Can anyone explain what a Pueblo store is

Hi Darwin--

As a tip--I wouldn't work at Pueblo or take their word that you will be taking care of the four Pueblo stores which are located in St. Thomas & St. Croix.

Last year, I came down from the states and was promised that I would be doing marketing and development for these stores. Trust me, I was not doing marketing instead I was dong their accounting. I was up to my eyeballs in trying to help them manage their bills and devise new planning methods and setup an accounting database. I walked into a ticking time bomb. That's why I wasn't surprised that they were fined over 160K for wrong pricing on their products. Luckily, I have accounting experience so I did a great job. The other managers loved my work and wanted to move me into another department. When I completed designing their accounting system-- I was let go. ( I was not surprised) since working there I noticed that they exploit people.

The employees are miserable, especially the ones who've stayed with the company after they were bought by some of the Arabs.
Also, I would not sign a contract until you have at least gone there to work for 2 weeks as a consultant. Trust me they let you do this. Then if you decide you want to work there, then and only then negotiate your contract. Please do not take anything under 80K. It's not worth working there for anything less. Especially, if you have to deal with four stores and you are traveling from St. Croix to St. Thomas and you are relocating to the islands. They will exploit you!!! I've dealt with all four stores and it is not an easy task. Golden Rock is the worst store (good luck trying to get an invoice from them).

It is a mess on all levels and you will be spending more than 12 hours a day 7 days a week working your butt off. And they will call you to come into work. The top owner-manager is there to make money. So don't even think about normal vacation time or health insurance. There are some who have started working there for 2-3 months and still have not been paid.

Visit the VI Department of Labor and you will find out that people have complained about not receiving their pay check or the correct wages.

One more thing, yes they do pay for your airfare both ways. This is their way of building a relationship of confidence with you. If they say, they will pay for your own apartment and transportation or even assistance (DON'T BELIEVE IT) You will be placed in an 1-2 bedroom apartment with 3 other guys who were promised similar things.

Since my short duration at Pueblo, I saw too many people (even Arabs) promised so many things that they had to pack up their bags and go back to the states or their country-- some without a paycheck. When it comes to exploiting people Pueblo does not discriminate!

Good luck!!

WOW! 😮

Ditto!!

So the stores went into bankruptcy 6 months after they were sold to the Arab guys & were bought BACK by Pueblo in Puerto Rico???

Nope, well put Trade, I don`t think so!
It doesn`t belong to local Arabs(Plaza Extra) but World Fresh Market from the state side Arabs.
When it first was acquired(last year?), the new brands & price savings were a positive step, Now, they are just as high as the local Arab Markets(well, not as high as what many locals call the "terrorist Mart" AKA Food Center)!
Consumer & Licencing a few months ago stated all supermarkets had no expired goods!
I CAN Find EXPIRED items at ANY of these Stores!
If there is a person in Consumer who wants to take me up on this, LET`S GO!

So, what IS a Pueblo??? THAT is the question!
It is a dirty disgusting place, where one shops for groceries 2-4X what they should cost(no different from the other stores their colluding with here).
There are many, many rats the size of my cats under the road between Vitraco & Pueblo(I`ve seen them)!
Two weeks ago I saw one scurrying across the freezer aisle in the store!
It`s also a place that was boycotted some 9-10? years ago for price gouging.
I was proud part of that Pueblo boycott!(Pueblo, Pueblo, Pueblo, the prices are too high! Don`t go inside, dee price is high, Pueblo, Pueblo, Pueblo, me aint gonna buy!)

It`s a place where if you don`t check your prices & expiration dates, you`ll be screwed(but ALL the above stores do that)<Again, anyone here from consumer want to take me on on this????
World fresh Market DID promise to refurbish these stores, also, I think World fresh got SCREWED from the Puerto Rico Company that formally owned them, it was the former company that screwed the employees, World Fresh got stuck with that burden I`ve been told via former employees!
So, if true, there are these costs to bear!

So, now, I don`t know if it`s the former owners that are screwing us through the new owners, or the greedy stateside Arabs, OR (from what a Arab store owner friend tells me, Yup, I have ONE), the HUGE THEFT here!
If this is in fact true, we all pay for that burden!

Fact is, in ALL supermarkets here, we are overpriced, our products are of inferior and/or EXPIRED many of the expiration dates are scrapped, scratched,removed,changed...no one cares if you get sick as long as they get their $ for what should be garbage!

Again, I challenge CONSUMER AFFAIRS, or ANYONE else to prove me wrong regarding the expired goods we consume that have their dates removed/scrapped/changed or are entirely repackaged due to manufacturers taking steps to discourage this illegal practice!

That IS what a Pueblo/Plaza/Food Center IS!
I CAN PROVE IT!

