Most of our food shopping is with grocery stores (Vons and Stater Brothers), TJ’s, Sprouts, Sam’s Club, Mediterranean market, specialty meat market and specialty cheese shop. No real habit changes. Lots of choices here!

I do about 80% of my shopping at Aldi and the rest at a KC regional grocery named Price Chopper. Occasionally a bit at Walmart if I am there for another reason. Pop up to Dollar General for something now and then...it's the only 'grocery' within 20 miles.

I rarely buy any meat. A buddy and I have a small herd of Angus/Hereford cross cattle and have one processed every 12-18 months. I can get a whole hog from a farmer friend any time and have it processed the way I want it. I buy whole and cut up chickens from a Mennonite farm nearby.

We also have a lot of choices. Enough that I get confused.

Let's see. For fresh veg at reasonable prices we go to Talarico's, a sort of permanent market-in-a-tent with great produce and a hippie vibe. For large quantities SWBMO goes to Costco, she likes the inexpensive gasoline, I like the company. We also go to PriceSmart, whose prices are indeed hard to beat. Since Whole Foods is five blocks' walk from my house, I pick up more things there than my wallet would prefer. There is Providore, a fancy place with imported stuff, a cheese selection to rival French fromageries, and prices that would invite arson in France - we mostly go there for certain items that aren't to be had elsewhere. SWMBO is a Trader Joes' fan, I wish they used less plastic packaging. We don't go to the regular grocery store that much, though our local Fred Meyer is pretty good. Some things are simply not found but at Asian markets, my favorite little Chinese and Japanese ones closed but there is a Fubonn mega-mart here, Ranch 99 is coming, sadly the fantastic big Japanese store Uwagimaya is over an hour round trip. Mostly I go to H-Mart which is not far away.

Sinc the pandemic, I find we do a lot less shopping at the regular grocery stores, but I don't know why. More available time, probably. SWMBO isn't herding children around all day and my work hours are very flexible. Prices have affected what I buy more than where I shop.

Our Whole Foods used to be a Wild Oats. DD and DS' first errand when they were little was to Wild Oats. They were equipped with a short shopping list, a $20 bill, and a hand-drawn map with their route marked. DD held DS' hand tightly and they walked off, carefully looking both ways at each intersection. I guess they were ten and six, something like that. I sometimes wish I could have those years back.

I live in food paradise (opposite of food desert). I used Instacart sometimes before the pandemic, as a convenience. Since, I've rarely been in a market, and mostly the one where my pharmacy is, with a few on the fly groceries as well. The stores I get Instacart from are the same ones I'd shopped at before, minus Trader Joe's. Recently, Instacart hasn't been as good, and I'm thinking I may start breathing with people again. Besides TJ's, there's the not so good big chain store nearest, plus the better big chain store and Whole Foods in walking distance (but I can't actually walk there--breathing with the cars gave me asthma), the semi-snooty market a short drive, and the snooty market not far but a long enough drive not to shop there often. They have the best butcher, though. There's a good independent butcher a bit farther away but more outside my orbit. Closer by are the Jewish markets, the pan-Asian, Japanese, Korean, Indian, Middle Eastern, Greek, Mexican, Italian, pan-Latin, green grocer, bakeries, other butchers, cheese shop, and true specialty stores.

At the beginning of the lock down, I started looking again for a CSA program that didn't require pick-up at a school at 8 am. That's when I found that "the farm" as I call it had partnered with other farms in SoCal. They are more like a farmer's market, with a regular organic CSA, but that you can edit and fill with produce from their partner farms, and a separate section for all the other stuff you might find at a farmer's market, from small maker pantry items, to dairy, meat, and some packaged prepared foods. They deliver once per week. I usually have some things I want from a grocery store every week, but it's a small amount. I do like the avocados at the semi-snooty store better than the ones from the farm, as well as the orange juice--there's one that tastes a lot less sweet than the kind from the farm or fresh squeezed. at home.

I'm rarely disappointed with the produce delivered either from the farm or the grocery store, but sometimes the standardized quantities are a drag. And the farm does send "misfits", as in the very large, very small, and funny shaped, along with standard. You don't know until you see it if you're buying by count, such as a head of cauliflower. Other things come by the pound or bag, hence the too many green beans issue I had a few weeks ago.

I have more food waste than when I did my own shopping--like the cauliflower that missed vegetable day, when I was too busy to deal, and went from the leaves are looking sad, gotta cook that tomorrow to a rotten bag of mostly liquid, over night! (Yeah, I know it was probably already rotten in the middle, but it didn't show...)

