What's on the perimeter in your grocery store?

2

Replies

  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    swheeler0602 wrote: »
    Some reasons for "perimeter shopping" is to help you avoid high carb foods and high processed foods (although there are still some in the perimeter).

    In both my mainstream grocery and my WF the bakery stuff and the pre-made foods (i.e., lots of so called high processed and high carb foods) are on the perimeter.
    I don't believe you they want you to only shop the perimeter but to start with it and get as many products as possible so you are getting less processed foods. Then grab any other essentials (peanut butter/tuna/whatever is needed for you) in the aisles. But you also have to remember that not everything in the perimeter is good for you.

    Why pretend like people are dumb (not you, whoever made up this idiotic rule) and cannot figure out how to shop and what fits well into their version of a healthful diet (based on actual nutrition principles, as well as personal taste)? That's what I find annoying and insulting about this rule. Well, that and besides in bears no relationship to where things are actually located -- there are as many healthful staples (including fruits and veg) not on the perimeter as located there, at least in my store
    I see it as a well to help you start to make better decisions: I need green beans (grab fresh instead of canned)

    Neither are on the perimeter in my mainstream grocery, but let's say it's winter -- why on earth would "fresh" (out of season and carted in from far away) be a "better decision" than frozen veg? I am likely to buy the fake fresh anyway since I prefer cooking with them, but they are more expensive and NOT a better decision from a nutrition POV. That's why these kinds of rules bother me -- they aren't really about what's good from a nutrition perspective and they assume people are idiots.

    I really don't think anyone needs help understanding how to shop -- again, the idea is bizarre and insulting.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    Produce, including refrigerated dressings, herb pastes, minced garlic
    Bakery (donuts, cakes, etc) including commercial bread & bagels
    Deli....this is partial (the salad bar and pizzaria is in the middle aisles).
    Meat (fresh, frozen & processed)
    Dairy, dips, eggs, refrigerated bisquits, bagels, etc
    Cards & flowers
    Alcohol
    Seasonal items (typically candy).
  • CattOfTheGarage
    CattOfTheGarage Posts: 2,745 Member
    Cereal, tea and coffee
    Bakery section
    Jams, spreads and condiments
    Chiller with salad and soft fruit (the rest of the fruit and veg is in the middle)
    Big chiller with all kinds of deli stuff, ready meals, sausages, bacon, haggis, hot dogs, cold meat and cheese (the other chillers for fresh raw meat and fish, and the freezers, are in the middle)
    Dairy section
    Eggs, flour, sugar
    Toilet rolls and kitchen towel
    Booze
    Fresh flowers and potted plants

    I'm in Scotland but I shop at a German discount supermarket. You have never seen so many different types of hot dogs.
  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
    35dollars wrote: »
    Hmm. I'd be able to buy cameras, phones, pharmaceutical products, seasonal toys, clothing, bread, beer and pet food.

    Not a wildly nutritious selection, to be honest.

    Lots of inorganic fiber though! YeeHaw
  • abatonfan
    abatonfan Posts: 1,120 Member
    What is around my local stores' perimeters
    • Produce
    • Salad bar
    • For some stores, "health foods" (the all-natural, gluten free, organic, etc. stuff).
    • Hummus/cheeses
    • Floral
    • Fresh/frozen seafood
    • Fresh meat
    • Deli counter
    • Grab and go hot foods
    • Prepackaged lunch meat/more processed meat products (chicken sausages is a staple for me now)
    • Dairy
    • Eggs
    • Frozen foods (often ice cream)
    • Bakery

    What I would miss out on
    • Coffee
    • Sweetener
    • Chocolate
    • Low blood sugar treatment
    • Canned vegetables/beans
    • Protein bars (except in one store where it's located in the healthy foods section along the perimeter versus in the pharmacy area)
    • Peanut butter
    • Nuts/Seeds
    • Frozen fruit/vegetables
    • Frozen dinners
    • Salsa
    • Popcorn
    • Vitamins
    • Spices/sauces
    • Canned tuna
    • Olive oil
    • Vinegar
    • Diet pop
    • Gum
    • Shelf-stable almond milk (I typically get the refrigerated kind, but it's nice to have one shelf-stable container in the pantry)

  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    At Meijer:
    Produce
    Deli/rotisserie chicken case
    Bakery
    Packaged lunch meats
    Seafood case
    Meat case
    Self serve meat case
    Butter and other things (cookie dough, refrigerated rolls, etc.)
    Milk, eggs, juice---yogurt, cheese on the opposite side of the aisle

    Plus if you continue past the juice, there's the pet department, toys, electronics, etc. You'd avoid the section I work in, actually.

