people from NYC where do you do your groceries shopping?

karyabc
karyabc Posts: 830 Member
hi! i'm Kary, so i usually live in the Caribbean but just got to NYC last week and i'm gonna spend a couple of months here, of course i'm on a tight budget, we are a family of 5 and was just wondering where do you get the most for your money!

thanks in advance :)

Replies

  • lizzocat
    lizzocat Posts: 356 Member
    Trader joes has long waits but it's affordable and has good products, also outer boroughs supermarkets are going to be cheaper than manhattan
  • solangesz
    solangesz Posts: 2 Member
    See if u find an Aldi supermarket. Very good deals & tons of organic stuff.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    Depends. I think the most basic "non-organic" type of grocery stores probably have the best prices, Associated, C-town, etc. I don't know your budget. I find Whole Foods to be fine. I don't have the patience or Trader Joe's but I heard the prices are great. There are grocery stores like every two blocks, so give a few a run through.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    solangesz wrote: »
    See if u find an Aldi supermarket. Very good deals & tons of organic stuff.

    We don't have that here
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  • Freshdirect delivers. I use them for bigger orders then supplement with the local convenience stores for things that I can carry myself.
  • Just wanted to add that D'Agostino's delivers too.
  • hillarysiegel24
    hillarysiegel24 Posts: 14 Member
    I do Whole Foods almost exclusively. I find that some stuff is more expensive, like crackers or breads, but I eat primarily fruits and vegetables and they are of such better quality at WF in comparison to some of the other grocery stores that I find the best place for me to shop is Whole Foods. Their meat/chicken selection is also great for one-offs, but I tend to make a monthly trip to Wegmans in NJ and I grab bulk chicken breasts to freeze, along with things like EVOO and jarred garlic that I use frequently but can get cheaper there.

    I use Trader Joe's maybe 1-2x month for nuts, sometimes avocados, and chocolate. That's it!
  • hillarysiegel24
    hillarysiegel24 Posts: 14 Member
    I should note that I do think that WF is the best bang for your buck if you eat alot of produce and want it to last long, stay fresh, taste the best, and be the best quality :) While I do think you can get cheaper at somewhere like Gristede's or Fairway or Food Emporium, I think WF is best quality for price for the area!
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  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    MrM27 wrote: »
    arditarose wrote: »
    solangesz wrote: »
    See if u find an Aldi supermarket. Very good deals & tons of organic stuff.

    We don't have that here

    There is 1 that I know of in Rego Park, Queens.

    I personally shop at Fairway.

    Is there? I always see people logging stuff from Aldi on here and had no idea.
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  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    MrM27 wrote: »
    arditarose wrote: »
    MrM27 wrote: »
    arditarose wrote: »
    solangesz wrote: »
    See if u find an Aldi supermarket. Very good deals & tons of organic stuff.

    We don't have that here

    There is 1 that I know of in Rego Park, Queens.

    I personally shop at Fairway.

    Is there? I always see people logging stuff from Aldi on here and had no idea.

    Yea I had no idea it was there and one day I got a call for a patient there and the security guard escorted us to the store and I was like "WTF, Aldi?". I had no idea it was there. It's in the same shopping center where Costco is. I'm really particular with where I shop so I don't go there. I've gotten used to Fairway and even though I can find stuff cheaper I don't think it's expensive.

    Oh okay. I've never been out there. It's really far from me. I love Fairway but without a car it's pretty inconvenient for me :( One day I basically ate lunch there by trying all the free samples.
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  • lovelylightz
    lovelylightz Posts: 139 Member
    I live in nyc and there's keyfoods,associated Supermarket, western beef, trader joes, Costco, BJ'S, mini foreign markets, there's so many haha
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    edited March 2015
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  • 47Jacqueline
    47Jacqueline Posts: 6,993 Member
    If you're in the boroughs it's cheaper to find food. If I'm travelling farther out in Brooklyn or Queens, I shop there. If you're in Manhattan, you can traipse up to Harlem. But it's easier to stay local. Whole foods is good for milk and eggs - veggies are expensive. Associated is the cheapest, depending on neighborhood. Jack's is really cheap for packaged goods - some limitations, but not bad for staples and 10% off on Sunday mornings.

    Chinatown is good for some stuff, the lower east side for other. Farmer's markets are expensive in the better neighborhoods, but some of the corner "fruit" stands are really cheap.

