BluegrassGrrrl A.'s Profile

What's great: It's not Wal-Mart.  'Nuff said.

- For a humongous store, it has a nice atmosphere.  Not as stylin' as Target, but Meijer is more a grocery than Target. It is big, but it is airy with fairly wide aisles, room to move around, and A TON of check-out lanes, both self-serve and full-serve.

- I like the way the store is laid out although I do wish the beauty/toiletries were on the same side of the store as the groceries, but oh well.

- Good produce.

- Meijer store brand stuff is great.  And they have a Premium brand, which is nice too.  Also, they have a new Meijer organic brand, which is a little more expensive, but not insanely expensive.

- Like most big box stores, they have it all: pharmacy, beauty, clothes, jewelry, shoes, electronics, photo, home, bakery, deli, etc.  I should stipulate though that I am pretty much only a grocery, toiletries, vitamins and beauty shopper there.

Good stuff: The greeters are actually nice and don't ask to see your receipt as you leave.  And if you ask them where something is located, they will try to find out for you.

- CRAZY DEALS. They have these wacko deals (look in the paper for their flier on Fri, Sat, Sun) like "buy one bag of shrimp and get two free."  "Buy one package of steak and get one free."  I used to go crazy with these deals with a former roommate, we'd be eating shrimp and steak and feeling on cool cuz we were doing it for cheap. I don't do that so much anymore, but it's great for families.

- GAS. If you get a Meijer credit card (which I did), you get 5 cents a gallon off at their gas station out in front, which is already competitive.  This is pretty much the only reason I got the card because I NEVER get store credit cards. But it has been worth it.

(One thing that bugs me about the credit card, though: they send the bill only about 7 to 10 days before it's due. Once, I was running too close to pay it on time, so I had to go over to the store to pay it off.)

- They have an ICEE machine at the front of the store. (OK, it's not the name brand, but they have the red cherry and the iced cola, which I love!) It's only a buck.

- In a related note, their shopping carts have drink holders. How cool (and obnoxiously American) is that?

- Their restrooms are not hidden in the back. They're at the front of the store.  (Cleanliness varies at times.)

- Oh, and as if I really need to say this, there is PLENTY OF PARKING!

- I think they're open 24 hrs.

What's lacking:

- Quality film development.  I still use film (not digital) and got it sent off to their Meijer film lab. It was horrible. Don't do it.  Even a Meijer employee told me that they should not have stopped using Kodak processing.

- Price accuracy.  Whatever you do, don't leave the store without checking your receipt.  Over the years, I have found  a lot of mistakes where the sale price did not come up at the register.  I always check my receipt and go to the Customer Service desk with any discrepancies.  They always refund me the difference, but unlike some stores, they don't give you the item free for their messing up.  I will admit that the frequency of this problem as decreased in the last six months or so.

- Coolness.  Meijer is a lot of things, but it's not cool.  Target at least TRIES to be cool and occasionally succeeds.  
BUT...
Meijer is STILL WAY COOLER than Wal-Mart!

Yeah, I know it's McDonalds, but I LOVE this McDonalds.

Let me count the ways:

- Remember that joke about how you never see people of different ethnicities in McDs commercials?  There's the African American McD commercial, the white McD, the Asian McD, the Latino McD, etc.?  (I don't know if this has changed, but it was like this in the 1980s when I watched a ton of TV.)

Yeah, not at this McDs.  This is an urban McD that everybody comes to: UK college students (all ethnicities), sorority girls, frat boys, homeless guys, kids on break from their chess club competition, yuppie families, middle-aged  intellectuals, Latinos, whites, blacks, Asians, people with disabilities, cops, postal workers, and even guys with ties.

If you sit by yourself at this McD's and are willing to make eye contact with people, people will talk to you.  You need some friends?  Go to this McDonald's.  You don't want friends?  Don't make eye contact or go through the drive-thru.

Other great stuff: Has a fenced in patio for eating outside.  The benches/tables are old and aren't fancy, but they get the job done.

More than adequate parking.

Pay phone in the parking lot (you know, if you need to use one.)

Generally friendly staff and usually well-staffed with little wait. They run a tight little ship.  Also, usually if you're nice to them, they're nice to you.

Two televisions that have cable and don't have to be on the same channel!  Great place to go on Saturdays to watch UK games or movies! And YOU the customer control the channel, the volume, etc.  (Be nice and ask fellow patrons if they mind first.)

Don't pay any attention to the signs up that say they have a rule about your not being able to stay for more than 30 minutes. They seriously don't enforce it.

Good stuff: If you like McD's, you get quality McDs. Nothing more, nothing less.  Oh yeah, and it's cheap.

Lacking: Non-McD's food.

WARNING: If you are a snob or elitist and homeless people or college students or working class make you itch, etc., you may not like this McDonalds.  Go to one closer to the burbs.  
(Oh, and SHAME ON YOU!)

OTHER WARNING: If you start cussing really loud, are fall-down drunk or otherwise obnoxious beyond normal limits, they may kick you out or even ban you.  They also don't particularly like it when people sleep in there.

LAST WARNING: You might get approached by a pan-handler. It doesn't happen real often, but it might.  I'll let you use your judgment on this one, but I'll just say that if you politely say "no," you should be left alone.

What's great: Covered drive-thru, which is especially nice when it's raining/snowing.  

Convenient location; next to Goodwill, in the Kroger Shopping Center on 68, just south of the county line.

What's good: They dry clean your clothes and they have coupons online: (http://www.concordcust...) and in the Lexington Herald-Leader (check the comics section on Sundays).

What's lacking: Profesionalism.  When I go in there, I feel like I'm interrupting something because: they are on the phone, babysitting their kids, talking amongst themselves, etc.  
I always have this feeling in the back of my mind, "Do I really trust these people to clean my clothes?"

Also, one time I took a sweater in and it came back with a "Sorry, we couldn't get these stains out" note on it and I'm pretty sure there were no stains on it when I took it in.

However, I'm too lazy to look for a new dry cleaner because I don't dry clean that often and usually they do a fine job cleaning my clothes.

What's great: There is a coffee shop in Wilmore and you can stay as long as you want!  If you live in Wilmore (especially if you're a student), you'll see several people you know.

What's good: Coffee, tea, sandwiches, quiche, sweets.

What's lacking: Enough heat in the winter (brrr!), timely service, professionalism and sometimes food quality (burnt bagel, overheated muffin, etc.).