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| - Yes, the beer selection is expansive, cheap and high quality. That's pretty much it though.
Madison suffers from Isthmus-itis when it comes to grocery stores. There are none centrally located, meaning if you live in the downtown vicinity you have the option of going to Cap Center (small, overpriced, meh) or a 10-20 minute trip elsewhere to Woodmans, Hy-vee, Trader Joe's, Whole Foods or Copps. Well Copps is just awful and expensive so let's just forget about that. The rest generally have their own issues, like that you just can't get certain things at Trader Joe's and Whole Foods. Basically, I have to go to 3 separate stores within a 2 week-1 month period just to stay stocked in household staples. Woodman's, for the most part, has everything you need. But, and it's a big BUT, you will feel miserable when you are there.
Not long after I started going there, I decided I wouldn't go there alone. The clientele is not pleasant to put it mildly. On one memorable occasion, the woman in front of me in the (short) checkout line was so... tired(?) she had to sit her very large body on top of her multiple 36-packs of soda. I just. I just can't, I'm sorry if that makes me judgy. People also tend to wander aimlessly, while talking on their cell phones, and not moving to let you by. There's just a lot of rudeness in general, and no help to be found anywhere. I would rather pay more elsewhere to have a more positive experience that doesn't leave me in a bad mood or feeling sad about humanity.
The store is not laid out in the most reasonable way, and a trip to Woodman's always takes at least twice as long as I think it will. I once said to my husband that I can't go there without spending an hour and a half; although meant as an exaggeration, I don't think I was far off.
The produce is not great, dented, not that fresh. I've considered buying chicken there but it's weirdly expensive. The cheese selection, like the beer, is expansive and cheap.
Yes, it's employee-owned, but employees don't get mental health benefits. Not acceptable given that workers in cashier type jobs (and other similar opportunities) tend to be high users of mental health services.
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