Who here has a Fresh Market?

[kelleigh1]

I've been once. It's not all that close to where I live, but even if it was, chances are I wouldn't shop there. I did find their prices to be pretty high and I was very disappointed in their produce. Every package of strawberries that I looked at was moldy and looked awful. I would have expected much better quality for that price.

It was also quite small.

 

[DisneyMomma81]

It's Albertson's redone...if you've ever had one of those. Good, but expensive.

Ours were once Albertson's but are now Assocatiated Food Stores *Western Family*, not expensive at all... http://www.freshmarketstores.com/

 

[Alesia]

Ours were once Albertson's but are now Assocatiated Food Stores *Western Family*, not expensive at all... http://www.freshmarketstores.com/

That is a completely different store! It's nothing like http://www.thefreshmarket.com/

 

[DisneyMomma81]

That is a completely different store! It's nothing like http://www.thefreshmarket.com/

Groovy, different area of the country The Fresh Market store 5 minutes from my house is the one I linked to.

ETA ~ you'll notice I started my post with Ours...

 

[Alesia]

Groovy, different area of the country The Fresh Market store 5 minutes from my house is the one I linked to.

ETA ~ you'll notice I started my post with Ours...

It's weird that the names are virtually identical.

 

[chobie]

Pricey, but best seafood and meat. I always get my hamburgers there. This week they had filet mignon on sale for 9.99 lb. they have decent sales, just have to watch for them.

 

[LJSquishy]

The Yoke's Fesh Markets we have here in Spokane, WA are not overly expensive. In fact, they sometimes have incredibly low prices especially on their "Fresh Fridays" where certain produce is on sale...for dirt cheap.

They have a decent selection of organic and natural products, but they are not even in the ballpark of Trader Joe's (which I hate, everything is prepackaged and/or frozen prepared meals...useless for someone who cooks from scratch). Yoke's are much like any other grocery store, only cleaner, and friendlier.

Edited to add: it seems there are several different "fresh market" stores so Yoke's Fresh Market may not be the one you are referring to. Sorry!

 

[sydneysmom]

We've got The Fresh Market in our town and let me tell you, I was THE most excited girl around the day they opened!!

I cannot say enough great things about this store. Now, it's not a store that you go "food shopping" at, but it's a specialty store you supplement your regular food shopping with truly specialty items and outstanding fresh items. Their meat department is unparalelled. It's truly a butcher shop. We will only buy our meat / fish there because they are truly fresh. They are also antibiotic free. (from what we've been told by our Fresh Market butcher) They also have AMAZING produce and run really great produce sales which usually are better than our Kroger!! (and certainly fresher looking!)

If you sign up for their newsletter, you'll get the weekly specials. They usually run "2 for $" or "Buy 1 Get 1 Free" Tuesdays, which vary month to month. but it's every Tuesday in a month. So for example, one month they ran Milk $2.99 / Ground Chuck $ 2.99 lb / Chicken $2.99lb every tuesday. This month it's Buy 1 lb get 1 free Shrimp $ 14.99 lb. (21/30) ... I can't remember the other 2 things...

Around the holidays, they usually run standing rib roast for like $ 6.99 / lb....major good deal. And they'll trim it all up for you at no cost. Shopping there isn't "shopping", it's an EXPERIENCE. (just save some of your food shopping money aside... we don't usually leave there for under $100. it's become our family joke...don't go to The Fresh MArket unless we've got $ 100 to spend!)

 

[TheRatPack]

I agree with the other posters here....it's much more expensive than other grocery stores in our area. They do have a different focus though, a lot of whole foods and hard to find items. More 'natural' type foods.....so we shop there sometimes for things we can't find elsewhere.

We have an Earthfare too, which I like even better than Fresh Market.

 

[DianeW]

That is a completely different store! It's nothing like http://www.thefreshmarket.com/

Ahhh, gotcha. I was wondering because our Fresh Markets are NOTHING like you all were describing, and I was feeling cheated. Ours are just Albertson's with a new logo.

It does seem weird that they would use virtually the same name.

 

[HeyIt'sMe]

We have a Fresh Market less than 10 minutes from us but I rarely go there. Once in a while I'll stop in to treat myself to something. I love the Wasabi pea-cashew-almond mix from their bulk snacks. YUM!!

