Will visited the QFC in Wallingford last week and caught a bit of four-legged merry making on the second floor on video, by the bulk food section:
Will explains:
It happened around 11:30 at night. I told a couple employees and they told me they know and complained to management several times, but management doesn’t seem to be doing anything about it.
I went back and sat for about ten minutes. I could tell by listening that there are a bunch more hanging out under the aisles. I hears some fighting a few times – squeaking and running around.
They didn’t seem too concerned that I was there and filming them. Seems like they had been there long enough to not care about people which is scary.
Amanda Ip, spokesperson for Fred Meyer (which owns QFC) responded:
Nothing is more important to us than the safety of our food and the cleanliness of our stores. We have no tolerance for this kind of situation and are taking immediate action.
We thoroughly sanitized this area and, out of an abundance of caution, we discarded our bulk products and we will not restock until the situation is resolved. We are stepping up our pest control enforcement both in and around our store. We have voluntarily contacted the King County Health Department and are going to be working closely with them to make sure we are doing everything we can to prevent this from happening again.
We will also ask the Health Department and other officials to help us work together with our neighbors to ensure the environment around our store is as healthy as it should be, so things like open trash containers are not causing potential problems for us and for our neighbors as well.
We apologize for this unfortunate situation and can assure our customers that we are doing everything possible to prevent future problems from occurring.
I know a lot of folks are going to be grossed out by it, and obviously you want to get rid of the rats, but the fact is that rats are endemic to the area, and as long as there are restaurants, backyard vegetable gardens and chicken coops, compost bins, garbage cans, and all the common detritus of urban civilization, they’re going to stay endemic. QFC can get rid of them, they’ll be back, and I’ll bet you that every restaurant you’ve ever enjoyed is battling them, some more successfully than others (and some more determinedly than others).
First off, how about reporting this to Kroger before posting it on the blog? i bet you can fidn the same rodents in PCC, Trader Joes and Albertsons.. late at night.. anywhere bulk is stored. It is sad but true that rats coem around to food sources in this city. Try getting your landlord to get rid of them at a large apartment.. takes a lot of conversations wiht the county.
When I opened the wallyhood I was surprised to see this title. Previous to yesterday the last 2 times I was at QFC I was treated to the drama of the outside vendors; 9-10 days ago there were 4 and police had been called. The other time someone ( very thin, dirty clothes, unkempt hair( white) in front of store alternating swear words with requests for help. Yesterday there was swear word shouting.
I do not know wha tthe answer is to prevent this.. I prefer to go to a grocery store without drama in front. Suggestions? besides, if you do not like it go away.
@Cathy, I did report it to Kroger before posting it on the blog. That’s why there is a giant response from their spokesperson in the article. It’s those 4 paragraphs that you see after “Amanda Ip, spokesperson for Fred Meyer (which owns QFC) responded”.
ok, thanks.
Now how about the ‘f-bomb” droppers outsid ethe store. Thjese are grown up people.
Makes me want to re-watch Ratatouille tonight.
AND I’ve seen crows out in the loading area sitting on fruit and eating it and of course pooping on it too. Don’t forget to wash your produce!!
I did not like the headline. Rats are endemic in Wallingford, Laurelhurst, most probably gated communities, Google, Microsoft and Amazon. Oh yes, and in the world. That is why they are survivors! Along with the crows! They also hang out in my alley, your alley. you Get the point.
regarding drama, and the people outside QFC, the “answer” is probably not to go someplace else. I imagine you will find different people and drama, regardless of the business.
Agree with Marty. Of course, wash your fruit.
Re: Vagrants outside QFC.
Stop feeding cash to vagrants and they will disappear. A street beggar can make $50/hour panhandling outside this particular QFC. (That’s street-knowledge, and also confirmed by direct observation from the Hawaiian restaurant across the street.)
The Wallingford QFC is widely known as a lucrative begging spot. Just look at the sad, guilty, and easily duped faces of so many of our local bleeding-heart residents when faced with these money cons.
Stop the flow of free money to all these vagrants. Is there something in common here with the rats inside the store? IF YOU DON’T WANT RATS INSIDE OUR STORE OR VAGRANTS OUTSIDE, STOP MAKING WHAT THEY WANT SO EASILY AVAILABLE!
(Is it any surprise that these two subjects have come up together in this Wallyhood post?)
Just say “NO”… inside and out.
If you feed them, they will come.
