Albertsons Avenu

[Cadaverous Pallor]

If you shop at Albertsons you may have noticed a new Avenu (http://www.albertsons.com/avenusc/avenu-home.html) kiosk at the entrance. Scan your Albertsons card there and it will print out a paper showing deals set up just for you that you can only get today.

When I first saw this I was like "whatever" and scanned the barcode because I'm a barcode-scanner by nature. The print out lists about 12 things to buy at pretty deep discounts - a buck off here and there adds up. A quick perusal of the list and I realized these were all items similar to ones we had purchased lately. The only difference - they were all Albertsons brand items. So the discounts were even deeper than they looked, due to lower pricing to begin with.

I'm a brand whore on most things but when you can get something for super cheap it's worth a shot. I think I've bought something every time I've printed up the list, and every time the quality has been great. Color me impressed.

Has anyone else tried this out?

[CoasterMatt]

I wonder what kind of results my friends barcode tattoos would get with that?

[Gn2Dlnd]

Albertson's has the best grocery store fried chicken. And its cheap!

[Ghoulish Delight]

Albertson's has the best grocery store fried chicken. And its cheap!
And it gave both CP and I food poisoning!

[CoasterMatt]

And it gave both CP and I food poisoning!
I guess depends on what you're eating for...:eek:

[Capt Jack]

Has anyone else tried this out?

no, but I will now. Im there every* sunday like clockwork, so yeah, I'll be looking for this. however I regularly buy the 'generics' anyway but I'll be looking for it none the less.


* every sunday, except days Im just too farging lazy...which is more often than I care to admit. ;)

[Ghoulish Delight]

no, but I will now. Im there every* sunday like clockwork, so yeah, I'll be looking for this. however I regularly buy the 'generics' anyway but I'll be looking for it none the less.


* every sunday, except days Im just too farging lazy...which is more often than I care to admit. ;)
Hmm, that gets me thinking about how the system works...

What it prints out aren't coupons, per se. Just a list of items and the discount. You get the discount automatically just by scanning your club card when you check out.

So I wonder, do you have to scan your card at the kiosk FIRST to activate the discount? Or, if you by chance grabbed one of the products without first scanning your card, would you get the discount anyway. Hmmmm....

[MouseWife]

I haven't seen this but I think that it is just a way to show you, like CP said, their products that are comparable to what you've recently purchased but their brands. You would get the discount anyways if you didn't scan, I am pretty sure. Look around at other items, you'll notice club card discounts.

Well, it is what I think anyways.

Sorry to hear you got sick from the chicken. I love their chicken, too. I think it shares the number one spot with Knott's fried chicken. With me, anyways. I am only sore they don't let me sub the potato wedges in place of the potato salad.

CP, I am so impressed by your shopping. You go girl! You and your new place. :snap: :snap:

[Ghoulish Delight]

I haven't seen this but I think that it is just a way to show you, like CP said, their products that are comparable to what you've recently purchased but their brands. You would get the discount anyways if you didn't scan, I am pretty sure. Look around at other items, you'll notice club card discounts. The items are always ones that do not have posted club-card discounts. You get a discount off the marked price.

[MouseWife]

The items are always ones that do not have posted club-card discounts. You get a discount off the marked price.

Oh, this is exceptionally cool then.

Ya know, this is really cool of you guys to share. I have a club card but haven't ever noticed this. I do ask when I buy {like at Sav-On} if the item would be less with my card but...

Oh darn it. I know why this won't work for me. I have no idea where the actual card is!!! We always just give our phone number!!!!!

It works at all of the major stores....:(

[Ghoulish Delight]

Oh darn it. I know why this won't work for me. I have no idea where the actual card is!!! We always just give our phone number!!!!!

It works at all of the major stores....:(The kiosk accepts phone numbers, just like checkout.

[Not Afraid]

My local store is an Albertsons, but I prefer the Ralphs which if futher away but a better store. I did stop into Albertsons to pick up a late night snack the other night (with GC) and they asked for my club card. They had GC enter his phone number (ther ar no Albertsons in MA) then I said forget it, just ring us out. The checker asked if I had a club card. No. Did I want ont? NO. Can we just check out? I was mildly irritated by the whole procedure.

