Fairway Market

Hands down best supermarket in Brooklyn.

- There's so many positives & few negatives:

NEGATIVES:
- Insanely crowded at times
- Families with kids running around
- Can run out of particular food depending on when you come
- Expensive depending on what your buying

POSITIVES:
- Friendly Staff
- HUGE
- Large parking lot
- What ever kind of food your looking for - they have
- Best to come when they have sales
- Clean

I haven't been to Fairway since before COVID-19, and my recent trip to the Red Hook store was disappointing. Selection and quality seem to keep declining on every visit (mediocre produce, missing common herbs and spices, higher prices than other stores, etc). I don't know if they've just stopped caring as much because of the bankruptcy and because the store might close soon, or if I keep going on off days.

But even worse than the selection and quality issues was the very minimal effort they seemed to have taken to keep both shoppers and employees safe. Other than a sign outside telling you to wear a mask, plexiglass by the cashier, and a few lines on the floor by the registers that no one seemed to be paying attention to, it didn't feel that different from pre-COVID times. There was no real attempt at social distancing at all, no one counting how many people were entering, no visible sanitizing or other things that other stores are doing. I wish I had read the recent reviews about how they were handling safety, because if we did, we might have gone somewhere else.

If we weren't already dissatisfied, the usual pricing errors would have done it. For some reason, they often seem to ring up the produce wrong at Fairway. Usually, I'll notice the incorrect pricing at the register and have it fixed, but on this visit, we didn't notice until later since we were trying to socially distance from the cashier and get out of the store as quickly as possible since it didn't feel that safe inside. Probably ended up being overcharged $6-7 for a few different things, which on top of everything else didn't make me inclined to go back any time soon, even if they're one of the few places that carries Impossible Burger. Didn't know about the mobile checkout when we went, but probably would have been a much better trip if we had.

Been grocery hopping and decided to check this place out. We've been biking for groceries so it was a delight to find out they have designated parking for bikes! They also have a pump available.

Arrived at 8:30 on a Friday night and there were barely any people. By 9pm the staff has cleared out the fresh items so we didn't get to check them out. Still, the place has a wide selection of everything. They aren't that much cheaper than other groceries we've been to and since we're biking, we decided to be selective with what we buy. We bought a 5lb pack of carrots for $3.99 and 24 eggs for $5.99. We also got sweet potatoes for 99c each.

We decided to buy vegetables and fruits elsewhere since they would be too heavy to carry but they have a wide selection. They have a lot of items on sale but because logistics is a problem, we didn't jump in on the sale.

The store is huge. A bit farther from other groceries we've checked out and doesn't offer anything different so we may not need to come back. If it was closer, we probably would.

NOT a Fairway anymore. It's a Food Bazaar. Don't waste your time. Half empty shelves. Ridiculous prices $2.79 for one regular cucumber?

Not all staff cover their noses with the their mask. Not all customers either. Not even the deli guy. What's the point?

I'd have gone to Whole Foods but the line was too long.

Mobile checkout is key during coronavirus! The line for checkout was INSANELY long---back beyond the cafe! I started to wait in line, then remembered the mobile app, which i had yet to try out. While in line, i quickly scanned all products without issue, and placed all items in my reusable bags, got out of line, and scanned the QR code posted at the front of the store. Walla! One click for ApplePay (or another preferred payment method), and i was out in 30 seconds! Unreal! Saved so much time, unnecessarily waiting in a corona filled line, of ppl not social distancing enough!

We've been shopping here since Fairway opened, and wow has it changed for the worse. We just spent a significant amount of money on groceries, and the woman ringing us us up complained loudly to her colleagues about her shift ending as she checked us out. She pushed our goods harshly down the ramp not caring what happened -- while we bagged in the bags we had brought. She didn't volunteer to help.

All of that is on top of being out of my yogurt and eggs. The 3 remaining oat milk containers were sitting on a wet shelf. This week we thankfully found everything else we needed, but last week they were out of multiple items. Instacart people walk around like they run the store, and the guys restocking have to work around them.

It used to be a really great atmosphere where we formed friendly bonds with the cheesemonger Charlie, the cashier Gabriel, and many others. There even was a lovely guy who collected carts in the parking lot --- but evidently all are long gone. We still hope the management reads this and remembers those days too and wants to make changes.

Wow, this store has gone down hill. They used to have a nice outdoor BBQ in the back area with beer and food on the weekends. The only thing I had seen on my most recent trip were people at tables eating items that they had purchased inside. Not very inviting, even on a nice day.

The Deli counter took forever while customers try to cut the line, then they basically threw the meat across the counter to us.

The checkout? Price problems and then a void that took way too long to correct. It's almost like the workers here WANT the store to close.

I bumped it to 2 starts because the pastry and cakes counter has some creative and tasty options at a reasonable price.

I like Fairway supermarkets in general but this one isn't my favorite, not anymore anyway.

The way the market is laid out is a little confusing. It's kinda like a maze in the beginning where you enter. There is a section off the seafood side that is for organic stuff but it's just a little compact for two shopping carts to get through comfortably. The rest of the aisles provide a bit more room but not much. During peak times it's get messy quick.

The people that work here are kinda blah. No one here seems to be happy especially the meat counter guys. Also even if I'm packing the groceries it always seems to take longer here to checkout than at other Fairways and so the lines move kinda slower as a result.

Parking can be frustrating during peak times but there generally is enough parking even if you have to walk a little further.

I used to enjoy riding my bike here, grabbing a bite to eat at the Fairway cafe in the back and sitting outside at one of the tables next to the old train car. On my recent visit I didn't check if the old train car was still there but I still imagine that it would still be relaxing to grab a bit an economical bite and watching the waves hit the rocks.

What an amazing store!! It would be an understatement to call it a grocery store. Instead, it is a labyrinth of different food, grocery, meat & deli items, each section in itself almost the size of a grocer.

One enters into a large produce section. Rounding the corner reveals even more produce. The organic choices are numerous, fresh and appealing.

As you make a turn out of produce, you are greeted by another large department. This goes in and on until you reach the final grocery aisles, which are backed by a spacious deli and hot food area.

Multiple choices of anything you could want or need is available at Fairway.

The greatest challenge lies in getting lost in the store. Remembering a fresh herb I had forgotten, I attempted to find my way back to produce. What a long trek the round trip back to checkout was. My Fitbit loved the steps.

Store employees are friendly and helpful. Checkout obviously uses the same computer software as does Fresh Market. A swipe of my credit card brought up my email address, welcomed me, and sent the receipt as an email, rather than paper copy. The email was identical, with a different store name of course, to those generated at Fresh Market check out.

Sigh..... The choices are so wonderful that I always end up with more than I planned. Carrying heavy bags of groceries up three flights of stairs requires a lot of time and effort at my current stamina level. As I lift the bags into the cart I know that I've purchased too much again.

I've saved the best for last.

The Red Hook Fairway is near the water next to IKEA Brooklyn. A large free, fenced & attended parking lot is provided for shoppers. Exiting the parking lot one is treated to a breathtakingly beautiful view of the Statue of Liberty. It is the perfect way to end a pleasant shopping experience.

Although I live in Manhattan, which has a number of Fairway locations, I enjoy coming to the Red Hook branch due to the spacious atmosphere. Yes, it can be hectic, but if you time it right, you can sometimes be the sole shopping cart in the wide aisle.

The selection is amazing, although I have to remind myself to check if I'm in the yellow labelled organic section or not. The selection of European finds, like fancy sardines, is superb.