Fresh and Easy, and no stupid club cards
Opinion's editor Steve Scauzillo may not approve of Fresh and Easy, but I gotta tell you, having something that resembles a Trader Joes or Whole Foods in West Covina is a blessing.
I've been to the store about six times since Fresh and Easy opened in West Covina, and I love it. So Scauzillo says the packaged foods are loaded in sodium. Duh. What packaged foods aren't? Fresh and Easy is worth a visit if you want a break from rowdy kids running in the aisles or are tired of having people run you over with their carts. Carts are small, and no one seems to have discovered the store. It is never crowded, and the self-check out lines scare away incompetent people who can't figure out how to work them.
And best of all: It's cheap. Plus, there's no damn "club card" you have to sign up for and remember to bring at each visit. (I have about five of these cards to stores and I get annoyed each time I'm asked to use it but then realize I took it out of my wallet because I got tired of carrying it.)
The next Los Angeles County city to get the store could be Baldwin Park.
Comments
I don't like fresh and easy. It feels really sterile and uninviting. Trader Joe's is so much better. When it first opened, it smelled very fishy.
Posted by: Anon | January 23, 2008 4:00 PM
I explored the F&E in Arcadia and the new Whole Foods in Pasadena on the same day several weeks ago.
My thoughts: F&E seems like a combination of a Ralphs & Traders Joes--which doesn't appeal to me but will probably appeal to a large segment of shoppers.
Whole Foods in Pasadena: "wow" is all I can say. I could spend hours in there--very impressive, I hope the Whole Foods brass keeps that two-story concept going and builds them elsewhere.
Posted by: Dog Spot | January 23, 2008 4:26 PM
Two enthusiastic thumbs up for Fresh and Easy. I live in Valinda (La Puente) and work in Pasadena. Pasadena has about 4 trader joes and 2 whole food markets. Our nearest Trader Joes is in Whittier - and I have been hoping for a TJ's for a long time. F&Eis the best thing to come to our community and I am hoping to have more "food conscious" type places in our community in the very near future.
Posted by: Amanda Salas | February 20, 2008 5:28 PM