NSA Supermarket

It’s a garbage store. I’d hoped when Ideal bought it that it was going to improve, but it hasn’t. Produce is still lousy. They still stock things at or approaching expiration dates. The only difference is now the employees are less friendly.
Avoid it. The other places around, though not great, are a cut above this trash heap.
I swear if a good grocery store would buy out one of these subpar markets, they would make money hand over fist.

After buying chicken in bulk and having it delivered for over a year, I had a problem with a manager. He was on a personal phone call which seemed to upset him and my usual transaction went nuts afterward. I usually buy and pay for the meat and then have it delivered several hours later (it takes them time to cut the meat in sections). On this particular day, it wasn’t delivered because the meat guy was waiting for to let him know I was home. After stopping by the market to alert them I was home, this manager who has witnesses this transaction many times suddenly asked for a receipt. I didn’t have it but since I used AMEX, it was in his system which he refused to use to verified the purchase. Bottom line — no meat and the supermarket loses a long time customer.

Most things are overpriced and the produce is average at best. The shopping baskets are filthy and should be cleaned. It could be a great store if the owners just tried a little harder. The neighborhood could really use a good supermarket but this isn’t it.

This place is managed by crazy people making arbitrary rules about what forms of payment they will and won’t honor.
On top of that, the produce is questionable and the meat runs the gamut from not-​so-​bad to yikes.
Top it off with some of the worst attitudes you can find on cashiers and it’s pretty clear that you should avoid this place if possible (There are one or two folks in there who are genuinely helpful, but when they’re not around it REALLY shows. The one star is for them.).

Sometimes you have to take what you can get; the last slice, that guy who can’t really catch the ball, the only beer in the fridge which is a Corona! (Ugh)
That’s how I feel about NSA. Would I? Yeah. Do I want to? No. Not really.
It’s a bit shabby compared to some of the other supermarkets in the neighborhood. The smell when I walk by is awful. They keep their trash in this section outside which is terrible. The place is a little run down. There’s nothing to indicate they try or care to maintain the place.
It does usually have what I need. So if I’m home, it helps that this is the closest supermarket to my apartment. The prices aren’t that bad either.
I just feel a little dirty when I walk into the place.

This grocery store is ok. It’s better than the abysmal Key Foods a block away from me, so I end up going here often. Usually to buy chicken breast. Sometimes they’ll have useful sales, such as 1 $ avocados, and I’ve found Talenti flavors that I haven’t been able to find elsewhere.
The selection isn’t that great. Some of the dairy products look not so fresh… I’ve seen some very bloated milk cartons.

During my recent visit to the Gates Ave location, I attempted to use a coupon on a sale item. I was spoken to rudely by both the manager and cashier. I was told that since the item was on sale I could not use the coupon. This is not stated anywhere in the store or on the coupon itself. There is not a clear coupon policy as in other chain supermarkets. Many of these establishments are located in low income communities, they should welcome shoppers who are price conscience. I rarely shop at NSA an will continue to use my shopping dollars at more friendlier and locals.

If you want a whole foods or fairway style supermarket do not come here. If you need to run in and get milk, ricotta cheese. cereal and chicken of the sea all while still in your onesie this is the place for you.
They have started stocking the lovely organic prices that people love so much and they can be a bit pricey… sometimes more than the bigger supermarkets.
I will most likely continue running in here for small things b/​c it is literally 3 mins from home.

Theyre meat sucks !!! I had to thow out on several occasions because it was questionable. Everything else is okay.

It’s hit or miss here. The produce section is generally really good, very fresh, but sometimes they won’t have some basics like bagged salad or spinach. They have a great selection of Caribbean and Latin ingredients, but you might not find some of the simpler stuff, like cranberry sauce… My main complaint and the only reason I don’t shop here anymore: they have barrier to keep people from stealing carts and it also makes it impossible to get a stroller through… Haven’t been there since I had my son… It’s a silly reason to lose business, I think.

This is a great store if you are using it to find certain things you can’t find elsewhere. Examples are large pieces of bone-​in cod bacalao, a dozen brands of pollack bacalao in plastic packages, maybe a few types of chorizo, and the fresh herb culatnro (not cilantro) known as shado beni on the islands. They also have the harder to find spanish/​west indian root vegetables or ground provisions, batata, yellow and white name, eddoes, etc. Surprisingly, they also have a good selection of cage-​free or organic eggs, and a confusing selection of cheesecakes and like desserts next to them in the cooler. Also fresh thyme and sage. Everything you need for cooking island food.
The fish/​meat area does seem to consistently have a negative smell toward the fish side, but we think it may smell like an off meat smell as much as an off fish smell. I don’t notice it as much as the SO but I have to go with her take, and I definitely do notice it. I think it may be more a problem cleaning some runoff or under-​cooler area than bad meat. And yes, the cashiers can be more apathetic than some other stores, though they are equally so at the Key food up the street. The manager is nice but I can’t say he really goes out of his way. They have some organic items that are surprising, like organic avocados 1.50 as of today’s date, nice big ones too. We also just bought a 10 lb bag of brown basmatic rice for 11 bucks, it was the last one tho. We have fun going there for certain sale items and for the specialty items mentioned above. Store is also freezing cold though, wear a sweater. Cheers!

This place is a dump. I used to shop here all the time, despite it being a dump, because it’s steps from my apartment. The poor selection, cramped and dirty space, long waits, and above all the unfriendly and unhelpful employees finally drove me away. If you’re in the neighborhood, do yourself a big favor and shop at Compare Foods, which is like the Garden of Eden crossed with Shangri-​la compared to this poor excuse for a grocery store.

I have hated on this supermarket for too long. But the truth is that the number of expired items on the shelves has declined in the past few years, and NSA has even started to carry TWO brands of Greek yogurt. And the prices are the lowest. You will not be able to find any shallots, but there is every flavor of ramen and Cup Noodles. I’d still recommend avoiding the meat at all cost. It smells all kinds of rank back there.

Lefferts Gardens has as many supermarkets/​grocery stores/​produce marts as it does wig stores. In case you’ve never ventured to the east side of the park, Lefferts gardens has a LOT of wig stores! But I digress, NSA is one of several big grocery chain options and reigns on Bedford Ave whereas most of the others are on Flatbush. I stopped by here on a whim today to grab a few items and was impressed with the size. They have fresh produce, grocery items, beer (did not notice if they had wine or liquor, but I don’t think so), a deli counter, and a fish guy. They also have some weird junk seller set up in the front of the store. Like I said, this store is gigantic, so there are probably 12 other stores hidden inside of it –it also connects to a kind of bodega-​esque pharmacy.
The place seemed clean and it was well stocked. It did feel a little disorganized though, maybe just due to the fact that it was so sprawling it was hard to navigate. I liked that they had a pretty diverse selection of beer, including some nicer local stuff like Six Point, and that their produce looked fresh. I did not enjoy the way the smell from the fish counter seems to pervade the area. If you’re on Bedford, and/​or if you need some beer on your way to Gandhi Indian cuisine (a tasty BYOB joint down the way) it seems like a fine option.

This NSA does a decent job keeping their items fully stocked and within expiration dates. My main complaint is with the service. The cashiers are incredibly rude and act like you are bothering them. One actually stopped scanning in the middle of my order to type a text message on her iPhone.