Is your go to grocery store a mega sized, tiny, or specialty store?

[morgan98]

I do shop at Whole Foods which is not huge and the Publix less than half a mile from my house. It is an older store and has a much smaller footprint than the new Publix 3-4 miles further down the road. I am fine with that. I know the store like the back of my hand, always have what I need and it is very easy to get in and out of there.

Once in a blue moon I will go to Sprouts for produce. When it first opened I went almost weekly. However, I got burned a few times by fruit that wouldn't ripen or by stuff that was rotten almost immediately. I wonder if the reason they can sell it for so cheap is they somehow buy produce that is a bit past its prime. Anyway, I no longer take the extra time to drive there since it is out of my way because it is not worth the risk. However, if I am in the area anyway, I will take a quick walk through. They also have great prices on bulk foods, like almonds.

 

[Frozen Canuck]

Costco makes up the bulk of our purchases. We go every week or two for meat and fresh fruits and veggies. On the days we stop at Costco, we also go to Trader Joe's for a lot of the specialty items that we enjoy there...the variety of cheeses especially. For the odd items that we can't get at either of those places, we make a quick stop at our local grocery store, Shaw's, or, if I have a big enough list, we will make the trip to Market Basket, where prices are more reasonable overall. Whole Foods is a super rare stop for us. They carry a Caesar dressing that I really like, so when we are getting low on that, we may stop in to replenish and grab a couple of bags of All-Dressed chips, since that is the only place that I have found them in the U.S. (Admittedly, I haven't been looking very hard though.)

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Walmart - ~205,000 square feet.

I get beef & bacon from local butchers.

 

[RedAngie]

Five supermarkets fairly close by. The first four are relatively large but I wouldn't call the mega-markets.

Shop Rite about 50%
Giant 25%
Acme 20%
Safeway 4%
Food Lion 1% (Smaller, older, junkier. I only buy non-perishables when there's a good sale.)

I don't do grocery shopping at Walmart but might pick up a few things if I'm already there.

I used to belong to BJ's and had a 30 day free trial at Costco but they really weren't convenient and don't really fit my needs. Most items that I buy can be found cheaper at supermarket during sales.

Aldi is too far away.

About a month ago a Wegman's announced they would build in a new mixed-use center with offices, apartments, condos, and other retail. But the opening date won't be until 2022 if all goes according to plan.

 

[OrangeBirdGirl]

Within 10 minutes of home we have; Costco, Sam's, Kroeger, Aldi, Walmart and two regional large size grocery stores and a very small independent grocery store. I do Costco usually every other week and do my weekly main shopping at the small independent grocery store. Prices are likely higher but on a Saturday mid morning I could drive to store, do shopping and return home in a half hour. Totally worth the convenience. The selection in the isles is pretty limited so I may have to run into a large grocery store if I need something really odd. The small store i go to just doesn't have an entire isle of something like ketchup. You have three options; Heinz, Hunts and store brand. I'm fine with that.

 

[tvguy]

We don't have Aldis here, other than Trader Joes and Whole Foods and I can't think of any grocery store around here that isn't a mega store. Supposedly grocery stores run about a 1% profit margin, so they have to be big to do the volume they need to stay in business. Trader Joes and Whole Foods higher prices offset their smaller size and lower volume.

 

[Wendy31]

I do the majority of all our grocery shopping at our local Publix.

 

[Forevermarypoppins]

I shop at Meijer. My husband goes to ALDI for orange juice. Sometimes he'll pick up something else there.
I've been and it's not for me.

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

I rarely shop at Aldi and that is a shame. I really do like their products, and think they have good deals. It is just so inconvenient for me to go there unfortunately. It is just so much easier to get everything in one stop at either Meijer or Walmart.

 

[Poohforyou]

My weekly go to has become Trader Joe's. I take my almost 90 year old mom with me weekly and it's a manageable size for her to shop and me not to lose her.

We have several regular stores near us that I get what I can't at TJ.

I've lost her twice in larger stores. Try finding a tiny woman who's very hard of hearing in a massive store . It's funny now but at the time I thought I'd be camping out at the exit all day.

 

[DisneyHardin]

I do pretty much all our shopping at Kroger. Sometimes I will run in Lucky's if they are having a good sale on meat.

 

[luvsJack]

We have a small gorcery store nearby, I think it’s a regional chain or maybe just state. Ramey’s. I go there for meat. It’s cut in house and you can ask for it to be cut special for you. They have fresh seafood too. And they have great sales on meat. So all meat except chicken, I buy there.

Produce, I get some there and some at Walmart. And I buy chicken and canned/frozen/box items from Walmart.

I also go to Sam’s every month or so and get cleaning supplies, paper products and dog food.

And some weeks all this goes out the window and I either buy everything at Ramey’s or do the pick up at Walmart. Just depends on the mood, my time and how tired I am on the weekend.

 

[Praying Colonel]

I get some things at a Kroger that's close to us, and the rest at Trader Joe's.

 

[scrhsa]

My only choices are Super Walmart and HEB. Everything else is at least 30 + miles away. I do most of my shopping at Walmart. Prices are generally cheaper and the HEB is usually slammed with people. I do love HEB, especially after Hurricane Harvey, they really stepped up and took care of my little community. It just gets a bit tight in there, for me, with all the people.

 

[AustinMommyofThree]

We prefer to get certain items at certain stores, but for the most part our shopping is done at the following places roughly in order of volume:

H-E-B (most staples and regular items are purchased from here, both in-person shopping and delivered)
Trader Joe's (many of their prepared and frozen foods to have on hand as well as some of their seasonal items)
Whole Foods (cheeses, certain fruits and spices)
Costco (meats if we're having a larger event, milk or shelf-stable staples if we need them when we're there)
Target (if we need something while shopping there for other items)

 

[siren0119]

Most of my shopping happens at a regional supermarket (Market Basket) - I've price compared with every store in my area and they can't be beat, the produce is fresh and the meat is better than one of our national chain stores on top of being less expensive. I will pick up certain things at Trader Joe's, and occasionally will shop at the big chain markets if they have a crazy sale on something we use regularly.