Golden Farm

I’ve been shopping at whatever-​this-​place-​call-​itself for the 20 years I’ve lived here. The current owner is a cheap guy who the neighborhood rose up against because he didn’t give employees sick pay. One of his employees died as a result. That was 2 or 3 years ago. Collective bargaining made it’s way into the mix and the neighbors who organized seem to have been satisfied. They stopped asking us to stay out of the store. But now, there is another nasty thing going on there. They told the woman in front of me that she couldn’t use her food stamps because all she wanted to by was an onion and it was less than the minimum. They are making people who have food stamps have a minimum purchase or they have to pay cash? What cash do they have? It’s why they get food stamps! Even the employees think it’s ok. I told the woman and the cashiers that was against the law and it is. This store gets creepier all the time. So glad Carnival is just down the street, often cheaper and more selection. I will miss the kosher bread at Golden Farm, but this place really makes me make me sick with their ignorance and stinginess. Also, as noted by other reviewers, they don’t always have the best produce on the street.

I’m downgrading to two stars. Since I’ve been coming here, I feel the quality has gone downhill. It is difficult to find produce that isn’t already going bad, and I continually find the items I’m buying have already passed their expiration date. It’s a shame, because I would like to support this place and I love the staff that work there. I tend to walk two blocks farther to Carnival Fresh Market which has significantly higher quality, though their service is often lacking.

Okay — so granted, probably at least of my belongings, food in my body, clothes on my back, even the roof over my head; was somehow created or born of association with grave labor injustices in the world. I’m not above the wrongs of this world, and I’m not gonna claim that I don’t fall into the hypocrisy of ultimately living, often for pleasure, Within The System that I Abhor in many ways.
That said, I ain’t shopping past a picket line. All right, well, I Did it once or twice, and I felt terrible. I felt sick. And every time, the owner or his cousin was working the cash register, looking sick and guilty and sad and gloomy. All hours, working his ass off. Sneezing all over my groceries one time! (I still bought them).
I can look in the faces of this guy, and the workers, and I know the real truth. I don’t need another anonymous Unilocal reviewer from New Jersey to persuade me that «they know the real story», as if unions are all bad and stuff.
Look, this place was great, but you can’t be putting food in your belly that’s surrounded by all that juju. There’s plenty of other cheap places across the street and down the street; maybe not quite as chock ful of what you want, and maybe not quite as ²⁴⁄₇; but we all have a Duty to do the Right Thing when we know better.

They are open 24÷7÷365 even during the snow storm! You can get all the basic groceries and they have a great selection of fruits and vegetables. The prices are good, but you have to watch out to make sure they charge the right price, though lately they’ve been good ;)

Priced perfectly. Great hours (24hours) and freshest fruits! Like everything fresher then fresh! I heard they underpay their workers. But I hope that issue is passed and he keeps expanding to more locations like maybe Staten Island? Seriously, I seen and heard people coming from far for this grocery store! Keep it up guys!

I knew it was too good to be true. This place is a cheap 24 hour grocery store in Kensington with fresh produce and a wide selection. The problem is the food has the strange salty-​bitter taste left over by the sweat and tears of its underpaid workers.
It is a very nice grocery store when you don’t consider the labor issues, but the ends here don’t justify the means. Two stars.

I have a love/​hate relationship with this grocery store.
Love: They are open 24 hours. They have a pretty good variety of fresh produce. They have a pretty good variety of interesting foreign foods, focusing on mostly Eastern Europe. Once I tried to make some kind of Russian goulash from here. It didn’t turn out too well because the instructions were in Russian. Silly me. But I always find going in here an adventure. I can get commercial garbage and something that I would not see at Foodtown ever in a million years. Beer selection — not too shabby. Not too shabby at all.
Hate: I guess they don’t pay or treat their employees fantastically so they are always on strike and throwing flyers at you as you pass. Also they don’t have the largest variety of stuff. I mean, it is a small grocery store. But it’s also 24 hours! And not a bodega by any means.

The «silly protesters» are getting shafted by the management and making less than minimum wage. You sacrifice your ethics when you shop here. Perhaps this would have flown under the radar in the 80s but it is 2013 and modernity has arrived in Brooklyn. It’s NOT the old country.

This place is very hit-​and-​miss for the quality of fresh produce. Shop with a keen eye and you’ll be fine. Good prices for the area.
The terrible conditions that the employees put up with are well documented and, imo, the boycott should be adhered to.

