CROWN HEIGHTS, Brooklyn [CHI] — Empire Kosher, presently the Crown Heights Jewish communities only large supermarket, was not able to keep up with the amount of customers that came through its doors today, Friday.
Empire Kosher Slammed with Erev Shabbos Rush
CROWN HEIGHTS, Brooklyn [CHI] — Empire Kosher, presently the Crown Heights Jewish communities only large supermarket, was not able to keep up with the amount of customers that came through its doors today, Friday.
Lines didn’t only form at the checkout counters. They formed outside the store, with tens of cars waiting outside to park in the parking lot. The checkout lines also extended all the way down a number of the stores isles.
In order to keep the checkout pace up, Itzik Benabou the owner, took over the express checkout cashier and added more packers at the end of the lines. Customers were taken aback by the congestion, and expressed concern over the coming high holidays “I am scared to even think what it would look like then.”
This Shabbos marks the first week since the official end of summer and can account for the sudden increase in shoppers after the closing of The Shuk.
CrownHeights.info has learned that The Shuk is set to reopen under the name The Marketplace with new management under Mr. Benabous ownership, in the coming weeks, “most probably after Rosh Hashana” said a source.
huh?
It still amazes me how people leave their shabbos shopping to late erev shabbos. Even for those women who work, why give yourself such stress.
chaim
go yudel
Local Store Patron
there are plenty of stores on Kingston
What Ever
I spent 10 minutes waiting in my car for parking, arriving from Brooklyn ave, after seeing that during this time no movement was made by any cars arriving in or out of the lot i got out and helped guide opprox 10 cars in and out of the lot. thinking that i have earned myself a spot i took my turn into the lot and getting myself parking.
upon walking out of the lot toward the store a agry driver rolled down his window and said “You know, your a groiser Kacker… ”F“ you” i tried to explain that the only way he was inside the lot was due to my help guiding cars in and out of the lot.
He ignored what i had to say and rolled up his window, staying put inside the entrance to the lot blocking in and out going cars…
not to my surprise as i finished my shopping and arrived at check out the man was just entering the store, “Ah Groiser Kacker” indeed wasting everyone time blocking the entrance way to the lot
Chaim Yehudah
lets hope the Marketplace will even surpass Empire in every respect stock range and fresh with no out of date merchandise, super clean and tidy and excellent quality fruits and vegetables all at reasonable prices.
Let it be like Pomegranate.
Hatzlocho Rabo to the new owner
P.S. I heard that the outsise is being renewed and no more bird mess and filthy water left in the kirbside areas which smell badly.
responding to huh
hey mr/miss/mrs huh
maybe those women who work have 6-7-8 kids at home and their husbands come home very late from work? maybe they are single moms who work full time? please don’t criticize!!! be happy w/ what u have and have a good shabbos.
Kollel
There’s always the KOllel store, call in your order and they deliver.
Fan of Klein-s
B”H
Klein’s, with better prices, is half a block away! And it’s much easier to shop there, too.
(Except for produce) If they don’t have it, you probably don’t really need it!
cmk
and theres the kollel store, for the ppl that dont want to go so far – it delivers to your door!! makes shopping all that much easier ;)
jk
yeh, i agree do some shopping at the stores on kingston.
to: responding to huh wrote:
Yes, I do have 7 or 8 kids (I won’t specify which one), yes I do work, and yes, my husband does come home late from work, and no I don’t have help at home. I don’t think I am anytthing special either.
Empire kosher and Kol tuv both have late hours, opening on wednesday and thursdays till 11 pm, so there is still a way not to have to do your shopping on Friday afternoon. I am not judging or critisizing anyone either, why don’t YOU just take my comment at face value.
DallasJew
Empire Kosher is the best thing to happen to CH food shopping to date – I hope The Marketplace will resemble Pomegranate as I see a handful of lubabs there quite often. I believe Mr B has the right attitude and so far has added to the charm of CH. Good luck.
Re those yelling at the late shoppers…give it a break, all because you came home early or whatever it may be, doesn’t mean you gotta yell at the latecomers…its one of those things hellllooo.
ch resident
well since the shuk closed more people go there
Sam the Internet Troll
I dont get it either – anyone who has a car should be driving to the Koller Store to shop anyway. What is it – ten to twenty minutes away? That’s a pretty normal shopping run distance in any normal suburban setting.
empir kosher shopper- ex kollel store sh
have you seen the lines at the kollel store erev shabbos/yom tov??
