I used to really love this place, but this last experience changed my mind. I have been here many times over several years, and thought of it as my go to shop for both everyday herbs and spices, as well as a great place to find bittering agents and other more obscure items.
I used to to be come here and purchase however much of an item that I wanted, even stocking my mother's entire spice rack from this shop when she moved to Houston. It was a truly bulk food buying experience, which was both convient and affordable.
Today when I went in, I was told for the first time that there was a minimum amount that I had to buy of each item, roughly the amount of a spice container that you would buy at the grocery store and costing the same if not more. This to me completely defeated the purpose of going there. I liked buying small quantities often to keep my pantry stocked with fresh items, now I feel as though I might as well just buy my spices at the grocery store. It's more convienient and costs the same. The MAIN benefit of Cranel spice market WAS the ability to buy the amount that I want.
The most frustrating part was that when I said that I had never been required to buy a minimum before and I asked if it was a new policy, I was told it's always been the policy. Either this was the most horrendously enforced policy ever, considering it had never been brought over three ir four years of shopping there, or that was just a lie. I know the employees don't make the rules, and they were just trying to do their jobs, so I'm writing this review for the benefit of the owners.
If this is a new policy, I beg you to go back to the old way. This was such a great resource, but it's just not affordable for everyday use if there is a minimum. If this truly has always been the policy, you need way better signage and to train your employees more.
Unfortunately, I probably won't return.