    Kroger differs a bit, especially since it's a Marketplace:
    Produce
    Deli/olive bar
    Bakery
    Bread
    Meat/seafood cases
    Self service meat
    Lunchmeat
    Cheese
    Eggs, rolls
    Yogurt, butter
    Milk, juice
    Then you go around the corner and come up to the pharmacy.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    35dollars wrote: »
    Hmm. I'd be able to buy cameras, phones, pharmaceutical products, seasonal toys, clothing, bread, beer and pet food.

    Not a wildly nutritious selection, to be honest.

    Yeah, the pharmaceutical counter is on our perimeter, so all the prescription drugs plus Sudafed, oh, my!
  • Luna3828
    Luna3828 Posts: 21 Member
    I go through all the aisles because I want to see what's out there and what's new. I do buy most of my items from the perimeter of the store but that's just me, it's a habit. Everything I buy is already listed above.
  • ouryve
    ouryve Posts: 572 Member
    Only one in mind as I have many that I miss, but our local Sainsburys is Cafe, clothes, toys, electronics, meat counter, deli, bakery, jam and spreads, cereals, freezers (usually the puds), Spirits, read wine.

    Nearest (small, city centre) Waitrose is coffee dispenser, organic veg, pizza and fresh pasta, ready meals, cheese, butchery, fish counter, wine, bread, spreads, tea &coffee, biscuits, toiletries.

    I think I'd have to stick with Waitrose, under them rules!
  • berolcolour
    berolcolour Posts: 140 Member
    I'm in England, I'd be able to eat at my local store:

    Sandwiches
    Fruit
    Meat & fish
    Dips and olives
    Deli Counter (including cheese, hot cooked meats, cold meats)
    Cakes
    Bread (and bread goods, no pastries)
    Cereal and porridge
    Frozen foods (meats, veggies, meal, ice cream etc)

    I'd miss out
    Vegetables!
    Prepared meals
    Milk, butter and most dairy
    All tinned and dried beans
    Stuff I actually buy somewhere else like coffee and peanut butter (I'd struggle without these though)

    If I can just add in vegetables I'd probably be ok! That would be the biggest thing missing. I'd miss a few things like milk and some of the tinned things like beans and tuna too.
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,423 Member
    Perimeter- Fresh fruits, vegetables, deli, bakery bread, cakes, pies, packaged snack cakes, nuts, seeds, dried fruit, raw unfrozen meat, frozen chicken or turkey, hot dogs, sausage, lunchables, lunchmeats, cheeses, bagels, milk, cookies/cereal/chips sometimes, eggs, sour cream, yogurts, butter and margarines, cookie dough, cinnamon roll dough, refrigerated bread dough, seasonal baking supplies or snacks, alcoholic drinks
    Inner section- soft drinks, juices, water, flour, oils, dried herbs and spices, popcorn, granola bars, oatmeal, canned fruit, prunes, canned tomatoes, canned beans, dry beans, dry lentils, pasta, rice, ethnic foods and sauces, parmesan cheese, salad dressings, condiments, peanut butter, sandwich bread, tortillas, frozen fish, frozen fruits, frozen vegetables, frozen desserts/ice cream, tea, coffee, olives, pickles
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,093 Member
    I know the conventional wisdom is that they put staples around the exterior to force you to walk across the whole store and pass by a bunch of stuff you may be tempted to by on impulse, but I have to say that the perimeter selections at my local grocery store (Mid-Atlantic U.S.) appear to be governed by practicality: almost exclusively counter service areas (easier to have storage and control access at the perimeter) and refrigerated/freezer areas (a hold-over, I suspect, from the days when there was only one aisle of refrigerator/freezer items -- and the others are in the adjacent aisles, so it certainly looks like a plumbing/electrical efficiency consideration):


