Comments on Jenn's review of Berkeley Bowl Marketplace
Berkeley Bowl Marketplace
Address:
2020 Oregon Street
Berkeley, CA 94703
510-843-6929
Description: An independent, full-service supermarket that carries a wide variety of produce, both local and organic, along with conventional groceries and everyday items.
The reason it's crowded...
...is that nobody thought about user experience. Berkeley Bowl is one of the most over-hyped grocery stores around -- the parking situation is terrible and people are unnecessarily competitive, rude and often oblivious. The whole vibe inside the store is one of unnecessary competition for limited resources and space. You can't pass two carts in any aisle side by side and the produce section is like a mosh pit most of the time.
Berkeley Bowl's prices aren't better than Whole Foods or local farmers' markets. The cashiers are overworked and surly and they close at 8pm - proving that they really do just cater to privileged Berkeley housewives.
Regardless, I do find myself popping in there from time to time -- Whole Foods didn't have rhubarb and Berkeley Bowl did have it to my great relief. I make my trips there as quick and targeted as possible and entirely avoid the packaged food section which tends to be more expensive than Whole Foods.
Jenn's keywords: grocery store, food, natural grocery
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Eliza G. says:
No one goes there any more, it's too crowded.
- Yogi Berra
Ken O. says:
BBowl needs to: remove 4-5 car parking spaces and put in transluscent plastic corrugated roofing (or tin).
With bike racks. With all this extra bike parking (fairly standard in Japan!) everyone will be able to bike to the bowl, reducing car use. More people would bike if there were more bike accomodations.
Too, the store should chain a bicycle air pump near this bike parking area, also as done in Japan. Build it and they will come.