The front of the SW entrance to Wallingford QFC is a public sidewalk, so unfortunately the store can’t do much to control what goes on outside. If this is a concern, I would recommend the U-Village QFC which is surrounded entirely by private property and therefore hassle-free.
You can run from the ‘unpleasantness’ of seeing the homeless, but you cannot hide. It’s a societal problem that we are obviously not dealing with very well. My sympathies are with these folks and not the corps whose food we buy…JMHO
This isn’t about avoiding hassles or “unpleasantness”. This is about our actions that feed and promote vagrancy and make it easier for some people than any other choice.
But look at it from the rats p.o.v.
I prefer to take as many steps and thoughtful action as is legal to prevent more earfuls of ‘fuxk you” ” you crackhead” yelled over 10 times loudly yesterday by a vendor. It is possible to call police or have QFC call police when someone is having a mental breakdown or is drunk or disorderly on public or private property. it is possible to call Kroger and make suggestions.
I agree that the headline could have been kinder to QFC, It’s very hard to keep rats away from food.
I like our QFC in general, but I don’t like their bulk section. Bulk bins need to be watched and frequently. It’s not just the danger of rats and other vermin. It’s the human customers putting their hands in the bins, or spilling bulk flour into the adjacent bin. Unsanitary. Bulk department needs supervision. PCC and WFM do a much better job. Their bulk bins are in high traffic areas, with staff nearby.
Our QFC should get rid of the bulk bin section, unless they want to pay for adequate staff.
I too would like to see our QFC do something about the annoyances outside the store. I live in the neighborhood, and just want to get in & get out with my food- unhassled. Not talking about homeless folks (most there are kind & unobtrusive), but everyone else- Greenpeace, signature gatherers, etc. Why must I run a gauntlet just to make it to & from my car? Most of us in Wallingford are already conscious of others’ plights, ballot initiatives, and social issues. Let me alone, so I can buy dinner already.
Why not post some signs outside, like Trader Joe’s?
https://i.imgur.com/t1t0I.jpg
Also, rats.
I also feel it is like a gauntlet at times. We can complain to QFC management each time there is a problem; call Kroger; call realChange; call police; ask Kroger to have occasional security guards; learn the vendors code of conduct and carefully ignore the gauntlet. maybe ther eis more we can do.. who knows?
This news item hit facebook and a tv channel news. maybe the awareness will spread.
However, since someone posted that vagrants make 50.00/hour in front of our neighborhood store.. more may come!
Thank you for posting this. It is an issue that must be addressed and by making it public hopefully it will be. Ewww, rodents and food we eat, not like there’s any health hazard there. ;D
Kris – YES!! So awesome.
Bunker – I like the Trader Joe’s sign.
Mister R: – I have a state job in education making $17 (with a Master’s). This $50 an hour gig sounds pretty sweet. Hook me up!
😉
E
While I think the issue of the folks outside QFC is a complicated one and I’m not sure exactly what’s right and what’s wrong here I do want to call out MisterR’s likening of these people to rats, which I think is very offensive. These are people.
Al,
Of course people are not the same as rats. People have choices. Rats do not.
Related, and about de-incentivizing work, from today’s Wall Street Journal:
>>Bad Incentives Encourage Too Many of Us Not to Work<<
The simplest solution to the conundrum of balancing the needs of the unemployed, as well as those receiving social services, and even the disabled, is to reform these programs whenever possible to mandate work for local, state or the federal government or nonprofits as a condition of participation.
If one must work a full day to earn government benefits, then the marginal tax for returning to regular employment falls to zero. Furthermore, an optimal government policy would combine a work requirement with either a higher minimum wage or continued income support such as the earned-income tax credit. There always should remain an advantage to working in the private sector versus participation in government social programs, even when work is a required. Underwriting the cost of our social safety net in a way that reinforces getting up and doing useful work every day as our society's norm will raise workforce participation rates and in the long term will likely result in both less poverty as well as lower government spending.
