Author Topic: What kind of grocery store do you shop at?  (Read 17505 times)

sloof70

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What kind of grocery store do you shop at?
« on: February 24, 2015, 02:35:30 PM »
Do you go to a standard chain supermarket? The organic place? The gourmet shoppe? The local family-owned joint? The big box store that also sells groceries? The warehouse? The last-chance-before-it-goes-bad dive?

I personally don't put much effort into economizing my food budget as groceries eat up less than 5% of my salary and food is quite essential no matter the price, but I've seen a wide range on here of how much people spend on food and the types of food they eat. I'm a boring old Safeway shopper, only because it's the closest store at about a half-mile away.

user43423

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Re: What kind of grocery store do you shop at?
« Reply #1 on: February 24, 2015, 02:45:04 PM »
I'm pretty big into cooking, so I go all over. I live in a major city, so for meat and fish, I'll go to Whole Foods. For produce, I usually go to chinatown and get insanely cheap produce. And for all other things that aren't perishable (canned tomatoes, flour, pasta, etc) I'll go to a big supermarket, or buy in bulk online and store it.

I think health is really important, and eating well is part of that so I look at spending money on quality food now as a decrease in future healthcare costs.

FiguringItOut

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Re: What kind of grocery store do you shop at?
« Reply #2 on: February 24, 2015, 03:14:00 PM »
I shop loss leaders of the 3 local supermarkets, Shop Rite, Stop'n Shop, and PathMark.  And I also drive out about 5 miles to produce store for fruits, vegetables, and fish. 

I have to say though, I am getting tired of schlepping to the produce store, but I can't buy produce at supermarkets - the prices and selections are just not working for me.  $1/lb for apples at produce store, $2.50/lb for apples at supermarkets. 

I also drive about an hour couple times a year away to load up on fish and seafood.  For example, cheapest salmon I can get locally is $11/lb farmed, $18/lb wild.  I drive out to get farmed salmon at $5/lb, it's cleaned and cut for me just the way I want it.  At home I portion it in individual portions and store in my freezer.  Same with other fish and various seafood (shrimp, squid, crab, etc).  I can get $100-$120 worth of fish couple times a year.

I am hoping that when I move in the summer, I will be closer to a bunch of ethnic stores, which I prefer, instead of having to drive an hour to get there.

Catbert

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Re: What kind of grocery store do you shop at?
« Reply #3 on: February 24, 2015, 03:18:05 PM »
I do a mixture.  Farmers' market and Sprouts weekly.  Chain supermarket every week or two.  Costco, Trader Joe's, Asian Grocery and two different last-chance markets monthly.  I guess it works out that I go to farmer's market plus two stores each week.   

Sid Hoffman

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Re: What kind of grocery store do you shop at?
« Reply #4 on: February 24, 2015, 03:22:36 PM »
I have extremely simple tastes, so I shop wherever the stuff I care about is on sale.  To a certain extent it doesn't even matter much, as my true grocery bill can be as low as $100/month, though it's probably more fair to say it's closer to $200 most months as some of it shows up as "merchandise" on my credit card if I buy from the WalMart Marketplace store right by my house.  Still, Walmart probably only saves me $20-30/month over the Kroger chain grocer, so we're talking maybe 1-2% of my monthly budget if I boycotted WalMart.  I personally care about that 1-2%, but if they shut the store down, I don't think I'd shed a tear over my small lost savings.

wtjbatman

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Re: What kind of grocery store do you shop at?
« Reply #5 on: February 24, 2015, 04:11:07 PM »
Target and Walmart for 95% of groceries, local stores like Rochester Wholesale for produce and random special meat purchases.

johnny847

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Re: What kind of grocery store do you shop at?
« Reply #6 on: February 24, 2015, 04:16:18 PM »
A mix. My local Walmart and Target has groceries. I also go to Kroger and Publix. And every couple weeks I go to Hmart, a Korean grocery store (I'm Korean).

I've been going to Target and Walmart more often now, because the prices are comparable to Kroger and Publix for at least some items, and I've gotten Walmartand Target gift cards through promotions at Raise.com for greater than 5% off (I can get 5% off Walmart, Target, Kroger, and Publix because they're all coded as grocery stores and my Sallie Mae Mastercard gets 5% off there. But also, Target's REDcard will get you 5% off anything at Target anyway, which I also have).