I had an almost endless choice of places to buy food in Los Angeles, and now that I am in the desert, that is what I miss most. I went to every different kind of ethnic market imaginable, and some were quite large, such as the Japanese and Korean supermarkets, and some were much smaller, including the hundreds of Indian markets in the area.

Lately, I am finding myself having to order Japanese ingredients, and I am having some delivered today. My favorite Japanese markets in L.A. were 10 to 15 minutes away, but Koreatown was more like half an hour away.

In the desert, I have extremely limited choices, but I do frequently shop at Cárdenas Mexican Market, which is actually better than the Latin markets I had in L.A., but this is the ONLY case in which the desert is better. There is a new Indian market that I like, however. I also shop at Stater Brothers (similar to Ralphs and a bit pedestrian), Gelson's, and Bristol Farms. Here, Gelson's is better than Bristol Farms, but the reverse was true for West L.A., although both were great in L.A., if a bit pricey.

Of course we have Trader Joe's here, and that is somewhat better than the one where I shopped in L.A. in that it is quite a bit bigger here. I shopped at Aldi's once and will never go back.

There is very little in the way of ethnic population in the Palm Springs area, as it is mostly a resort/retirement region, and so Italian and Mexican is about as ethnic as it gets. L.A. has great Middle Eastern markets (Lebanese, Syrian, Turkish, etc) but there are none of those here. At times I feel like I may need to drive back to L.A. to stock up on certain things that I cannot get here.

Farmer's markets are open only seasonally here and are closed during the long summers. I'll have to check them out this winter, when they reopen. In L.A., I went to them all year and got great produce there at all times of the year.

As for backyard farming, right now all I seem to be able to grow is basil, but it does quite well here as long as I keep it well watered. I bought some chocolate Habanero chili plants, but they got attacked by some caterpillars who pretty much destroyed them before I could see what was happening. I tried growing a jalapeño plant that I bought at Home Depot, thinking that if they sold it, I could grow it, but it did not do well in the heat at all.

I've never had a desire to raise chickens, although I liked them as a small child. I do not eat that many eggs anyway.

We moved to Leesburg, VA on June 10th and have, within a few miles: Giant, Harris Teeter, and Wegmans. Last week, I made a list of the 25 items we buy on a regular basis and went to each store to check its prices. Then I went to Costco to compare against the handful of items we buy there.

Well, it really doesn't matter price-wise where we shop. Some items were cheaper in store or another, but the cost of gas to trundle around town easily wiped out any savings. Wegmans has the best meats, so if we need meat, we go there and buy everything else. Harris-Teeter stocks all the organic ingredients we use in our cookies, so if baking is on the agenda, we go there and buy everything else. Giant is walking distance from our condo, but overall, they had the highest prices. But talk about convenience and they win hands down.

Of course, Costco prices were significantly lower, but the quantities are often a problem. Because we bake often, buying organic unsalted butter there in a 4-pound-package is problem for some, but we buy them two packages at a time. Same for navel oranges. It's easy for us to go through two dozen oranges a week. You just have to pick and choose which items you can buy at Costco that aren't going to spoil before you use them up.

Years ago, I shopped where the coupons were the best. I remember A&P and ShopRite offering triple value on coupons to draw in customers. Over the years, the coupons have become useless. If you have a savings card for the supermarket, you get the best deals.

No shortage of choices here and not much change to buying habits. CostCo gets the bulk of my grocery business. A local small Persian market for inexpensive and uncommon fruits & vegetables, ground hamburger. Stater Bros. for their pickles and chicken. Smart & Final for baking staples and spices. TJs for sliced sourdough & zucchini. Ralph's for miscellaneous stuff.

Don't have enough land for a garden but grow some fresh herbs and a variety of peppers in containers.

I live on an island so that has a major impact on the logistics of accessing grocery stores. It's a 45 minute plus drive to get to places like Trader Joes, Sprouts or Costco and only a slightly shorter drive to access several ethnic markets. It's even a good 20 minute drive to the local grocery stores. But they are pretty decent ones. I split up my shopping between Safeway and a local high end chain that has their flagship store here. Safeway offers all the staples as well as a hot deli counter but I prefer the local chain for produce, all organics, imported goods and really superior meat and fish. It also prepares ready-to-go meals in a single serving size, has a variety of homemade soups and a salad bar, a sushi bar and a flatbread grill.

Because my island is semi rural, there are also a bunch of small farms and mom and pop drive ups were you can get fresh eggs, home grown produce, homemade breads, cut flowers and jams and jellies. Couple of CSA farms and a weekend farmer's market open from March through October and two really yummy bakeries as well.

