Fresh & Easy Shoppers Unhappy Over Grocery Chain’s Failure

It’s a pity. That was the overarching sentiment expressed by just about every shopper Patch interviewed at the Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market on Eagle Rock Boulevard Wednesday, hours after the store’s British-owned parent company Tesco announced it was withdrawing from the U.S. and had written off $1.8 billion in losses from its failed grocery chain adventure in California, Nevada and Arizona.

Excerpts:

Matthew Kat, Eagle Rock resident and part-time employee at the Glassell Park Swimming Pool:

I love Fresh & Easy. Unlike Walmart, it’s not trying to kill local businesses. It’s like a big Trader Joe’s—and it’s not going to put Trader Joe’s out of business because Trader Joe’s has its own brand, products and following. Costco’s probably my favorite business—I like their work ethic and who they hire. Fresh & Easy seemed the same. But if they come from overseas, it’s going to be harder to compete. It’s like us going to Iraq.

Kwithy Edmond, Eagle Rock resident:

Fresh & Easy’s cool but frankly, I couldn’t care less if this space has Fresh & Easy or some other store. I come here because it’s a convenient location. I have to say, though, that the workers are really kind, and if anything goes on in there they’re really on top of it.

Heirbeto Martinez, Highland Park resident: 

It’s so sad. It’s good food—I like the salads, fruits and meat. 

Justin Stadel, Eagle Rock resident studying to be a high school counselor:

It’s too bad. It’s a good store. I’ve been coming here for a year and a half and it’s pretty much the only grocery store I go to besides Trader Joe’s, where I don’t go often. Now I may have to do that. I hear that before they [Fresh & Easy] were here the neighborhood was a bit run down. So a good grocery store is important.

Sven Spieker, Eagle Rock resident who teaches Russian literature and art at the University of California, Santa Barbara:

I’ve lived here for two and a half years. It’s a really convenient store and the self-check out works well. The quality of food is good and the prices are quite low compared to mainstream supermarkets. It seems no European grocery chain has ever succeeded in the United States. It’s the most difficult thing to do.

Susan Bystrom, San Francisco State University student returned to Eagle Rock to visit her parents:

It’s sad. It’s exactly what its name is—fresh and easy. It has pretty much everything I need. There’s Fresh & Easy in San Francisco, too, which is nice.

Norma, Glendale resident who lives on the Eagle Rock border:

I’m not happy about it. You get some good stuff here. I’ve been coming here for a couple of years, and from where I live it’s the closest of any supermarket.

Loraine, Glendale resident:

It sucks that Fresh & Easy is leaving. I love this place. Maybe their expectations were too high. Maybe they should have started out with a few stores here and there and slowly got consumers used to their way of shopping.

Sunny Lal, Eagle Rock resident, business analyst and consultant for solar companies:

What I don’t understand is that if they kept their costs low, with self-check outs, why are they going out of business? Maybe they’re not getting enough business and flow [of customers].

Lonnie Levi, security guard for television show being filmed in Eagle Rock:

It’s kinda sad. Instead of getting fast food, you could go in and get a quick, healthy snack. And if you don’t want to cook, you can get a prepared meal. It’s a healthy choice to a high-fat meal.