It makes me appreciate Trader Joes and their quality and pricing - and lack of gimicks.

We did actually use our Target coupons the other day, but they sent us cupons for products that we actually had purchased in the past.

[Alex]

When we first moved to the 'burbs we had a Safeway, an Albertson's, and a Ralph's.

Ralph's by far had the best seafood counter so got 90% of my shopping and the rest overflowed to Safeway (the corporate headquarters for Safeway is about five miles from us so our local stores tend to be at the cutting edge of Safeway offerings). Then the Ralph's closed.

Both Albertson's and Safeway have horrible seafood counters so now I'm hardly eating any seafood. That means chicken and while Safeway only sells Foster Farms packaged chicken, Albertson's also butchers their own and it is about 1/5th the price. So now I'm going there.

However, they otherwise suck in both selection and price.

I have no point other than that I'm still rankled by the closing of Ralph's. Anyway, if our Albertson's has this machine they either put it in within the last three days or have not placed it anywhere obvious.

Also, they have self-checkout which I love. Unfortunately it allows self-checkout of produce. This should not be allowed. You think it sucks when you get a cashier who can't remember the codes for various things it really sucks when you're behind someone who can barely remember what the vegetable is, let alone find it in a little book.

[Ghoulish Delight]

By us, the Ralph's is the ghetto option. The nice shiney Albertson's across the street is much better. But then there's the Stabertson's a little further away where the mentally challenged employee went nuts with a kitana and killed another employee. We don't go there.

The self checkout at our Albertsons has an illustrated touch-screen menu of produce to select from. Originally, the Ralph's did not. The first time I tried it, I put some potatoes on the scanner/scale, and before I did anything it said, "Potatoes, red, 99 cents." I stared rather stunned that this thing managed to ID my potatoes automatically. Until I turned and saw an attendant at the control console grinning.

[MouseWife]

The kiosk accepts phone numbers, just like checkout.

Well now I am curious to go and check it out!

But, like you guys, the stores 'quality' vary from 'hood to 'hood.

The local Albertsons' has gone downhill, but, really I guess is just like any other market. It just isn't a 'super' market. The local Ralphs is bright and shiny and clean. Bigger, too.

Doh! And you had to remind me that GC is in town and I am going to miss him...yet again....:( {I have been able to somehow push it to the back of my mind, all of the fun I am missing....}

[Prudence]

Albertsons up here has always been fairly pathetic. I'm surprised that there are actually nice Albertsons, as every one I've ever been in up here has had the same creepy vibe.

[RStar]

And it gave both CP and I food poisoning!
But it was cheep food poisoning! Try eating at a $50 a plate dinner and getting sick. That really blows! (Literally)

I've used it, CP. And it's a nice idea, but I didn't get the discount price on the item I purchased (you don't have to use a coupon, just scan your card). And while I have no problem with anyone seeing what I buy, I wonder about how for this is going to go to intrude into our privacy.

[Alex]

Go sign up for a new card. Give completely bogus information (the nice thing about Ralph's was they'd give you the card without requring you fill in the information and just ask you to bring it back or mail it in; I never did).

Then they are tracking the cohort of your purchases but can't easily tie it to you specifically.

[RStar]

Go sign up for a new card. Give completely bogus information (the nice thing about Ralph's was they'd give you the card without requring you fill in the information and just ask you to bring it back or mail it in; I never did).

Then they are tracking the cohort of your purchases but can't easily tie it to you specifically.
Great idea, Alex. You are so devious. :evil:

(Sorry, I know you think the smilies mundane, but I couldn't help it!)

[JWBear]

We have an plethora of grocery stores here. Within a 5 minute drive there is a Ralph's, an Albertson's, a Von's, 2 Pavillions, a Trader Joe's, and a Bristol Farms. Of these, the crappiest (and the one we never go to) is the Ralph's. The Von's (which is the closest) was just recently remodeled... and it's gorgeous!

[BarTopDancer]

I always find, no matter where I am that Stater Bros. are scuzzy.