I shop at a number of places. Costco: steaks, pork chops, AI/Lea &Pennins/Grey Poupon, Peet's coffee, butter, occasional frozen shrimp.

Indie market, George's: burger (sold in 1 pound packages), meat loaf mix, Hebrew National 1/4 pound hotdogs, some produce.

Trader Joe's also has burger in 1# packages, and chix thighs and breasts in smaller packages (just the two of us), produce, cheeses, eggs, chix stock, tomato soup, ginger cookies, some frozen items, and whatever else strikes my fancy.

I'll go to Walmart or Target for Jim's mini Cokes, cereal, canned soup and chili, assorted other package goods, national brands. I try to stock up and go no ttoo often.

The local Acme is the most expensive store, but I'll stop in for milk or produce because it is by far the closest store and easiest to shop.

I avoid the local Giant because it is very poorly managed, with poorly stocked shelves; iffy produce --you can buy 5# bag of potatoes, but to buy just two russets, the selection is lousy.

I once priced jarred spaghetti sauce, national brand, that was $4.49 at Acme, $3.79 at Giant, $2.79 at Walmart. The Trader Joe's sauce was better tasting for $2.49 (not an item I buy very often, but made for a easy comparison.)

Lucky to be retired and have the time, but I go to the store maybe twice a week, we don't plan more that a week in advance, and I will shop sales at all the stores. I'd say I go to Trader Joes about 1/2 the time.

Trader Joe's always got most of my business although I, too, deplore their overuse of plastic packaging. Since I'm out less, I usually get Amazon Fresh or Whole Foods delivered. Neither of them have all of the products I use daily, but I can make do with Amazon Fresh's selection most of the time. I have a Gelson's and a Bristol Farms very close by and if I really need a specialty item, I can go to one of those..

seagrass_gw Cape Cod

We live one town after the last commercial hub before the Outer Cape (which is largely National Seashore). Although our small town has a Mom & Pop grocery/liquor store, we do our shopping next door - only a 15 minute drive. We have a choice between two large regional chain grocery stores , Stop & Shop and Shaw's. There is also a smaller family-owned grocery that has a great butcher, beer & wine, produce/bakery/groceries and an outdoor garden center. Most grocery stores can't sell beer/wine, so the smaller family-owned grocery is often a nice one stop shop for us. They have storemade entrees and salads. I also appreciate it when I'm not feeling well enough to get through one of the larger supermarkets.

We have 5 fishmarkets within 15 minutes of us (2 of them are seasonal). And there's a cheese/wine shop and a natural foods store in the town next door. What we don't have are any ethnic markets. I have to order a lot of ingredients especially for Chinese/Japanese/Thai recipes on-line and make substitutions for ingredients that don't travel well. I am also a frequent customer of Penzey's Spices. Haven't been to a Trader Joe's since before the pandemic - the only one on the Cape is just over an hour roundtrip on a good day. There are no options for Whole Foods or Amazon Fresh deliveries here.

Just as well I enjoy food shopping because there is a HUGE choice within 10 miles of home: Jewel/Osco, Marianos, Aldi, COSTCO, GFS, Meijers, Target, Wal Mart, Whole Foods, Amazon Fresh, Trader Joes, Woodmans, Sams Club, plus several indies and local chains.

Except for the last 3 all have several local locations. Most have delivery and/or pick up.

We really are short a full grocery - or two - in this smaller community. Since DH has retired I find we do most of our food shopping an hour away. Costco of course. Canned goods, chicken stock since I always use more than I've made, most of our dairy and some fruits and produce. I checked the price on 4 baking potatoes I'd purchased locally and went back to buying the big bag at Costco. I can give half to a friend and still save money over Safeway 😊

There is a fresh seafood shop we love and will always stop there on Costco days. Trader Joe's a given. Haggen Northwest Fresh although their prices aren't always the best. They have a very good meat department with only a little prewrapped meats...takes a conversation with the butcher and a few extra minutes but worth the effort.

I've picked up some very good products at excellent prices at Winco although its a little farther out of the way and we aren't there often.

I don't know when the highlights of my months became food shopping when it used to be Nordstrom. We rarely leave town without coolers and blue ice these days.

When mother was alive and in senior living two hours in the opposite direction, I'd found a produce store I completely loved. They carried some Snake River Farms meats too - wonderful. The first time I was there was beginning of Covid. I stood in line outside, masked, waiting for my turn to be allowed in. When they opened that door for me I almost cried with joy. All I could see from the front of the store to the back were colors. All types of fruits and many varieties of each, vegetables, leafy greens in every shade.....I was in heaven and bought way more than we could begin to eat. I miss that store - I'd shopped there weekly for three years!

