BY MARK DEVOLDER
Los Alamos

There was a tune that I grew up with, “The Old Gray Mare” (The old gray mare, she ain’t what she used to be). The same might be said for the Smith’s grocery store in downtown Los Alamos.

The following are some things I have noticed recently or over the past couple of years:

1. There is a depression in the asphalt for a utility feature which is a tripping hazard / shopping cart impediment near the south entrance to the store. The feature has been there since the store / parking lot was constructed. (Note: It might be a good idea to fill the feature with a steel disk of suitable diameter.)
2. The aluminum threshold at the south entrance to the store is cracked and presents a tripping hazard. (Note: The threshold could be repaired with some silicone caulk.)
3. The shopping carts are in poor condition (that is, some are broken and / or bent, the wheels do not roll smoothly, cloth / fibers / plastic film are wrapped around wheel axles on some carts, green chewing gum was left by some patron on the edge of a our shopping cart, trash / advertising flyers / plastic bags are left in the carts). The damage to the carts makes it very difficult to separate an individual cart from a string of carts. The backs of the carts (that is, the metal rod on the back of the carts) is often missing because children like to use the metal rod like a toy and ride the cart around the store / parking lot. The metal rod is designed to hold the cart together and is not a toy for public amusement.
4. The floor is relatively clean, but the store is dirty. The overhead wooden frames on the north side of the store / support cables / perhaps everything at ceiling level is dusty / dirty. It is bothersome that overhead contamination is present in an area where over-the-counter drugs and cosmetics are sold. I speculate that the same dust and dirt is present over the area where raw fruit and vegetables are on display for sale. Another concern are black deposits on the ventilation supply registers at the airlock entrance to / from the store. This is further indication that the store is dirty as well as the entire ventilation system. The configuration of the ventilation system is unknown to me, but fresh air is most likely circulated through the pharmacy area. I have to wonder what the effect is on patrons who have asthma or other respiratory diseases. (Note: If you go to a restaurant that has a salad bar, there is usually some kind of covering over the raw fruit and vegetables. And yes, I do recognize the raw fruit and vegetables came from open-field farms and need to be washed prior to consumption.)
5. I am discouraged by pricing practices – particularly in the produce section where lower prices marked on the fruit and vegetable bins do not match the prices at check-out. I am discouraged that the “day-old” bakery items have a red / orange sticker which loudly proclaims: 50% off. Use of the stickers is a relatively new practice. The prices for the day-old bakery items are now higher than comparable bakery items found elsewhere in the store. Other bakery items (for example, packages of cookies) are still fresh and within the expiration date. Therefore, I stopped purchasing all of the day-old bakery items.
6. It is disgusting when packaging on day-old bakery items is breached / damaged. Those items need to be discarded. It is equally disgusting when I find that someone has taken a bite out of a packaged bakery item and then the item is offered for sale.
7. It would appear that workers are somewhat careful with handling foodstuffs. For example, I do not see bag knife cuts on dairy containers. However, there are the usual dented cans which are routinely placed at the front of the shelf display bins. Sometimes out-of-date / expired foodstuff items are pushed to the back of the display bins. Although Smith’s has a first-in / first-out policy for stocking practices, some additional effort in this area would be appreciated.
8. It is frustrating that there are very few (sometimes no checkers available) on some shopping days. The lines of customers waiting to have their groceries checked-out can become quite lengthy at times. It is somewhat difficult to check out produce items using the automated check-out systems. It is preferable to have produce checked out at a manual check-out station. In a world full of computers and automated telephone answering services indicating that your wait time is 6 minutes, etc., it is nice to interact with a human being during grocery check-out.
9. The water in the Men’s restroom is cold. This begs the question, “Where do employees go to wash their hands prior to handling foodstuffs?
10. There is gravel in the southwest parking lot area which is left over from snow removal operations. The gravel / debris makes it a little more difficult to return shopping cars to the cart stall in the area.
11. It is disappointing that patrons do not return shopping carts to the cart stalls. It makes parking close to the store more difficult – particularly during the winter. (Note: I often will return at least one abandoned cart to the store myself. I figure that the exercise will help me and it will also cut down on the effort expended by personnel who work hard to return strings of carts to the store during winter weather.)

Some of these issues took years to develop and will take years to mitigate. Grocery stores typically operate on very low profit margins and I do not expect things to improve overnight. However, a sustained effort in a few areas at a time would be appreciated over the long haul.

On the positive side, Smith’s greatest and enduring asset are the employees who work at Smith’s. By and large they are cheerful, helpful and competent. I also have high regard for many of the vendors who work on stocking shelves, cleaning up / recycling packaging materials, etc. I am truly amazed at the center aisle area near the check-out counters which requires periodic and frequent (over-night?) restocking for holiday events. For the most part, the shelves are neatly stocked with a magnificent variety of commercially-available products. I try to compliment individual Smith’s employees on this practice from time to time as I VERY MUCH APPRECIATE their efforts.

In the end, Smith’s serves a vital role in the community. It is recognized that the community benefits greatly from the products / services provided at competitive prices and I am deeply grateful for all the positive things that Smith’s accomplishes – particularly in a time of high inflation.