In my experience unless your turkey is labeled "fresh killed" and you have to order it ahead and pick it up no more than 3 days before the day, you are better with a frozen turkey. Those "never frozen" and "fresh" turkeys are stored at about 28 degrees, or even colder for up to 4 weeks. They are not Flash Frozen and kept at 0 degrees....and in my opinion not as good, juicy nor as tender than an honestly frozen bird. A real never frozen turkey will cost the moon...or maybe half the moon, a "fresh" turkey that has been stored at 28 or so degrees costs more than frozen....and isn't as good in my opinion.
Is your Fairway the same as my Fairway in the mid-west?

Fairway is local NYC and very good. They have good relations with local farms.

You can reserve on-line. I need to do that. My local Fairway is just minutes away. We may just be 4-5 people so i want on the smaller side. They will call you for confirmation a few days before and ask your preferred size.

They do not have many in the store the day or two before but have an entire set-up for picking up.

Fairwayin NYC is not a standard grocery like most throughout the country...your bird will be just like a 'poultry shop' or better.

Check their website. (NY Fairway is where you take out-of-town tourist guests)

Or, if near WillyBurg, you can hit the small slaughterhouse under the BQE. Pick one out and watch it coned, plucked, then carry it home warm like we used to do. (but no knowing where it came from).

I would get organic, not brined. They have Heritage also but it seems to be sold out.

Well, i just reserved a Heritage via their website. Your post gave me the boot to decide our plans. (now need to order oysters and soft shells and lump crab from HarborHouse)....for the rest of the holiday weekend.

I had visions of a golf-playing turkey.....

I prefer the tennis-playiny turkeys myself, but dh prefers the chess players.

Thanks for the W'burg reccomendation of the fresh shop. i had kind of wondered whether our neighborhood (Washington Heights) had a live poultry store. But then I would wonder where it came from!

Funny, my experience w/ frozen turkey has been just the opposite of lindac's. Shelton's fresh All-Natural is the 1 we have been getting for years & always good.

If everyone prefers white meat, you might consider roasting just a breast....

But....Shelton's are frozen....or do you get something different than is available other places?

I find that fresh turkeys are far juicier than frozen ones.

I'd probably go with kosher if I could afford it. Pre salted, without "flavors" typically added to the injected stuff. That's my understanding anyway, never bought one.

Sorry - not Shelton's...Plainville, maybe?

It is a seasonal product & we order them ahead.

Fairway has great products but beyond awful service. reserving a bird or any other meat is very tricky. I tend to believe they use the "orders" as a straw poll because on two occasions what I ordered was not available when I got to the store.