Golden Farm was my favorite store when I lived in Kensington, they have a great selection of fresh produce, organic canned goods and toiletries and cool ethnic hard to find grocery items. As a foodie I often relied on Golden Farms to find hard to find items for cooking. Sadly, a few years ago I had to stop shopping here do the unfair labor practices. Everyone who works at this grocery store is as nice as could be but upon hearing of their exploitation I made a commitment to no longer shop here and I urge everyone in the neighborhood to boycott until current labor issues are resolved.

I have shopped in this store for years and years, but stopped when I became aware of their labor practices and a boycott was called. The boycott was finally rescinded a couple of months ago and I began shopping here again. I have always loved the selection and the fresh produce, and I like supporting local businesses rather than large chains. HOWEVER, the boycott is back on, folks.
The owner is still refusing to pay employees nearly $ 100,000 in unpaid overtime wages for 70+ hour work weeks. By shopping, I feel like I am condoning unfair labor practices, but I would be very happy to bring my business back once the owner has signed the negotiation contract and begins paying a fare wage and paying workers back wages. Immigrant workers are not expendable. Please join the boycott and keep the pressure on the owner of Golden Farm.

Great products & selections at great prices. Kensington is not blessed with true gourmet products, but this guy sells all the necessary ingredients, with a good concentration from East Europe… FRESH!
Some silly protesters seems to be increasing traffic, but the workers seem happy, tho most speak poor English. I rarely shop supermarkets now, this place has all the basics, well stocked)))

i love this store. fresh fruit and vegetables at decent prices. the best part is that its open 24 hours. i just wish they had more of a variety in the freezer section as well as deli meats. it would be wonderful if they sold produce.

Since I ‘ve lived in Kensington, I’ve shopped at this store often. It has not been the best experience. The employees there treated me like I’m bad customer there. Once I dropped a cucumber on the floor by accident. One of employee sucked his teeth and pointed at the cucumber, saying «pick it up!!» with annoyance. was going to do it even I was not told, off course. Other employees also lookes so frustrated. After I learned the store’s employees are hired with very low wages, I thought I could understand why they treated me so bad.
Since I learned the Korean owner hires with a $ 4.86 per hour wage from the recent picketing, I stopped shopping at Golden Farm. I won’t support this business anymore.

My old review:
«Dope Eastern European grocery, my fav, & close by-​«
My new review:
«Does not treat their workers right, fired them when they tried to unionize, they are picketing the store now — DO NOT SHOP HERE !».

Please ignore my previous review. The owner pays his employees $ 4.86 an hour for 72 HOUR WORK WEEKS! And he’s spent hundreds of thousands of dollars fighting judgments against him. Instead of giving that money to his employees, as he’s been ordered by several courts.
There is nothing you can get here that is so wonderful or cheap that it’s worth this:
Show Sonny Kim that he’ll only make money by treating his employees decently. Don’t shop at Golden Farm until he does.

Sorry to have to do this. In spite of my undying love for Golden Farm, I have to demote them to one star in support of my solidarity with the workers there. Apparently, they have been underpaid and mistreated for years. What a shame.
Read more here:

A damn good fruit market. The prices are inconsistent, some super low, some higher than normal. The only store I know of where 2 for $X means that buying only one costs much more.
Almost no meat. Good weird bread. 24 hours! Better quality produce at much lower prices that any of the nearby corporate groceries.

This place is funky fun to visit. To me, it’s kinda like a Trader Joes in spirit, but obviously not as polished or chain like. Just a simple market catering to a worldwide neighborhood.
From the outside, it’s a volume-​driven produce shop. Inside, it’s a volume driven produce shop… with more stuff.
It has numerous aisles packed with an eclectic mix of products representative of the very diverse neighborhood… Thai, Pakistani/​Indian/​Bangladeshi, Latino, but also pickled veggies and salted fish, paying homage to Easter Euro residents who still are present.
I wouldn’t go there on a regular basis in order to shop for a family of 5. But it’s well worth a visit if you live somewhat near — if only to add assortment to your pantry (or load up on volume produce in season).

Unlike Foodtown, this place really understands their customers. Here’s why:
1. Plenty of ethnic selections, ranging from Eastern European to Asian products
2. Reasonably priced
3. Fresh fruits and vegetables
4. A mini-​supermarket that is well stocked
5. Their assorted dry nuts and fruits are amazingly fresh and yummy
5. Being opened 7 days a week, 24 hours a day