[€uroMeinke]

I hate having card to various stores - I wish they'd just do retinal scans as you entered the store

[Motorboat Cruiser]

The only Albertson's near my house is horrible. So bad, in fact, that the moment you enter the store, you catch a scent of ammonia that is coming from the seafood section in the back of the store. Ammonia is NOT what you want to smell in the seafood department. I have little faith in their other products.

Try as I might, I can't find better deals than at Trader Joe's for most items. I go to Ralph's for anything that I can't get at TJ's.

[RStar]

I always find, no matter where I am that Stater Bros. are scuzzy.
The one by my house smells so much like spoiled milk it makes me sick.:p

[DisneyFan25863]

We have a Ralphs Fresh Faire (I think thats how they spell it) by us, which is really nice.

There is an Albertsons right down the street from school. I've been buying Fried Chicken from there for lunch. It's pretty good, and the lines are much shorter than Subway, Panda, Nick & Willies, or Jimmy Deans that we have out there. I haven't seen the Avenu things, I'll have to look for them next time I go. All I ever buy there is Fried Chicken, Soda, and Tampons (long story), so the deals it gives me should be pretty interesting.

[CoasterMatt]

There's a 7-11 at each corner of our block... one of the clerks has recently discovered soap

[Cadaverous Pallor]

I've found with most of the major chains that it's a matter of how long the store has been open. Except Stater Bros., that is, like BTD said. I've never seen a new Stater Bros. though, so there you go.

Our Albertsons was built three years ago, so it's wonderful and clean.

[Matterhorn Fan]

I only go there to buy currants.

I wonder what kind of deals it would offer me?

[Cadaverous Pallor]

I really want to hear what it'll offer you specialty shoppers :)

[Not Afraid]

Wonder Bread and Tang?

[Cadaverous Pallor]

Wonder Bread and Tang?Nope, only Albertsons brand.

[RStar]

All I ever buy there is Fried Chicken, Soda, and Tampons.

Hey, that's what I had for lunch yesterday!!

How strange.......

:D

[Ghoulish Delight]

Nope, only Albertsons brand.
Or so we thought. Tonight's printout had a few brand name items.

[Matterhorn Fan]

I really want to hear what it'll offer you specialty shoppers :)
I'll have to make a detour one of these days to try it.

But really, I don't know if I've given them my phone # the majority of times I've been in there, so they may not know that I only enter their store for currants (which Publix doesn't carry) or when Publix is closed for a holiday.

Hmm...

[wendybeth]

I think we all need to hear DF's tampon story.

[Matterhorn Fan]

Maybe he was making those Christmas ornaments we all heard about a long time ago on a board far, far away?

[Alex]

He probably had a nosebleed.

[DisneyFan25863]

He probably had a nosebleed.


More like an unhappy girlfriend alone at home with a broken car.


Though a tampon would probably be an excellent nosebleed solution.

[wendybeth]

I'm thinking Alex was speaking from experience.

You're a good boyfriend, DF!!! Not many men will do the feminine products run.

[Alex]

I'm thinking Alex was speaking from experience.

Actually, to the best of my memory I have not had a nosebleed since elementary school and we'd brawl after school (and even then I don't specifically ever having a bloody nose).

No, I'm speaking from the experience of a commercial for Sex in the City on TBS that they have been showing a lot at movie theaters in the commercials they show before the movie starts.

[Not Afraid]

I opened up my copy of Real Simple - the Food issue, and there was an article about Tang and Saltines. Not quite the same as Tang and Wonder Bread, but dang close.

[RStar]

Went again today, and printed out my sheet of sale products. Not one item I was interested in.

Oh well.:rolleyes:

But I still saved 50% with coupons and sale items!:snap: :D :snap:

[tracilicious]

We used tampons to stop nosebleeds in Sports Medicine in high school.

I hate most grocery stores. I love Sunflower Market. You guys have Henry's, which is similar to Sunflower, but much more expensive and less selection. It's like a good cross between Whole Foods and Trader Joes, at lower prices.

[BarTopDancer]

Tampons are really good to wipe up mascera that starts smearing after you are laughing so hard you're crying.

