Q: Look, I don't expect a whole lot out of Albertson's. I get that it is a mega chain, and in general I really don't shop there. However, I began to buy products from Albertson's about a month ago, because I became aware that they carried local sustainable shrimp and I wanted to support the cause. However, Alberton's has disappointed me so badly, I get the feeling I will be boycotting them for a very long time. I was playing around online one day and came across the website of Blue Oasis Shrimp. Much to my surprise, Blue Oasis Shrimp is a sustainable shrimp company IN LAS VEGAS that farms environmentally friendly, hormone free, shrimp. Even more surprising, the Alberton's across the street from my home carried this shrimp. Being from San Francisco, I was really excited that I could actually buy fresh shrimp from the grocery. So the next day I walk across the street to Alberton's to get my shrimp. First I was dismayed to learn that the shrimp apparently doesn't sell very well, and from what I could tell, really isn't promoted. (One of the worker's behind the counter offered that many people can't get past the fact that the heads are still on the shrimp). Disappointing, but I pledged that my boyfriend and I would be in every week to buy our pound of shrimp. Note, that while we were there, we also spent 50 bucks on other groceries. Money we wouldn't have spent at Albertson's otherwise. I wrote Alberton's customer service department, to urge them to continue selling this product and was rewarded with an impersonal, canned response that had clearly not been written by anyone who had taken the time to read my letter. Today, my boyfriend went in the store to buy our usual order, and noticed that the shrimp wasn't on display any longer. He asked about the shrimp and was told that because the product doesn't sell, the shrimp is now immediately frozen in 5 pound blocks, and that they would need to go defrost some. So just to be clear, the fresh shrimp, that I am buying because it is fresh shrimp, that came from down the street, is now frozen upon arrival. Which defeats the purpose of buying fresh shrimp. Even more insulting, they continued to charge him the full $12.99 price per pound. To compare, I believe the shrimp that is frozen, deheaded, and shipped from THAILAND is $9.99 a pound. But I am paying 3 dollars more for shrimp that had to be trucked in from 5 miles down the road, and then promptly ruined. And I also wonder how Alberton's expects to sell any shrimp if it is all sitting in a freezer in the back, and not displayed in any way at the front counter? Again, I realize that Alberton's is a chain, and that if their customers aren't buying something, they may not be particularly worried about little things like supporting local business, or environmentally sustainable food. However, sustainable shrimp in the desert is such a cool idea, and Alberton's just doesn't appear to support, care or respect the product it is lucky enough to carry. I do feel bad for the worker's behind the counter, who appear genuinely frustrated, and agree that this shrimp is the best shrimp they have ever tasted. I will likely search to see if there is another store (a different Alberton's or even better, a different business) that carries this shrimp, and actually sells is fresh as is intended.

A: negative

Q: A favorite go-to for a delicious sandwich. Their sandwiches are made with the kitchen sink approach and it works fantastically. Everything looks great, but I can't seem to stray from the veggie and guac Humboldt. Love the friendly workers!

A: positive

Q: We've been taking our cat to Cindy for lion shaves for years, and couldn't be happier! She's very respectful of my cat's skittish nature and books them early in the morning or late in the day to avoid the doggy crowd. My long hair is extremely difficult (she got kicked out of PetSmart grooming years ago) and have been going to Cindy ever since. We've since moved several miles away and have tried several other groomers (including mobile) only to have her come back bloodied and butchered. Even though it's stressful to drive the distance, I think my kitty would agree it's worth not coming home with bloody ears and missing whiskers!

A: positive

Q: I usually go to a new place with enthusiasm and anticipation, hoping that the experience will be a good one and the first of many to come. My dinner at Bar+Bistro last night will be the first and last, I'm sorry to say. It started out well, as four of my friends and I met there to socialize and check out this place. First of all, when we were seated on the patio around 6:00pm, our waiter brought us two menus to share because, "we can't find the other ones right now." Huh? There was one other party on the patio and the inside of the restaurant was empty. We ordered a pitcher of sangria, which was excellent, and I was excited to see how the food would taste. From the tapas menu, we had the french onion soup, sweet potato fries and house fries, 4 cheese mac, and the tempura alcachofa (artichokes in a sort of tempura fried batter). The sweet potato fries and soup were good, the other dishes were just okay. My friends also ordered the Paella Velazquez, but I didn't eat any of that and they also graded it as okay. For dessert, we shared the Ricotta Citrus Cheesecake, the Triple Gelato (coconut, mango, and dark chocolate), and the Donut Churros (cinnamon sugar with chocolate sauce): I think those and the sangria were the best part of the meal! Seriously! After dessert, two of the waiters whisked our wine glasses away since we overheard them say that they ran out. Menus and wine glasses are apparently in high demand there. When it came time to pay, four of us whipped out our credit cards and were admonished by the waiter that they don't split checks. Well, we didn't ask to have the check split, but we were going to split the bill among us. He told us that he could take 3 credit cards maximum, we should work it out amongst ourselves, and he'd return when we had done so---what?! None of us had ever been to an establishment that had such a rule and all it did was make us angry. What does it take to swipe one extra credit card, after all? It's too bad that our meal had to end that way, but now we can say we've been to Bar+Bistro--once.

A:
negative