John, I think I understand. You said Japanese mommies shop for food on Netflix. ;) I only find reruns of shows I saw the first time and wannabes that aren't as good, when I shop on netflix. No food. :)

All the repetitive, boring store cupboard stuff like cans of tomatoes and dried goods like flour, or sugar are delivered from a supermarket. It's only a 20 minute walk away. I hate shopping although there are 4 supermarkets within walking distance.

We buy local meat, game, bread and cheese weekly at the farmers' market. Fish I buy from a guy who comes once a week from the coast to our town. Seasonal fruit, vegetables and eggs are delivered by a local grower. Imported fruit and veg like peaches, citrus, avocados or sweet potatoes, we have to buy in a supermarket or a greengrocers' stall in town. I grow some stuff, like greens, beans, courgettes, herbs and berries on the allotment.

In my very rural area I drive nearly an hour once a month to a Kroger which has declined massively in the last 6 or 7 years; what was once a quality store with good produce (and a large organic section) now offers less and less in the way of quality products and more and more junk. A 20 minute drive in the same direction takes me to the county seat where there is a small grocery store for in between pick up of necessities.

I do raise almost all my vegetables except corn and potatoes, and I can get get those in season at a small market/gas station that has carried very good produce--far, far better than Kroger-- for many years. For 3 weeks in June, they also have yellow transparent apples, the earliest apple of the year; the apples don't keep but they make the best applesauce in the world. Unfortunately, it's a 40 minute drive and there is absolutely nothing else in that direction that is of interest so it's a morning trip sometimes just to get decent onions and potatoes.

A locally owned meat market not far from the Kroger carries very high quality grass raised meats/poultry, in store made fresh sausage, sliced ham, and twice a week seafood as well as terrific sourdough made by a small local bakery.

I also buy pastured poultry chicken direct from the farm on the day it's processed.

A long drive to a Blacksburg, VA offers a much better Kroger and a large international grocery for specialty items and unusual produce.

But you have to drive all over the place in wildly different directions and plan very carefully to get what you want.

I'm very fortunate to live in a part of France that is blessed with an abundance of fabulous meat, fish and veggies. We even have a fun shop that is part Asian, part African and part east European. You can really travel there! Most shopping is done in the local supermarkets and there are always the traditional markets. You can find one somewhere every day of the week, but the prices are much higher than the shops.

I think that the only post-covid difference is that I used to go from one supermarket to another to benefit from the best of what each has to offer whereas now I don't want to travel so much and tend to just use my closest one.

Flora where are you in the SW? My daughter lives in Porthleven near Penzance.

I'm not that far south west, Islay.

I'm semi-rural. And it's touristy. In a nice 15 minute walk, there is a dollar store. Within a 10 minute drive, there is a good local grocer, an excellent food scratch and dent outlet, several dollar stores, and in the summer a couple decent garden stands. A local church thrift has unwashed eggs for a great price this time of year.

Within a 20 minute, there are more garden stands, orchards, and I'm between two bigger towns that have Meijer, Aldi, tiendas. Between them, there is also Menards, Ollies, TJMaxx, GFS, and a few specialty food shops. There are Walmarts in the area, but I don't shop there. There used to be Target, but it was shuttered a few years back. There's a couple other local grocer chains too, but they are kind of pricey so I don't shop there.

An hour or so I can get to the Whole Joes and Sam-Co's, but I have plenty enough closer to home that I don't do so.

I garden year round and process a lot. I buy sales and clearance. I bulk buy and stock up. Been doing it this way for years. When I go out to shop, I cluster shop. If I'm driving up the road to hit Aldi or Meijer, I plan to hit most of the stores in that cluster.

We have tons of grocery stores, farmers markets, fancy grocery stores, shopping clubs, etc. I buy basics at WM and everything else at Publix.

I shop at a small local store about 10 minutes away, we also have a food lion same distance but I prefer the small mom and pop. It has the best meats and local produce. We live rurally so choices are limited.

We have no local now, except for one and it is quite a ways away. We do still use their pharmacy.

What is bothering me is that the merger between Kroger and Albertsons might impact my 5-minutes away on the bike trail, no traffic lights on the way go-to store which is a Safeway (who, decades ago, swallowed the formerly locally owned Carrs - it is still a good store too, they kept the local 'vibe'). That merger is being fought in court, anybody else worried about that impact?

My favorite places to shop are local, nobody outside of Alaska will have heard of Sagaya and Natural Pantry - no Whole Foods or Trader Joes up here (yet?) and that's okay as long as the local places, which are great, hold on.

