Grocery Stores

[Chuck S]

OK, it's a bit of a fluff thread...we need one, sooo many depressing political & economic threads on the board today.

Anyway, I hate it when "grocery stores" grow to the size of a mini-WalMart. I want to run in and buy groceries. I want them to have a nice selection of normal grocery products. I do NOT want to buy lawn furniture, major appliances, toaster ovens, video game systems, TVs, computers, or exercise equipment.

I just want a nice, medium-sized, clean, well stocked grocery store similar to Publix. A nice bakery, deli, produce and a small florist department is great. A small selection of basic paper goods, and cheap toys to quiet an antsy kid is nice. And I want friendly cashiers, and baggers that know how to not break the eggs or smash the bread.

So how about you? Do you like huge grocery stores?

 

[Rafiki Rafiki Rafiki]

I like a grocery store with lots of fresh food. And I like it to have a better variety of different food than you find at a corner store.

My Kroger has a sushi bar. I don't like sushi. And I don't like the smell of the sushi area. It ruins the nearby bakery, where they make fresh, hot tortillas and ciabatta sandwiches every day. The greek olive bar is decent, but I don't think they have a large enough variety of fresh bread. I would love it if that area was more like the Whole Foods.

There is a Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market across town where I go to pick up a few things while my DD is at gymnastics. I go there because they have those Jimmy Dean pancake and sausage sandwiches that you can't find anywhere else. They also have bakery-made ciabatta bread, which is something you can't find at Kroger--even though they sell ciabatta sandwiches.

 

[binny]

I like a grocery store with lots of fresh food. And I like it to have a better variety of different food than you find at a corner store.

My Kroger has a sushi bar. I don't like sushi. And I don't like the smell of the sushi area. It ruins the nearby bakery, where they make fresh, hot tortillas and ciabatta sandwiches every day. The greek olive bar is decent, but I don't think they have a large enough variety of fresh bread. I would love it if that area was more like the Whole Foods.

There is a Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market across town where I go to pick up a few things while my DD is at gymnastics. I go there because they have those Jimmy Dean pancake and sausage sandwiches that you can't find anywhere else. They also have bakery-made ciabatta bread, which is something you can't find at Kroger--even though they sell ciabatta sandwiches.

our Fred Meyer has a sushi bar and an olive bar... really? is that there much demand for 20 different types of olives?




Depends on my mood as to what I like in a grocery store. Wherever I shop it has to be CLEAN I can deal with cranky people but if the store isnt clean I turn around and wakl right back out!

 

[Swimnoid]

Me too. I want a regular store and not a million people there when I am!

 

[Kathi OD]

What is a WalMart Neighborhood Market?

I agree that my grocery store has to be clean. I hate dirty stores of any type.

 

[MoniqueU]

I would just like to find one that stocks all the food products my family uses. We end up going to 3 or 4 stores which ends up costing us more just to get the basics. One store will carry something the other won't. We did get a new Super Walmart but I have yet to check it out. The super targets grocery section might as well not even exist the few foods my family likes that they stock.

 

[krissy2803]

OK, it's a bit of a fluff thread...we need one, sooo many depressing political & economic threads on the board today.

Anyway, I hate it when "grocery stores" grow to the size of a mini-WalMart. I want to run in and buy groceries. I want them to have a nice selection of normal grocery products. I do NOT want to buy lawn furniture, major appliances, toaster ovens, video game systems, TVs, computers, or exercise equipment.

I just want a nice, medium-sized, clean, well stocked grocery store similar to Publix. A nice bakery, deli, produce and a small florist department is great. A small selection of basic paper goods, and cheap toys to quiet an antsy kid is nice. And I want friendly cashiers, and baggers that know how to not break the eggs or smash the bread.

So how about you? Do you like huge grocery stores?

Do you have one of those new HEB plus stores?
I went in one once...ONCE! Hated it.

 

[#1hockeymom]

I like a grocery store with lots of fresh food. And I like it to have a better variety of different food than you find at a corner store.

My Kroger has a sushi bar. I don't like sushi. And I don't like the smell of the sushi area. It ruins the nearby bakery, where they make fresh, hot tortillas and ciabatta sandwiches every day. The greek olive bar is decent, but I don't think they have a large enough variety of fresh bread. I would love it if that area was more like the Whole Foods.

There is a Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market across town where I go to pick up a few things while my DD is at gymnastics. I go there because they have those Jimmy Dean pancake and sausage sandwiches that you can't find anywhere else. They also have bakery-made ciabatta bread, which is something you can't find at Kroger--even though they sell ciabatta sandwiches.

It sounds like we shop at the same places! I do have the option to shop locally, which I mostly do. Small store, small selection, and no double coupons. When I am in the coupon mood and have the time I end up driving further to go to Kroger.

 

[Stacerita]

For a while now I have been shopping at Fresh & Easy and I love it. They don't have a deli or a bakery, but its a great store. Everything is fresh and I love the prices and their coupons. It did take some getting used to not having tons of different brands. But the quality of what is there is great. I love that they carry a lot of organic and soy products. Its not a big store so the workers are friendly and helpful.

I don't like huge grocery stores. I like knowing where everything is and what they have. I don't want a ton of other things being sold or distracting me. If I wanted that stuff, I would go somewhere else.

When I want something different or unusual, I go to other stores.

I like the feel of my grocery store being like a neighborhood market.

 

[kellyg403]

I work in a grocery store and have the same feelings. Every year, it seems like we have more and more non food, holiday items, seasonal items. They clutter up the floor and navigating the cart full of groceries AROUND displays has to be one of my biggest pet peeves. Recently we also got the olive bar..who the heck buys that stuff. Its so expensive. Since it started I don't think one container of the stuff has come through my line.