In reality Hmart is cheaper for certain things - partly because their prices are actually cheaper, and also because they have a 1% rewards program (but you must accumulate $10 in rewards to cash out) and the sales tax is one percentage point lower there (different county). But the hassle of riding 13 miles out there on my bike and 13 miles back overrides that a lot of the time.


I've never tried the local farmers market which is here on weekends. You guys have reminded me to give it a try sometime.

MsPeacock

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Re: What kind of grocery store do you shop at?
« Reply #7 on: February 24, 2015, 04:27:18 PM »
Shoprite and Costco for most of the groceriEs. Bodega and Safeway for swing by and grab milk or eggs. Giant for loss  leaders. Asian market and Indian market for occasional specialty ingredients. I order shop rite online. All the stores are fairly close, so I can hit them pretty easily.

Zikoris

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Re: What kind of grocery store do you shop at?
« Reply #8 on: February 24, 2015, 05:56:47 PM »
Everything. We buy every item based on the best price, so we go to a ton of different places.

aschmidt2930

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Re: What kind of grocery store do you shop at?
« Reply #9 on: February 24, 2015, 06:04:08 PM »
Aldi and the farmers market.

Jacana

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Re: What kind of grocery store do you shop at?
« Reply #10 on: February 24, 2015, 06:14:42 PM »
Up until our move in December, Wegman's for pretty much everything. Now, sadly, Wegman's is >1 hr away. I miss it.  Lotte's (Korean grocer) now only happens when we visit the in-laws too. So, a blend of Target and Safeway (~3 miles) for now until we figure out something better. Went into the local BJ's, was not impressed; not worth the membership.

Aldi's is 10+ miles up the road, would it be worth it? I keep hearing about it, but really don't know if I want to drive up there frequently. What kind of stuff do they sell that we can stock up on, and would it be cheaper than Target?

TXBruiser

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Re: What kind of grocery store do you shop at?
« Reply #11 on: February 24, 2015, 06:29:42 PM »
Aldis for my first stop to load up on the cheap essentials (when shopping here you cant be name brand hunting which I don't mind), then off to the Krogers, Randalls, or Target for what ever else I need depending on what coupons I have that week.

midweststache

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Re: What kind of grocery store do you shop at?
« Reply #12 on: February 24, 2015, 06:32:13 PM »
Predominantly Mariano's, a large, nice-ish supermarket. When we don't have sub-zero weather (past month), I will walk a ways to Aldi's and pick up our basics. This saves us about about $20/week and happens more often that not (stupid weather). When we're out and about in particular areas of the city, we might try to hit up a TJ's, which is more expensive than Aldi but cheaper than Mariano's.

We do shop the farmer's market in the summer, since it's two blocks away, but there's a pretty big price premium on that, so if we do we try not to go to Mariano's that week (and then we'll come out about even).

lexie2000

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Re: What kind of grocery store do you shop at?
« Reply #13 on: February 24, 2015, 06:32:32 PM »
Why do you refer to "last chance" stores as "dives"?  Mine is absolutely awesome.  Not everything is "last chance", but I always look for items that are deeply discounted because they are nearing their sell-by date.  I have gotten ridiculously low prices on meats, cheeses, yogurt, etc.  Sometimes the items are even organic.  You can't beat Hormel Black Label bacon @ $1.66/lb. or 15 oz. tubs of Land O Lakes spreadable butter for $.97 or Philly for $.50.  I stock up if the item is something we use regularly and can be frozen.

I also shop at the 99 Cent Store, mostly for produce:  fresh fruits and veggies on the cheap and again, sometimes organic.  Last summer I was getting huge watermelons for $1 ea. all summer long. 

Occasionally, I'll also shop at one of the local ethnic markets when they have produce on sale:  onions for $.20/lb. or Fuji apples for $.33/lb. etc.

Everything else (which isn't much) comes from Costco.

MoneyCat

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Re: What kind of grocery store do you shop at?
« Reply #14 on: February 24, 2015, 06:35:46 PM »
BJs Wholesale for dairy, meat, baking supplies, and bulk non-perishables.  Target for produce.  We get pretty hefty savings on pretty much everything.  Target is a very good deal between coupons, Cartwheel, and the 5% discount for using their Redcard.


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michaelrecycles

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Re: What kind of grocery store do you shop at?
« Reply #15 on: February 24, 2015, 06:39:35 PM »
Costco for the vast majority of items, 2 visits a month. Most of our food comes from Costco's organic selection, but some things are not available as organic yet.