Costco is handy for avocadoes, lamb, bison, occasionally seafood when fresh - oh, and cheese. Although we have a small cheese shop that is very fun too (mostly for special occasions, as it's pricey).

And our farmers markets get better and better - I grow a few veggies but nothing compared to the real deal from Rempels Farms and others! But our season is short and then they move indoors to offer potatoes, carrots, beets, cabbage, squash etc all winter.

Since the pandemic, my shopping habits have changed. Costco for big rolls of toilet paper and all sorts of things in quantity. Smaller items I have delivered with Walmart At Home. The fee is covered by my credit card and for a little extra there is a no-tip service. This is for basics and known brands of pantry staples. For specialty stuff I have a corner market with a top butcher, an in-house chef and pastry chef, local specialty providers (including other baked goods and pasta), fine and imports from all over the world. It is a place you might go to the salt section and see a 12 to 15 choices from all over the world, despite the fact that it is barely bigger than a convenience store. If I don't find it there (it is small), I go to another slightly larger, more Italian leaning competitor a few miles away, or the local co-op (which has an excellent fresh cheese counter). There is also a Japanese market I go to occasionally (with fresh fish counter that also supplies local restaurants, plus Wagyu and Kobe). Trader Joes occasionally. Other stores are just incidental as I have everything covered -- I don't have to go to Whole Foods as I have a better selection and pricing in these local businesses..

When we are resident in France, it really is the smaller local supermarkets within a few blocks, or the specialty cheesemonger, deli, bakery, butcher, green grocer, or the daily farmer's market. Rarely there is a trip to the large big box supermarkets (hypermarches), which are on the outskirts

I'm in an exurb on the outskirts of a large metro area. I have a Kroger in town - not a big one but has the basics. There's another grocery in town, it's an independent but the prices are beyond ridiculous so I don't shop there; same with the local produce market -- high prices and not good quality. There's a Wally World about 5-7 miles away down by the highway, but I don't shop there on principal. So usually I travel 15-20 minutes to the next town over to the Meijer, which is a very large Michigan-owned chain. I do my big shopping 1x/week and supplement from items at the Kroger in town, should I need anything. When I'm in the city I stop at the local produce market -- huge selection and good prices.

I travel a lot for business, and nice as it may seem to live far-out in a rural area, I don't know what they do for shopping, there's been times where I don't pass a single grocery store in 50+ miles when driving through areas where the main interstates don't pass through. Especially if they're elderly or get snowed in. I guess they must learn to put food up for times they can't get out. We in the metro areas or larger cities take these sorts of things for granted. Before you say "oh, they can just order on-line now". Really? What about parts of the state that don't have internet access (yes, they DO still exist -- in more places in this country than you may think), or the store won't deliver beyond a certain # miles. IDK what they do.

Unless it is a REAL local grocery, Walmart is no different than any big grocery, be it Krogers or anything else.There are VERY few independent groceries anymore, they are, no matter the name, all owned by big conglomerants.

ETA: In case you do not reaize, Sam Walton died in the 90's.The executives gradually forced all the original executives out and put in their own.

I would also add that the pandemic had no impact on my grocery shopping experience. Other than a few imported items that are not carried by anyone locally, I don't order food online. I want to see what I am paying for and I like the personal interaction with real human beings, not computers.

The whole American idea of groceries once per week comes from those large, rural spaces Mxk spoke about. People in those kinds of places also do keep large pantries of shelf stable foods, as do people in areas prone to fire, flood, landslide, earthquake, hurricane and any other likely event which might leave them cut off. Emergency kits are great, but a well stocked pantry will keep you going even if the freezer quits, if you can't get to the store in a lesser disaster. As to the rest, many people make that once per week shopping trip, not a mile to their favorite store, but fifty miles to the only store. Some of these places aren't in big food growing areas, so no vegetable gardens and local farm stands. Just a truck with a lot of miles on it.

I've lived in the sticks, but never without any groceries anywhere close. The idea does seem daunting when I hear people from such places talk about it.

Well, I have always liked the pickled baby corn. It used to be everywhere. Then was only at Krogers in their store brand. Now, I have to order online at an outragous price. Target has been the cheapest so far for the last two years and I have to order a case of twelve.

As you know, I'm "out in the sticks", LOL. I grow and preserve much of my own food, have chickens for eggs and my own beef, so I can pretty much get by if I need to.

My nearest grocery store is a little less than 10 miles away, I have my choice of Aldi, Meijer and WalMart. THere are Dollar Stores everywhere, but none carry fresh items other than things like milk or butter. I seldom/never use their common items like canned soup, pasta sauce, white bread or frozen pizza. I hate Walmart, it's small, crowded and kind of dirty. It's over an hour to drive anywhere like Whole Foods or Trader Joe's or Costco/Sam's. THere are a few small hispanic groceries in a couple of small neighboring communities, but nothing else "ethnic". Local farmer's markets pretty much have what I'm growing myself.