Now, my MIL lives about 3 hours from us and doesn't have a Fresh Market near her. She is obsessed with our Fresh Market and goes there several times whenever she comes to visit us. Heck, sometimes I think she's more excited to go shopping at Fresh Market than she is to see us. She always says "If I lived near a Fresh Market I'd never cook!".

 

[Lionqueen2]

I have found our Fresh Market to be overpriced for what you get. They do have some nice meats, but have been unimpressed otherwise. I find their bakery pricey, but not as nice as a good independent bakery.

 

[LilyWDW]

I have found our Fresh Market to be overpriced for what you get. They do have some nice meats, but have been unimpressed otherwise. I find their bakery pricey, but not as nice as a good independent bakery.

I think a lot has to do with the sort of access you have to things in your area as well though. Here, we don't have a butcher shop, a seafood place, or good independent bakeries (though we are supposed to get one). So, we only have Fresh Market or Earth Fare for those things... and Fresh Market is better quality and price. I am also willing to pay more food good service and I have never been disappointed in the customer service there.

 

[threeboysmom]

We just had one open up in NH and I found it WAY overpriced! I won't be back. I don't get all the hype. Personally, I'd rather splurge on many other things other than food that I have to cook, lol.

 

[TaraPA]

I always tell DH that I want to have enough disposable income to stop by Fresh Market every night & pick up dinner, already made! I absolutely hate cooking, and I could stand & stare at their prepared foods for a long time, just pretending I have a cook making everything for me!

I work in a lifestyle center with a Fresh Market, so it's super convenient for me (but I never ever do regular shopping there). I usually pick up a sandwich or salad for lunch ($4.99-$6.99), and once a week I've been getting prepared food to bring home for dinner. Sunday I picked up the stuffed shrimp that were 69 cents each (which I thought was a good deal), a pound of prepared broccoli salad and 3 stuffed baked potaotes. It was all absolutely delicious. It came to a little over $20 - which is more than I would have spent picking up pizza & subs for our family of 4. Thursday I'm going to get their prepared (but not cooked) chicken cordon blue - it's $3.99 per piece - so that's $16 for the 4 of us. I'll just make my own sides at home.

I'm hoping DH really likes the food - then I'll push for 2-3 nights a week for Fresh Market take out!

 

[Nature Mom]

I have a Fresh Market very close by my house, my kids' Godfather is actually a grocery manager there so we go in often (my youngest often walks up there with friends to go to the shopping center for smoothies and then goes in to see him).

I have always liked Fresh Market, but it is not somewhere I would do my regular grocery shopping due to the higher price. The selection is more high-end, but is perfect for when I am doing a dinner party, special baking during the holidays or looking for something in a recipe that I can't find elsewhere. The meat is very good, although we have a Whole Foods in the next shopping center over and get meat from there, too. The prepared foods have always seemed to be very good, too. The bakery has been hit or miss for me, but since I do a lot of my own baking, it isn't much of a loss for me. They have a nice wine selection, good fresh coffee beans and nice produce. I also love walking through there browsing at everything with the classical music playing overhead, it just makes me feel more cultured.

 

[kydisneyfans]

It's insanely expensive. I've been the one that recently opened near me a couple of times and walked out scratching my head that anyone would shop there.

Couldn't have said it better myself. The same container of blueberries, brand and all, was $4 higher than Meijer.

 

[TheRatPack]

I think a lot has to do with the sort of access you have to things in your area as well though. Here, we don't have a butcher shop, a seafood place, or good independent bakeries (though we are supposed to get one). So, we only have Fresh Market or Earth Fare for those things... and Fresh Market is better quality and price. I am also willing to pay more food good service and I have never been disappointed in the customer service there.

You don't happen to have a Greenlife too.....I see you're in TN and we have a Fresh Market, Earth Fare and Greenlife (Chattanooga) so I wonder if that's the 'choice' food markets for TN.

I've seen Whole Foods mentioned in other states but I've not seen one of those anywhere close to us.

 

[LilyWDW]

You don't happen to have a Greenlife too.....I see you're in TN and we have a Fresh Market, Earth Fare and Greenlife (Chattanooga) so I wonder if that's the 'choice' food markets for TN.

I've seen Whole Foods mentioned in other states but I've not seen one of those anywhere close to us.

No Greenlife... never even heard of that one.

I don't get why we don't have a Whole Foods or even a Trader Joes. We are a decent sized town with a large college community and a huge Medical Center and VA. A Trader Joes especially would do amazing here!