Not that I would know from experience or anything...

[Cadaverous Pallor]

We used tampons to stop nosebleeds in Sports Medicine in high school.

I hate most grocery stores. I love Sunflower Market. You guys have Henry's, which is similar to Sunflower, but much more expensive and less selection. It's like a good cross between Whole Foods and Trader Joes, at lower prices.I haven't seen a Henry's anywhere up here, only in San Diego, and I can't say I really dug the place. Just a little too granola for my taste ;)

TJ's is very good for some things, mediocre for others, and really not good at all for still other things, at least on my shopping list. (I hate Hansens.) We go there often to pick up fun goodies, but the bulk of my shop is Standard Supermarket Fare.

[Ghoulish Delight]

I haven't seen a Henry's anywhere up here, only in San Diego, and I can't say I really dug the place. Just a little too granola for my taste ;)There's one down the street from my work. I went in once and was disappointed in their selection of ready-to-eat lunch stuff, so it was back to TJ.

[BarTopDancer]

Henry's is good for its produce and frozen vegetarian stuff. Their specaility stuff is lacking as are their ready-made meals.

TJs is good for it's specaility stuff, ready made meals and has good prices on cheese, egges, milk and almost everything but produce.

I can't do a full shopping at either and I don't even try. My current shopping consists of Ralphs for everything but produce, then produce at Henrys. There is now a TJs by my office that I can stop at if the mood strikes.

[katiesue]

Henry's is owend by the same peeps that have Whole Foods which is much nicer I think but there aren't any here, only Henry's.

[Ghoulish Delight]

Henry's is owend by the same peeps that have Whole Foods which is much nicer I think but there aren't any here, only Henry's.
I thought the font looked familiar.

[Prudence]

We shop at Top, which I think is owned by the Haggen people, but I think they're just in Washington. They're like a poor man's Larry's Market, if that makes any sense.

[Alex]

Haggen is just northern Puget Sound area unless they've grown a lot since I left.

I loved the Haggen near Western Washington University in Bellingham. It didn't have any doors (that is, the front openings didn't have doors in them) which was an odd experience in the middle of winter.

[Prudence]

That was *the* best Haggen. I was there at least 5 times a week. Raspberry mud claws....mmmmmmmm

[Alex]

University of Washington library science degree. Used to live near WWU Haggen and go there almost every day.

If it turns out you're my first wife this is going to be very awkward.


Here's a test: Have you ever had sex with the best man?

[jdramj]

I haven't seen a Henry's anywhere up here.


There is one up in Yorba Linda

[Not Afraid]

I do 90% of my grocery shopping at TJ's then split the rest between Target and Ralphs. I found distilled water at Target tonight as well as the new cat litter we're using, so I'm finding fewer reasons to actually go to Ralphs. I can't think of anything I can get at Ralphs that I can't get at either TJ's or Target.

[€uroMeinke]

Tonight at Target, I brought along our mega-book-coupons in case there was anything in it we could use. While browsing the book we actually found three items we wanted to puchase. Two were unavailable - so when we finally got up to the register and they rung us up, it turns out they forgot to add our one remaining $1 off coupon. So, we had the option to have them void the sale and ring us up again, or try again some other time. At that point waiting around any longer wasn't worth a dollar to me, so we just left. I threw away the coupon as well as the remains of the coupon book when we got home

[MouseWife]

So, we had the option to have them void the sale and ring us up again, or try again some other time. At that point waiting around any longer wasn't worth a dollar to me, so we just left. I threw away the coupon as well as the remains of the coupon book when we got home


Ummm....it isn't so difficult to do. It actually just takes about one minute.
Or less.

Damn, I don't get coupons from Target.

But....I've had experiences where it is just like give me my change and let me go!!!!!!

[€uroMeinke]

Ummm....it isn't so difficult to do. It actually just takes about one minute.
Or less.

Damn, I don't get coupons from Target.

But....I've had experiences where it is just like give me my change and let me go!!!!!!

Well, by the time they had noticed it was run on my Visa card, so that meant voiding that, reversing the transaction, and then ringing everything up again - or so I was lead to believe. I also made the presumption that the gal at the register lacked the appropriate authority to carry this transaction out alone, but I may have been wrong on that.