If we run out of salad from Costco, might stop at Grocery Outlet (I think this store fits the "last chance" category). Target for organic milk. Amazon for organic rice.

johnny847

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Re: What kind of grocery store do you shop at?
« Reply #16 on: February 24, 2015, 06:40:37 PM »
Target is a very good deal between coupons, Cartwheel, and the 5% discount for using their Redcard.
Agreed. Though I rarely see people taking advantage of all of these at Target.

I'm still spending down the $300 Target gift card I got for 10% off during their Black Friday sale

desk_jockey

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Re: What kind of grocery store do you shop at?
« Reply #17 on: February 24, 2015, 06:49:21 PM »
Aldis for produce and staples
Local Asian/Latin market for produce and meats
Costo for bulk and whatever catches my eye
Kroger for the loss leaders, mainly chicken, milk, cheese and eggs.
Publix for walking around and laughing at the prices.

seattlecyclone

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Re: What kind of grocery store do you shop at?
« Reply #18 on: February 24, 2015, 06:55:49 PM »
We have a Costco membership, but it's several miles from our house so we only go once every couple of months. We stock up on non-perishable food items there and also buy some produce that we can use in the next couple of weeks.

Much of our other grocery shopping is on the other end of the spectrum at a local natural foods co-op. Their organic produce is relatively reasonable, and it's located super close to my office so I can pick up a few things on my way to the bus stop on my way home without making an extra trip.

Kaydedid

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Re: What kind of grocery store do you shop at?
« Reply #19 on: February 24, 2015, 06:59:26 PM »
We only shop at grocery stores 2-3x/month, mostly for dairy and fresh fruit/veg in the six months or so of winter.  Since the discount stores have lousy produce and more expensive dairy, we shop the regular grocery store.  We buy 90% of our meat yearly from a local farmer and freeze it (other 10% is super discounted turkeys around Thanksgiving).  We buy staples (legumes, rice, oils etc) from an organic bulk ordering club 1-2x/yr.  I grow, can, and freeze most of our veggies minus fresh ones in winter.  We process several bushels of in-laws' apples yearly into sauce, juice, and jelly.  Do pick - your - own strawberries once a year and freeze/can them.  I walk to farmer's market weekly 4-5 months/year to pick up a few things I don't grow.  Go once a month to local farm store to get eggs.  Do a Sam's Club run 2-4x a year, mostly for paper goods and vitamins.  I would buy bulk milk straight from the farmer and make my own dairy products (cheese, yogurt etc) if it was legal.

nazar

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Re: What kind of grocery store do you shop at?
« Reply #20 on: February 24, 2015, 07:02:04 PM »
Costco for dry goods and fruits or veggies we consume in big amounts, usually every three to four weeks.  Trader Joes to fill in weeks between the wholesaler visits and Publix or Winn Dixie for unplanned items since both are within two miles of home.

johnny847

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Re: What kind of grocery store do you shop at?
« Reply #21 on: February 24, 2015, 07:03:32 PM »
Publix for walking around and laughing at the prices.
In my experience, the non sale items at Publix are pretty pricey, but the ones on sale can be competitively priced.

Mutton Chop

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Re: What kind of grocery store do you shop at?
« Reply #22 on: February 24, 2015, 07:07:34 PM »
We run the full spectrum from Grocery Outlet to Whole Foods.

horsepoor

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Re: What kind of grocery store do you shop at?
« Reply #23 on: February 24, 2015, 07:14:39 PM »
Also the full spectrum here.  We got meat in the fall from a local farmer, and I do Bountiful Baskets co-op occasionally for produce.  For the rest of it, it's mixture of WinCo, CostCo, Fred Meyer for convenience because it's on the way home, and sometimes Rosauer's, the Asian market or Natural Grocer. Wal-Mart is across the street from my office, so I occasionally get a few things there, too; usually for lunches at work.

PatStab

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Re: What kind of grocery store do you shop at?
« Reply #24 on: February 24, 2015, 08:50:41 PM »
A local market some, but its in a small town and some things they don't have, so Kroger 40 miles
away, has a bigger selection.  I'm going to try some other stores, there are some ethnic ones in the next town.

I raise a garden and can a lot make tomato juice, canned tomatoes, spaghetti sauce, stewed tomatoes.
Make bread and butter pickles relish, can carrots, make pickled beets, slice green tomatoes.  I have made catsup and tomato sauce.  Sometimes can meatballs and potatoes in beef broth, green beans.  I bought a lot of beef bones and made broth and canned it.  When we lived in Texas I bought fresh tuna and canned it, I did some up here and it wasn't good.  Also can chicken for chicken salad, just the breasts.