Grocery shopping is mostly limited to dairy products, cleaning supplies, things like shampoo and toothpaste and toilet paper.

We do occasionally get snowed in, but as long as we have gas for the generator to run the pellet stove, we're good for several days.

Annie

" What is bothering me is that the merger between Kroger and Albertsons..."

I'm very unhappy about the merger, too. If it goes through, about the best us consumers can hope for is that a certain number of the current stores will be sold to another grocery company that wants to expand into the area. Among the large chains, Kroger and Albertsons dominate in our area. Many are quite close to each other, so if someone else does not buy some of them out, it appears that closures will be coming.

Our town is lucky to have a fabulous farmer's market with an abundance of local produce and a couple of stalls that are allowed to bring in fruit grown in another part of our state that isn't grown commercially near by. All else sold there must be locally grown. There is an abundance of small organic farms in our area, many of them selling at the Farmer's Market. Some have little stands at their farms..I don't frequent those much except to find fresh eggs. I suspect Morz8 and I shop the same fabulous, really fabulous seafood market. I have friends who grow big gardens, home orchards and one owns a mussel farm that I am lucky to benefit from regularly. One friend regularly digs razor clams whenever the season is open; he cleans them and delivers packages of frozen ones to me quite often. He just brought me a big bag of Chanterelle mushrooms! I can no longer hunt them myself.

I buy from Trader Joes things like milk and some organic produce (they have the best bags of Pink Lady organic apples I have ever found), lemons, avocados and cherry tomatoes when the local ones aren't in season. I like their organic blueberries and Persian cucumbers and I buy some frozen dinner items there...Japchae Korean sweet potato noodles and chicken soup dumplings are 2 favorites.

I don't go to a regular supermarket much but we have a local 2 store chain that carries most everything I might want that I can't get at our local food co-op, which is where I buy the bulk of my groceries. Fabulous produce, cheese, fruit, bread, meat, eggs, dairy - much of it locally grown. I sometimes visit one of many Asian groceries here when I'm making Pad Thai or fresh spring rolls.

Recently, a new service opened which has once a week online ordering where you can buy from many of the local organic farms, often the ones that aren't really big enough to staff a booth at the farmer's market. They post what's available each week and you order, then either pick up your stuff or for a small charge they will deliver. They also have an associated catering kitchen that makes prepared food you can order. I wasn't ever much tempted until I saw Beef Barley soup on the menu! I ordered a quart and it was so delicious I ordered two more the next week for the freezer, along with a chicken noodle soup. I've also purchased their wild mushroom risotto, which was fabulous, too. I'll be ordering more things from them as I am really tired of cooking for myself!

I'd rather poke a stick in my head than go into a Safeway or similar, so I avoid that at all costs. Never been to a Walmart and won't ever. No Whole Foods close by, but I would probably shop there some if there were one.

"The fee is covered by my credit card and for a little extra there is a no-tip service."

I guess I don't understand ... you pay extra to not tip?

I shop online at Fred Meyer (Kroger). Husband picks it up. He shops our local grocery store for items we can't get at Fred Meyer.

I too don't want to see Kroger and Albertson's become megacorporations. As I wrote above, our once really fine Kroger has deteriorated into more and more junk food with quality items dropping constantly.

Big Grocery has become too concentrated of an industry. I’m glad the government (Federal govt and many states) are opposing it. Not sure if the opposition will succeed.

Our local big chains are Fred Meyer and Safeway, they remain mostly decent. But it’s only a matter of time, I fear.

Fred meyer is owned by Kroger and Safeway is owned by Albertsons so those stores are part of the merger being fought

https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2024/02/ftc-challenges-krogers-acquisition-albertsons

When I was shopping, I used to only go into the big chain stores for things like paper goods. I can get a better price delivered from Amazon for TP now, and buy paper towels less than once per year. I think many people around here either go to Costco or similar for the gas and stay for the groceries, or prefer specialty markets with more interesting and better quality offerings . There is a good Kroger subsidiary in the general area. It has good produce and sometimes has the good milk, for all that the bakery products are chemical stews, and they don't have decent jam. The produce really is better since Kroger, but the rest is kind of sad. There used to be an Albertsons, which went away after the last round of consolidation, which had limited produce and a huge part of a huge store devoted to frozen meals. I used to go in there occasionally for particular products that no one else had. I never did much shopping in any of them.