[Kevy Baby]

I threw away the coupon as well as the remains of the coupon book when we got homeWhen I have item specific coupons, I will leave them by the items. Don't know if you wanted to go back in the store, but if it wasn't too much trouble enact a little karmic retribution on Target and place all the coupons where others can use them.

[€uroMeinke]

I'd rather they scan my retina

[MouseWife]

Well, by the time they had noticed it was run on my Visa card, so that meant voiding that, reversing the transaction, and then ringing everything up again - or so I was lead to believe. I also made the presumption that the gal at the register lacked the appropriate authority to carry this transaction out alone, but I may have been wrong on that.

Eh, it isn't that difficult. I am quite impressed how easy it all can be. There is a barcode on your receipt, they scan it, select 'missed coupons' and either give you the money or maybe you have to reswipe your card. Maybe. I haven't done it in quite a while. But it is quite easy. Also, just as easy if you need a gift receipt but forget to ask....

She may not have known how to do it. There are always new cashiers. And damnit but it takes forever for them to get name tags!!! I NEED those!

And, Kevy Baby is right. That does help when the coupon is on the item. We don't have to wait until the end to scan it. At least I don't.

AND I only had to miss one coupon to ask everyone if they have coupons.

[Kevy Baby]

There is one up in Yorba LindaOn Yorba Linda Blvd. specifically. About 1/2 mile west of Imperial.

AND they have Broguiere's milk - it comes in GLASS bottles and is the best milk you will ever have. That, and Broguiere's is a small, local (Montebello) dairy.

And if you want to experience chocolate milk nirvana, get a bottle of their chocolate milk. Expensive, but well worth the experience.

Also at Henry's: tons of items (including the usual nuts and wheat and chocolates and raisins) in bulk that are very inexpensive. I usually get a pound or two of sunflower seeds when I go in.

[Alex]

I pretty much apply the same goals to grocery shopping as every other kind of shopping. If it can be done in less than 5 minutes that is the ideal.

So I go to the store that is closest (though I actively dislike TJ's so I don't go there for any reason). I buy the first version of what I'm looking for that I see. I go to the shortest line. I don't comparison shop prices once in the store (though I do give Albertson's, equidistant to Safeway a slight edge for cheaper chicken). I don't use coupons. I only use the loyalty card because they were able to get one into my hands without slowing me down.

I think this method of shopping will, by the time I die, have added about 43 weeks to my functional lifespan. It costs more, but that is why god made money and gave me enough of it. I loves me some god.

[Prudence]

Here's a test: Have you ever had sex with the best man?

From my own wedding or someone else's?

[Alex]

Well, if it were to turn out you are my first wife, then it would be your own.

[Prudence]

Ah, in that case, no I haven't. (Although I do periodically try to fix him up with my best friend.)

But I have now been nostalgic for the Haggen for a whole day. Yes, I'm glad we at least have Top. But it's not the same!

[tracilicious]

Henry's is good for its produce and frozen vegetarian stuff. Their specaility stuff is lacking as are their ready-made meals.

TJs is good for it's specaility stuff, ready made meals and has good prices on cheese, egges, milk and almost everything but produce.

I can't do a full shopping at either and I don't even try. My current shopping consists of Ralphs for everything but produce, then produce at Henrys. There is now a TJs by my office that I can stop at if the mood strikes.


Yes, Henry's is far inferior to Sunflower. I wouldn't be able to fully shop at either one of them. Well, I suppose I could at Henry's, but they are so expensive. Nobody's specialty stuff and readymade meals will ever equal TJ's stuff. I actually prefer all TJ's packaged foods to anywhere else, but we buy so little packaged food that it isn't worth two trips. We don't buy milk, cheese, or meat, so I need a store that has good prices on organic foods, veggies, and bulk stuff (like Kevy mentioned).

I really miss TJ's though. It would just be such a hassle to shop at two stores.

[Matterhorn Fan]

I wish I could shop at TJ's.

[Drince88]

I wish I could shop at TJ's.
Me too.