    counterclockwise from the front:
    customer-service desk
    floral shop (yum!)
    packaged "natural foods" section (one exception to the service counters and refrigerator-freezer rule -- I think they were looking for corner to set them off on their own)
    produce (fruit and veg, includes fresh herbs and displays of nuts and dried fruits)
    salad bar
    olive bar
    deli and prepared salads
    "cheese shop" (mostly block cheese)
    fish ("fresh"/thawed and frozen)
    packaged lunch meats, bacon, and packaged sausage
    meat and poultry
    packaged refrigerated entrees and sides (e.g., pulled pork, meatloaf, mashed potatoes, mac & cheese)
    dairy and eggs (milk and nondairy substitutes, cream, eggs, butter, ricotta, cottage cheese, sour cream, packaged sliced and shredded cheeses, yogurt)
    refrigerator juices, juice-based "drinks" and punches (e.g., orange juices)
    commercial bakery breads and rolls
    jam, fruit preserves, etc., peanut butter, other nut butters, Nutella and similar, cookie butters (also an exception to the service counters and refrigerator-freezer rule -- I think this is a marketing decision, the way they sometimes hang bananas in the cereal aisle)
    in-store bakery products (bread, rolls, bagels, muffins, doughnuts, croissants, other pastries, cookies, cakes)
    pharmacy


    Staples I would miss if I only shopped the perimeter:
    dried and canned beans
    canned tomatoes
    other canned veggies (I don't do a lot of these, but it's nice to have some on hand for emergencies and making soup)
    canned soup
    canned stock or demi-glace
    dried pasta
    rice, quinoa, bulgur and other grains
    flour, yeast, gluten, sugar, salt, baking soda, baking power, unsweetened cocoa
    nuts (the ones in produce at the perimeter are often higher-priced, small package, or flavored)
    dried herbs and spices
    oats and other hot cereals
    cold cereals
    shelf-stable milk and milk substitutes
    coffee
    tea
    popping corn
    nutritional yeast
    oil (olive, etc.)
    vinegar
    mustard
    olives (OK, I could get these at the olive bar, but I like to have some in a jar ready for when I want some)
    seltzer
    frozen fruit and veggies
    and, of course, chocolate :smile:

    No wine or beer in the grocery store I usually shop at.
  • dragon_girl26
    dragon_girl26 Posts: 2,187 Member
    On the perimeter:
    Fresh fruits and vegetable's
    Florist
    Dried fruits, nuts, trail mixes
    High quality cheese racks
    Seafood
    Deli counter
    Pastry area (cakes, cookies, doughnuts..)
    Meats
    Dairy such as milk, cheese, yogurt, etc..
    Ice cream and ready made frozen meals
    Hygiene items
    Sodas


    Things I would miss:
    Cereal and granola bars
    Pasta
    Condiments
    Pretzels/chips/snacks
    Bread
    Coffee (!)
    Alcohol
    Oils, vinegars, and spices
    Frozen fruits and vegetables
  • bpetrosky
    bpetrosky Posts: 3,911 Member
    On my usual grocery store:
    * produce (various) [boring]
    * packaged salad - expensive salad dressings -
    * mushrooms
    * crudites
    * CHEESE!
    * Various bulk nuts, dried fruits, pretzel chips
    * HOMMUS!
    * BEER!
    * Deli meats and cheeses
    * Cake
    * Cupcakes
    * Bumpy Cakes
    * Donuts
    * Bagels, danish, and other "breakfast breads"
    * Seafood
    * Sausages and charcuterie
    * Beef cuts/pork cuts (poultry not on the perimeter)
    * Deli-snacks
    * Packaged hotdogs
    * Packaged Sandwich meats
    * Packaged sausages
    * BACON!
    * Yogurt
    * Milk
    * Whipped Cream
    * Snack yogurts
    * Sour cream
    * Packaged sliced and shredded cheeses
    * Vegan meat substitutes
    * Eggs
    * Pharmaceuticals
    * The checkout gauntlet

  • cityruss
    cityruss Posts: 2,493 Member
    Store made fresh pizza counter
    Salad bar
    Fresh packaged meat
    Butchers
    Fishmonger
    Deli/rotisserie
    Fresh bread/donuts/pancakes (new griddle!!)
    Fresh cakes
    Cereals
    Tinned stuff
    International foods
    Ready meals
    Iced cream/frozen desserts

    Fruit and veg has its own 'square' further in to the store. Dairy and cupboard staples are in the middle.

