I like this store near me called Shoppers Value. It has values better than Walmart or other discounters. I recently bought a bag of apples there that have a great flavor for 1,94 which is dirt cheap. Not everything in the store is a bargain, but if you know prices you will score big there.. ALso, the whole theory of the store is that it is cost plus 10 percent,,,so it avoids the big mark ups that most grocery stores have.
I actualy can't stand grocery stores lol. I prefer to get my food from local growers and only in the case of things they commonly don't have will I go to a grocery store. Then I go to the nearest one, it doesn't much matter to me.
Ha, well be that as it may, I am sure there are times that you do need to go to grocery stores. I go to local growers weather permitting, but I find their costs to be more than grocery stores for a variety of items. Certain things are generally only available in grocery stores. unless you want to order them online. Maybe you could consider joining a food co op.
For me I don't really have any "favorite" grocery store, I just shop whereever is the cheapest. I do have a supermarket that I frequently go to because it is only walking distance near my place, so I shop there frequently.
Sadly, that's not saying much any more. I find that lots of stores have cheaper prices than Walmart. I'm not sure they should be in the "big discounter" category any more. Only on certain things. I could never do all my grocery shopping there. Little mom and pop stores that can't even imagine purchasing in the volume that Walmart does should not have cheaper prices on anything, yet the do. My favorite store is a locally owned discounter, and my next favorite is an employee owned supermarket. Then there are the farm stands and such, when I get over that way.
The SM Hypermart is the biggest store in the Philippines. I always patronize it because of their Advantage card which I earn points whenever I go shopping in their stores. In a year's time, I could earn points worth $200 which I can use to pay for the items I purchase. Besides that, the SM Hypermart is a complete supermarket with vegetables and fruits plus the cold items in their freezer. Much more, they usually have lots of promos like free noodles when you buy big soda bottles.
I do a lot of my shopping at Save-A-Lot since their prices are so much lower than the bigger chain grocery stores like Giant Eagle. At the very least, I will get as many of the items on my list that I can there first, before going to any other grocery stores to get the rest of the items that they didn't carry. Generally speaking, Save-A-Lot has a much more limited selection, just the basic stuff, no fancy food items or specialty stuff. Although Giant Eagle offers a Fuel Perks program where you can get discounts on your gas at their Get Go gas stations, it's not really worth it in my opinion since they charge more for everything to begin with. For example, just the other day when I went to both stores, Save-A-Lot wanted $1.99 for celery whereas Giant Eagle wanted $3.98 for theirs, bags of salad mix were 99 cents each where Giant Eagle wanted $2.79 each, and I could get a large pack of chicken thighs (about 12) at IGA for under $4, where a pack of 6 at Giant Eagle was nearly $5. Speaking of IGA, that is another store I frequent. They have great prices on their meats and veggies, and an even bigger selection than Save-A-Lot, though not as big as Giant Eagle.
My favorite grocery is Kroger. I have shopped at Meijer, Walmart, and I always get distracted by wondering what I can find in the other departments. I like their loyalty program and have a gas station at nearly every location I've been to. There is always employees around who can help me find things, like today I was trying to find a particular hair product and couldn't do I went to customer service desk which was a few steps away and the young lady stepped from behind the counter and to her surprise the section that I was looking for wasn't there. She apologized for my inconvenience. Actions like that is what keeps me as a customer.
Kroger is a good one for sure. It would probably be my favorite grocery if it was in this area, but since it is like 45 minutes away, I don't go there as often. I do go there sometimes though since it is right next to my credit union. Everytime I go there, I get some kind of freebie so that is really an incentive to keep going. ALso, many of them have affiliated gas perks with them. Actually, that reminds me...there is a new Kroger marketplace that I have not been to is about the same distance away. I should check it out.
I forgot to mention Aldi as well. I just wish I had one closer to me. I don't get over that way very much, and it's a good 45 minute or so drive. If I'm going that way for other things anyway, I make sure to plan a stop at Aldi while I'm there. I'd shop there a lot if it were more convenient, but as it stands, I can't justify the time and fuel to go there all the time. I should actually try to make it a once a month thing though.
