Howard Beach and Lindenwood residents said they consistently encounter moldy food at the Waldbaum’s in both neighborhoods. Facebook photo
From consistently moldy food to a reported freon leak and large holes in the floor, the two Waldbaum’s serving the Howard Beach and Lindenwood communities are a disappointment at best and a health hazard at worst, residents fed up with the chain that has a monopoly in the two neighborhoods said this week.
“They really have us held hostage here,” said Lorraine Caraccio, of Howard Beach. “Do we have other supermarkets? Yes. But are they really convenient to get to? They’re not our local supermarkets.”
For years, residents said they have dealt with a litany of problems plaguing the two stores, including high prices and poor quality food, ranging from moldy meat to expired goods.
“In my opinion, it’s one of the worst stores in the world – it’s dirty; things are rotten,” Caraccio said. “You’ll move a piece of produce and little flies will come out.”
While residents have long complained about the conditions at the stores, they said nothing has gotten better – despite seeking help from Waldbaum’s corporate offices. Waldbaum’s did not return a request for comment for this article.
And, last week, not only did life not appear any better at the Waldbaum’s on Cross Bay Boulevard in Howard Beach, but it seemed as though things had taken a turn for the worse.
“I was running in for a half-gallon of milk, I walked into the store, and it was all smoky but I immediately knew it wasn’t smoke from a fire,” Caraccio said. “It was very smoky, very foggy – you coudn’t see in front of you, and other customers said it was a freon leak. That must have been it because my throat immediately started to burn and I said, ‘Let me get out of here, now.’”
The Howard Beach Waldbaum’s manager could not be reached for comment.
For residents in Lindenwood, they too only have a Waldbaum’s as their closest grocery store – and shoppers said they routinely face the same problems as the one in Howard Beach. Additionally, in recent months there have been large holes – at least five – in the floor, creating what residents said has been a dangerous situation, particularly for elderly shoppers and children trying to navigate the aisles.
“There are a lot of holes – I even put my foot in one and I said, ‘Oh my God, what is this?’” said a resident who wished to be only identified as Jenny. “The floor is so unstable.”
After shopping for months with holes in the floor – which are about 12 to 16 inches in circumference and about and inch deep and have been there for at least 60 days – Jenny said she wrote an email to Waldbaum’s corporate office but never heard back. Still, the store has begun to fill in the holes this week.
In addition to the holes, Lindenwood shoppers said they, like the Howard Beach residents, routinely face a store stocked with food sporting green fuzz.
“They had a counter with pumpkin pies that had mold, and when my husband showed the manager the pies, he didn’t even say anything – he just turned and walked away,” Jenny said.
“The appearance of the store is terrible,” she continued. “I won’t buy anything off of the cold cut counter. Forget it – it’s always dripping water.”
A manager at the Lindenwood store said the holes have “been addressed.”
“They’ve filled them in,” said the manager, who also said that moldy food is not an issue in the store.
Shoppers said they frequently try to avoid Waldbaum’s – but, with no other grocery store in town, it is difficult to circumvent it entirely.
“They need to clean the store; they need more service there – there’s no one on the floor to help you,” Jenny said. “The turnips are all wrinkled and disgusting; you never have fresh bananas. You can get sick because everything is so dirty. The produce is not fresh. It’s a health hazard.”
While many shoppers seemed resigned to increasingly terrible supermarkets in the area, some said they are holding out hope that another grocery store will open – namely the Key Food that is expected to come to the area. While a Key Food representative has not said when the store – which is slated to open in the former Duane Reade building on Cross Bay – will open its doors, others with knowledge of the situation said it could happen as soon as next month.
“Waldbaum’s needs competition,” Jenny said. “The Key Food needs to open so we can finally get some nice stuff.”
