they should have helped me all the way like most other grocery stores have. Food basics employees and manager sucks
I will never ever go back and I feel like suing them.

Hi there, I used to work at food basics in kitchener, ontario, on fairway road. I quit three months after being there because of the lack of respect there. I was very unhappy with how they treated their staff and customers. I'm a big believer in respect. Now that I quit and it's tax time. I went in not once, but twice and I called asking for help.
They handed me a post it with a number that isn't working and when I went in they told me "we don't give taxes to old employees." I am very unhappy and disappointed with the service and non help they are providing.
Still to this day have not gotten my t4 from them.

My brother was robbed on april 3, 2018 between 9:53 a.M. - 10:15 a.M. - he just shopped at the food basics. He was just stepping off the curb in front of chuckee cheese heading east towards bough beeches when a small 4 door black vehicle approached him. There was a woman in the back seat - 50-60 years old - short dark hair and a male driving - curly dark hair 50-60. They called him over and when he bent down to see what they wanted - the woman in the rear seat placed and necklace around his neck asking if he wanted to buy it he said "no" and he tried to take it off. They beat him to it and removed his gold necklace, pendant, cross and charm and took-off. These thieves are targeting vulnerable people. I have contacted the mall management office by e-mail sitzer group but have not heard back from them. We have reported it to the police but I don't think they will be investigating this matter. I spoke to the food basics manager and warned him. I e-mailed the sitzer group management - to report the theft to them - they don't have an office in the mall. I am still waiting to hear from them. I have contacted revera head office to warn their clientele and employees and they thank me. I have also contacted the rockwood home association but I am still waiting to hear back. I've also contacted chuckee cheese head office this morning by e-mail to see if their camera's caught the theft. My concern is that there is a lot of things happening at the mall in the past few years - jewelry store robbed, max milk robbed and now this distraction theft. I am very concerned about the vulnerable residents of my neighbourhood. I don't want to see a senior pushed over to steel their jewelry or purse. Is there some way of warning the residents and informing the owners of the stores in the mall about this recent incident. Can you help? Regards, mariann cosentino

March 29, 2018
At approx. 7:15 p. M my husband dropped me off to get groceries while he ran an errand.
3 young workers (one was tall with a bun or ponytail) and the other 2 were dark haired were in the back right at the door with it opened arguing and using the f word a lot! The store was very busy and there were some children in there. Myself and another woman turned and looked in their direction and were told yes I know you can hear us. No I am sorry no nothing at all. It continued for a few mins. Before they finally stopped. I was very discussed that this sort of behavior was allowed.
I myself will not be going back there again to listen to another swear show.

We brought 6 juice yesterday 22 march 2018 yesterday and they were all expired this is not right at all they are selling expired products. They were suppose to throw them away a day before its expiry date and its was 20 days expired juice kept in food basics east york town center toronto ontario canada. So I just wanted you to inform you that they should not keep expired products its not good for the health.

Hi, my name is... This is concerning my wife, who has worked there for a couple yrs now, she left 2 yrs ago due to medical reasons. But now ever time she walks into your store gets sexually harassed by one of ur employees on a weekly basis, her family gets harresed on a weekly basis, to the point my wife comes home crying and angry that ur allowing this, ive spoke to numerous ppl about this person and his disrespect towards others, my now will not shop there we drive 20 mins outta our way cause of ur employee and all he can say is my union will protect me, now that's not fair, i'm a union worker and I have a code of ethics, now I have talked to my lawyer about this matter, right now i'm not seeking aany legal action but would like to see him dismissed, this has been an on going issue, I know hes had a lot of complaints about this and hygiene, my wife knows when hes near her, he stinks, now she has issues because of this in public. Im am very sorry but enough is enough, employee patrick all i'm saying

My family and I shop at food basics daily, such great prices. My only complaint is the staff, one day while pulling into the parking lot I noticed two people having fun (getting it on) in a vehicle since the high school was right behind food basics I just thought it was probably some young teens being teens, I went in to do my regular shopping came out to see the man being the manger and one of the young floor staff coming out of the car I thought was just two regular teens being teens, embarrassed I rushed to my car and went home a couple weeks later I came back in and all of the staff seemed to be a little hung over which is fine with me aslong as I am served properly. I was highly disappointed when my cashier couldn't stop talking to the other cashier about their christmas party and how nice it was that the manager came to have a couple drinks with them. I don't mind having a little fun but when a manager parties with his staff and the staff is going on infront of the customers about it that's when it becomes unprofessional. I have also witnessed the staff gossiping about customers as the customer leaves to eachother as well as the manager gossiping to other staff members about staff and previous staff on the sales floor. The staff seem very unhappy lately which is making my experience shopping there not as pleasant as before. Like I said I love the low prices and usually love shopping here but it's becoming uncomfortable!