I have three grocery stores that I shop at regularly for different grocery items. If I had to choose just one store as my favorite grocery store, I would choose Aldi. Aldi's prices on pantry items, produce, milk, and frozen items such as frozen fruits and vegetables usually cannot be beat. If I do not have the time to coupon, and I want to save money on groceries, I know that I can rely on low prices at Aldi with little effort on my end. When I do have the time to look through the sale ads and clip coupons for items that are on sale, I enjoy shopping at Meijer and Kroger. Usually these two grocery stores have quite a few digital coupons available through their store apps. I also will sometimes use newspaper coupons or printable coupons from DontPayFull.com while shopping at these stores. I like to save even more money at Kroger by looking for marked down groceries nearing their expiration date. For example, often loaves of bread near the sell-by date are reduced by 50% off, and packages of meat can be found marked down significantly as well. Couponing takes more time and energy, but sometimes results in being able to get even better deals on groceries than are available at Aldi.
It takes 3 stores for me to do my grocery shopping, Walmart, Publix and Dollar Tree. Walmart is where I do most of my shopping, but I also do the BOGO deals at Publix and buy cleaning supplies and snacks at Dollar Tree. I have a master shopping list and try to shop once a month. I have one marathon shopping day where I pull out all the coupons and then I don't shop for the rest of the month except for perishables.
I just found that a Publix is coming to this area. I know them slightly from Florida, where I have vacationed many times. They are supposed to be a good store,,and I am looking forward to some deals. In an area about 45 minutes from my house there are like 6 major grocery stores plus Trader Joes, and Publix will be the 7th. I am looking for some excellent price wars going on!
My favorite grocery stores are Trader Joe's and Sprouts Farmers Market. I have been shopping at Trader Joe's since I was a teenager. This was before they rebranded themselves as a "health food" chain. Sprouts was a new store to me. I love it because they sell bulk items and it's within walking distance. Trader Joe's will open a store right across the street from Sprouts. I will be in heaven.
Nothing is cheaper than Walmart here in Hawaii for grocery. Maybe once in a great while a sale will pop up locally, we got weekly sales that comes in Midweek, so if it's cheaper than Walmart it's really cheap locally...3.99 for 2 pounds of french fries when at Walmsart it's 2.74. We got to get Shoppers Value locally too!
I would think you would have some excellent farmer's markets in Hawaii, with all that delicious tropical produce. However, if they are anything like they are here, you can get most of the items cheaper at the grocery store. I agree though it is very good to support the local farmers, and most of the time the food is grown organically too so it is healthier. We have a Farmers market available most of the year here on Saturday that has a bit of everything.
It all depends on my shopping intentions - if I want to do some small shopping for just a few specific items I do not like going to a huge place. In those cases, Safeway is great. For bigger ones I like Target or Walmart, and for more natural foods and frozen foods I LOVE Trader Joe's.
Yeah, I do pick up a few things at Dollar Tree as well. They have the same flour tortillas that are available in my neighborhood store. They also carry ready to use pizza crusts, which includes a large thin one or two small thicker ones. The kids enjoy having those handy for making a quick meal or snacks. I've also picked up frozen fruit there or frozen Steamables vegetables. They have the more expensive brands of bread there for a buck as well, which often cost $2-3 or more in other stores.
You know, I don't even know anymore. I used to like this store called Woolworths (not the same as UK chain store of the same name that closed down) which was simply the best in terms of the fresh produce relative to their prices. Everything they usually stock is also of superior quality, comparable to posh British chain store Marks and Spencer. It does actually stock a few Marks and Spencer products. BUT lately, everything seems to be going to be pot. We haven't had bananas in maybe six months! Last week there was no bread, and the shelves are always empty. I'm not sure what's going on there. I've asked the store assistants and they've blamed it on change of management.
The sad part is that I do not have any of those super cheap grocery stores around me that people comment about all of the time. I really like Trader Joes because you can get some great deals there and there are all sorts of unusual foods to choose from. They brand their own name and have some good foods that you can get for pretty cheap. I also like Market Place, which I think is local chain to this area. They sell their produce for next to nothing and have some good prices, but I have to travel like 45 minutes to get to the nearest one and so I really have to plan ahead and want to stock up when I go there.
