Back To Earth

I’m a patron, a local, and shop here several times a week. But they’ve hired one of those young brats who brings the attitude. You know the type, no smile, unhelpful, annoying… the millenial attitude train. The others are friendly, like Adam. But the customer experience end of this store has put me off. This employee works there on Mondays, maybe other days. There’s a Health Food Corner in WInsted that’s great with friendly staff, and another organic shop downtown Torrington right off main street, where they are normal people, that is, friendly and helpful. The owner needs to stop hiring this obnoxious type if he wants to do good business. It really is a shame, as I loved getting my eggs, raw milk and kombucha there, but… the other stores in the area are just so much more pleasant.

Such a great local health food store! Great customer service — I called this past weekend to see if they had something in stock. They did not, but they ordered it immediately and I was able to pick it up 2 days later. I was also shopping with my baby daughter and they were kind enough to bring my groceries out to my car because I couldn’t carry her and the groceries. They have a great selection and fair prices. Great job, Back to Earth! I am, and will continue to be, a regular customer!

A great little shop for organic food. After reading a few other reviews, I was a bit shocked at the pricing when I walked in the door. Found a lot of food that in there that would cost a bit more in other organic markets as well as local grocery chains. Wasn’t sure if I got lucky with sales or if that is just their everyday pricing. No one stopped to ask me if I needed help, but I didn’t ask either (just wanted to address that since others mentioned it). There is another natural market closer to home with a few employees who harass their customers so I was glad that no one bothered me on my first visit. For the record though, the cashier was very friendly and I am sure that if I asked any questions, they would have been answered. I was overwhelmed at how many products they carried for the size of the store. Parking is scarce and the parking lot is hard to navigate around (it has a one way entrance from the street and a one way exit to the street and the exit is very tight). It is easy to drive by so keep your eyes open for the turn. Although far from home, I will be returning here in the future since it is such a nice organic market. The only drawback that it has compared to others that I have visited is that there is no deli or drinkbar. It is simply packaged products, but this does give them more room for storage. Visiting Back to Earth is a must for anyone in the Torrington area.

I went to this store today for an herbal supplement. I couldn’t find what I was looking for and a man who worked there came over and helped me. He was extremely pleasant and found my item right away. I asked him how much they were per bottle and he said $ 2.85. This seemed about right since the bottles are tiny, so I took two. I was surprised to see them ring up as almost $ 6.00 once I was checking out. I told the cashier that the guy who helped me locate them said they were $ 2.85/apiece. He checked and said they would be if they were on sale but they’re not. He offered me a discount which would’ve taken less than a dollar apiece off each bottle. He was not being a jerk, it was obvious that this was all he was allowed to do. I asked who the employee giving out incorrect prices was and was informed, «Oh, he’s the owner.» I don’t know his name but he was a tall, older guy with white hair and a beard. He came over and I asked him about the price he gave me. He said, «Oh no, those are $ 6.00.» I said, «Ok, but you just told me they were two something apiece.» At which point he said, «Oh, well sometimes I say stuff. If you don’t want them, don’t buy them.» in an extremely rude and disrespectful tone of voice. I ended up buying one since I needed it for my child but I won’t be shopping there again, not unless someone else buys the store. The employees have always been nice and I actually feel bad for them now, I can only imagine what they go through on a daily basis working with someone like that. I’ve spent hundreds of dollars there in the past two months too. I am shocked and appalled at what transpired today.

I just want to follow up re: Jennifer L’s review. I can’t even count how many times I’ve shopped at Back to Earth, and they’ve ALWAYS been very helpful, friendly and pleasant to be around (especially the owners). Your one-​star experience is an outlier, and speaks more to being a difficult customer than the average experience you can expect at the store.

Great store with a really good selection. The owners are really helpful and friendly. The husband is a pharmacist by trade, so he is very knowledgeable in terms of homeopathic versus mainstream medicine.

I’ve been buying my Honey Gone Nuts granola here for more than 10 years. They used to sell it for $ 1.99/lb., but they discovered that was below cost, so now all their cereals are $ 3.49/lb. I still buy it there, but to be honest if I see almost any kind of granola cheaper in a grocery chain outlet, I pick up a box or two. Still, it says something about Back to Earth that I am still often quite willing to spend 75% more than I’d been accustomed to for a more healthful product that just isn’t available anywhere else in Torrington. You can check down the street at The Good Life, but last time checked they didn’t carry it. The BTE owners are friendly and helpful when I need advice on herbal products as well. One of the owners is a pharmacist, and he’s very knowledgeable. In fact, the building (recently painted gray) used to be H & L Pharmacy.

Back To Earth is a great place. They have nearly everything you can get at a Whole Foods and often their prices are much less.