Just wondering what people don't like about Superstore? Is it packing your own bags? I agree, it is annoying, especially when there are no other customers and the clerk is standing there watching you. But, for the price difference, I will do it.
The stores are huge (even just the grocery portions), so it takes a long time.
Then it really sucks when you have toddlers / young children or babies with you. why? It takes way to long for them, and then you can't pack your bags / pay attention to little kids / see what the cashier is doing. SOO stressful to check out a large cart, with very cranky kids, while you are trying to bag all of your own groceries. Look around, very few moms take kids to this store without a helper / friend.
Next, varies by store, but produce quality at mine sucks. They used to be always out of milk on the shelves by 11am on saturday or have very poor temp control (like the load was allowed to warm up, and milk goes bad 3 days early). My store is much better now... but it was BAD for several years.
When they go through a wave of newer cashiers, the discounts and the correct prices for produce are often not applied at the cash register properly, and it is a hassle x 4 to try to get customer service to fix anything / refund. Those cashiers don't know anythingn about "free if priced wrong", and price checks take too long.
Long lineups, and only 4 cashiers out of 20 lanes open. They fixed this with "all checkouts open on sat/sun before 6" but it was a real problem before -- I had been known to walk in, see the line, and walk out again to go somewhere else.
A big bear of mine is when they run out of their "gift for $250 purchase" and sub it with an item that is not a $25 value, but like an $8 value of an overstock item instead of giving points.... A 12 pack of toilet paper is NOT as $25 dollar value!
They have less selection /less variety of many items, because a larger full face case stocking is cheaper to stock on the shelf. (big store, less items) The shelves are a mess and missing many price tags, items are placed over the WRONG price tag, so you need to look at each one VERY VERY carefully, store organization is poor, need to be careful about dates, expecially for packaged items in produce and the bakery department (check dates before you buy).
They don't have the cheapest prices on everything, especially when you compare for like quality.... they do have a lot of cheaper items and yellow label is good price. You don't have to shop the sales to get their "best" or very good prices. I was able to get many items at Safeway cheaper by shopping the sales, and Safeway had the variety, but Superstore is closer to me, and for no name labels, good prices.
Their "buy 3 for xx price" means that you actually have to "BUY3", often the identical flavor, or pay full price. (other stores in my area give sale price for each unit bought). You can't always tell at the shelf if mixed varieties are OK for the deal price or not.
Very few produce weigh scales / out of calibration -- Many more produce items are sold by the unit instead of $/lb, so it is hard to compare loose versus packaged produce.
All that said -- I don't have time to shop the Safeway sales anymore, or drive to 3 different stores. I am not tempted by as much at Superstore, so it helps my purchasing behaviour. They have cleaned up produce and dairy, so they are much better, and I don't have little kids anymore and can go to the store on my own.
Therefore -- I shop at Superstore, No frills, Shoppers (for sale items on points days), and then the local Saveon for my groceries, in that order of frequency.
