Where do u grocery shop and why?

SusanL222

My local food co-op! For lots of reasons......it's locally owned by it's members; carries lots of locally produced food and non-food items; bulk grains, nuts, spices, etc; has a community feel and shopping there is almost always a social experience. I love my Co-op!
If they don't carry it, I don't need it! Except for wooden matches......I have to go to the hardware store for those!

ktkdmommy

I agree! I ASOLUTELY love Kroger!

BelovedStripes

I purchase the bulk of our groceries between Central Market, Whole Foods, and Costco. I like Central Market the most overall - they have good organic produce, a large wine section, and good meat. Whole Foods is a close second - I could eat from their fresh prep section everyday. We like Costco for other bulk items - like paper towels and trash bags.

We shop at Costco every few months. Choosing between Central Market or Whole Foods for weekly shopping is usually a toss up to what other errands I am running that day.

I love going to Trader Joe's from time to time, but it is always packed with people aimlessly wondering around like it is some sort of tourist trap. It kind of gets in the way when you are trying to buy a weeks worth of groceries and get in and out quickly.

asianrunner

Usually Hy-Vee because it's open 24/7 and has a good selection. If we have our shopping list done on Saturdays, we shop at Fareway because it's cheaper. Fareway has a much better meat selection though than Hy-Vee.

I'd say about 70% of the time, we go to Hy-Vee. Plus it's much closer and almost on my way home from work, whereas Fareway is a little farther. We rarely go to Aldi's unless DH is craving a bunch of snacky food!

lwagnitz

A place called "Woodman's" It's just in Wisconsin, I believe; maybe only a few locations. I love it because it is HUGE with lots and lots of options and far cheaper than Walmart, actually...by a significant amount. They also have a great selection of "natural" foods and even have a few aisles designated for it, as well as a lot of vegetarian/vegan foods which is great for me and is difficult to find elsewhere.

Also, opened 24 hours, employee owned, and they pay their workers well and offer them benefits. I'd rather my money be going to a company like that over typical "big box" stores like Walmart.

ROBOTFOOD

Costco, Whole foods, Vons.

nainai0585

I price match with Walmart for just about everything except meat, I get that at Costco.

pianochick5254

I shop at Kroger mostly because they have everything pretty much and all the workers are paid really well and I have talked to a few of them and known friends who used to work there and they all say that its a good job that isn't unfair to them or BS in some way or another. I get all of my produce here because I feel they are the freshest for the cheapest available in my area. I also buy all of my pasta, rice, beans, bread products, etc here.

I will go to the local co-op here for Peanut butter and veggie burgers, almond milk ice cream, etc just to support them. I probably spend maybe $30 a month there but the products I do get are very fresh and cheaper at the co-op than at other stores.

I also like to shop at the local Sahara Mart which is all ethnic groceries and Obi's which is Oriental groceries.

RebekahR84

I shop at Pick N' Save and Piggly Wiggly. I double-coupon and save about a third off of my grocery bill. If anyone has a store in their area that does this, I suggest you take advantage of it. What's on sale changes, so it keeps variety in your diet. It really IS realistic to eat healthy for cheap.

RebekahR84

A place called "Woodman's" It's just in Wisconsin, I believe; maybe only a few locations. I love it because it is HUGE with lots and lots of options and far cheaper than Walmart, actually...by a significant amount. They also have a great selection of "natural" foods and even have a few aisles designated for it, as well as a lot of vegetarian/vegan foods which is great for me and is difficult to find elsewhere.

Also, opened 24 hours, employee owned, and they pay their workers well and offer them benefits. I'd rather my money be going to a company like that over typical "big box" stores like Walmart.

I love Woodmans. When I can't find a sale on something, I go to Woodmans for the best price. Which area of WI are you from?

Walter__

Spanish supermarkets. $1.50/lb boneless skinless chicken breast can't be beat.

And Aldi for everything else because it's cheappppppp

littleandysmom

I live really close to Walmart, Winco, Safeway and Sprouts but I normally shop at Fry's. It's about a mile further. I like their free Friday downloads and the digital coupons and in store specials. I've been going there for years and at this point, think it's just out of habit!! Although Sprouts has great produce and Winco's prices are very competitive.

