Buy-Low Foods

In September, my friends and I spent a fabulous weekend in Osoyoos/Oliver touring the wineries. In order to save money (which I spent all on wine!), and because our accommodations had a kitchen, my friends and I decided to purchase groceries and make our own meals, instead of eating out.

Being practical (as well as the only girl in our group of four), I suggested that we purchase groceries in Vancouver and bring them with us. But my friend, who had been to the area earlier in the summer, said it wasn't necessary, that there was a grocery store nearby. However, he didn't mention it was a Buy-Low, and I stupidly assumed is was a Safeway, or some other decent grocery store. My friend also said that he had checked the store hours, and they close at 9pm. We rushed from Vancouver in order to make it by 9pm, and arrived at 8:15pm, and saw a big sign outside stating that the store closes at 8pm.

Luckily we had had a quick bite to eat a few hours earlier at some crappy food court in some sad mall on our way to Osoyoos, because it turned out that there were no grocery stores open past 8pm; the nearby pub stopped serving food at 10pm (we arrived there at 10:15pm); and the nearby pizza place wasn't open, despite it being a Friday night.

Anyway, we went to Buy-Low the next day, and while we were able to purchase what we needed, the food was expensive! Maybe it was because the store was in Osoyoos, the middle of nowhere, but the prices were much higher than even Safeway!

Decent selection of items, but the with the high prices and short operating hours, it was like shopping in Reykjavik (although Reykjavik had one 24 hour grocery store, while the other one closed at 6pm).

[Yelp collections: Grocery Stores]

Decent selection, ridiculous pricing. Love the fresh baked goods, not the previously frozen stuff. Store could use an update, probably the last place in BC where milk sits on an open cooler shelf and not in a refrigerator.

This Buy-Low is THE secret to a great Osoyoos vacation!

Fools that we are, we assumed that (as in our own neighborhood) the Buy-Low was the discount, not-very-good grocery store. In fact, it's by far the best grocery shop we've discovered in these parts...so good that if it were in Vancouver, it's probably where we'd shop.

Like the name promises, it's a well-priced source of all the essentials. But it also has an excellent produce department, a wide assortment of (mostly conventionally raised) meat and fish, a remarkably eclectic bakery and a really great range of East Indian (and to a lesser extent, Asian and Mexican) foods. We found everything from buffalo mozzarella (several kinds!) to gluten-free baking supplies to delicious spanish cookie/cracker things (Rosales tortas) that have a cult following on the internet, but which we'd never previously discovered.

If you're in Osoyoos, start your shopping here.

It seems like every time I shop at this store I leave frustrated. It seems like its a different upset each visit.

The parking is great, and I like that it's family friendly. The premises are very well cared for and it always has a clean appearance. Even when driving by, it has always has great curb appeal. However, once you enter the store, it's a total different story.

The lay out of the store makes no sense. Why would the eggs be in the produce section, no where near the dairy section? The bottle juices are no where near the other beverages. It almost makes me wonder if the mangers have ever visited a different grocery store before.

The bakery section is the worse laid out part of the store by far. The signage is poor and scarce. I find it didficult to find different productsand have become annoyed at the lack of employee knowledge on the rare occasions when there is one to be found working in the store.

During every visit to this location continuously experience traffic jams in bakery department. It's always crowded with customers and carts. The aisle is not large enough to turn your cart around even if you were the only customer in the bakery section.

That brings me to the patrons of the store. I'm not sure if it is the tourists or the locals but I always come across rude, stuck up people shopping in that store. I am neither a tourist nor a local but a resident of a neighboring town. I have shopped at this location in the on and off seasons. I've experienced ignorant patrons there during every season at this Buy Low Foods without any known provocation on my part. I am not sure if it is because of my ethnicity or not, but I'd hate to think so. I've experienced customers cutting me off in the aisles, walking right between my children and myself, I've experienced being cut off at the registers and have even been given dirty looks. Not to mention when I am stopped briefly in an aisle comparing items on the shelf I've had someone rudely wedge themselves between the shelf and I to grab something off the shelf in front of me without any apology or recognition at all.

This last trip had me very upset. While shopping there today (Sunday) I attempted to take advantage of the daily special. Caesar Salad kits for $1.99 Once I maneuvered my way to the produce section I located the price tag listed in front of 2 rows of Caesar Salad kits. After observing that there were different kinds of Caesar Salad packaged by the same company I questioned an employee as to the sale restrictions. He then informed me that he was out of particular salad kits that were on sale and the kits that I had chosen that were located right behind the sale sign would actually ring up at around $4 and when I showed him where I had found them he said that he had just put those salads there to fill the empty space. I informed him and pointed out that two other customers had retrieved the same salads at the same time I had and he just shrugged his shoulders. I then asked about rainchecks and he ignored my question and told me to try again next Sunday. Then he returned to his cart full of produce and continued his chore.

He did not once apologize nor did he take any action to remedy not only my situation but the other customers who were being mislead. As far as I know, the price tag was left there and so were the wrong salads.

I wonder how many people went home with the wrongly priced Caesar Salad kits without even noticing they were charged double the price they were tricked into paying. I also wonder how often this occurs at this location.

I am definitely going to be very cautious when shopping in that store and it's entire chain for that matter and will try to avoid shopping whenever possible in the future.

The older grey haired woman with glasses (name starts with a K) that works at the Customer Service counter needs to take a course on people skills. Or maybe she did and failed miserably!

I always dread dealing with her. Anytime I find a mistake on being overcharged on an item she seems to be so put out and inconvenienced that she has to deal with it. Never a smile and/or an apology. God lady, if you hate your job so much it's time to quit.


All the others there are wonderful, but she drags my review down to 2 stars.