At this point, I think the stores of both teams are pretty indistinguishable, other than the produce at that one store. And I mean store, not chain. It sounds like a lot of you don't have a lot of different choices than the big chains. I'd think the merger of the two biggest would be a no-brainer to be seen as a detrimental monopoly. I wonder if it happens, if it'll prompt more coops?

So a question for you all about this...are food co-ops only a regional thing? There are very large and successful co-ops in my state - here in Olympia, Bellingham, Pt Townsend and Seattle have wonderful co-ops. Most have prepared foods along with a great selection of organic items. There are two in Oly, same co-op, just on different sides of town. One has the best salad bar in the whole city with an amazing array of different kinds of salads plus 2 soups per day, one vegan, one not. Is it only cities/towns with a history or current population of 'hippies' that create these spaces? Have you ever sought one out in your community?

I used to go to the Peoples Coop in Portland, which was quite good and peopled by hippies and their modern version. Glad you reminded me. Most of the health foods are wasted on me, but the bulk items are always good. https://www.peoples.coop

The co-op here is supposed to be good, but very expensive, compared to other stores.

I have to admit that I am not a comparison price shopper. I am able to buy what I want and really don't worry about price (lucky that way). But the co-op carries so many things other stores don't have, or are more difficult to source, like local meat and eggs, organic everything (which I don't mind paying a premium for) and bulk foods that are much less expensive than packaged goods in regular supermarkets. Milk and eggs are competitively priced, lots of things are sold in non plastic containers, which is important to me. I'd rather pay a little more for an organic breakfast cereal, which might be priced more than Cheerios, for example...because the co-op doesn't carry things like Cheerios so it hard to price compare.

Coops are very common and popular in California, but I also found them in Austin and Houston when I lived there. I don't think they are regional so much as cultural, and in the 1970s, they were popular wherever there was a substantial counterculture.

When I hear "co-op", I think of the feed mill, LOL, the Farmer's Cooperative. It doesn't exist any more, of course, now it's a Farm and Garden.

I looked all over on line and there are no food co-ops in my area. They are trying to get enough members to start one in Grand Rapids in 2025, but they haven't gotten 800 members yet and they are 60 miles or so away.

We have lots of CSAs and Farm Markets and roadside stands and small farms that sell farm raised meat and eggs, but I don't need any of those things other than the ones I raise myself. I do sell extra to the B&B across the street and take any additional perishable items to the local food pantry.

I do not find that Amazon delivery is cheaper than I can purchase myself. I do have the option of ordering groceries on line and picking them up later that day, at no charge, but I still have to drive into town and I still only have the choice of the three big box stores.

Annie

In 2006 a half dozen organic farmers kept running into each other at the back door of restaurants and health food stores. Selling at farmers markets, yada yada. Lightbulb moment when they got together and started talking about a collective, LancasterFarms. Why compete against each other. Farmers want to 'farm'. Not run around peddling their produce.

2020, the Lancaster collective had over 80 farms. Now the website says 100+farms. The Amish are very private. They don't care for farmers markets but would do it.

I find farmers markets a bit pretentious. And expensive for the farmers. The travel, the set-up time, and paying the employees that are best used on the farm, ;farming'. The produce is usually expensive, top dollar. (i do like the NYC UnionSQuare market)

We are paying less for organic produce than 5-6 years ago. All local because it is supported. And so much fresher than a traditional grocery. All my produce is in my crisper days ahead of most groceries. FreshDirect gets produce direct from farms with 17+ cooler zones to keep all at optimal temps. A rare clam-shell, but 90% are loose in the bags. or cardboard 'shells'.

FreshDirect just celebrated 22 years in business. No retail stores. No big overhead in NYC realestate.

I've posted this before but just 45 seconds tells the story.

I started an order last wednesday and set up a Sunday delivery window using the 'truck' icon. Meaning many others in my area are using the same 7-9am delivery time. Rather than 25-30 cars running around to 3-4 stores, one truck delivers.

when I grocery shop, I get five extra cans. they go in the pantry, or go to the church for the church constant support of the local food pantry. We fill up a food cart every week with tha effort.

I like different stores for different things. But I don't go to all the stores all the time. Living alone, I don't consume all that much so I go shopping occasionally for necessities, and even less frequently for specialty stuff.

I live in Houston so I'm very lucky to have a huge choice of places to shop.

HEB - Texas based super market

That's my number one store. Huge store about three miles from my house, and it happens to be in the direction I'm most often going, so it's an easy stop on the way home from wherever I've been. I very seldom have to make a special trip there.

I shop there for all staples and general groceries.

