What 's your favorite grocery store?

My favorite is > Super 1 for bargain vegatables and fruits lot of time sale.
and > >> Walmart always look nice meats always look fresh.

Winn-Dixie most of time reduce on sale meats and the vegetables in full of bag for $1.00.

Hate grocery shopping but if I have to I go to Smiths and Albertsons. Guess I will have to go through the learning process all over again when I move to South Carolina.

I dont go-my wonderful DH does that job-i just have to make meals out of whatever he brings home! :)

Hard to choose, but I like K-Supermarket for not being too big, K-Citymarket for even bigger selection, S-Market and Alepa for good noodles, and LIDL for cheap and good vegetables and fruit - and feta cheese ;)

I haven't even seen most of the grocers mentioned! lol I'm a King Soopers gal... which is Kroger to most people (Colorado's weird, I guess). I do all my grocery shopping there, and consequently end up with cheaper gas... (1 tank @ 10cents off, per each $100 in grocery spending). I also take advantage of their other promotions (e.g. "Get's you ready")... if you buy X dollars of groceries with pink tags, you get a checkout coupon for dollars off a future order. The best I've ever done on a Gets you ready promo was once when I managed to spend $70 on pink tags, I got a coupon for $20 off future order, it seems worth it to me, and it gets me out of grocery "ruts", where I buy the same things over and over and over. Forces me to "buy outside the box". And I've made nice with their floral lady, so she gives me bargains on plants, hehehe ;) Also, Stella thinks it's disneyland... free balloon, free cookie, and a penny pony ride... can't beat that for a 3 year old! LOL

I dislike Wal-Mart meat, it tastes icky every time I've had it. And I've stopped shopping at Wal-Mart altogether this year. I used to have to battle myself each time I went shopping... do I go ahead and buy the icky meat because it's cheaper?? or make a trip to another store completely just for that one item?? ugh... that sucked.... now I don't even get tempted! :)

Sarah

My DH and my son do most of the grocery shopping for staples (and snacks) at Kroger but I buy the veggies and meat at local purveyors and farm stands. I make our bread.

He loves the 10 cent off deal at the gas pumps, too!

We have a great huge fun grocery store here called "Jungle Jim's" that we like to go to, too, for exotic and foreign supplies. It's been on the Food Channel many times.

And then we love 'Trader Joe's' for special fun food, too. They just put one in in Cincy, but we have been buying from them since they opened their first store in South Pasadena CA many years ago. Then it was kind of a 'railroad salvage' store for gourmet food. Now they are going national and getting a little more 'plain vanilla'.

Sarahjo80....
Really about Walmart meat taste like icky to you? To me fine lot of them, I look for lean meats always good to me maybe some of store does but not all depend on who work butcher what they were doing.

At Walmart card neat 3 cents off to pump the gas! That little help. :0)


I always do the most grocery shopping and sometime my DH does when I don't feel good so he do for me, I do love shopping!

As a farmer that sells the veggies, meats, chicken, baked goods, canned items, and eggs, I'd like to say a great big thank you to tabasco. It is people like you that keep us in business and keeps it local. Not to mention, you get some of the best food money can buy.

I go to Kroger for staple items or Sam's Club or Walmart, but I am not much of a shopper, so I'm not in there often. I do like to buy local and keep it within my community. I do not like Kroger, I think everything is so far overpriced and they could drop their prices and still make money. I am limited though in my small community, that unless I drive an hour, that's all I get! And they also give us the coupons for 10 cents off each gallon of gas for every $100 I spend, but the problem is that our Kroger does not have a gas station, so I have to drive an hour to use the dang coupon. Not worth it!

And one more thing, I think it is ridiculous that I have to have a store card to "save" on particular items. I know they are trying to see who uses what, but why not do away with the cards and just give everyone the savings! I'd appreciate them a little more if they did something like that. I hate it that they know how much coffee we drink and what kind of toilet paper we use!!!

:) Kathy

Locally, which for me is 25 miles away, I shop at either Albertson's or Dan's Supermarket. I get most of my paper goods at Walmart. We are getting a Super Walmart as soon as they get done building it.

A couple times a year though, I go to Bismarck, which is 140 miles away, to do some major grocery stocking up at Miracle Mart. I love going to this store because they have lots of different things. I can spend lots of time in the produce section just looking at all the fruits and veggies that I've never seen before.

I like different stores for different things.

I go to Walmart for most basics. I mean, I love Barilla pasta, which costs around 87 cents per box at Walmart, where other markets charge about $1.50.

I also frequently buy easy-peel large shrimp at WalMart as well, Purdue chicken products, & at Xmas can sometimes snag a nice ORGANIC FREE-RANGE goose as well!!!

However, for most seafood I go to our local Giant store, & for a few sale items I go to Safeway.