    Western Beef is a ripoff. Trader Joes is crowded, Zabars is a gourmet place. Garden of Eden is not bad for some veggies and fruits and West Side Market has good deals on some stuff - I love their chicken chili for $6 a pint (2 meals).

    Shop around. It's not like the burbs. You have to go different places.
  • randomtai
    randomtai Posts: 9,003 Member
    I shop at Aldi's, Costco and Fairway (if I want to splurge). We are a big family also, and we get more bang for our buck at Aldi's and Costco.
  • randomtai
    randomtai Posts: 9,003 Member
    MrM27 wrote: »
    arditarose wrote: »
    MrM27 wrote: »
    arditarose wrote: »
    solangesz wrote: »
    See if u find an Aldi supermarket. Very good deals & tons of organic stuff.

    We don't have that here

    There is 1 that I know of in Rego Park, Queens.

    I personally shop at Fairway.

    Is there? I always see people logging stuff from Aldi on here and had no idea.

    Yea I had no idea it was there and one day I got a call for a patient there and the security guard escorted us to the store and I was like "WTF, Aldi?". I had no idea it was there. It's in the same shopping center where Costco is. I'm really particular with where I shop so I don't go there. I've gotten used to Fairway and even though I can find stuff cheaper I don't think it's expensive.

    Snob. :p
  • feisty_bucket
    feisty_bucket Posts: 1,047 Member
    edited March 2015
    I'm in central Harlem and get most of my stuff at Pathmark (best prices generally) and the rest at Fine Fare (wider range of a few things) or the dollar store. A few other things from Amazon sometimes.

    OP, the dollar store places are the cheapest but have a rapidly-changing selection. So if you're cool with shopping on multiple days, hit that first and test your luck. Then find your neighborhood chain like arditarose said: C-Town, Associated, etc. Those are good deals.

    Hit up Yelp and Google Maps and find what's within walking distance first, because doing a bus/subway trip for groceries sucks.

    I think Whole Foods are most useful for people-watching, ha.
  • MoiAussi93
    MoiAussi93 Posts: 1,948 Member
    trader joe's mostly. Key Foods if I just need to pick up a few things.

    Avoid Gristedes...they are even more expensive than whole foods.
  • lovelylightz
    lovelylightz Posts: 139 Member
    Agreed about western beef...the produce there sucks and it's not fresh at all...I really like the mini international grocery supermarkets that you can come across in some parts of williamsburg/bushwick!
  • chickpeanutbutter
    chickpeanutbutter Posts: 5 Member
    Foodtown in Brooklyn, Trade Fair or C town in Queens and the produce carts in Manhattan when the weather warms up!
  • NewTnme
    NewTnme Posts: 258 Member
    MrM27 wrote: »
    arditarose wrote: »
    solangesz wrote: »
    See if u find an Aldi supermarket. Very good deals & tons of organic stuff.

    We don't have that here

    There is 1 that I know of in Rego Park, Queens.

    I personally shop at Fairway.

  • NewTnme
    NewTnme Posts: 258 Member
    There am aldi's in Brooklyn too
  • NewTnme
    NewTnme Posts: 258 Member
    Western beef is pretty good too or Bjs
  • belimawr
    belimawr Posts: 1,155 Member
    edited March 2015
    MrM27 wrote: »
    arditarose wrote: »
    solangesz wrote: »
    See if u find an Aldi supermarket. Very good deals & tons of organic stuff.

    We don't have that here

    There is 1 that I know of in Rego Park, Queens.

    I personally shop at Fairway.

    There's one in Gateway Center (Brooklyn, off the Belt Pkwy) as well.

    When I lived in Queens it was usually Waldbaum's where I did most of my shopping, though they could be hit or miss. Where I lived was good, as were some others; but in Rockaway Park where I worked, I never dared buy anything as it always reeked of rotting produce.
  • Slacker16
    Slacker16 Posts: 1,184 Member
    I do C-town. They're numerous and, as far as I can tell, the cheapest around.

    I buy fruits and veggies from a greengrocer though (when I do). Don't know about other ones but my C-town is... sub-optimal for that.
  • randrews0407
    randrews0407 Posts: 216 Member
    Pathmark
  • randrews0407
    randrews0407 Posts: 216 Member
    There is a Whole Foods and Trader Joes by my Union Square office. Trader Joes can be a great value but the checkout process is soooooooo tiresome. Your whole shopping experience is spent in the checkout line (no, I'm not kidding).