Question of the Day, Friday, January 1

Good morning! 

Wishing us all a very happy and healthy New Year!

What are the grocery stores in your area? Do you shop them or do you shop elsewhere?

We have a Weis, a Giant, Aldi, a Super Target and two Super WalMarts. My favorite grocery store is Giant. I like the way the store is laid-out, I like most of the clerks and people who work there. We shop at Giant most of the time. Sometimes, we'll go to the Weis store, but not often. I use coupons as much as I can and try to combine them with store sales items.

We use Target for our prescriptions....Target has a Get 5, Get a 5% off card. For every five prescriptions, you get a card that will give you 5% off one day of shopping. I think they're going to phase that out, but I think we'll still continue to stick with Target for our prescriptions.

I do wish we had a Trader Joe's close by. Our closest TJ's is about 60 miles away. We try to go there twice a year, too.

(I like checking out grocery stores. One time, when I went to visit a close friend in NY, her area had just opened a PriceChopper. She and I spent over two hours in that store, just checking things out. And when our Giant opened here, Rick and I spent a couple of hours, perusing the new store.)

Locally there's Stop and Shop, Star Market / Shaw's, Market Basket, Wegman's, Whole Foods, Trader Joe's plus independent grocery stores and a lot of ethnic grocery stores. Some Target and Wal Mart stores have groceries but it's mostly packaged items (on the shelf, refrigerated, or frozen) with some fresh fruit and veggies.

I mostly go to Stop and Shop (it's across the street) and the independent grocery store that has a lot of locally made and artisanal items (also across the street but closer to my building). Occasionally I'll stop by Star Market / Shaw's after work since it's right around the corner and the bus stop is right there. I pretty much go to Wegman's only when I have to visit the doctor. The doctor's office is in the office building part right above Wegman's.

We have Kroger, Giant Eagle, Meijers, Walmart and Aldi's.  I usually go to Kroger because it is so convenient for me.  It's actually within easy walking distance which is what I do when I only need a couple of things.  I occasionally go to Meijers.  Their produce is actually better but I don't like their store brand of anything as well as the Kroger store brand.  I have been to Giant Eagle a couple of times but I end up spending too much when I go in there.  I don't know if it is higher prices or too much impulse buying on my part.

We have a Trader Joe's here but I don't really go there for staple type grocery shopping.  I go there for special things that I can't get at the regular super market.

I only go to Walmart when I am really strapped for cash, I just don't care for their business practices.

Stop and Shop

King Kullen

Super Walmart (have not checked this out yet)

Meat Farms

Fresh Market (A small in and out type of store)

Shop Rite

Pathmark

Fairway

Trader Joes is closer to my job, I get my cat food from there.

We have Kroger's, Aldi, and Walmart. 

Kroger's is my first choice for several reasons: 

Best prices

Best produce and meat

Great generic brands (on most, not all items)

Club Member discounts 

Fuel Points for discounted gas (up to $1 a gallon off)

Just a mile down the road

In-store Pharmacy

Always friendly and helpful employees

I know where everything is

Aldi's

I rarely go there because they are small and don't carry a lot of what I normally buy. 

You have to bag your own groceries in your own bag that you take with you (I either forget my bags or never have enough with me)

Their meat isn't worth it

Prices are fairly inexpensive, but you get what you pay for.

Walmart  

Need I say more?

I can never find anything I am looking for

Their meat sucks

Their produce is lacking in selection and quality 

Bread is always stale

Prices are way too high

Employees are neither knowledgeable nor friendly

Their generic products are...just plain nasty

Jungle Jim's is an International store that I LOVE! But it is about 35 miles away and one state over. 

They have 'exotic' foods and spices from all over the world! I go there for a LOT of my spices and 'unusual' meats - duck, rabbit, beef tongue, kangaroo, alligator, bison, and more!

And their beer and wine department is unbelievable!

They have a specialty cheese shop with hundreds of selections 

Seafood is very diverse and always fresh! 

And they have an extensive bakery

All employees are well versed in their specific departments and if they don't have an answer to your questions, they WILL get one!