Mendel
to dallas jew
we are not interested in a pomegranate style luxury boutique here in CH
we would like affordable and reasonable prices
there is no reason that we cant have here the same prices as the KRM Kollel Store
this Friday proves that there are a lot of shoppers in CH and stores could afford to mach up the kollel Store
shopper in CH
Who needs fancy Pomegranite prices? Empire Kosher, Kol Tuv, & Shimmy’s are high enough.
new to crown heights
why is everyone so up in arms about this situation? we’re jews, we like food, we need food, yomtov comes around, and thats life
enough!
http://www.Kosher.com or fax order to kollel store you will save 50-100 bucks a week. At 50 that’s 200 a month 2,400 a year and 24,000 in 10 years (120 months) stop going to our local expensive places. Fax order to kollel.
to: responding to huh wrote: wrote
So tell me when should I buy my challa, if I am working full time, going to school and I have a family and I choose not to bake my own? Yes, I could buy on Kingston, but there hasn’t been parking there for a long time. And even though I WAS at Empire on Thursday nite, I had some last minute -I forgot- type things to pick up.
To Sam the Internet Troll, it’s not just the travel time, it’s the parking fun and shlepping the cart to the car AND back, etc., etc. Everytime I do go to the Kollel store I end up inadvertently buying something that I won’t use, but have become unaccustomed to checking because it’s not sold in CHts.
Klein’s is even more overpriced and the stuff isn’t always fresh.
disappointed shlucha
Unfortunately, I’ve had a different experience with Empire Kosher, though admittedly it was on the phone. We live far from NY and had bochurim coming to us to make a Shofar factory. I called and wanted to order in bulk (200 of each item), things we needed and explained we are buying for a chabad house. The man I spoke to refused to give us any discount and was extremely rude on the phone- no it was NOT a busy Friday afternoon. I then called another local store who could not have been nicer, gave a discount, and threw in some “extras.” Kvt to all and I do not look forward to dealing with them again.
Thank you Gitti!!!!!!
First of all, it’s ridiculous to slam shoppers for when they shop. How unintelligent are you people? There are last minute items, last minute guests and a host of other reasons why people shop on Friday afternoon. That’s not the point of the article so get over yourselves and your “logical” assessments. Just fyi, Thursday night was a mad house as well.
Secondly, I know how crazy it was b/c the cashiers were trying to push out customers so fast that they knocked a bottle of Fresca right into my son’s head near his eye (he’s B”H fine, nothing a frozen container of Coffee Rich couldn’t handle). Eggs were flying and smashing – it was truly a sight.
I will definitely be menu planning today so I can get shopping for the non-perishables asap.
In the Hood!
Who Knows? Can’t judge… Maybe this is the second time around shopping for last minute things that weren’t needed for cooking & its nice when its fresh!
What is wrong with you people?
How ridiculous can you guys get? It’s none of your business when everybody else shops. Worry about yourself and your own shopping needs and schedule. Don’t go telling people when they should or shouldn’t shop.If no one shops on Friday, or Thursday, we would be in the same situation Mon-Wed. Besides, who doesn’t love fresh, hot challah, out of the oven for their Friday might meal?
The scene there, by the way, was so chaotic, the lines went down the isles, and it was impossible to even get through to actually shop unless you went through the back, and it was kind of packed there too. I’m amazed I made it out of there! I have to say though, I was a little disappointed with the way Empire Kosher was rushing everyone with their things. As I was waiting for them to starts scanning my items (they were finishing up with the shopper before me) they were rushing the shopper behind me to load her things on the conveyor belt. As they were shoving more and more things on, they knocked her Fresca bottle down, causing it to hit my little brother near his eye (he’s ok B“H, we just put the Coffee Rich on it.) instead of apologizing (and they knew my brother got hurt cause he was crying little) they then started to rush me. (so i had to take the Coffee Rich off) Next thing i know, i hear someone yell, ”Watch Out“ or ”Careful” something like that. I look behind me and see eggs falling off the counter (they continued shoving even AFTER my brother got hurt!) it happened so fast I didn’t have time to react. The eggs fell on the floor, nearly hitting my shoe, opened and cracked. I was so thankful to get out of there. And if that’s not a story….. I don’t know what is!
name withheld
Be happy you have such a market. For those of us who don’t live in CH or even in NY, we don’t have this opportunity to shop at a truly kosher store. And for those of us who actually plan menus and shop accordingly, still run out of items or forget items on the list. B’H the store is there and stop complaining.
Glad to live elsewhere
to: name withheld
I completely agree. I actually love to read these articles, because it just makes me happier to live where I do. We my not have the convenience of a kosher store like that, but we don’t have useless arguing either. “Who is wealthy? One who is happy with his portion.”(Ethics of Our Fathers, 4:1)
Oh I also love all the spelling mistakes. ;)
A little respect, please.
Glad to live elsewhere: why knock kan tziva…? And why mock others’ spelling?
As someone who’s living out of Crown Heights AND a professional editor, I don’t relate to your comments of ridicule of the Rebbe’s neighborhood.
Ksiva v’chasima tova!