Best places to do grocery shopping

[bigboss1984 8]

Where do you guys like to grocery shop in the US? I'll be moving to PA, so the options we have are Wawa, Walmart, Target, Trader Joes etc.

As a Brit, places like Walmart and Target are awesome to me! So much stuff haha

[Transborderwife 4,666]

Love Wawa! But we do Publix and Walmart

[bigboss1984 8]

Love Wawa! But we do Publix and Walmart

Ahh you're in Florida, I've never seen Publix anywhere but Florida - we visited Orlando for a couple of weeks last year and there was a Publix right down the street from where we stayed. Lifesaver!

[Transborderwife 4,666]

Publix is supposedly expanding up north. I just love their service most of all.

[bigboss1984 8]

Man I love American grocery stores haha

[Harpa Timsah 13,258]

Walmart is evil. Boycott!

[yuna628 9,676]

I would never set foot in a Walmart for food. We live in a tiny town so there aren't a lot of options, the local supermarket is pretty poor. Travel some miles out to another state and Safeway or Giant is quite nice. Wegmans is a shopping experience if you're looking for anything of rarity and expense or simply to kill a few hours staring in awe.

[bigboss1984 8]

I would never set foot in a Walmart for food. We live in a tiny town so there aren't a lot of options, the local supermarket is pretty poor. Travel some miles out to another state and Safeway or Giant is quite nice. Wegmans is a shopping experience if you're looking for anything of rarity and expense or simply to kill a few hours staring in awe.

Ah yeah I forgot about Giant, theres one of them right by where we'll be living!

What's wrong with Walmart out of interest?

[Unlockable 7,314]

Walmart produce is subpar.

You are in PA. Lots of farmer's markets for nothing but the freshest produce.

Places like Walmart and Target only offer convenience as a "one stop shop." Yes, you can buy a pair of jeans and a T-bone steak under the same roof. If you want that experience I strongly suggest Costco. Their produce is very good quality and their customer service is good also. Requires a membership.

Side note: I have a very funny story on my wife's first experience in Costco.

Wegman's is absolutely awesome. Some of the highest quality foods outside of farmer's markets. Prices are higher but of course you are paying for the quality.

Edited April 14, 2016 by NuestraUnion

[bigboss1984 8]

Walmart produce is subpar.

You are in PA. Lots of farmer's markets for nothing but the freshest produce.

Places like Walmart and Target only offer convenience as a "one stop shop." Yes, you can buy a pair of jeans and a T-bone steak under the same roof. If you want that experience I strongly suggest Costco. Their produce is very good quality and their customer service is good also. Requires a membership.

Side note: I have a very funny story on my wife's first experience in Costco.

Yes very true, there are alot of farmers markets!

Care to share that funny story?

[Transborderwife 4,666]

Walmart produce is subpar.

You are in PA. Lots of farmer's markets for nothing but the freshest produce.

Places like Walmart and Target only offer convenience as a "one stop shop." Yes, you can buy a pair of jeans and a T-bone steak under the same roof. If you want that experience I strongly suggest Costco. Their produce is very good quality and their customer service is good also. Requires a membership.

Side note: I have a very funny story on my wife's first experience in Costco.

For produce I usually go to publix, farmers markets or Winn Dixie. There's very little that I purchase there fresh.

[ItsGonnaBeWorthIt 191]

even though its just me and now hubby I still shop at Costco. good deals for bulk so we don't have to run to the store every week. Costocs takes care of us in one trip for the whole month.

[yuna628 9,676]

Ah yeah I forgot about Giant, theres one of them right by where we'll be living!

What's wrong with Walmart out of interest?

