Racked Mailbag: Guss' Pickles Controversy Continues

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Once in a while, we pull letters from the Racked Inbox and post them for your enjoyment and/or enlightenment. Want to contribute? We're listening. Anonymity always assured.

Last week, a reader noticed that the Guss' Pickles on Orchard Street had posted a sign (pictured above) stating that the pickles sold at Bowery Whole Foods on Houston Street were not "true" Guss' Pickles. In addition to a few comments about whether or not Bowery Whole Foods is a good grocery store, we received this letter about the Guss' issue:

To whom it may concern:

I have been to the Guss Pickles in Long Island. They have the best sour pickles in the world. From what I have been told by many people, is that the reason for the litigation is because the orchard street location is buying commercial pickles from MR PICKLE in Brooklyn(NON GUSS FORMULA Heavy ON DILL AND VINEGAR) and not making their own stuff. WHEREAS the Cedarhurst GUSS location has its own factory in the Bronx and its own farm located in New Jersey. How can the Pickles at whole foods be imposters?, if they come directly from long island with the 1920 original recipe. It Started on the lower east side yes, and now they have expanded. People remember GUSS from ESSEX Street. It's gone way down hill since the move to Orchard. From what I here, the name will be pulled soon from the Orchard store and I guess they will sell inferior products under a different name. I'm 70 years old and been around. I know what a good pickle is and whole foods and Long Island got it...

Whether or not this letter is indeed from a 70-year-old pickle expert and not a shill (unlikely, but possible), it raises some interesting questions: namely, has Guss' on Orchard Street gone downhill? Are the other Guss' pickles better? If anyone cares to respond—to the comments, please.
· That's Salty: Whole Foods Stocks "Impostor" Guss' Pickles [Racked]