Gristede's Foods at 25 University Place, New York, New York.

Better than the average Gritedes. Doesn't smell. Never very busy. And sometimes they have fancy/exotic items, like Quark, that you would never expect them to.

Re expectations of cashiers in grocery stores, making minimum wage, working one of the worlds crappiest jobs, it's probably best not to expect much, and to smile and try to bring some lightness into their day, which generally consists of dealing with an endless series of aggrieved customers enjoying a power trip over some petty wrong (haven't we all been behind these people in line at the grocery store?)

The more people who smile in the checkout line the better we all will be.