[Matterhorn Fan]

Whole Foods just isn't the same (and for me, too far away).

Is this Albertson's Avenu thing regional? Is SoCal a test market? I stopped by the Albertson's I pass every day to & from work, and no kiosk that I could see. Or maybe that's just a super crappy Albertson's?

[RStar]

Well, if it were to turn out you are my first wife, then it would be your own.
Soooo....

I guess I can tell why she WAS your first wife....




Is this Albertson's Avenu thing regional? Is SoCal a test market? I stopped by the Albertson's I pass every day to & from work, and no kiosk that I could see. Or maybe that's just a super crappy Albertson's?It's new enough that it may not yet be installed in every Albertson's. The one by my house (Katella & Brookhurst in Garden Grove) just got it a couple of weeks ago.

[Matterhorn Fan]

I'll have to try the Albertson's the nicer neighborhood sometime. I just happen to drive by the Albertson's in the not as nice neighborhood every day. That one was convenient this afternoon.

And then I forgot to go to the office supply store. I guess that shows where my priorities were this afternoon.

[Alex]

I guess I can tell why she WAS your first wife....

Not really. The fact that we were 18 when we got married and stupid beyond our wisdom had a lot more to do with it. We were doomed regardless.

I'm completely happy with my life since and she's still with him a decade later so I assume it was best for her.

All her falling for him did was give us a reason to say out loud how stupid we had been.

[Gemini Cricket]

So, I take it that there's no more Lucky's in CA? I remember that the only reason to go to Ralph's was for their double and triple coupon days. Other than that, they were just okay...
The supermarket of choice for us is Stop N Shop in MA. They have these super supermarket locations that are huge and clean. There's an awful supermarket here called Foodmaster (which I call Assmaster) it's dimly lit, dirty and their prices truly stink...
I hate carrying around numerous store cards in my wallet. I also dislike the keyring ones, too. I think I have five or six in my wallet now. It bugs.
I also remember Safeway being pretty good in Hawaii...

[Ghoulish Delight]

Albertson's bought out Luckys and, at least in SoCal, changed all the names about 7 years ago.

Safeway's been gone in SoCal even longer (15 years maybe?). It was surreal to see one when we were in San Fran earlier this year.

[Stan4dSteph]

I wish I could shop at TJ's.Bah. I wish I could shop at Wegmans!

I was just there last weekend. They have a new tapas bar in the Pittsford Mothership location. I'm running out of rosemary olive oil bread...

[Alex]

Safeway's been gone in SoCal even longer (15 years maybe?). It was surreal to see one when we were in San Fran earlier this year.

But of course you have Von's which is Safeway in SoCal (and it is Dominick's in Illinois, Carrs in Alaska, Randall's in Texas, and Casa Ley in Mexico).

Going to Von's is weird, like when you go east and see Hellman's mayonnaise or a Hardy's. Different names but everything is eerily similar.

[Ghoulish Delight]

Crap, I haven't been in a Von's in bloody ages. I have been in a Carrs, though.

[Gemini Cricket]

So, there's no love for Jon's I see...
:D

[katiesue]

I love Vons. I miss Pavillions though, none in San Diego. I just found out we have a Bristol Farms though, yay!

[Gemini Cricket]

Will someone explain to me Pavillions and Whole Foods and places like that? I mean, it seems like the same stuff everyone else has but just more expensive... ???
:D

[Alex]

Essentially it is (though this wasn't so much true a decade ago). However, by shopping at Trader Joe's or Whole Foods or one of those stores you get the onanistic pleasure of pretending you're somehow making the world a better place.

[Gemini Cricket]

So, basically food with the dirt still on it...

[Alex]

No, the product is clean. At Whole Foods and TJ's the dirt is still on the cashiers.

[Not Afraid]

Whole Foods is more "granola" with a lots of organic produce and bulk foods.

Bristol Farms is more "gourmet" with Godiva Chocolate and Peet's Coffee and a great deli counter.

TJ's is a cheaper version of a "gourmet" store. They have odd cheeses and things like Buffalo Burgers and great ready-made frozen foods and salads. They custom wrap most of their product so it's like buying "plain wrap" but the quality and selection is high if you eat "weird" food like we do. They also have great selection of breads and sauces.