Jewlz280

Several places, actually. Mostly just to get the things we like. We've moved and traveled a lot, and have found that only certain things can be bought at certain stores. I get the bulk of my items at Costco. Mostly because their quality is fantastic as well as the prices. Price checking, they have been cheaper than even Wal-mart. I rarely shop there just because the one here is a PITA and until recently, the quality was horrid. I would literally buy fresh produce and it would be bad in two days. I get almost everything at Costco from Romaine to strawberries to soy sauce. Next up is Kroger. This is where we get the things that I can't get at Costco like... Vanilla Oreos and blueberry bagels. Or smaller amounts of things like cucumbers and onions. Beef we get at a local farm -- half a cow every other year. I just recently found a farm to get pork and will be ordering that soon for the Fall. Chicken I get at Costco still. Fish... well, we don't get much fish since we are landlocked and none of it is really fresh! So when we do get it, we usually get it at a restaurant... like in sushi. Once in a blue moon, I will grab a few things at Target. They have specialty frozen desserts and pizzas and other things you just can't get anywhere else. So, I will go there if I'm looking for something new. I guess that is about it. Sounds like a lot, but where I live, all of that is within 3 miles. 2 one right after the other! Grocery days are usually pretty quick and easy.

peleroja

It breaks my heart we don't have Trader Joe's or Whole Foods in my city, but I do live in a nice convenient downtown area with lots of options. I shop a local produce market for my fruit and vegetables, Costco for non-perishables and sometimes dairy for my boyfriend, an Asian grocery for seafood, and two local boutique-type groceries for milk and diary (one is very upscale and only does local meat, one is a crunchy-hippie organic market. Anything else I get from a big-box supermarket way out in the suburbs, because the only one near my house looks like the USSR inside.

onionparsleysage

Fresh Direct. I eat much healthier if I don't wander through the junk food aisles of my grocery store. They deliver fresh produce & dairy & meat to my door weekly. It's the best invention of all time, IMO!

And Amazon ships me some of the dried fruit & dates, etc.

szuerlein

I usually go to Festival Foods. Love their meat department and their berries area always perfect! I do go to Woodmans about once a month to stock up on non-perishables.

stiobhard

Fiesta Mart is my place of choice. They are nicer to me there. All the other grocery stores in this town have an inflated sense of self-importance. I like their international section and they are the only place I can get banyan soymilk (which comes in gallon jugs and it has no additives.) I think this chain is limited to houston and austin. They have the best music playing and they have sparrows living in the rafters! (not by choice but it still amuses me)

I go to oriental markets for asian food items I cant get at a regular grocery store. I have three different ones I go to. Lately I just started going to this korean one recently. Its the only place that seems to have circle-shaped potstickers. They have korean ingredients of course, and they have a whole array of shirataki noodles which i just discovered.There were a couple others i used to go to (including two indian ones) but they have closed. Ill mention Phoenecia and Sara's too (lebanese grocers) though its not a regular thing... because I can get most of those kinds of items at Fiesta.

heb for convenience (its across the street) and sometimes they have different stuff than fiesta. but they push the processed and prepackaged food alot more. they do not sell tangerines.

walmart for tangerines.

whole foods and sprouts for specialty items. though the whole foods deli is lethal if im trying to watch what i eat. sprouts has better tofu and better ice cream than whole foods (sprouts has wildwood tofu and tofutti ice cream) and sprouts does not charge for paper bags. but about a third of their store is like a gnc.

Whole Foods is great for finding hard to find things in a recipe... some of their house brands are a little overpriced and not so authentic tasting... They are cheaper than Central Market or Wheatsville. I do not like their politics. But the people who work there are pretty helpful. They are the only place this side of New Jersey where I have seen kosher marshmallows. But another thing that I really do not need to eat right now.

havent gone to wheatsville in years. randalls is no longer convenient. sun harvest has closed. central market is ridiculously priced. (the one thing Central Market excels at is wine which I do not buy) When Randalls was a safeway it was built around the trees to make peace with the neighborhood. it was kind of cool to have oak trees growing in the middle of a supermarket. When Randalls bought it they held on to it for a little while but then let it die and just turned the space into grocery aisles. Nobody could remember what had started it in the first place. I am kind of annoyed about that.

Ive never been to the new Trader Joes. Its too far and no buses go out there.

stiobhard

Anything else I get from a big-box supermarket way out in the suburbs, because the only one near my house looks like the USSR inside.

There was this place in San Francisco called Canned Food Warehouse that sold actual items from the USSR in the 80s. Mostly jams as I remember. I used to get the Soviet Jam there just because I could... (it was dirt cheap too)

I remember this grad student from Spain visiting here telling me that Texas was like "Minsk with money". He said you walk into a supermarket here and you see row after row of items and they are all the same thing with different labels and prices attached.

