Author Topic: Best Seattle area grocery - WINCO!  (Read 7274 times)

kiwi

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Best Seattle area grocery - WINCO!
« on: October 21, 2015, 11:43:18 PM »
It's about 20 minutes for us to get to Winco without traffic, but it is SO worth it for stocking up!  It's huge, they have the greatest prices, and the bulk food section will knock your socks off - it's the largest that I've seen, anywhere. Oatmeal at $0.65/lb (also including steel cut oats, which I've recently started making).

We just went here yesterday, and among the other great prices we got were large carving pumpkins for $2.00.

Winco tends to be in out-of-the-way locations, so even though I've lived in the area for many years, I didn't know about it. Until, that is, I was in the parking lot of a Fred Meyers, wrangling armfuls of grocery bags with my kids. A lady from a neighboring car actually walked up to me and told me that with me buying so many groceries, I needed to be shopping at Winco!



Helvegen

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Re: Best Seattle area grocery - WINCO!
« Reply #1 on: October 22, 2015, 09:33:30 AM »
Winco has the best bulk section, bar none. So many other grocery stores only have small bulk sections and they are generally filled with pricey organic items. I really don't care if it is organic or not 90% of the time.

My husband said that he was talking to some co-workers about where we get our groceries and he mentioned that I shopped at Winco. Half didn't know what it was and the other half was clutching their pearls because they were there and that is where plebes shop, store was dirty (??), it was Wal-Mart. He was like whatever, you go waste your money where you want. :p

PlanetDee

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Re: Best Seattle area grocery - WINCO!
« Reply #2 on: October 23, 2015, 05:04:00 PM »
Winco is my favorite place. It has saved us an incredible amount of money - especially by buying in bulk.

I definitely recommend that you check it out if you haven't already. They also have stores in Idaho - possibly in Oregon as well, but I'm not positive.

Bracken_Joy

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Re: Best Seattle area grocery - WINCO!
« Reply #3 on: October 23, 2015, 05:05:27 PM »
Don't forget Grocery Outlet! Their wine deals are the best! And I just bought Dubliner form there for $3/lb. Heaven.

Sailor Sam

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Re: Best Seattle area grocery - WINCO!
« Reply #4 on: October 23, 2015, 05:15:05 PM »
Adding Rising Sun Produce, for those who live in North Seattle. I've never been in a Winco have that specific comparison, but RSP is hands down cheaper than local grocery stores. If it doesn't beat Costco, then it's on par. Except for avocados, which is personally annoying.

Bearded Man

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Re: Best Seattle area grocery - WINCO!
« Reply #5 on: October 23, 2015, 06:14:24 PM »
While Winco is cheaper than safeway, cash&carry is the best hands down. It's where restaurants shop.

Plus the Winco in Kent, Federal Way and Tacoma are filled with the most ghetto people. It's like going to the Renton Wal-Mart!

sol

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Re: Best Seattle area grocery - WINCO!
« Reply #6 on: October 23, 2015, 07:09:39 PM »
Plus the Winco in Kent, Federal Way and Tacoma are filled with the most ghetto people. It's like going to the Renton Wal-Mart!

I'm one of those ghetto people, and I have great heaping piles of money.

2ndTimer

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Re: Best Seattle area grocery - WINCO!
« Reply #7 on: October 24, 2015, 11:36:22 AM »
Definitely a ghetto person here.  I even live in a trailer park.  Favorite Seattle area stores include:

WINCO
Grocery Outlet
Anonymous little local fruit stand with $0.29/lb. cabbage
Cash and Carry



Radagast

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Re: Best Seattle area grocery - WINCO!
« Reply #8 on: October 27, 2015, 09:42:03 PM »
Yeah there were a couple in Reno when I used to live there. I pretty much shopped there only. They are all over the western US.

imustachemystash

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Re: Best Seattle area grocery - WINCO!
« Reply #9 on: October 27, 2015, 11:38:25 PM »
Don't forget Grocery Outlet! Their wine deals are the best! And I just bought Dubliner form there for $3/lb. Heaven.

I absolutely love Gross Out!  I save so much money, and it's like going on a treasure hunt because you never know what will be there each week. 

calimom

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Re: Best Seattle area grocery - WINCO!
« Reply #10 on: October 31, 2015, 05:17:45 PM »
There is a WinCo in my California town.  My ghetto ass shops there at least once a month. 

1967mama

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Re: Best Seattle area grocery - WINCO!
« Reply #11 on: November 01, 2015, 01:42:55 AM »
Another winco fan here -- be sure to check out the 25 - 50 lb bags of flour, oats, beans, sugar, rice, etc along the wall by the bulk section.  Also highly worth it to scoop out your spices in bulk..

calimom

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Re: Best Seattle area grocery - WINCO!
« Reply #12 on: November 02, 2015, 07:49:27 PM »
And did you know WinCo is an ESOP?  That many of its employee/owners have a million or so in stock with the company? Plus access to a 401k? 

http://www.forbes.com/sites/maryjosephs/2014/11/05/millionaire-grocery-clerks-the-amazing-winco-foods-story/

Suck on THAT, Walmart!

alsoknownasDean

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Re: Best Seattle area grocery - WINCO!
« Reply #13 on: November 18, 2015, 03:09:31 AM »
Winco is my favorite place. It has saved us an incredible amount of money - especially by buying in bulk.

I definitely recommend that you check it out if you haven't already. They also have stores in Idaho - possibly in Oregon as well, but I'm not positive.

They're in Oregon, I went to a store in Beaverton a few weeks ago.

It tripped me out that they didn't take credit cards though, not even with a surcharge. Sure they take debit cards, but my foreign card wouldn't work there. Fortunately I had the cash, but I'm surprised they didn't have much in the way of signs indicating it was cash/debit only.

I do recall stuff (especially fruit and vegetables) being generally pretty cheap, pumpkins at $0.18/pound and the like. The pizzas they were selling were HUGE too.

ssfw

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Re: Best Seattle area grocery - WINCO!
« Reply #14 on: November 18, 2015, 03:28:00 PM »
For Oregon, there is one in Tigard as well. From what I hear, the Beaverton one is loud and crowded (totally anecdotal, never been to that one). The one in Tigard is never crowded at all when I go (I ride my bike there around 8pm on weekdays, so YMMV). It's also next to the costco if that's your thing.

Radagast

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Re: Best Seattle area grocery - WINCO!
« Reply #15 on: November 18, 2015, 09:51:25 PM »
By the way, I recently heard than WINCO means Washington, Idaho, Nevada, CA/CO (not sure), Oregon. So that should give an idea of it's geography...

kiwi

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Re: Best Seattle area grocery - WINCO!
« Reply #16 on: July 14, 2018, 06:26:32 PM »
Also wanted to say - PRODUCE at Winco! It's mind-blowing how much cheaper, and better it is than other groceries. They have such a high turnover (people buy very large quantities at Winco) that the produce is extremely fresh.

I've been buying beautiful peaches the other day at Winco, 99 cents a pound (all the time, no special sales).

A few days later I'm with a friend, who buys a peach at Safeway, to eat right away. $1.99/lb, AND it was completely mealy - she threw it out.


jpdx

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Re: Best Seattle area grocery - WINCO!
« Reply #17 on: July 15, 2018, 12:34:56 AM »
I just discovered Winco here in Portland. Great for stocking up. It's like Costco-lite -- but with less hassle and no membership fee!