Food basics sold us meat that was off.
We purchase groceries from food basics at your grimsby location at least once or twice a month. They do offer reasonable prices and we do enjoy the weekly specials. We were however once again shocked and disappointed that the lamb available for purchase was not up to standard. We bought it in july and even though the packet was marked as special we did not realise that the meat was about to expire to being rotten if it was not cooked and eaten on the day of purchase. We cooked the meat a month later after being kept properly frozen in our freezer along with onions, tomatoes and other expensive stew ingredients. As is started to cook we knew immediately that the meat was indeed off. It stank! We have grown up with lamb - we know what it should smell like and should taste like. We love lamb, but we will no longer be buying lamb from food basics or any other meat product from food basics ever again. We are too afraid that the meat might be vrot again. One needs to have confidence in your grocery store and be able to buy fresh meat even though it was offered on special.

Hi, I am a repetitive customer at this store, often I go for shopping at this store
in the evening for shopping anytime after 6:00 P.M as I am a shift worker, but for the last 2 or 3 times I have been noticing that there is only 1 regular nd 1 express counter open after 6:00 P.M even though, there are shoppers coming in and going all the times with full cart of purchases, if you have more than 8 or more items you can't go through the express counter and you're stuck with long tedious line up, which cause tiredness and irritation among s shoppers, the store at this location has more than 5 or 6 regular counter but they do not want intentionally open the other counter even though there are number of people waiting at the line up with full carts, even though they can't open all the counter at the store they should at least open 1 or more additional counter to beat the traffic.

Date of Incident:
July 31st, 2017 at approximately 08:00 P.M

Yesterday, when I went to shopping at the store around 08:00 P.M, there was only 1 counter open and 1 express, as the regular counter was full usual with 3 other peoples in front of me with full carts, I had to go through the express line up even though I had more than 10 items and I had no choice because I was in a hurry, but the customer who came after me at the express line up wasn't happy and started trashing me with all kind of cultural and racial slurs, I should have spoke to the store manager but I ignored her comments but I wonder whose fault was that is it the store? who supposed to open additional counters according to traffic at the store or the customer, I would appreciate if famous grocery giant address the issue as soon as possible especially during summer times when the people go for shopping in the evening all the times.

I was shopping on wed. July 12, 2017 and checked out at register 7, when I passed register 1 the cashier sheila king was angrily glaring at me. I asked her if she had a problem and why was she staring at me like that. She replied "excuse me, why are you talking to me, go away you are nasty!" I was in disbelief and just said "oh my god" and walked out. This cashier has a very bad attitude, and as a customer I feel this is very inappropriate behavior!

My 17 year old son applied today at food basics was told to speak to manager when he went to speak to him and was told he inturupted him and to come back ttommorrow and maybe he would forget his face.. My son is begining the job feild and was hesitant because of anxiety problems to apply in first place... And when he was met with that he was quite upset so I called the store and the manager said he had interupted him while talking to an employee and maybe he sholud be more professional once again he is 17 so I saiid my peace and told him I was going to contact you and he said go ahead... The manager name is rhy... Im very upset about this im glad that I called him because he wouldnt have wanted to see me in person... Just defending my son... Rod masters

On january the 16 around 545 pm I was at food basics cornwall ontario at the brookdale avenue location. I was backing out of my spot when the shopping cart guy pushed a row of carts in to my chrysler 300 passenger side causing over 1600 in damages. This was an estimate from a body shop they sent me to. I am waiting on a call still hope for one soon.

Food basics put products on sale and distribute fliers to households in our neighborhoods. When we go there, some of the products on sale are not available. When we ask the management, they become so rude. And empathy? Food basics don't know this.

It happened with us in last 9 years. But recently, this trend has gone up. This is simply outrageous.

Food basics - the grocery company is unwanted for in this community.