Few ? about grocery shopping from non-US citizine

[goofieslonglostsis]

Hi everyone,

can anybody help me out with some info on grocery shopping for those of us not from the US? I've got something called 'a major uncurable addiction to crystal light'. Of course I didn't find that out until I got some from another DIS'er on a cruise and have been ordering mine through E-bay ever since.

In september/october we'll be back visiting the world and plan on getting myself a nice supply of cc. Besides, my family is beginning to suffer from the same addiction. I know we'll be hitting the Super WalMart this trip. Don't laugh too hard but not having anything like that back home, it's something fun for us to spend a couple of hours browsing.

Anywho I'm wondering about a couple of things;

- what is the normal price level I can expect for a can of cc and what for the boxes of cc on the go? Can I expect these to vary per flavour, or are they pretty much the same?

- since WalMart also has their own generic brand, can I still find a good variety of CC or are there better places to check out for this?

- are there specific flavors that are more difficult to get? (I'm thinking flavours like lemonade shouldn't be too difficult to find? But what about flavours like pineapple/orange, strawberry/kiwi, orange, strawberry/orange/banana etc.?)

- of course we'll be checking expirationdate, but have you found them to tend to have an expiration date a long time from the moment of buying or not?


To give you guys an idea; I was crunching some numbers and found that a yearsupply for myself would take up about 1/2 of my second suitcase allowed weight. Yep, addicted alright. And now the family is starting to want their own. Since we've got a family trip to Australia planned for next year, no US visit will be on the schedule. So we want to bring back a nice supply to last for quite some time, not needing to rely on Ebay and hoping to find the desired flavour at an affordable rate. Anyhow, with the totalamount and variety of flavours we're hoping to bring back it would be nice to be able to hit one or perhaps 2 stores and be done with it instead of having to hop allover trying to find what we're looking for.

So basically; can anybody please give me the basics 101 on shopping for crystal light in the Orlando area??

 

[SandrA9810]

LOL...
Sorry i'm no crystal light drinker, and i just left orlando, so no help on stock supply. But i'm sure you can buy a caseload at walmart. Just ask an associate to bring out a new box. That way you're not dealing with itty bitty packets all over the place.
Can i ask how much you spend in US dollars on your cases from ebay??

 

[golfgal]

I am going to guess that a can of Crystal Light is going to run about $3, the little packets to go are probably about the same. I don't think the price will be any different by flavor. I do think you might have a problem finding a year's supply in one place but if you want a large order, contact the store where you will shop a few weeks in advance and they will order what you need. I would request that they not unbox your order and mail it home vs taking it on the airplane. You might have better luck ordering from a grocery store vs Walmart so find a grocery store near where you are staying.

 

[DVC~OKW~96]

Walmart won't always have the best price or selection. I send Crystal Light packets (the single serve ones, not the measure as you need cans) to our family member in the service (Afghanistan and Iraq) and I prefer the selection at Publix.

I only buy name brand, as the others tend to be bitter. The little box of single serve packets are around $4 each.

Sometimes you can get them on sale. When I do, I stock up so I can send a good bundle of them over.

 

[goofieslonglostsis]

LOL...
Sorry i'm no crystal light drinker, and i just left orlando, so no help on stock supply. But i'm sure you can buy a caseload at walmart. Just ask an associate to bring out a new box. That way you're not dealing with itty bitty packets all over the place.
Can i ask how much you spend in US dollars on your cases from ebay??

Sure you can. Depends a bit on the flavour and offerings, but I tend to get boxes of the on the go for about $3.50 per box and the canisters for about $5,- per can. Have found some great prices of $2,50 per on the go or $3.50 per can, but those tend to be far and few in between. It's basically the shipping that raises the prices for us.



Golfgal; thanks for the info! I'm definately going to keep that in mind!

Unless we find we've got too little suitcase space, we'll be taking them along as checked luggage. It's cheaper for us to stuff a suitcase with CC than ship a smaller box back home. I've got some status with the airline that allows me to check more suitcases without a fees.

 

[goofieslonglostsis]

Walmart won't always have the best price or selection. I send Crystal Light packets (the single serve ones, not the measure as you need cans) to our family member in the service (Afghanistan and Iraq) and I prefer the selection at Publix.

I only buy name brand, as the others tend to be bitter. The little box of single serve packets are around $4 each.

Sometimes you can get them on sale. When I do, I stock up so I can send a good bundle of them over.

Also, thanks for taking the time to help me out. Publix, OK we'll check them out. This is going to sound stupid, but how do I find out about sales going on? Are there any types of announcements I can check out on the stores website, or don't you find out until at the store?