  • robot_potato
    robot_potato Posts: 1,535 Member
    Deli
    Bakery
    Produce
    Juices
    Dairy
    Eggs
    Fresh meat
    Seafood
    Floral
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,463 Member
    Mine is pretty similar to yours. I would miss my oatmeal though!
  • BABetter1
    BABetter1 Posts: 618 Member
    Mine goes: Produce, bakery and bread, meat (fresh and processed), cheese, deli counter, soda, dairy cases. What I would miss out on that I and my family use: baking ingredients like almond flour and vanilla, seasonings, canned veggies and pickles, frozen veggies, cooking oils, ice cream, cereal/oatmeal, potato chips . . . .
  • twinklepies
    twinklepies Posts: 35 Member
    The actual perimeter in my No Frills has fresh vegetables, prepackaged salads/some dressings, bagels & bread, unfrozen meats, packaged deli and bacon, all milk/egg/dairy products, all frozen meals, frozen vegetables, and ice creams. Pop and candy if you count the cash as part of the perimeter. Pretty decent selection lol. Most chain grocery stores in Ontario seem to be laid out this way with the exception of 'superstores', I think.

    But I'd miss out on all fruit, canned goods, coffee, and baking ingredients.
  • Amerane
    Amerane Posts: 136 Member
    On the perimeter of my local Kroger:
    raw fruit/veggies
    bakery
    deli counter
    fresh meat/seafood
    juice
    milk/dairy
    eggs
    refrigerated cookie dough
    vegetarian fake-meat
    beef jerky
    beer
    workout supplements

    Staples I'd miss out on:
    english muffins :(
    International aisles
    pasta
    frozen vegetables
    NO RICE OR BEANS :(((
    flour, salt, and pretty much everything else you'd need to bake or season stuff
    nuts
    canned pumpkin puree
    tea
    coffee
    sparkling flavored water
    ice cream

    The only difference between Kroger and my other main grocery store (Meijer) is that I'd at least get to have coffee.
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
    ...walls. :)
  • AmandaHugginkiss
    AmandaHugginkiss Posts: 486 Member
    Mine, starting at the entrance and going counter clockwise:

    canned seltzer waters (La Croix)
    tortilla chips, pretzels, Doritos, Lays, all other chips and dips
    Energy drink things
    cheese
    yogurt
    non-dairy creamers
    milk, butter, cream cheese
    bacon
    bacon
    canadian bacon
    the deli
    hummus
    meat counter
    chicken
    sushi
    packaged salads
    packaged lettuces
    salad dressings
    peppers
    some veggies
    all the juices, all of them
    an entire freezer of kinds of garlic bread and stuffed pastas
    bakery
    ice cream
    a high blood pressure monitor, which I would surely need if I ate everything on the perimeter
    candy and more candy

    I'd miss:

    most of the fruits
    frozen veggies
    beer
    breads
    protein bars
    coffee
    canned goods
    ethnic foods
    everything else I eat
  • MelissaPhippsFeagins
    MelissaPhippsFeagins Posts: 8,063 Member
    diannethegeek wrote: »
    This subject pops up every now and again when someone suggests "shopping only the perimeter" of your grocery store and I'm curious to know how it works for people around the world.

    What could you eat shopping only the perimeter of your grocery store? What would you miss out on?