I am a local and have never heard or referred to Food Center as a "terrorist mart" Now if you were talking about all the Arab taxis that I refer to as the al qaeda taxis, that's another story! lol

I guess(Terrorist Mart) it`s a east end thing (even though I`m not a east ender, just work there lots).
Now, I don`t know much about the Arab Taxi biz here....I do know that during Hurricane Marilin, Zach from Gourmet Gallery hired me to connect generators the their (many) multi family homes & never paid!
I Still keep this 13 year old debt on my books!
Anyway, he offered me his taxi van at the time for around 10K, I asked him if it came with a medallion, he said no, he was renting that!
Anyway, it gives you a idea just how LUCRATIVE Taxi business is, & he has Still NOT paid his debt!
Amazing!
I can say they have ALOT of $, but their families don`t live so well!
I guess they treat me like their families, so I should`t complain!
Zach wouldn`t have got involved in a taxi venture if it wasn`t SOAKED in CASH!
Think about that!
Dun

Can't you slap a lien on the homes where the generators are?

I know Food Center changes the dates on their cryo-vac meat. A while back I was in there & there were 3 corned beef briskets in the cooler. Since it was just a few days from the sell by date, I didn't get any. Went back a few days later & there were the 3 corned beef packages with brand new labels on them.

I also bought a cryo-vac pork tenderloin from them & it was totally rotten. The rest of the store is clean but I won't buy any meat except the fresh packs that really LOOK fresh. (I've heard it referred to at Taliban East. I don't say that but I've heard it.)

A Quaker Oats instant oatmeal is $6.69 in Pueblo and $3.69 in Plaza. A Pepperidge Farm shortbread cookies is $6.29 while at Plaza it's $3.99. Who is Pueblo trying to fool? I think they have some scheme where they underprice certain types of items (produce, for example) and then stick you on other items to make up for lost revenue. Not only is Pueblo filthy, but they're sneaky too!

The fact is the Pueblo stores are older, more expensive and have less merchandise. I frankly don't know how they stay in business. I don't who owns them is much of a factor.

Can't you slap a lien on the homes where the generators are?

I know Food Center changes the dates on their cryo-vac meat. A while back I was in there & there were 3 corned beef briskets in the cooler. Since it was just a few days from the sell by date, I didn't get any. Went back a few days later & there were the 3 corned beef packages with brand new labels on them.

I also bought a cryo-vac pork tenderloin from them & it was totally rotten. The rest of the store is clean but I won't buy any meat except the fresh packs that really LOOK fresh. (I've heard it referred to at Taliban East. I don't say that but I've heard it.)

Yes Trade, your RIGHT!!
Now, check those same Pork Tenderloins @ Cost U Less, same brand, everything!
Turn them around,in Cost you less & you`ll see a expiration date on the back at the end of the safe handling instructions.

Now, turn around the SAME item @ Food Center &...
THERE IS NO EXPIRATION DATE!!!
They scraped it off!
Now, consider that they charge 2.5X more for the same exact product & consider that Cost U Less doesn`t sell expired merchandise!

Now, Linda J, YUP, Pueblo is dirty & disgusting, but Plaza Extra is NO SAINT!
In fact, Pueblo has some "special" bargains, Items that are NEAR expiration that I purchase all the time (sometimes their a bargain, other times, their marked down hardly anything, or even seem to be marked up!
Sure, Plaza sells a few items for less than Pueblo, but they play the same game as Food Center!
At Plaza, check their Loyd's baby back ribs, in the meat aisle in the back of the store.
Turn the ribs around & there will be NO LABEL IN THE BACK OF THE RIBS!
You will see an oval glue area in the center where one once was.
OK, NOW, go to Price Smart, you`ll find the same product at the end of the first freezer case aisle, Turn the Loyd's baby back ribs around and... you see the missing label Plaza Extra removed!
This label also CONTAINS THE DATE!
SO, So much for your Plaza Extra!
I think we need as much competition as possible!
Me, I shop around.
All these stores have something to offer, & ALL have something to STAY AWAY from!

I think increased competition is good for the consumer!
Pueblo needs to get a hold on their rat/dirt/theft problem,
Plaza needs to be more honest(must be nice having the biggest frigging house on the Island that you can see from nearly everywhere...Must be nice! And, to do it on the backs of your customers (I wouldn`t consider doing business like this!)
And, Food Center, GET YOUR HEAD OUT OF THE CLOUDS!
Your mark-ups are SO SEVERE, your "Special Today" nearly expired items are MORE than the REGULAR prices of the other retailers!
OK, EVERY once in a while a fair bargain can be had here, EVERY ONCE in a while!

There you have it!
So, anyone from consumer want to come forward?>?>?>?>?
I DARE you!
DUN

Why aren't they doing those market basket surveys in the paper anymore? You know, where they'd price a bunch of basics from different stores & compare the results?

Plaza Extra is dirty as well. Used to be their frozen foods section was great but last time I was there it was all messy, looked like it was all defrosted & refrozen, etc. & the store looked nasty.

Why do you guys bother? DUN says that CUL and Pricesmart have the same products, unexpired, for less money, so common sense would dictate to shop there and don't even bother with the others. The only one I go to is Food Center for a few products. I refuse to go to Pueblo or Plaza Extra.

I only shop at Cost U Less, and only once each week. If they don't have what I want, I do without. I hate shopping and would never spend my time visiting multiple grocery stores.