 

[fraggle551]

Also, thanks for taking the time to help me out. Publix, OK we'll check them out. This is going to sound stupid, but how do I find out about sales going on? Are there any types of announcements I can check out on the stores website, or don't you find out until at the store?

You can check out the stores weekly sale flyer online usually. Here we get them delivered with the paper each Thursday, i'm not sure if thats the same for everyone else or not. I live on Long Island. If you don't mind me asking, where are you from?

I spent 6 months living in Ireland and my Grandma and some wonderful friends would ship me over the Crystal Light packets - it made those 6 months much more bearable!!

 

[Lisa_M]

Also, thanks for taking the time to help me out. Publix, OK we'll check them out. This is going to sound stupid, but how do I find out about sales going on? Are there any types of announcements I can check out on the stores website, or don't you find out until at the store?

Sales flyers are the the store's website typically, but only the current week's sale. So you probably won't be able to find out about the sales ahead of time. However, if you are planning on buying a case or two of this stuff. Call the store, speak with a manager, let them know the quantity your interested and ask them for their best price.

I'm not sure if you can order from Amazon.com, but they sell it as well. So you can use that for a price comparison.

 

[mumto2]

I second Publix. We use them at home, and they will special order for customers. Publix.com will help you locate the nearest store and give you contact info. Depending on the length of your stay, you might want to make contact prior to arrival. Publix is known for their customer service. As for Walmart, I drive by two to get to Target (and SuperTarget is even better!).

Have a great trip!

 

[Ohiodislover]

No shopping tips.

I will let you know that Crystal Light is available on Amazon.com, and they do ship internationally if you can't wait till the fall.

 

[Starbrite]

I buy the On the Go packets at Target - they are $2.00 this week.

One thing to note - don't just pay attention to the price. I've noticed the quantity varies by store too. For example, the to go boxes at Target have 10 packets in them - the ones at my WalMart have 12 packets.


By the way....I've been called a Crystal Light Addict too On any given day, I have no less than 6 boxes in my desk @ work. All different flavors. (I dont like the store brand either)

 

[holycow]

Well, I know I'm in the minority but I like the Walmart brand. The cherry limeade is FAB!

My DS just came home and tried it and mentioned how much he likes it too.

It is about 2.00/2.50 a box. I know in California I was paying up to 6$ a canister for Crystal light! So off to Walmart I would go and it was much cheaper.

I can't vouch for Publix. We haven't lived in Fl. for about 5 yrs. now.

Good luck and Have fun!

 

[kidzmom3]

I am not sure because I dont drink the crystal light, but wouldn't they sell it in larger quantities at BJ's, Costco or Sams Club?

just googled it. Crystal light is 30 packets for 7.77 at Costco
30 packets are 13 at Sams Club

 

[ms.yt]

http://www.amazon.com/gp/search/ref=sr_nr_p_76_0?rh=i:aps,k:crystal+light,p_76:1&keywords=crystal+light&ie=UTF8&qid=1274624351

 

[ChristmasElf]

Crystal Light is made by Kraft foods.

Go to www.kraftfoodscompany.com and take a look around their site, you will see that they have several "headquarter locations"

Contact one of them and ask if there is a way to get their product to you in whatever country you live in.

You never know, they may be very willing to set you up! And the prices will be cheaper too!

I just saw someone post about Costco. They are in many countries around the world. Maybe they could help you as well?

 

[SandrA9810]

iheartpublix.com gives out the weekly ad one week ahead. The sale runs thursday thru wenesday, and the ad from the store is released in wenesday's paper. There's several publix locations close to disney, my favorite one is on the corner of 192 and international drive south (near gaylord palms).

I drive past two walmarts, a super target, regular target, and four publixs from home to disney, and publix has always been my choice.

Some of the shopping tips given on that site don't apply to florida, like double coupons or the rite aid deals as there are none near disney.

I would start looking for couponers to clip CL coupons for you so you can save even more. And thats a lot cheaper to mail than packets.

 

[Disney Doll]

You will get the best price on CL at a warehouse store like Sam's, BJ's, Costco.

Does anyone know if someone can get a guest pass for a day which allow someone to purchase items at membership pricing?

 

[golfgal]

You will get the best price on CL at a warehouse store like Sam's, BJ's, Costco.

Does anyone know if someone can get a guest pass for a day which allow someone to purchase items at membership pricing?

Most of the warehouse stores will give you a one day pass. They might do a slight upcharge with that but not always.

 

[maslex]

We live on Walmart's brand of crystal light (fruit punch flavor) I buy the canister (comes with 6 little tubs of powder mix) for $1.98 I just checked the expiration date and it's good until April of 2012.

 

[MrsJackSparrow4Life]

Personally I like the Walmart brand better than Crystal Light. If you do end up at Walmart you may want to try a package of the generic.