You won't find wonder bread at any of these stores (not that anyone eats wonder bread anymore.)

[Ghoulish Delight]

I don't equate TJ's and Bristol Farms/Gelson's/Pavillions. The latter group has largely the same products as the "standard" groceries, plus a few "luxury" items (better lunch meats, bakery goods, etc.) at sufficiently inflated prices. TJ's is a little different in that they carry almost nothing but their own brands or small off-brand items, some of which comes at a premium, but much of which is actually cheaper or competitively priced stuff for better quality. Much like shopping at Costco requries keen attention to what's actually a deal, so does shopping at TJ's (if deals are what you're looking for). For example, it's always a great idea to buy cheese at Trader Joe's, but you need a loan to buy packaged lunch meats.

Can't vouch for Whole Foods, haven't meen in one more than once or twice.

[Gemini Cricket]

I've bought fresh spice produce from TJs and they were wilty and moldy in a day or so. Bleh.

Give me my Brownie Bites and save the lecture for the smelly dude behind me, Hippie Cashier Dude who looks like Almanzo Wilder from Little House on the Prairie... Okay, that one cashier I like. Dirt and all...
:D

[Alex]

I don't really hate TJ's (though I say I do for dramatic effect and to help with Darwinian culling when those with weak blood vessels stroke out), but rather a lot of the people who shop there. "But it has the best selection of Indian food," they'll tell me as they walk past the local Indian grocery that they won't go into because it smells weird.

Plus TJs had a commercial on the radio that bugged me to no end.

"There are many names for potstickers around the world...but here at Trader Joe's we call them...shu mai."

No, the entire nation of Japan calls them shu mai. It was like they said "There are many names for baked yeast dough around the world but here at Trader Joe's we call it...bread."


That's how fickle I am. Based on a single really stupid commercial I'm willing to never again step into the store.

[Not Afraid]

Once again, I am grateful I don't listen to commercial radio.

[Alex]

TJ's is a little different in that they carry almost nothing but their own brands or small off-brand items, some of which comes at a premium, but much of which is actually cheaper or competitively priced stuff for better quality.

On a serious note that is one thing that does bother me about TJ's as it has grown into a mini-corporate behemoth. They used to offer a great selection of small and local brands. Now, whenever a product proves popular enough they white label it and sell it under their own brand completely screwing the small company that made it popular in the first place.

Plus, the mega-corporate behemoth's have mostly caught on. While brands may be different there aren't many products at TJ's now that I can't buy at Safeway for the same prices and when I want to go small I can easily go to the source (farmer's markets, direct-import ethnic grocers, etc.) I can understand why TJ's would be a cornucopia in relatively bland parts of the country but in LA and the Bay Area TJ's is just the same sort of interstitial layer between the source and the consumer as people disdain Safeway for being.

[Strangler Lewis]

Essentially it is (though this wasn't so much true a decade ago). However, by shopping at Trader Joe's or Whole Foods or one of those stores you get the onanistic pleasure of pretending you're somehow making the world a better place.

In Petaluma, there's no comparison between Whole Foods, Safeway, etc. Our Safeway, where much Wonder Bread is purveyed and purchased, has horrible produce and no good bread. They used to feature a small organic section, but they've since dismantled it, presumably for lack of interest.

We do have a mini-chain called G & G Market. It's a pretty good store and has many of the same higher quality packaged items we find at Whole Foods and a better section of international ingredients. Again, however, produce and bread are sadly lacking; the small organic section just looks stepped on.

I still haven't figured out our local Trader Joe's. It's smaller than the one we used to go to in Long Beach. I'm no longer in the hunt for liquor and pate bargains. I'm also afraid that if I stay there too long, some clerk will wrap me in heavy plastic and throw me in the freezer case.

[Matterhorn Fan]

Bah. I wish I could shop at Wegmans!

I was just there last weekend. They have a new tapas bar in the Pittsford Mothership location. I'm running out of rosemary olive oil bread...Touche. I tend to forget about Wegman's since I've only been twice, once to shop, once to buy a cup of coffee. They are the best.

