The companies behind the Broadway Market and its centerpiece tenant QFC have responded to CHS’s coverage of crime and safety issues at the store that culminated last month with an employee pepper spraying a man outside the store.
Meanwhile, the employee involved in the dangerous altercation still has his job after speaking out about the incident.
Prior to the CHS story about QFC clerk and assistant manager Mathew Chandler, QFC’s parent company declined to comment on the situation.
After publication, we heard back from portland-based spokesperson for QFC/Fred Meyer Melinda Merrill who told CHS in an email she could not discuss specifics of the store’s security or Chandler’s suspension but said the company is working with Seattle Police to improve the situation at the busy store.
“It’s how we always operate stores in tough neighborhoods,” she said. “We work closely with law enforcement and local officials to make sure we’re doing all we can to always keep our customers and our employees safe… we very much want to see this area remain a livable neighborhood and look to our city government to help us achieve that,” Merrill said.
On August 12th, Chandler escorted a man outside of the store who was causing a disturbance. Once outside, Chandler said the man threatened to kill him with a champagne bottle. Chandler warned the man he would mace him if he came any closer. When the man raised the bottle over his head, Chandler sprayed him. Police arrived and arrested the suspect for harassment.
Chandler told CHS he was still employed at QFC after talking to CHS about the incident. The longtime employee told CHS he was suspended for one week and docked three days of pay for violating QFC policy by carrying mace while working.
Meanwhile, the company that recently purchased the block-long shopping center for $43 million said it, too, is actively trying to make the area safer.
Florida-based Regency Centers Corporation acquired the Broadway Market in late-2014.
According to Regency spokesperson Kalin Berger, the company hires one security guard to patrol the block from 7 AM to midnight everyday. That’s in addition to security/loss prevention staff that QFC hires to work inside the store. According to Berger, the security guard is not an off-duty police officer.
“Since we acquired the property late last year, we’ve upped the security efforts significantly in keeping with our standards of safety,” Berger said. “If we see and hear the need for more measures, then further steps will be taken, no question.”
QFC declines to comment and any responsibility for security has not been claimed by either QFC or the property owners.
Nothing was mentioned regarding protecting employees or property.
Basically, they’ve reported that they heard about something happening. That’s it. QFC will continue to shy away from litigious matters and we can hope that maybe the owners will post up another tired, aging security toolbag with a hairlip.
The term is “harelip,” because of the resemblance of the defect to the mouth of a hare. You’re welcome.
Stickler–yor moms got a harey lip.
And a horrible combover. The guy couldn’t box his way out of a paper bag.
If possible I suggest boycotting QFC. IMO they are despicable stores on CH. The Broadway store is dirty, crowded, chaotic and the 15th store is very limited, and the employees are beyond surly.
Re: the 15th E store being very limited. Very true, but believe it or not the 15th E store is one of the better performing stores. I’m guessing (i.e. I do not know this) but I’m sure that the 15th E store has considered their options as far as getting a bigger place and stocking more stuff equivalent to other stores such as Broadway Market or Harvard Market but my guess is that things are OK with them as it is. If you really want a larger store with more selection and merch you’ll head north a few blocks on 15th E and go to the Safeway at the corner of 15th E and E John. I’ve found that the store is pretty clean and some of the stuff is of better quality than at Kroger… I mean QFC.
Boycott, are you serious? You want other people to go out of their way to avoid a business because you don’t like it? I’ve been going to QFC (the east Broadway and 15th ones) for over 15 years, along with the Co-op, Safeway, Whole Foods, Trader Joes, and “Dirty, crowded and chaotic” is a ridiculous exaggeration. They aren’t the fanciest or best grocery stores for sure, but pretty much like most other average grocers all over the country. If you feel like that’s true, then maybe you should just stick with Whole Foods & PCC, though even those get chaotic when busy.
And regarding this article, seems a bit click baity; one guy gets maced outside, and suddenly there are “crime and safety issues”?
We’re well aware that the neighborhood is a dense and urban environment so crime and safety issues are part of life here. I try to keep a steady hand at how we respond and definitely never want to make mountains out of molehills. SPD responds to an issue pretty much every day on the Broadway Market block:
I haven’t compared to other blocks in area though so maybe on average for Broadway. With the ongoing responses and this incident, it seemed worthy of attention.
As a 9-year First Hill resident, I most frequently shop at the Broadway/Pike/Harvard Market QFC, but the Broadway Market one is larger and obviously has more selection. I have never had a bad experience at either one, I have never seen a staff member be anything less than polite and helpful, either to me or to any other customer no matter their personal situation at the time. I did notice that the Harvard Market now brings the bench that usually stands inside the Harvard Ave entrance into a roped-off area inside the store during the late evening/early morning hours.
At any rate, I hope the city and stores can come up with some solutions for safety; people should not have to be afraid for themselves while they are at work.
I’m guessing the block that Dick’s is on has similar stats if not more. Also, this is probably more of a global mental health/poverty issue than an issue that QFC/Kroeger can deal with on their own, or should even have to.
Surly? The 15th store? The crew there are super friendly. I go there 90% of the time over the 15th Safeway. The crew there just oozes sadness.