I understand the seasonal items in the stores closest to beaches or resort areas since people are staying in condo's, hotels etc and it is cheapers than some of the shops, but those of us in regular old towns don't need or want chairs, boogey boards, tables with umbrella's, decorations available for sale. I can go anywhere, I live here. Just don't like it either!

Kelly

 

[lulu71]

I shop at mom and pop small grocery stores and very occasionally at a larger chain one. My grocery bill is always higher at the large store for some reason.

A word about Publix - we don't have any here, but have been to a couple of Publix stores in my hurricane evacuations and wow! Holy grocery Nirvana!!! Those stores are awesome! The selection, the service, the cleanliness! The prices were crazy high, but I just loved shopping at those Publix stores.

 

[chrisw127]

My Whole Foods doubled in size and I was very happy about it. We have three in our area and I actually go to all of them depending on what I need. Otherwise, I go to Super Target for regular "stuff" and Harris Teeter for things that I can't get at Super Target. I will say, most things are cheaper at Target, but their selection is mostly limited. I'm not sure we even have a locally owned store around here. There's one up in Durham but it's very fancy-schmancy, and even a coke is double the cost.

We have the state farmer's market in Raleigh, which has an incredible selection and is always fun. I don't find the prices cheaper though, but I like to buy locally if I can.

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

I hate super WalMart. I hate WalMart in general, but I have no problem shopping at Sam's. Go figure.

For weekly grocery shopping I go to Super Target because the prices are so much lower than the regular gorcery store. For things I can't find or don't remember to get at Target we go to Tom Thumb, which is like Publix.

DH worked in grocery for YEARS. The company he was with was a family owned, locally based chain with about 80 stores. They have completely tanked over the past 5-10 years and there are hardly any stores left. DH quit 4 years ago to work for a vendor.

The stores where I shop are clean and the employees are pretty friendly. My issue with ALL of them is stock levels. It irritates me to go to a store and leave without half of the things I need because the store is out of them! You wouldn't think half & half would be such a rare commodity. I want NORMAL half & half, not some fat free crap, not some chemical formula, plain dairy half & half. Super Target and Tom Thumb are frequently out, but I think it is because I shop on weekends. I usually end up having DH go to Sam's and buy 3 or 4 quarts to get us through the week. (We drink a lot of coffee.)

 

[Chuck S]

Do you have one of those new HEB plus stores?
I went in one once...ONCE! Hated it.

Ours is an "HEB plus wanna be" The parking lot is always filled up with lawn furniture and plants, the aisles are cramped so they can cram as many non-grocery items in as possible. I hate it.

There is a small Handy Andy, but it is so dirty, I don't go there.

Then there is WalMart, which is about our only choice anymore.

There were two "regular" local stores in town, but they've closed up.

The area Krogers all closed ages ago, we don't have K-Marts anymore, either.

I don't mind chain stores, but I'd rather they be more like the Publix we shop at in Florida...clean, great selection of grocery items and not concentrating being a WalMart.

 

[C.Ann]

Oh goodie! A fluff thread instead of a political one..

That's the line of business my late DH was in and although the chain had some super huge stores, his remained smallish and I liked that much, much better..

My back bothers me when I walk too much in stores (I think it's the hard floors) and I really, really don't want to have to walk a mile to get a gallon of milk!! (And of course you realize the most purchased items are placed in the back of the store intentionally - right? It's so you have to pass all of these other items and will 9 times out of 10 toss things in your cart that you had no intentions of purchasing when you came into the store.. )

 

[Pooh Girl 71]

I like huge grocery stores when I have to get lots of different things. Our Wal-Mart has now put a refrigerated case near the front that holds milk and eggs. I suppose that's for those who just want to run in and get something quick. I never run into Wal-mart if I want to be quick.....that just never works for me.

We have a local grocery chain called Ukrops that is quite nice. It's not too big and the baggers take your groceries out to the car for you. They can be a bit pricey though.

 

[Suzie Zoo]

I love huge grocery stores.
And I check myself out, so I don't even pay attention to the "baggers".

 

[Nancy]

I like my Wegmans for cleanliness, prices and customer service but I hate that they seem to be devoting more and more floor space to the non-food items. That is all because the profit on those non-food items is much higher than the grocery side of the store. I also find that alot of the items I buy are cheaper there than any other store in the area including the Super WalMart. So my shopping now is done between 3 stores. Wegmans for meat, produce and and the items that are cheaper than WalMart. BJ's for my stock up items and then WalMart once a month to stock on the items they sell cheaper than Wegmans. I will run into Tops for a quick "I need item" and they also sell Count Chocula cereal right now which no other store in the area does, but Tops prices are WAY higher than any other store except for Wilson Farms.

 

[ajk912]

I want prices to be as low as they can be. So if they have to add in a bunch of *whatever* to make that happen, I will just navigate around the unnecessary stuff. Which means I am almost exclusively shop at SuperWalmart anymore!

 

[ajk912]

We have a local grocery chain called Ukrops that is quite nice. It's not too big and the baggers take your groceries out to the car for you. They can be a bit pricey though.

I used to love Ukrops but ever since they started doing the gas rewards (or whatever they call it..) the prices have skyrocketed. Since the gas rewards have started, I have only hit $75 on my Ukrops card. I used to spend at least $50 a week there, easy!!! I wish they would just do away with that program and lower prices a little. I know prices are up everywhere..but they are nuts! So now I shop at SuperWalmart 65% of the time, Food Lion 30% of the time, and the only time I go to Ukrops anymore is when I want Starbucks (get gas rewards for Starbucks, woohooo!) or want to use the "build your own" salad bar. Still even the Starbucks is silly..in the same shopping center there are THREE Starbucks. One in Target, one in Ukrops, and a Starbucks store. All in the same 1/10 of a mile.