They have wine tastings, cooking classes, recipes and events all the time.

They offer tours of their store on a regular basis because the place is HUGE! 

And the prices are really good too.

I probably visit there about once every 2 months or so. 

We have Meijer, Gordon Food Service,Ric's (local chain), Walmart, Sams club, Aldis, Target, Smith and Sons butcher shop and Kroger.
I shop Meijers, Rics and Kroger for ordinary weekly groceries. It depends on which one I am closer to at the time. If I am doing a big family dinner I use Rics because they have speciality foods. If a party or large gathering I go to Sam's or Gordon Foods. I buy all my meat a a local butcher shop.

We have a Food Lion, Piggly Wiggly and a Wal Mart. We also have a Dollar Tree, Family Doillar and Dollar General.

The last three are great stores for packaged things, cans, boxes, drinks, etc.

My main shopping is done at Food Lion. They carry a big selection of everything. They have increased their selection of gluten free products which I have to buy. My meat comes from the Piggly Wiggly. Nothing else compares. Our Wal Mart is terrible for meat and produce. The produce is wilted and the meat doesn't look real fresh. The other things are okay and I might pick up a few things if we are there shopping for something else. In the next town, there is a Harris Teeter, which I love. It is 30 miles away though and I don't drive that far for just groceries.

The only two we have is Super Walmart and  local called Schmicks. Meat and specials from Schmicks, except hamburger which we are willing to drive 30 miles to a tiny town and grocery called Walgrens to get, the absolute best, no pink slime here!.  I hate to give my business to Walmart instead of the locals, but sorry, when I can buy canned cat food there for 46 cents a can, compared to 86 at Scmicks for the exact same, what can I do? Even Dollar General isn't that cheap on the same brand! When we are on our driving 'jaunts' we stop at Dillons( Kroegers) in Colby Kansas, (80 miles) or Hy-Vee in Kearney, Nebraska (100 miles). 

Oh my! I have so many grocery choices:

Stop & Shop about 2 miles from me

Target in that same shopping area

Price Right 3 miles from me

Market Basket in that same shopping mall

Walmart, 2 miles away

Butcher 2 miles 

Trader Joes, 5 miles

And then if you go a in different directions, it all repeats...

Along with a BJ's Wholesale Club 3 miles from me.

I prefer Market Basket, Butcher, and Trader Joes. I will go to Stop & Shop, if I really have to. Prices too high for me.

Price Right has large quantities of stuff..too much for me. 

I live in a shopping mecca!! 

In my immediate area I have Shaws, Stop & Shop, Super WalMart, Price-Rite and Seabra, as well as a few very tiny grocers. If I want to travel a little further, there is Market Basket, Hannaford, Trader Joe's, Aldi's and Whole Foods.

We're really well situated for shopping. My go to is Wegman's. Every department is really great, and the staff are friendly and helpful. I also like King's a lot, they carry a lot of specialty items not found elsewhere.

We just got a Whole Foods. I don't do heavy shopping there but I really live the bakery items; the get extremely good bagels from Brooklyn.
There's a Trader Joe's and Aldi close by but I'm not impressed with either.

I also have 3 Shop Rites within a 15 minute drive. Great for sales of basic items.

Oh and there's a Walgreen's and CVS right up the block, great in a pinch when you run out if stuff and you don't feel like going far.

Add in every major retailer common to NJ (Home Depot, Walmart, Target, etc) and 2 major malls only a few miles away. More choices than we need.

We have lost several stores in the last few years. We have:

Foodlion
Walmart
Redners
Acme
Safeway
Target

I only go to Walmart and Foodlion. Redners is nice but their prices can be higher. I do get a few things at Target if I need something while Im already there.

Our area has too many to mention but the one I go to is Shoprite, it's a huge store with a drug store in the back.

Happy New Year to all.

I am so thankful that we have a variety of choices here. Kroger, Walmart, SaveALot, Aldi, Giant Eagle, Meyers, there is a few meat markets, and mom and pop groceries as well as specialties. 