Central Market - A specialty version of HEB

There's only one of these in Houston and it happens to be very close to my office, so I'll stop there sometimes on my way home. It's good for produce - they have more selection than the regular stores. They also have a huge fresh meat/seafood department, although I don't partake there often as the prices are high.

They have a lot of gourmet items so it's nice to walk around and just pick up some unusual item to try for something different.

Mi Tienda - A Mexican Market version of HEB

There's only one of these in Houston too, but it happens to be on the freeway I take to go to and come from my boyfriend's house. They are sort of the opposite of the Central Market version of HEB in pricing. Everything there is cheaper than I can get at HEB. Plus of course, they have a lot of things that aren't available at the regular HEB stores.

I will never buy jarred salsa again. Their homemade salsa is amazing and incredibly cheap.

La Michoacana - Another chain of Mexican Markets

These stores are small but ubiquitous. Great for homemade salsa (although not as cheap as Mi Tienda) and homemade corn tortillas.

Trader Joe's

Also pretty close to my office. I buy cheese (best prices!), wine, olive oil, honey, Jalapeño Lemonade, and occasionally indulge in some snacky items. I currently have their peanut butter pretzels and ghost pepper potato chips in my pantry waiting to be consumed.

Randall's - owned by Safeway

I go there occasionally if I happen to be passing by one because they do a lot of what I call "whoops we ___(fill in the blank)___ too much"

For example, "Whoops we baked too much" = day old bread; "Whoops we butchered too much" = meat that is a day or two away from expiry.

They also, do that with cheeses, deli meats, non perishables, etc.

That might sound gross to some -- but generally anything I buy either gets eaten right away or goes into the freezer.

I grind my own beef so I can often pick up chuck roast, pork, brisket, or some other cut of meant to grind at a good price. I take it home, grind it, and freeze it for future use.

Walmart "Neighborhood store"

There is a Walmart grocery store about 1/8 mile from my house. Literally two blocks down and across a fairly busy street. I walk there when I need one or two items and don't feel like getting in the car to drive down to the HEB.

It's not my favorite store, to say the least, but it's incredibly convenient.

I have found Farmers' Markets to be generally overpriced for what I don't consider to be anything special. The produce appears to be the same, literally, as what I can buy in the grocery store, but at higher prices. Sometimes there's local-ish produce, but not anything I feel compelled to buy.

I had to look up coops -- apparently we do have them here in Houston, but not super close to me, and similar to farmers' markets, they don't seem to offer anything special but their prices are high.

Regarding Covid, during the pandemic days, I started shopping at a store called Foodarama that's near my house. That store never has more that 10 people in it at a time, and that's including the workers! So it was a good place to avoid crowdedness. Their produce prices are pretty good so I'll still stop there sometimes if I think about it, but the rest of their merchandise is overpriced. Go figure.

I never have and never plan to do pick-up or delivery. I like to shop and pick out what I like.

I don't do Sam's or Costco. I just don't buy enough to justify the membership.

I went to Aldi's a couple of times, but they didn't impress me. And the one near me is in the wrong direction.

Whole Foods is very similar to Central Market which I mentioned above, so I don't need to go there.

As an aside, we have a Penzeys which I go to for spices when I need them.

And... in addition to TJ's I buy wine at Total Wine, Spec's (a local chain), or HEB.

There are more stores around here that I didn't mention, that I might go to on a rare occasion, but that covers the main ones. :)

Just a note on coops: The ones I know do have full prices for the casual shopper by, but members pay significantly less. Many have not just working members (the cooperators of the coop), but also have money memberships that give the discounts (greater than the membership price) without working shifts. I think it varies from coop to coop whether monetary members have full rights to vote, etc. I've never been that excited about the local coop, being able to do just as well at Trader Joe's without the bother, but I appreciate that they're there. It's the local local other end of the continuum from the mega-merged conglomerates.

I like shopping our coop because they are pretty careful about where they source products and most everything is organic, which is important to me. They do have some plastic packaging, but carry as much as they can in glass jars/bottles. Lots of bulk items with NO packaging - you bring your own jars or bags. I buy Organic Valley milk in 1/2 gallon cartons. At the coop there is no plastic pour spout, but if I get the same milk at my local grocery store, there is a plastic spout (and it's more expensive).

Ours also buys as much as possible from local growers, produce, fruit, meat, eggs, and locally baked breads and pastries. I joined 40 years ago and if I recall it was $2 a month for a year or something, then you had a lifetime membership with a discount on groceries. I think the posted prices are the discounted prices and if you aren't a member you pay a surcharge. Lots of people are working members and get a big discount on food, which is great for college students, seniors and low income people. They also employ a fair number of people - providing employees with generous benefits.