Dear Kroger in Carolina Forest

Dear Kroger in Carolina Forest,

I have been shopping in your fine grocery store for nearly six years and, for the most part, it's been a great experience. Your selection is good. Your meats have always been yummy. I appreciate your array of organic products and the Private Selection and Kroger brands have rarely disappointed me. So thank you! I will continue to shop in your store and suggest it to my friends. However...and you had to know one was coming...why, oh why, does your produce suck? Specifically your apples?

I can not tell you how many apples I have painstakingly chosen only to come home, cut through them and find brown mush throughout? At this point, I can't help but to wonder if it's a problem with your distributor. Your strawberries are always crushed. Your raspberries, invariably, mold within two days of purchasing them regardless of the fact they go from your refrigeration to mine within a 30 minute time frame. It's so frustrating because you have such a great selection of fresh produce, but I can't enjoy it!

I realize I could probably return to the store with my receipt and said fruit to get a refund or exchange, but I'm, admittedly, lazy. Besides, what good would it do to bring in a brown apple? Usually when I discover the problem I'm in the throes of making my daughter's lunch and couldn't make it over to the store for an hour or two, at which time the cut apple would be brown anyway.

Now that I have this off my chest, I want to say that I'm always pleased with the courtesy and helpfulness of those you have working in the checkout area. I'm not sure if you have happy people working for you or if you train them to make me feel like they're happy to help me.

Your pharmacists rock. On several occasions they have, in my opinion, gone above and beyond what I expected of them. They are conscientious workers who care about their customers care. I even had one of them phone in a prescription, my insurance and health information over to Walgreens in Carolina Forest because you did not have the drug. He said, "I chose that pharmacy so you didn't have to get off Carolina Forest Blvd." How great is that? The most obvious financially motivated thing he could have done was phone it in to another Kroger in the Grand Strand area, but he honored the fact that I would probably want to stay close to home. How fantastic is that? I will return to your pharmacy over and over again.

I also am so proud and pleased that you employ those who may have some challenges. I'm sure there is a more politically correct way to phrase this, but the warm sentiments are there regardless. The folks I've come in contact with have been genuinely helpful, pleasant and productive. Your willingness to offer such employment opportunities is heartwarming and so very supportive. I have a friend whose son has Downs Syndrome and she cried when I said how proud a few of your employees' moms must be at the wonderful job their doing.

Thank you, Kroger, for all of your wonderfulness. Just please investigate why you're having produce problems.