Misty Meadows, I would love to be able to buy my veggies from a local grower. Not a one of those in Las Vegas. That is reason number 12 on the list of why wer are moving to South Carolina. We do have a farmers market that comes to town from a neighboring small town during the spring and fall months and I do go there but they only come once a month. I used to drive to the town 60 miles when I really wanted something fresh but with the gas prices its just not an option.
Trader Joes is great. We also have a store called Wild Oats that buys produce from the farmers in Logandale. (small town from above)
We have Smith's which is a Kroger store here in the west. We don't have the discount coupon for the gas though. None of the Smiths here have gas station pumps.
I avoid Wal-mart if at all possible. The meat dept just doesn't smell right to me. I only buy my meat from a meat butcher store. All the additives they put in and on it just ruin the taste.

And to those of you who farm our food, Thank you.
I am deeply greatful to you.

A big share of our meat comes from the "pork people" or "the beef guy" at our farmers market. Uky, icky meat! It makes one want to go vegetarian! I only shop Wal-Mart as a last resort. To big, to much ! Anywhere in the store, not only groceries. I am a Sam's Club guy. Takes a little figuring, but you save a lot by buying the big items. Funny the stores are owned by Wally World & so much different. Milk at Sam's is nearly $1 per gallon less than other stores, & fresher also.
One thing Wal-Mart has going for it, people go in to save money on food & end up buying a whole bunch of junk they don't need. Don't beleive me ? Look in carts the next time you are there, better yet look in your own cart!
We have numerous Cub's stores here. They are owned by Super Valu. Lots of their own brand items. Price is way less than the national brands, & made by those companies for Cubs.
We also have Hy-Vee stores, another big, overpriced, family owned Corp. I never shop there, even though I helped built one a few years ago. I used to buy latex gloves there for working tomatoes. Now I can get them at Cubs. $2 less for a box of 50!
Happy shopping! LOL!
Bernie

I cringe and get the basics at Walmart...it's the only game in town, thanks to their motto of 'overwhelm and kill the little guy'. I use as much of my own garden veggies as possible and buy from locals where ever possible. (just bought a bushel of lovely apples from a man...some are now frozen and some are drying in my dehydrator)

I refuse to buy any Walmart meat...for all of the reasons stated above...and more. I'll go without before eating their meat.

We have one small grocery left that handles local meats, and I buy from him. Sometimes we get half a beef from a local guy too. Haven't in a couple of years though...our meat consumption had gone down dramatically and we just don't use that much.

I shop at Fry's for most things...(which is also a Kroger's store)....but I get the best buys on produce at Food City...when I can't get to the Farmer's Market...We also have a Safeway...which is more costly but has the best bakery!! So...we only have the 3 stores here in our town...no Super Wal Mart (yet, but one on the planning board). Jo

I wish to have here Sam's nice stuff that we used to shopping over there in Lafayette,La. not anymore too much cost gas is high and it take a hour and half to here to Sam's too far so we like to go Dollar General and Dollar Tree sometime at Big Lot cheap and so disappointed that yesterday we went to Big Lot the lady work there told us it will close out by January because not enough people go shopping there not enough money oh shoot it has in Lafayette still stay open only here will close. :0(

I also do a lot of periodic shopping at CostCo for things I use in bulk or large sizes, like paper towels, toilet paper, & cat litter; as well as extra virgin olive oil, frozen chicken breast halves, frozen cooked peeled shrimp (terrific to have on hand to toss into soup & pasta sauces!!), fancy stuffed ravioli's, bulk-size dried herbs/spices, etc., etc.

My favorite grocery store?

One that has food.

Sometime the 2 here on the island, do not. Unless you can survive on rice.

It depends on the seas and whether the ferries run.

K

I'm sorry Knot - you may live in "paradise" - but I couldn't live anywhere where I couldn't regularly pick up the ingredients to cook fabulous meals with.

You don't know the half of it.

When we get vegetables, fresh that is, is like christmas.

Save-A-Lot for the paper and generic stuff, Hy-Vee for the produce and everything else.

Locker Plant for beef and pork, SIL for chicken and eggs.

Farmer's market for everything I can get in season.

Resturant supply store for the stuff I can get in bulk.

I avoid Super Wal-Mart if I possibly can.

mg

Knot - with your climate, can't you grow a lot of vegetables & fruit year round?

I agree about unduly spending more money at Wal-Mart. I originally stopped shopping there on principal. I decided that my scruples were worth paying a little more for groceries. As it turns out, I was spending a lot of money on junk I didn't need when I visited there. I'm actually spending less on groceries now that I shop elsewhere, just because I've cut out the useless that followed me home. As an added bonus, it has detracted from my household clutter. I'm no longer having "stuff I don't need, but got suckered into" lying around the house from "the evil W" :) Overall, it was a very good decision not to shop there. For me, at least :) Now I get my TP and stuff like that from Target.