From a local farmer I buy pork and beef, and chickens, both cut up and whole.  I also buy and freeze corn, blueberries, blackberries, can and freeze apples, peaches, make apple sauce and peach preserves.  In the spring and summer I raise lettuce, green onions, potatoes, squash, cucumbers, bell peppers, and poblano peppers.  I bought a dehydrator and last fall dehydrated, tomatoes, poblanos, lots of onions, this year doing herbs.  I raise cilantro, basil, sage, and parsley. I will also do peaches and apples but they didn't last long, I kept eating them, no one else cared for them.

In off season I buy from the grocer.  Locally they raise lots here sweet corn, watermelons, cantaloupe, and this area ships them all over the country.  Down the road from us was watermelon and pumpkin fields this year.  Also some potatoes.  An orchard I go to raised all kinds of fruits, but last year the freeze got his apples.  He had an old apple tree he let me pick from to can, they were good but not specimen apples.

I used to buy frozen items from Sams but it seems they are less and less good and we don't need the processed foods from there.  I buy fresh seafood from Kroger, its not bad.

I planted some apple trees, peach trees, and grapevines, one of my trees died.  I also planted a kuyu persimmon I think it is, they are wonderful, you can scoop the ripe fruit out of the rind, but sadly it died.  I will try another this year.  I hope to make grape jelly, they produced some last year, hope more this year.
« Last Edit: February 24, 2015, 08:56:32 PM by PatStab »

PatStab

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Re: What kind of grocery store do you shop at?
« Reply #25 on: February 24, 2015, 09:02:21 PM »
I haven't baked much since we moved but I have about 50 pounds of wheat, I get it from Lehmans and grind it in a flour mill and make fresh bread.  Also grind popcorn for cornbread, that is WONDERFULa
I also get wheat gluten and bread enchancer, it helps it rise and stay fresh longer.  Fresh bread will get stale really quick.   I buy yeast by the pound pack, its just not as good as it used to be.

I'm trying to keep my weight down so can't make as much bread as I did but I love, nothing better.

Something really good is take real butter, soften and add honey to it and whip for honey butter, delicious.

I like to cook but have to do less with trying to lose and keep weight off.  Now its pretty much chicken, fish, baked and grilled, fruits, veggies, ad little processed foods, but most of mine aren't anyway.

I'm a bit of a prepper since we live 12 miles from the nearest grocery, have to keep things stocked up.
« Last Edit: February 25, 2015, 04:56:10 PM by PatStab »

zinnie

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Re: What kind of grocery store do you shop at?
« Reply #26 on: February 24, 2015, 09:33:45 PM »
farmer's market, Albertsons, Sprouts, TJs, Ralphs, and the local mexican and middle eastern/north african markets and produce stores. almost never Whole Foods or anything ultra-specialty.

i mostly pick stores based on convenience and what they stock. Albertsons is across the street so we go there a few times a week at least, farmer's markets on weekends, and usually either Sprouts, TJs, or Ralphs on the weekend. i get some bulk items at the ethnic markets near me because they have really good prices on items like nuts, grains, spices by the pound.

we did Costco for a while and the numbers were actually better at the regular grocery stores for us. i think we bought more processed food when we shopped at Costco just because it was available and cheap. (my quality of life is also MUCH better walking to the store than dealing with the Costco/Home Depot/Ikea parking lot on a weekly basis).

dunhamjr

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Re: What kind of grocery store do you shop at?
« Reply #27 on: February 24, 2015, 10:36:09 PM »
Mostly Costco or Fred Meyer (superstore).

Cwadda

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Re: What kind of grocery store do you shop at?
« Reply #28 on: February 24, 2015, 11:09:15 PM »
I shop at PriceRite, which is a chain supermarket. It offers a lot of non-name brands (i.e. generic, PriceRite brand) for great prices. No membership required.

SF Semi-Mustache

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Re: What kind of grocery store do you shop at?
« Reply #29 on: February 24, 2015, 11:18:37 PM »
FoodsCo (cheap, bag-your-own-and-save-type place) every week, Costco twice a month, TJs, and Whole Foods maybe 1-2x per month each. 

rocketpj

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Re: What kind of grocery store do you shop at?
« Reply #30 on: February 24, 2015, 11:39:19 PM »
All of them.  At my work I go to a couple of supermarkets each week and pick up needful things (if I can fit them in my bike bags).  Ditto Costco.