    The perimeter of my regular grocery store:
    floral department
    raw veggies
    "bulk foods" (nuts, snack mixes like trail mix or chocolate covered almonds, and some grains that are not pre-packaged, sold by weight so you can buy as much or as little as you need)
    salad bar
    eggs
    cream cheese and cheese
    milk (but not the fancier kinds -- they're in the next aisle)
    coffee creamers
    beer (in Kansas we can only buy alcohol that's 3.2% alcohol or less in grocery stores -- they make special weakened versions of many beers to sell here)
    yogurt (but only the cheaper, more mainstream brands (yoplait, oikos, etc) the fancier brands are in the next aisle)
    sour cream and refrigerated dips
    butter and margarine
    ready-made cookie dough and break & bake cookies
    meat
    lunch meat and bacon
    other processed meats that need to be refrigerated
    deli counter (includes deli meats and cheese, but also things like ready-made potato salad & coleslaw)
    hummus
    bakery, cakes, pies, breads of all kinds
    beef jerky
    nuts
    makeup


    Some of the staples of my diet I would miss out on:
    canned tuna
    canned beans
    canned tomatoes
    frozen fruits & veggies
    dry beans
    rice
    coffee
    protein bars
    protein powder
    peanut butter
    Greek yogurt if I want Fage or any of the other fancier brands
    oatmeal
    almond milk
    spices
    olive oil
    my multivitamin


    Can I ask that we not debate whether or not "shop only the perimeter" is good advice or bad and just talk about cool food items around the world and grocery store layouts? I suppose no one looking for a debate will even get this far into my post, anyway.


    edited because punctuation is hard.

    My grocery store is like yours, replacing beer with juices and ready made tea. There's also ice cream and frozen fruit.
    ,
    I would miss: Pasta, flour, oats, coffee. and cereal. Oh, and chocolate and dog food. I do NOT shop only the perimeter. I love my dog and my oatmeal with two squares of dark chocolate melted in.
  • Nikion901
    Nikion901 Posts: 2,467 Member
    edited August 2016
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    of course ... the checkouts are made narrow with all the bins and hanging racks that sell candy and gum, sundry items, magazines, select special merchandise. I don't even need to go into the interior of the aisles unless I'm shopping for something specific, pretty much, anyway.
  • jdwils14
    jdwils14 Posts: 154 Member
    edited August 2016
    Winco Foods: entry is sale items, such as chips, pantry items, pickles, packaged meats/corn dogs, but if you make it through those rough seas, you make it to the produce along the right side. then, going counter-clockwise:

    bulk
    deli (all meats, cheeses)
    cross main aisle
    all dairy
    Frozen food is the next row from dairy
    packaged water/bevs
    bakery
    Bread

    would miss:
    cereal
    coffee
    all packaged dinners
    all dressings
    sodas
    beer (no wine because its Utah)
    all snacks

    Bulk would make up for a ton of the middle aisle items, though. Winco has about 300 bulk bin items.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    In the store nearest my house (small rural grocery): chips, dairy, meat, beer, bread, and frozen food.
    In the store I like best (further away but has fancy stuff I like): produce, dairy, meat, "health food" section, wine, deli/bakery, sushi bar, floral/balloons
  • MarianT50
    MarianT50 Posts: 28 Member
    My local Tesco supermarket (UK):

    Floral/outdoors/home/electrical
    Clothing
    Health and beauty
    Some fruit and veg - usually fancy, expensive stuff
    Deli counter
    Meat counter/fishmonger
    Alcohol
    Cereals
    Fresh Bakery

    What I would miss if I didn't know what I was looking for:
    Wholefoods
    Tinned foods
    World foods (italian/asian/american/mexican)
    Standard fruit & veg to use every day
    Dairy/eggs
    Pre-packaged meat
    Pre-packaged breads
    Home baking
    Jams/spreads/honey etc
    "Free-from" products (dairy free/gluten free etc)
  • Vegibex
    Vegibex Posts: 3 Member
    Wow, this perimeter shopping would be disastrous for me!

    Anticlockwise from the door would be
    -overstocked sale items, currently family packs of wafers
    -boxes of dates and pick n mix other dried fruit
    - THE BAKLAVA COUNTER!
    - Butcher
    - Bakery
    - Dips
    - Cheese
    - Yoghurt and cream
    - Fizzy drinks
    - Alcohol
    - Cigarettes

    I'd miss all the fruit and all the veg as well as the beans and lentils, the nuts, the eggs... mad!

    This is in England, in a typical London, multi-ethnic, 24 hour mini-supermarket.
  • fishshark
    fishshark Posts: 1,886 Member
    at whole foods one perimeter is produce the opposite is bakery and where you get all the hot food.. pizza, hot bar, sandwhiches ect.

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