Bell Bates Co

05/14/07

Check experation date

by pjpbk3 at Citysearch

Sadly, I can no longer frequent what used to be my favorite lunchtime spot. I liked the salad bar & prepared foods -- much healthier than most other options available in that area.

All this changed when last week I purchased a prepared food item (the veggie rolls) and found mold covering all of the rolls! Not sure how long it takes for dry brown rice to grow mold but my guess is it takes a looong time. According to the experation date sticker added by the store, this item was safe to eat.

The main reason that I am writing this is not b/c of the moldy food -- this can happen (I guess) but because of how poorly this situation was handled. The staff questioned where I bought the item (despite the fluorescent price tag that clearly says Bell Bates) and also seemed to suggest that I waited months to return the item (??). Finally, after insisting that I did not want to purchase another food item, they relunctly refunded my $3.75.

I hope that things turnaround for BB -- In the meantime, I'll miss having a local health food spot to go to for lunch.

• Pros: Healthy Food Options
• Cons: Poor Quality/Not Fresh

12/09/06

Best Natural Food Store in NYC

by gobama at Citysearch

I love Bell Bates. I go here at least 3 times a week. They are a full service health food store with deli, juice bar, salad bar, vitamins and everything else. The lines can get long during lunch hours but that only means that they are busy. The prices are right, they have a sale flyer (much cheaper than Whole foods). I always joke with the staff. They are helpful and knowledgable. They have been in TriBeCa for a really long time and I hope they stay there. I just wish they would open Sundays. But otherwise a great store.

• Pros: Knowledgable Staff
• Cons: Closed Sundays

09/15/06

The Worst Customer Service

by blissheart at Citysearch

Despite being out of the way, I trekked over to Bell & Bates hoping that they'd have the Jasmine tea that I loved. Fortunately, they did and because they sell vitamins and supplements I asked if they had Glucosamine with MSM in liquid form. I was handed a bottle and told that it was on sale. Great, I thought as the bottle listed the sale price as $14.89 and they regularly sell it for over $18.00. In fact, the clerk told me that the sale price was lower than what was marked on the bottle!

I get to the register and they charge me over $17.00 which I complain about. The clerk comes over and informs me after checking that the sale price on the bottle is wrong and I state that the store is supposed to charge me the marked price.

Two managers later I am greeted with a visibly irritable and disrespectful manager who yells that "I must be crazy to think that he would sell the Glucosamin to me at the price on the bottle because they have it advertised in a circular for $17+.

They do not have to worry about me going there again. You would think that with so many other stores now selling organic foods that they would value their customers. Since they do not, I will not go there again and I certainly would not reccomend that anyone else go there either!!!!

• Pros: Clerks are helpful in identifying products
• Cons: Store Managers are not informed of NY State Consumer Laws