Here at home I spread my shopping between the sales of 3 local supermarkets, one little chinese market, and occasionally the big market in the next town when we are passing by.  Add in the dollar stores for a few of the things they are good for and I have covered all the bases I can.  I do wish we had a produce market around here though.

I also pick my days.  One of our local supermarkets has 10% off everything on the first Thursday of the month, so I tend to load up a lot on those days (me and the seniors, walking the aisles).

EllieStan

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Re: What kind of grocery store do you shop at?
« Reply #31 on: February 25, 2015, 08:02:41 AM »
Mostly a a chain supermarket that matches the prices of their competitors. I live in the country, it saves me grocery and gas money.
In summer, I also buy fresh vegetables and fruits at my local market, and I grow my own herbs which I freeze for winter supply.

walkerjks

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Re: What kind of grocery store do you shop at?
« Reply #32 on: February 25, 2015, 08:18:03 AM »
We shop at 8 places:

Local:
Wal-Mart (best every day prices on everything except meat)
Localish chain grocer (best prices on staples and meat during specials)
Butcher (best every day prices on beef and pork)
Farmers market (prices ok, limited selection, 3 months a year)

70 miles away:
Aldis (great prices on what they have)
Giant asian grocer
Mexican grocery
Sprouts (great for produce, particularly when on sale)

I estimate our breakdown on food is as follows:

Wal-Mart 35%
Localish chain 30%
Butcher 5%
Farmers market 5%
Asian grocer 10%
Mexican grocer 5%
Aldis 5%
Sprouts 5%

Bob W

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Re: What kind of grocery store do you shop at?
« Reply #33 on: February 25, 2015, 08:38:37 AM »
Walmart (price matches any stores).   HiVee (loss leaders in meat generally).  Always Save (usually can scam $1 eggs).   We don't have farmer's markets.   I find that most grocery stores seem ridiculously over priced once accustomed to Walmart.   

A good deal is to hit Walmart late Sunday or early Monday for meat.   They mark down all the fancy cuts (and some others) that didn't sell over the weekend.   A lot of times they are half price.   

My favorite play is to wait until a local store has a big loss leader sale on beef, pork, chicken, turkey and then buy 30 pounds or more.   

Most people don't realize that refrigerated eggs can last a year or more.   So don't be shy about buying 10 dozen at a dollar and filling your fridge with eggs. 

Philociraptor

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Re: What kind of grocery store do you shop at?
« Reply #34 on: February 25, 2015, 08:52:44 AM »
Everything but Wally World and Aldi, hate those two (long lines and pitiful selection respectively). Most produce comes from the Mexican or Asian markets, meat and eggs from the American stores (Tom Thumb, Albertson's, Kroger), occasional meat or bulk purchases from Sam's or Costco. We do make the occasional trip to Whole Paycheck for Berry Chantilly cake.

windawake

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Re: What kind of grocery store do you shop at?
« Reply #35 on: February 25, 2015, 08:57:00 AM »
I shop almost exclusively at the local foods co-op near my house. I do this for a number of reasons: they sell organic items, they have a large bulk section so I can refill my own mason jars which is a way I try to reduce waste, they support local farmers, they're very involved in giving back to the community, and they pay their employees a living wage. It is expensive but it's non-negotiable for me.

During the warmer months I'll shop at the farmer's market. Last year I had a CSA and the year before that I had a plot at a community garden.

Capsu78

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Re: What kind of grocery store do you shop at?
« Reply #36 on: February 25, 2015, 09:06:42 AM »
Predominantly Mariano's, a large, nice-ish supermarket. When we don't have sub-zero weather (past month), I will walk a ways to Aldi's and pick up our basics. This saves us about about $20/week and happens more often that not (stupid weather). When we're out and about in particular areas of the city, we might try to hit up a TJ's, which is more expensive than Aldi but cheaper than Mariano's.

We do shop the farmer's market in the summer, since it's two blocks away, but there's a pretty big price premium on that, so if we do we try not to go to Mariano's that week (and then we'll come out about even).

Me too!  They opened one last spring 2 miles away cutting the distance to my prior preferred store Jewel, in half.  I am going a bit anti mustachian here but I have tried to take a more European approach to shopping  and going same day shopping for dinner.  Unfortunately it is not particularly pedestrian or bike friendly.   