Sometimes I feel like I live in a completely different city than the commentators on this blog. I’ve never even felt the remotest bit of danger at any of the grocery stores on the hill and while the panhandlers are annoying sometimes, that’s just life in the big(ish) city.
I’ve been on the hill for 21 years now and I personally have never felt safer. There was a lot more violence and a LOT more gay bashing in the 90’s. Not to say we should ignore the recent uptick, but still, let’s be reasonable and not exaggerate what’s going on either.
It would be interesting to find out if there is any correlation to the privatization of liquor sales.
Agreed
Well, I both agree and disagree with you. I personally have never felt the employees in ANY of the stores mentioned (any of 3 QFC’s, either Safeway, or Trader Joe’s) have been surly. Neither do I think any of the stores is dirty. I think people must be projecting their own surliness.
As for safety– we disagree there. I think the streets of C.H. (at night anyway) are much more dangerous than I remember them in the 19 years I’ve been here. It’s getting worse, and I think it corresponds more to the much larger crowds of drunk-bro’s and woo-girls than we used to have. That crowd breeds opportunism and criminal element. The bigger selection on C.H. doesn’t just apply to housing or grocery stores now, it applies to victims too. More drunken assholes means more fights and muggings, and criminals go where the money is, too.
I worked at City Market in the 90’s, perhaps I had a more closeup view of the violence in the 90’s. We had the cops in that place pretty much on a nightly basis. We had a phone bank out front that was basically just an open air heroin market and most of the buildings around there were just heroin dens. I’d much rather deal with the puking woo girls and bro-dudes than the heroin addicts of the 90’s when Rolling Stone declared Seattle Junky Town.
You say you’ve never felt not safe. You also do not mention when you go. It is likely decidedly different at 10 in the evening or 3 in the morning vs what it’s like at 10:15 in the morning. I’ve seen the reports in CHS for stuff that happens at 2 or 3 in the morning in *my* neighborhood.
Whatever, dude. The employees at both are always friendly, courteous, and helpful. If you’re complaining about it being crowded, go at a different time. It’s never crowded when I go, except around 6-7pm, when all grocery stores everywhere are crowded.
I was recently told by the store manager at the Broadway Market QFC that the in-store security works only on the weekends. That doesn’t make any sense at all….incidents are just as likely to take place there on a Tuesday as on a Saturday.
I was also told that security only acts as an “observer” and they call the SPD if warranted. They could do more….for instance, getting a handle on the many customers with (not service) dogs who are abusing the system for their own convenience.
Sure, because this article is about the dangers of all those deranged dogs causing trouble.
And it’s appropriate that QFC’s security observe and report. They are not sworn law enforcement officers nor are they armed.
Contrary to what many people believe store security are not “rent-a-cops”and unless they are off-duty police really do not have any force or can they use force. Several years ago there were problems in the downtown transit tunnel and the victims did not get any help from security because that’s not what they are there for(?)
I was at the Harvard QFC at ~3:00am this morning & it was a bleedin zoo.
Police showed up and hung out in the garage and within there were people trying to walk out with unpaid for baskets of goods, screamers, people cranked up on something, tons of drunk revelers and a security guard running around the store like a dervish, trying to prevent a little bit of everything…and while it was all a bit surprising, it wasn’t scary.
In fact, as this story was about the other Broadyway location, I’d say that the Harvard Market QFC was a lot zanier than it’s up the street cousin.
Overall, I don’t find either dangerous or scary.
I’m a single female and after living in a few major cities I’ve found that as long as you don’t react fearfully to the things happening around you, the knuckleheads pretty much leave you alone.
I know it’d be a bit nicer to not have a walking skeleton with few teeth and yellowish leathery skin screaming at you as you walk down the street or to have some shady person look at you like you’re a fish to be filleted, but presently this is the case. And what we do is band together to take care of our community rather than bemoaning what others are or are not doing to keep us safe.
And reading the comments above, I found it funny that someone mentioned the woos and the bros. I live near the Cuff and that crowd is relaxed and fun and can hold their liquor, but you walk up one more block along Pine and suddenly the wooing and the broing begins. Even the creepier types don’t come down to the Cuff area, so maybe there is something to say about a zoo/dude-bro/woo-woo correlation
Oh! And as an aside: the dude working the self-checkout at 3am in the Harvard QFC was beyond nice, helpful & sweet. I forgot my wallet, so I had to leave my stuff at the checkout, run home, then run back to check out and he, while maintaining the zoo, was helpful through the whole silly incident.
Agree 100%. I think some of these commentators need to move to some little small town or something. This is just a reality of big city life.
If Regency actually does have someone patrolling the block, they’re the best damn undercover security I’ve ever seen. I’m across from this QFC most nights, and haven’t seen any evidence of such a patrol. I’m sure they were just around the corner when that guy was throwing things into the street, and screaming threats at people yesterday evening. And were still just around the corner when the cops came, interviewed a witness, and left.
Why should they be required to? Homeowners aren’t held responsible for the actions of people on city owned sidewalks around their property. The inebriants and drug addicts causing these problems area government problem. Since we are a self governing people that means it’s all of our problem. I’d rather our elected officials take responsibility their complete and tota inaction on the mental health crisis in our city and our country. This is not qfc or the building owners responsibility. It’s all of our responsibility.