I have an additional concern about the management at this store. I recently witnessed two very drunk vagrants stealing 4 large bottles of alcohol at 2pm in full view of a crowded store not 10 feet away from the checkout counter. The cashier saw it when I alerted him and called for additional employees. Two young kids in aprons showed up to watch the two thieves casually walk out with the booze. The manager sauntered up 5 minutes later to jovially ask what he had missed. No attempt was made to stop them and he gave me a story that store policy and the police prevent him from doing anything about these very frequent thefts. I can think of five things without really trying too hard: lock up the liquor, put anti-theft locks on the bottles, post staff to watch the area 24/7, call the police to report the shoplifting incidents and move the booze so that it is not 10 feet from the front door. The people who are stealing this are loose in our neighborhoods drunk and with apparent unlimited access to more booze and probably passing the news along that the Wallingford QFC is easy pickings. Customers are paying for the store’s losses in higher price so maybe it doesn’t hurt the bottom line enough to deal with it. However, it’s illegal to sell alcohol to people obviously impaired and it is equally illegal to give it away. I have written to complain to Kroger but I want my neighbors to know, too. This ridiculous non-policy contributes to the vagrancy problems we all deal with here in Wallingford. This is a known problem, the QFC staff if fed up with not being able to do anything while other stores take the necessary steps to deal with securing their alcohol from theft – it’s just not that complicated. This manager simply does not care or is grossly incompetent. Kroger needs to comply with the laws, participate as a good neighbor or get out. I urge everyone who frequents this store to keep an eye out and witness these thefts themselves – they happen often – and put this in your calculus when you go to buy groceries. If the rats aren’t enough to cause you to buy elsewhere, maybe this is. It is for me. I have been a loyal customer for 10 years but no more.
Hey @Wallyhood, thanks again for posting (I’m friends with the guy who took the video, and emailed about the story).
To give my two cents on the rat issue, my real problem with QFC is the extent of the complacency their management demonstrated concerning this rat problem. In my opinion, I also don’t believe it’s reasonable to brush this rat infestation off by saying that rats are endemic to urban areas. In fact, doesn’t that simply mean we need to be more vigilant about infestations in our food, since we are more at risk for pests?
To Gary, You have to call Kroger in person on telephone. Ive written before and the emails and letters seem to not be found.
I am also concerned about this.. the young staff probably have not been taught to say” stop. put it down” and may even have been taught that to prevent harm or bottles thrown they msut be a bit passive.
I donto know exactly what I would do in face of 2 vagrants stealing.
QFC canmove that liquor. QFC canlock it up. QFC can have security gaurds.
We can call police. We cancall kroger.
Rats tolerated whether the furry ones or the humans who took on bad behaviors are tolerated; drive up our prices and make our little nice neighborhood store a not so nice store.
Hm, the irony. Among the reasons QFC has given me to dislike them, decades ago … a University Village floor manager type followed me out of the wine section and the store and accused me of shoplifting. After seeing the empty inside of my pack, he turned around and without a word went back in his store. Apparently as Kroger’s, it’s different. Hard to say which is worse.
Anyway, I haven’t been in QFCs a lot. If I want to go to Kroger’s (I don’t) there’s always Fred Meyer. I’d forgotten about the bulk section, you kind of have to know it’s up there. That’s cool, it’s nice to have a quiet place for the rodents to hang out. Do QFCs usually have a bulk section, or do we get this feature because Wallingford is a special place?
As for rat abatement … I guess the dumping and sanitation is a good thing, but my guess is that they aren’t going to really shut the rats down without some remodeling in that upstairs space.
Very late to this event –
I was delighted by checking out Will Clarke’s various Vimeos. I was looking for another topic entirely, so was surprised to see the active rat population in the very expensive QFC Natural Foods section.
I am quite dismayed by the tone of the response to the rat issues raised. I long ago had a friend who worked a zoo food cart and management was merciless in worker’s beliefs (glue traps) – in keeping the rats from getting into the popcorn. Lately I notice bait traps throughout the zoo, and have no idea how that tactic could impact a food store interior.
My particular objection is the tie-in that seems so evident to many with rats and genuinely homeless people. Or Greenpeace volunteers.
Yes, I have been scammed by beggars with obviously untrue sob stories – borne out by the fact some appear year after year, looking healthy and well fed. (I read on Wallyhood that some have apartments nearby.)
That doesn’t mean they are subhuman, don’t have problems, are able to get jobs, etc. Selling Real Change is, to my mind a job, a service and a very hard way to make a living. If you read the paper, you may see that the information is surprising good and useful! Wallingford SHOULD be liberal, I think. Most of us have it good.
If you’ve lived anywhere else, you know that Wallingford isn’t that hard. Mostly a simple “not today” will suffice. Anyone who has a car, has options – no? During the day there are two exits.
Thank you, Ag98103! The discovery of rats at QFC somehow morphed into tirades against the homeless. Not sure how THAT happened. George Bush got one thing,right: We need a kinder, gentler nation.