Unique User

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Re: What kind of grocery store do you shop at?
« Reply #37 on: February 25, 2015, 09:19:36 AM »
Aldi for all the basics, local discount grocer that is nearby for loss leaders and items that Aldi's doesn't carry.  I hit the second local discount grocer that is 7 miles away (Save-a-Lot) a couple times a month since they always have a lot of 50% meat and sometimes produce.  Before we moved I grew a lot of our produce, but we're in a rental house right now.  Our farmer's market is majorly fancy-pants, it's out of my price range.  I need to check the farmer's market in another suburb, the housing in my suburb is really pricey compared to neighboring suburbs, that could be what is driving those prices up. 

Mississippi Mudstache

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Re: What kind of grocery store do you shop at?
« Reply #38 on: February 25, 2015, 09:24:35 AM »
Big trips: Wal-Mart. They have the best prices on many things, but especially meat and produce.

Small things during the week: Winn-Dixie or Publix. Chain grocery stores often have good deals on specific brands, but it's a moving target and I don't keep up with it.

If we had a CostCo or Sam's a bit closer, we might give them a try, but it's not worth it to us to make a special trip an hour away for grocery shopping.

netskyblue

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Re: What kind of grocery store do you shop at?
« Reply #39 on: February 25, 2015, 09:29:51 AM »
Super Target (it's super close to my work, plus the 5% off with the RedCard)
Hy-vee (local chain)
Fareway (local chain)
Aldi
Costco for things like toilet paper, cat litter, laundry/dishwashing products, some bulk staples like rice.
Very very occasionally Whole Foods, since it's the closest place to our apartment and DH works there, so there's the employee discount.  It's still usually not a great deal, though.  This is mostly when we're already cooking something and realize we're out of that one thing and have to run and go get some.

I'd love to shop at more ethnic markets, just the novelty & selection alone are fun.  But we don't have any nearby, it's a real trip to get to one (15-20 minute drive into a part of town I'm not at all familiar with).

Bracken_Joy

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Re: What kind of grocery store do you shop at?
« Reply #40 on: February 25, 2015, 09:32:00 AM »
I shop almost exclusively at the local foods co-op near my house. I do this for a number of reasons: they sell organic items, they have a large bulk section so I can refill my own mason jars which is a way I try to reduce waste, they support local farmers, they're very involved in giving back to the community, and they pay their employees a living wage. It is expensive but it's non-negotiable for me.

During the warmer months I'll shop at the farmer's market. Last year I had a CSA and the year before that I had a plot at a community garden.

+1 on co-op and farmer's market. Although I also shop at Trader Joe's for a lot of my canned goods and for wine.

We have a safeway nearby, but it's a bit terrifying. Huge homelessness problem where people will very aggressively get in your face outside the store (sometimes panhandling, sometimes just delusions), then its always packed inside the store. I'm a bit of an anxious person and I just can't handle it. Half the times I've been there the police have been called on someone outside, which really adds to the experience.

Better Change

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Re: What kind of grocery store do you shop at?
« Reply #41 on: February 25, 2015, 09:56:05 AM »
We shop the local gingantoid chain (Meijer) heavily in the winter and scantily in the summer when the garden is bountiful and our CSA is busy.  We buy almost all of our meat year-round from the same CSA as well.

Ugh, grocery shopping gives me heart palpitations.  I absolutely HATE the madness of braindead people pushing carts down the middle of the aisle shuffling their 3059309 children around.  As soon as we're RE, we're never EVER shopping on weekends again. 

Trader Joe's is over 100 miles away.  Sometimes we stop there for nuts and cheap wine when we're driving back from the airport or my parents' home.

lizzzi

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Re: What kind of grocery store do you shop at?
« Reply #42 on: February 25, 2015, 10:33:34 AM »
Aldi's three to four times a month for everything I can possibly buy there…except their salmon, which I don't like. We have a good Aldi's, five miles away. Then on the way back, I stop at Giant Eagle, which is expensive, but only a mile or so from the house. I pick up certain items that Aldi's doesn't have, but that I use routinely: pasteurized eggs, (expensive…I don't care…no face punches, please), sometimes salmon, sometimes some produce, the loss leaders if they make sense for us, and certain toiletries if I can't find what I need at the Dollar Store or Aldi's. I shop and cook dinner five nights per week for five to six people, and try to plan and shop for ten days of dinners. Breakfast and lunch x 7 days, and dinner Sat./Sun I am only preparing food for myself. I really like the price savings at Aldi's, but as I said, our Aldi is a good one. I know the quality of different Aldi's can vary quite a bit, according to comments posted on these threads.