MysteriousMerlin

Walmart - love the variety (our store is HUGE) and that I can get all items I need at one place. Their vegetable selection has increased in quality the last couple of years, but it's still not the best. Same with the meat, but I do like that I can get certain types there that I can't find elsewhere in my area. Certain items they carry on a regular basis are not always stocked, even a week later.

Shop N Save - very clean store, excellent produce, shelves are ALWAYS stocked. The variety is limited (excepting the product department ). Employees are friendly and helpful.

Aldis - would love to shop here more often, hate the clientele and employees. Rude, nasty, dirty people at both local Aldis.

Schnucks - only go there because it's close to the house. Our local store is small, badly stocked, and dirty. Nice spice selection though.

writergeek313

I shop at a few different places. Most of the time, I shop at Giant. They have good sales, and I can earn discounts on gas. The one in my town is small and it often takes a long time for sale items to be restocked, so I usually go to one about 20 minutes away. That store has a bigger selection, including a much bigger natural/organic section.

When I lived in upstate NY, I shopped at Wegmans all the time and absolutely loved it. There's one about 20 miles from me now, but because of constant construction and bad traffic, it can take an hour to get there. I only go every few months to stock up on some staples. I also travel over an hour to Trader Joe's every few months to stock up on things there, too.

I joined Costco a few weeks ago after being really impressed by their selection and prices. It seemed like I spent a lot, but when I subtracted things I won't need to buy every visit, I got enough meat, fish, fruit, and vegetables to last me over two weeks for less than $50 a week. I think I'll be doing a lot of shopping there, especially since their prices mean I can get a much bigger variety of lean proteins in my budget.

Pretty soon the orchard near my house will be starting their spring harvests. From May until September, I can usually get most of my produce there. The prices can't be beat, and often what I buy was picked within 24 hours, so it's amazingly fresh.

salembambi

no frills

because its cheap

illuvatree

I go to Hannaford, Trader Joe's (when I'm near one), and at the health food store I work at (I get a discount, but the stuff is still expensive).

jamieo70

Between May and the end of October, I buy most of my food at a couple of farmers' markets here in the area. I also buy extra to freeze and can for the months when the farmers' markets are not open. For the few things I can't get at the farmers' market, I go to Costco, a locally-owned grocery store, or a Super Target. Occasionally, I will stop at Kroger, but not frequently. I prefer farmers' markets because I know where the meat & produce came from. I'm lucky enough to live in the Mississippi Delta and can get everything from rice and mushrooms to catfish and pork, all produced and grown locally.

fholley23

Shop rite for the foods that don't really need to be organic or high qualilty and WF's for the rest. I like shop rite because prices are reasonable. I like WF's because of there produce and there selection of organics and health food.

ltlemermaid

I shop at serveral stores throughout the year:

Aldi-for certain items because its cheaper
Target-They have a larger selection of Noosa yogurt flavors so I stock up when I am there
Kroger-bulk of my grocery shopping gets done here
Trader Joe's and Marianos-these are a treat when I go since they are about an hour drive each way from me but I love these stores and stock up on sprouted breads, grains organic foods etc
Health food store-I love that they carry a local farms milk
When its in season I love shopping at the local farmers market-for fresh fruits and veggies
We get all of our meat from a local farm Meat CSA

seltzermint555

Target-They have a larger selection of Noosa yogurt flavors so I stock up when I am there

oooooh yes. I love this about Target. We always get young teenage boy cashiers who ask us "Is this yogurt really as good as everyone says?"

lwagnitz

A place called "Woodman's" It's just in Wisconsin, I believe; maybe only a few locations. I love it because it is HUGE with lots and lots of options and far cheaper than Walmart, actually...by a significant amount. They also have a great selection of "natural" foods and even have a few aisles designated for it, as well as a lot of vegetarian/vegan foods which is great for me and is difficult to find elsewhere.

Also, opened 24 hours, employee owned, and they pay their workers well and offer them benefits. I'd rather my money be going to a company like that over typical "big box" stores like Walmart.

I love Woodmans. When I can't find a sale on something, I go to Woodmans for the best price. Which area of WI are you from?

Green Bay

Jelaan

Walmart, Sobeys, Freshco - whichever has the best price (small budget for 5 people), and Bulk Barn for my nuts, seeds, dried fruit and gluten free flours as they have the best price and best quality.

GardenGirlie

Safeway, Winco & Trader Joe's.

I buy chicken in bulk from Zaycon Foods and every once in awhile I get a basket of produce from bountiful baskets co-op.

xplosion80

H-E-B and Costco.
Sometimes,also the weekly farmers market.
I am in TX.