Fairway has never allowed the taking of photographs in the store…it’s not because of the rat situation…it’s been a long-standing policy – one that you were violating. They were completely within their rights to call over security when you didn’t stop.

Hi Susan,

I have a few responses:

1) I’m not saying it’s not there, but I’ve never seen signs indicating photographs are not allowed.

2) If that’s true, it’s an absurd and ridiculous policy. It’s not a military institution with government secrets. It’s a supermarket.

3) Perhaps most importantly, I don’t believe any of the employees actually witnessed me taking pictures — the photos I took were in a different part of the store. I was asking one of workers a question about the renovation when he saw I was holding my cell phone. He then proceeded to get unnecessarily aggressive.

I’m telling you as objectively as I can, their response was unwarranted and served no purpose.

I found the entire episode frustrating for a variety of reasons, especially because I was taking photos to try and highlight that the store is making an effort to respond to customer concerns and make improvements.

You’re welcome to your own opinion, but those are the facts.

-Mike

Personally, I have been very interested in your coverage of this whole Fairway rodent/hygiene issue. As someone who has shopped there regularly for more than a decade, to say that it was disturbing to see the videos was to put it mildly. But I’d rather know the reality, which is, as you’ve noted, probably the case with a lot of other food retailers in the city and elsewhere (and given the rat problem of the UWS and the ongoing construction and other issues, it probably should be expected.) But I am grateful that you took the time and effort to post and, as we’ve seen, it takes just one match to light a firestorm of media coverage. Lest anyone doubt it, the reason Fairway is taking (whatever) actions now is because of the media attention. It might have ignored one blogger but not the local and national media. Over the years, regardless of food retailer, I”ve never purchased products from open bins or even those with tops. The reason? I’ve observed the sickening (Literally) behavior of adults and children who put their hands directly into bins (whether grains, bread, etc.) to remove items. Hello? How were these people raised that they don’t realize that one’s germs are now contaminating an item? It’s bad enough when very little children do this (I continue to see this all the time. It’s what kids do, but it’s the reasons need to keep a tight rein on their kids.) but it is unreal when you see adults, who should know better, do it. The fact that they are working on the deli area (where they sell behind-the-counter cut meats and prepared items) makes me now concerned that even this area has been problematic. And we shop a lot from that area! Yea, there’s a lot of other things going on on the West Side. But this is important coverage. I’ll be very interested to hear what they have to say when you contact them. They should have been in contact with you (and your readers) from their first knowledge of the post. Meanwhile, as for pix. I don’t know what the law is/isn’t as regards consumers photographing in stores here or elsewhere. But you’re right, what IS the big deal? And if there is no sign specifically stating some sort of “No Photographs” policy, then you had every right to take a photo. There are reasons one cannot photograph or videotape in concerts. It’s another thing entirely when stores don’t want people taking pix. One, alas, suspects the worst.

Thanks, Irene.

I’ve walked by/through this Fairway several times in recent days, and my sense is that the growing realization that it has a vermin problem is really hurting their sales. The aisles seemed much much less crowded today than is typical for them on a Saturday. And the stores smells of disinfectant to a degree which I cannot ever recall it smelling of before this story broke. Too little, too late, or do its customers have short memories?

Thanks, Scoooter. Much appreciated.