Complaint Review: Stewart's Stores

Our family had shopped at and supported "Stewart's Shops" food/convenience stores of New York State for nearly two decades, but will never give them a dime of business...and advise others not to, as well.

Stewart's has zero respect for its customer base, nor any loyalty for patronage...and instead, is resorting to Bait and Switch, False Advertising, Failure to honor its own Milk Club Promotion, and abuse of customers.

Here's how their fraudulent scheme works:  A lower price for 1% milk (their own brand) is offered at all stores, including the Middletown, NY store, which could be .50 or more off the other varieties, to get you in the store.  However, the store often does not put out stock for the 1% variety, as I've found in the evenings, claiming the stock is for the morning.  Hence, a "bait and switch" scheme is regularly used to get customers looking to buy milk in the store under false pretense, when the intent is to sell the higher priced varieties.

Adding insult to injury, Stewart's Stores have something called a Milk Club card that is supposed to take money off a half-gallon if you buy so many gallons and have the card stamped.   But whether the store will even honor the card varies from shift to shift, and store to store.  The last time I tried to cash in a fully-stamped card, I was refused because the kind of milk I wanted - the 1% - was being saved for the morning.  Another Stewart's refused to cash it because it came from the Middletown store.   Yet another said there has to be a waiting period after the card has already been filled out, for another day!!

When asking a manager why a 1% milk price is posted lower than the other varieties, and asking for stock to be put out at 9:30pm (the store is open til 11pm), I was told that if I didn't like, "you can leave my store."

This is supposed to be a family-owned business.  But the family, named the "Dakes", who bought the Stewart's Shops business, have absolutely no respect for consumer laws -- which prohibit "bait and switch" and false advertising/promotion schemes -- nor for loyal customers.

Better to shop at an Aldi, if one is nearby, for honest savings, or even a Walmart.   Stewart's can even play honest on something as simple as an advertised gallon of 1% milk, or club card discount!!