Go to our Walmart and you'll find individuals who roll out of bed barely dressed or in their mismatched PJs in a drug-fueled haze. If it is freezing they may wear a coat, but their children won't and will also be in a state of undress. Out of the 20 or so tills, only one or two will be open, this includes the 20 items or less aisle.. and of course everyone will go to that register with their super-sized carts overflowing, the line backing out through the store. The self serve aisles are always out of order. I may have seen a few rats from time to time, and there was that time a group of kids found themselves a raccoon and began to harass it. Beyond household wares or electronics, I just won't use it for much else. Bad experiences with meat there, produce is subpar. There were also the numerous crime events that happen on a regular basis, which isn't limited to ODs in the parking lot, theft, pervy guys, and yes murder. There's two Walmarts within a few miles of each other, and both are truly scary places. The motto is always get there very early, because if you come later, you're going to see things you don't want to see, that is if you have to go there.

There is also the feeling among many that Walmart is an evil corporation, that while they provide goods to consumers at cheaper prices - their stuff may be received through sweatshop and cheap labor. Guns and machetes are sold next to the toy aisle. Employees, low wage or elderly, are not always treated kindly. They have often destroyed small town business by pushing out any and all competition leading to lost jobs and a lack of diversity and development in small towns. 85% of their goods come from overseas, that includes food items.

UK ASDA is essentially Walmart.. and yet I found the two not to be the same. ASDA seems to be a lot better in terms of cleanliness and quality. In the spring/summer months I get all produce from the local Amish, can't get much better than that, and I second Costco.. not a bad place if you want everything in one location. You have a lot of good options in PA.

[Unlockable 7,314]

bigboss1984, I didn’t want to hijack your thread with my story but with your permission I’m happy to share.

As you may know Costco is a wholesale store where you can buy food in bulk. My wife, who is from Dominican Republic, loves to cook, but has only purchased enough food for 2 – 3 days at the most from many of the local bodegas on her street. The first week she arrived I told her we would go grocery shopping to have enough food for the winter. Every winter I try to “stack up” on food to reduce the amount of time I have to travel outside.

So upon her first visit to Costco she noticed and commented how it looked like a warehouse. The funny part about this story is my wife’s reaction to the amount of food I was selecting. It wasn’t just the reaction it was the shear look of shock on her face. I wish I would have taken a picture at the time because I believed the entire time there her eyes were budging out of her head. So imagine being used to only buying a few essential items of food then watching me place the following items in our shopping cart…

20 pounds of ground beef

30 pounds of chicken (everything from wings to breast)

5 pounds of bacon

3 whole chickens

25 pound bag of rice

1 gallon of spaghetti sauce

Numerous quantities of packs of pasta of various types

Huge bags of chips, and large packs of canned goods.

Other items that was more than a month’s supply of food.

As I loaded these items in the cart my wife kept asking “Who is going to eat all of this???” and “Are you opening a restaurant???” But again, it was the shocked look on her face that made it funny.

While we were in line at the register I notice I forgot eggs. I told her to wait while I run and get them. I returned with 5 dozen eggs at which point my wife yelled “Coño!” very loudly. For those that don’t know coño is a Spanish curse word. Everyone in the line turned and looked at her in confusion. It was embarrassing but funny to me.

She spent the rest of the day taking pictures and showing her family of the excessive food. I showed her how to wrap the food and properly store it.

The following week was the big snow storm in the northeast (remember the big storm in January of this year?). Of course, being from the Caribbean my wife stayed in the house with the heat cranked high all day for weeks afterwards. It was then she appreciated the food being easily available.

BTW, it's been four months and there is still food left from that first Costco visit. The weather is getting better so she and I are going out more.

[TBoneTX 45,319]

you can buy a pair of jeans and a T-bone steak

Cannibals!

my wife yelled “Coño!” very loudly. For those that don’t know coño is a Spanish curse word.

I just phoned Mrs. T-B., who initially said that her Dominicana amiga will say "Oh, coño" as an expression, like "gosh" or worse. In Ecuador, if someone calls you coño, it simply means that you're cheap and don't spend enough money.

Great story about the "overpurchase" of food. This took Mrs. T-B. awhile to comprehend, too.

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OP, if Aldi Foods is in your area or within range, buy everything there that you can, then fill out your purchases at a traditional supermarket. Avoid Aldi's produce.

Edited April 14, 2016 by TBoneTX