[LSPoorEeyorick]

We bypass all of this and purchase most of our food straight from the farmers. (http://www.farmernet.com/events/one-cfm?venue_id=587) We know our farmers and speak to them every week. When we aren't able to get there, we shop at Whole Foods.

And why do we shop at the market and Whole Foods? I'm a vegetarian, and more importantly, Tom has PKU. When you aren't able to eat much more than veggies and fruit, you want your veggies and fruit to be the best possible quality. Produce quality at chain markets is poor and without taste.

It also allows us to bypass things like the recent E. coli spinach scare (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060915/ap_on_he_me/tainted_spinach).

[tracilicious]

Essentially it is (though this wasn't so much true a decade ago). However, by shopping at Trader Joe's or Whole Foods or one of those stores you get the onanistic pleasure of pretending you're somehow making the world a better place.


I have to disagree with this. TJ's stuff just tastes better, I wouldn't call it a health food store, but they do have items you won't find all in one stop elsewhere. Whole foods has a huge variety of organic foods, plus vegetarian and vegan convenience foods that are hard to find elsewhere, plus organic grass fed meat (best tasting steak ever). It is expensive (which is why I shop at Sunflower, which has less of a selection of organic foods, but much better prices), but it isn't anywhere near the same as an Albertsons.

I have a very hard time shopping at regular stores. They just don't sell what I eat at competitive prices. And if you are buying organic, locally grown produce, you are making the world a better place.

Starting in November we're joining a farm co-op. A local organic farmer sells shares of veggies and you get them weekly throughout the growing season. I'm psyched. Local organic produce at low low prices.

[Strangler Lewis]

Starting in November we're joining a farm co-op. A local organic farmer sells shares of veggies and you get them weekly throughout the growing season.

We belonged to one for a while in San Francisco. We'd go to a central dropoff to pick up our box. We stopped because it was heavy on watermelon and corn smut. (A delicacy? No thanks.) There are a couple of trucks around here that work for similar operations, so I'm thinking of exploring their offerings. I'll be interested in hearing how yours works out.

[Alex]

And if you are buying organic, locally grown produce, you are making the world a better place.

I can't argue with this, though I think "organic" has been overly fetishized, local is definitely better.

That said, when you buy produce at Whole Foods, you generally aren't buying local nor small, though they work hard to give that impression (http://www.slate.com/id/2138176/).

[LSPoorEeyorick]

That's true. But I find that their produce quality is generally much better than your basic Ralph's.

(Still, we'd rather shop at the farmer's market than Whole Foods.)

[Cadaverous Pallor]

Wonder Bread and Tang?You won't find wonder bread at any of these stores (not that anyone eats wonder bread anymore.)I'm wondering how Wonder bread scarred you so badly :D Plenty of people buy Wonder bread, though we're not among them.

As a kid I was dying to have Wonder bread. Being kosher meant all we could buy was Oroweat, and my mom frequented the Oroweat/Entenmenns outlet store. Not only was the bread not good, it was also frequently out of date. Kind of fitting how a Jewish girl just longed for white bread.

[Strangler Lewis]

Entenmenns.

Growing up on the east coast, for years my blood ran thick with pineapple crunch loaf, Louisiana crunk cake, banana cake and the like.

(For white bread, we ate Pepperidge Farm, which had a fairly firm texture.)

[Cadaverous Pallor]

Growing up on the east coast, for years my blood ran thick with pineapple crunch loaf, Louisiana crunk cake, banana cake and the like.
:) I still get the odd craving for the weird chocolate covered donuts they make.

[LSPoorEeyorick]

Damn you all. Now I want crumb cake. (Which is what I hope Strangler meant by "crunk cake.")

[Strangler Lewis]

I meant crunch cake. I think Entenmann's also made a coffee cake, though. But a pack of Drake's mini-coffee cakes wouldn't be bad either.

[RStar]

Louisiana crunk cakeWow, what's a Luisiana crunk cake?

[Kevy Baby]

Wow, what's a Louisiana crunk cake?It sounds like a male euphemism for a part of the female anatomy.