Chenery Super Market

When Vida was little I was anxious to try and make some extra money. Although people who obsessively entered contests fascinated me I thought that would just result in massive quantities of junk emails. Secret shopping seemed perfect. I could pick and choose my jobs and do it in my “free” time what ever that is. Having been on the receiving end of a secret shopper when I worked as a bar tender I knew that nobody liked them. But better me, a sympathetic retail lifer than somebody who didn’t know what it was like to deal with the public every day.


My first assignment was at a fancy tile store. I took Vida in the baby front pack and went to pick out tile for my fancy dream home. I was completely ignored by the staff. I guess I didn’t look like I could pay for upscale tile for my imaginary kitchen remodel. My favorite jobs were at Walgreen’s. You actually introduced yourself to the manager and all you had to do was make sure that certain products were on the shelf. It was usually smooth sailing until nervous managers tried to convince you that the product you couldn’t find was actually there and get you to mark it down anyway. My favorite job was at a mall toy store. Vida and I went together and picked out $15 dollars worth of toys as “payment”. She picked out a little broom and dust pan that is still “helping” out around the house now that its been handed down to Victor.

I started to take jobs at Starbucks all over the city. I could go before or after work, get a free cup of coffee and then fill out my report on line in the evening. I would get a pretty nice check every quarter. The only problem with secret shopping was that I wasn’t really very good at it. It requires you to remember a considerable amount of detail without taking notes. You have to review a mental checklist of all the things you are looking for—were you greeted, thanked, was your order correct, how clean was the condiment area etc. I would get nervous and want to leave too quickly. Back in the car I would realize that I had forgotten crucial questions or observations or forgotten to get a receipt.

Last Sunday Vida was at a play date and Victor and I had some time to hang out. I thought we would stop at a market for a snack and go to the park. I was resolved to take this project on like I was a secret shopper and not get so nervous that I fly out of the store without properly observing the inevitable strangeness. Tired of schlepping Victor, I was looking for a market that had parking in front. We were headed toward the park at the Upper Noe Rec Center so I drove around the outer reaches of Noe Valley. We came across Chenery Super Market on Chenery and Randall. I pulled into a green zone for the 10-minute parking and as I looked through the car window into the market I thought we were being stared at. Just as I was putting that odd thought aside an older Middle Eastern man and what appeared to be his son come out of the market and ask us suspiciously if we planned to shop in the store. The green zone clearly states that it is only in effect Monday-Saturday so they really had no right to ask. But I politely said that we were, indeed, going into the market although I’m thinking why in the heck would anybody want to shop there with that kind of reception.

Being so carefully supervised I thought twice about taking photos but the “Thanks For Shopping Here” sign behind some weird blue glass and even stranger art posters proved irresistible. I really wanted a picture of Victor in his new hat given to him by Grandma Muffinville (who really has a thing for my little guy) so I sat him down took pictures of him and the store sign. Walking in I thought that calling it a “Super Market” is wishful thinking considering the grimy laundry soap and liter bottles of Mountain Dew on the floor as you walk in. I thought affectionately of the cozy chair by the door thinking that they probably just spent a lot of time hanging out. They definitely didn’t bother to stock the shelves since boxes were knee high in front of the groceries on the shelf. I just wonder what people are thinking when they operate this way. I could have bought any number of strange things, a Costco Kirkland brand soy milk (just one) a coffee mug, cold medicines etc. but I settled on a bag of pop chips since I knew Victor liked them and a 24 oz Modelo. Victor went straight for the freezer and picked out an orange sherbet push up ice cream.

The college kid son helping out behind the counter tried to sell us some house-made hummus. I was seriously tempted—they also appeared to make sandwiches and have other deli items but I seemed to have lost some cash and had just enough for what we had already picked out.

Victors treat—Orange Sherbet Push-Up My treat—Pop Chips Beer of the Day—24 oz Modelo Especial