I buy my meat at a store called  Schuman's Meats. I can get 10 pounds of hamburger for 25-28 dollars. And I get my boneless chicken breast there. I also from time to time get a half side of pork. I can usually get that for 30 and they cut it how I want. I try to stock up there every other month. I am not a big meat eater, I prefer sides but this place has made me eat more. 

I get things like my flour and more bulk items at Walmart. They are cheaper in somethings than Kroger. The rest I get at Kroger unless I need to stock up on can veggies and I go to save a lot. I love the selection of produce at Krogers also. This year I plan on taking advantage of the local farmers markets. 

I have 2 WalMarts, 2 Safeways' 3 Food Lions, Target, Aldi, Shopers, Nicks and a Mom's organic store in my area. I love to shop for groceries. No wonder I'm so fat. Shoppers is my favorite because they have the lowest prices. Giant used to be my favorite. I shopped there for over 20 years. One time I tried to get a prescription for one of my cats and the lady got real nasty with me and I never went back. Being a vegetarian I would love to have a Wegmans, whole Foods or a Trader Joe but the closest one is about 20 miles from her. I just love Wegmans.

Di and Bob said:

 
The only two we have is Super Walmart and  local called Schmicks. Meat and specials from Schmicks, except hamburger which we are willing to drive 30 miles to a tiny town and grocery called Walgrens to get, the absolute best, no pink slime here!.  I hate to give my business to Walmart instead of the locals, but sorry, when I can buy canned cat food there for 46 cents a can, compared to 86 at Scmicks for the exact same, what can I do? Even Dollar General isn't that cheap on the same brand! When we are on our driving 'jaunts' we stop at Dillons( Kroegers) in Colby Kansas, (80 miles) or Hy-Vee in Kearney, Nebraska (100 miles). 

Click to expand...

A can of FF is .89 cents at the local grocery store. and less than .50 cents at Walmart. That's pretty representative  of all the prices in the local grocery. They are surviving on the EBT card users and the seniors who don't have cars or who can no longer drive . A loaf of bread is a dollar more in their store. I never minded when it was a quarter here or a dollar there but now it's on every item. And that started right after the other small grocer closed. One that still did in store credit with farmers and ranchers who paid their bill in full once or twice a year. If it wasn't for the dollar store I'm sure their grocery prices would be even higher.

in my immediate area there is:  a convenience store at the gas station -- i only go there 'in a pinch'. 6 miles away in the closest small town, there's a local grocery store -- which i also will only go to 'in a pinch'.

i do the bulk of my shopping in a larger small town about 30 minutes drive or so from where i live. there's pretty much every store i need on a regular basis there in a long stretch of road -- my bank, aldi's, walmart, tractor supply, save-a-lot, and wegmans. there are quite a few other stores there too, but i pretty much stick to those favorites. where i shop in any given month depends on what i need to buy.

i agree with a lot of what @Fyllis said about aldi's and walmart, but i do shop for certain specific food items there that i like.

- Metro

- Food Basics
- Superstore
- Walmart
- Valu Mart
- Independent  
- Sobeys
- Various smaller grocers
 

I dabble at all of them for various reasons, but if I had a favourite, probably Superstore - large, lot's of variety and required items, and clean/posh.

Draco said:

 
Stop and Shop

King Kullen

Super Walmart (have not checked this out yet)

Meat Farms

Fresh Market (A small in and out type of store)

Shop Rite

Pathmark

Fairway

Trader Joes is closer to my job, I get my cat food from there.

Click to expand...

Ah King Kullen. When I was a kid, we had one at the bottom of the street I lived on. It's been gone a long time. I remember when we were growing up, they used to have sales on single rolls of Scott toilet paper but there was a limit per person so mom would hand us all some cash and send us down there to each get the limit. Boy did we love that!

Pathmark bakery was my first job - wrapping bread. I also worked at the Meat Farms on Commack Rd in Commack in the early 90's. Man their meat department and deli were good.

Is Waldbaum's gone now? I worked there too for a while as a teenager.