And, for the record, I do shop at the farmer's market when it's in season. Nothing like fresh CO cataloupe and peaches! :)

Sarah

Well, unfortunately the price difference between WalMart & our other markets is way more than "a little".

I buy a LOT of Barilla pasta products, which WalMart sells for $.87 per box. Both Giant & Safeway sell the exact same product for $1.57 to $1.87 per box. This is not just "a little" difference. Same goes for a lot of other products that I purchase a lot of. Purdue chicken products are at least a couple of dollars cheaper. And this past Xmas I bought our Xmas goose from WalMart. It was, in fact, a free-range organic bird as well, & was a full dollar less per pound than the other markets.

It's nice to be able to shop according to principle if it's just a matter of a few cents, but not all of us can or are willing to spend a lot of extra cash for grocery store principles. And you know what? Our WalMart is extremely clean, well-stocked, & employs some of the nicest & friendliest employees I've ever come across. They say hello & ask if they can help you, & more than once have gone out of their way to help me find something. And an acquaintaince of mine who works for them has benefits that she wouldn't normally have if she worked for the other grocers.

Bash WalMart - along with the press - if you must, but I quite frankly don't think they're much different than any other retailers. The others just hide their skeletons better.

I love the Fiesta stores around here for very good, fresh, and inexpensive produce. (I am VERY picky about produce and I WISH Houston had a farmer's market that was closer to this side of town!! I know there is one somewhere, but I'm not sure where... It's ridiculous to only have one in a city this size!!! But I digress.) The Fiesta that is closest to me has a very Hispanic flavor to it, which is very fun. There is a little taqueria in the store and they make fresh tortillas and botillas and tamales and all kinds of other fun stuff in the bakery and deli sections. However, they do not have shopping carts that will hold more than one child at a time. That is a little less of an issue now that my 4 year old is old enough to walk alongside of the cart, but it has been a HUGE deal since my little one was born.

Our nearby Wal-Mart grocery store, which I used to go to for basics but avoid if I am buying any kind of produce or meat, only has ONE shopping cart for 2 kids, and it is in sad repair and is usually already being used.

So most of the time I go to H-E-B. They have good produce at pretty decent prices and a good selection on most other things. They have LOTS of shopping carts of different configurations for more than one child. They used to have some cute truck carts, but as they have become run down they have replaced them with the "Bob the Builder" and "Wiggles" theme carts that you have to actually pay to use. I rarely have a dollar in my pocket when I get to the store and really wouldn't want to spend one just to use a shopping cart anyway, so I'm not too thrilled with that choice. But my kids like the "yellow bench" carts that will hold up to 3 kids and are free to use, so it works for us.

Our Kroger has fairly good produce most of the time, but the savings card thing drives me crazy, too, so I very rarely go there. Also, they don't have two-child shopping carts either.

My 2 cents... Thanks for asking. :-)
~ Marylyn

Down here no one wants to work because the U.S. sends welfare checks.

I am sorry, yes we live in paradise on the beach but yes we also have to deal with difficulties that you do not.

Our kids down here pop out babies at about 11 or 12.

Why, you get a check. Then by 15 she may have a few more, sending more money.

So when DH and I watch at the market, and they pull out the famalia card, we cringe.

When is the U.S. going to realize our money is being used.

Sorry guys, you know we mean the best but right is right and wrong is wrong.

So sorry for breaking this thread, but you did ask about grocery stores.

Thank you all of you to sharing with your news about the grocery stores, I enjoyed to read it all.

Well, I'm definitely outnumbered! LOL :) My point about saving money by not shopping at Wal-Mart was missed, and I get help paying for some of my expenses so that I can finish college and uphold my daughter's quality of life, so I'm outta here! LOL :) Incidentally, if you put both of these pieces together it becomes clear that (if I can, anyone can!) it's probably possible to shop in concurrence with one's principles. And for the record (so as not to offend anyone), I don't dislike individual Wal-Mart employees. Quite the contrary, I think it's pitiful that our hard working middle class is forced to work for such a corrupt corporation.

Sorry to have ruffled feathers :( That was not my intent... I'm not trying to judge anyone else, I'm just doing what's best for my family :) Happy grocery shopping, DGers! :)

Sarah

No one mentioned the newest store to come to South Jersey - Super Stop and Shop. We would have never went to try it but a friend of Ken's son is the manager and they encouraged us to take a look. The store is 8 m8iles from our house but we have gotten some great bargains. Some of their stuff is very high priced and some is a very good deal. You just have to watch them. We also show at Shop Rite for some things and sometimes at Save-A-Lot. We have stopped going to Sam's Club -- prices going up and quality and selection going down. We didn't save enought a year to even cover the membership fees. Sometimes we shop at Target - they have sales that beat WalMart and K Mart around here.

Ken & Sue in Glassboro, NJ