Sibley

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Re: What kind of grocery store do you shop at?
« Reply #43 on: February 25, 2015, 11:52:51 AM »
Jewel Osco for most of it. If I'm going to the pet store, I'll go to the Ultra Foods as it's cheaper, but I don't buy meat there. Target once in a while, but not food usually.

Other options include Whole Foods and Aldi. Not interested in Whole Paycheck, and I haven't tried Aldi yet. If the weather is semi-decent this weekend, I may.

At the moment however, my grocery store is my overflowing pantry (it's not my fault - someone else bought all the crap!)

Mr.Chipper77

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Re: What kind of grocery store do you shop at?
« Reply #44 on: February 25, 2015, 12:09:21 PM »
Aldis for pretty much anything I can get there otherwise for the occasional big stock item I go to Sams. 90% Aldis

Zikoris

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Re: What kind of grocery store do you shop at?
« Reply #45 on: February 25, 2015, 12:10:46 PM »
As far as frequency goes, we walk out to Costco about every two weeks, bike or bus to the discount grocery once a week, and walk to nearby places for incidentals one or twice a week.

MandalayVA

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Re: What kind of grocery store do you shop at?
« Reply #46 on: February 25, 2015, 12:24:56 PM »
My main supermarket is Martin's.  I also get stuff through a service called Relay Foods, which is kind of like a farmers market on wheels--one of their vendors makes the most delicious bread ever.  Our local farmers market runs year round but about 75% of the vendors don't come out during the winter so we wait until spring.  Costco is for adding to my stash of Kerrygold butter and some meat and produce.  However, Whole Foods is opening a store about three miles from my house and the Best Supermarket in the UniverseTM, Wegmans, is opening not one but TWO stores in the Richmond area hopefully later this year, so my shopping may shift.

MissPeach

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Re: What kind of grocery store do you shop at?
« Reply #47 on: February 25, 2015, 03:19:12 PM »
Mixture for me. I try to buy most produce at the local farmers market but there are a few things that are ridiculous there and aren't even from the farms themselves. I buy eggs there or some someone I know who has backyard chickens. Non-perishables I buy at Trader Joes plus a few of their prepared items I don't make too well. For seafood we have a local fish market walking distance with cheap prices... way way cheaper than any stores (i.e., $4/pound for albacore).


mm1970

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Re: What kind of grocery store do you shop at?
« Reply #48 on: February 25, 2015, 04:02:27 PM »
We run the gamut.  We don't have a Walmart or an Aldi anywhere near here.  I have a price book, and this year I'm really focusing on cutting our bill back to where it was a few years ago (pre-2nd baby), especially since it looks precarious on the job front.

So:
Trader Joe's (has decently low prices on several staples.  I can GET chicken for $1.88/lb on sale elsewhere, but it is regularly $2.49/lb there)
Costco (best price on cheese, bread, butter, and some other staples)
Smart and Final (like a Costco for bulk goods, but I find they have better prices on bulk dried beans, flour, frozen meats, and they have regular sales on veggies)
Albertson's (we have major grocery stores -Vons, Ralphs, Albertsons.  Sale prices can be better occasionally at the other two, but Albertson's regularly has the best prices)

Less common
Whole Foods (rare now that I cut the budget, but there are things like tahini that are cheapest there)
Tri County produce: not on my regular rounds anymore, but they have great sale prices on produce and have a reduced rack.  Last time I went there I got about 8 onions for $0.66 and chopped and froze them
Dollar store: out of the way, not on my regular rounds, but I did get some yummy raspberries there once.

We belong to a CSA, so the bulk of our veggies come from there. I find that cost and quality, they are superior to the stores, and the price is better than the farmer's market.

Drug stores: these are hit and miss, but for example, one drug store had canned salmon for $2 and eggs for $1.49/dz.  Eggs are never $1.49/dz.  Of course, they were sold out so I didn't get any.

Serve&Volley88

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Re: What kind of grocery store do you shop at?
« Reply #49 on: February 25, 2015, 05:09:59 PM »
I shop at a co-op and am a working member. This translates to a 24% discount on everything I buy in the store (groceries, beer, meals at their cafe).

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!