I want to start by saying yes, I know it’s a business. The owner is free to run it as she sees fit because hey, it’s her money. As a consumer I’m allowed to disagree with things. I don’t have to go back if I don’t like something. That’s not the point of what I’m going to say. You deserve better when you spend your money.
Erie County Farms has been a staple in Erie for decades. Growing up it was THE place to go for meats, produce and seafood. Pittsburghers can think of it as Erie’s version of Wholey’s. I’ve always held this business in high regards when speaking of places I loved about Erie. Eventually the business moved from a mammoth storefront on 26th St. to a smaller storefront in the Liberty Plaza off of the bayfront.
Within the last year my mom told tell me that the store is only opened 2 weeks out of the month and that a schedule is available so you know in advance. As luck would have it, ECF was always open when I was home (as with this past weekend) so I honestly forgot about it. For some reason on this trip it started to get under my skin about the hours.
We walked in and the place is a madhouse. While outside I managed to get a cart which was stroke of luck because there were none left inside. The floor plan of the store its good in theory but the flow of traffic to get around is worse than sitting on Parkway East during rush with 1 lane open. You absolutely can not move. There is nothing to guide the formation of lines besides the bodies of people in front of you. I went up to the deli counter and took what I thought was a number for the deli. It said 54 while the digital counter was on 2. The lady next to me came up and gave me her’s (4! woohoo) because she was tired of waiting. SO you’re supposed to take a number but the ticket machine on the deli isn’t the one you’re supposed to use? wtf indeed!
My advise for ordering at either the deli or the cheese, know what you want right away. I knew what I was shopping for but unsure of the brands. Since I jumped far on the list I had to scramble. The boards with items available all mesh together. Old school black board with white font withe the ease of reading an eye chart. The positive side to this is that every employee I have ever encountered at ECF has been extremely nice to work with. The guy I had could tell I was a deer in headlights so offered suggestions on brands.
Lushie and I bobbed and weaved through traffic over to the produce and meat counters. As you can see from above, the meat selection is vast and fully loaded. When the butcher is at the counter you can have custom cuts made and personalized orders. After picking up the steaks things turned and I became irritated. I went over for corn and as the crate was opened this lady in black (pictured above) came hauling ass over with arms wailing. She elbowed her way in and started taking corn and picking through what others had. Then she yelled at a worker that the corn wasn’t fresh enough for her and demanded a supervisor. I said something to her but she just mumbled as she passed me.
I wanted seafood and they’ve always sold fresh seafood here… until now. The only alternative I had was frozen items in the cooler. Not what I wanted at all. I asked around for any place to buy fresh seafood and was told to go to a supermarket. Erie is a port city who takes pride in the lake. Why the hell is there not a fish monger somewhere? Seriously. Every restaurant has fresh Erie perch or some fish on the menu so why can’t I buy it?
I try not to compare Erie to Pittsburgh because they are 2 completely different cities but I must say Erie needs Wholey’s. As a consumer you are getting the shaft from having only one option for quality fresh products under one roof. The most popular answer to my question about seafood was “you should go to Giant Eagle”. Nothing against the big bird but I don’t want a chain. You deserve to have a locally owned place to shop that respects its customers with providing a quality establishment and the best possible selection. As one customer in line said “she’s only open when food stamps and social security checks come out.”
Take some of that time trying to figure out how to bring in tourists and focus on the best resource for marketing, your residents.
What do you think? Where do you go in Erie?
If there are places to shop at they need to get a web presence.
