Talk to me about grocery shopping

i bought cat litter, coffee, kleenex, zuchinni, toffee bits, ibuprofin, and odwalla breakfast bars. $40!

Maybe we'll go tonight. We got some burritos from Cancun and watched The Sopranos.

these were your two high-dollar items, I'd bet.

xpost

these were your two high-dollar items, I'd bet.

no! odwalla bars were a dollar each. The cat litter is $11 (we have to get the silicone crystal stuff) and the coffee is $12 (Peet's). I spend more money on stuff for my cats to shit on than I do on breakfast.

That thing at Columbia is even considered any type of market? It's about 5 stands, most of which just sell breads. And the one on Columbus/77th is actually an antique fair with 5 or 6 produce stands mixed in. Neither of these have ever struck me as particularly impressive and often by midday the produce doesn't look so hot, thanks to being outdoors in the humidity for hours and hours I would assume. Just a word of warning, I suppose.

I live in an ethnic neighborhood but the produce here is a bit sketchy off and on, I'm assuming due to the fact that the bodega owners don't really give much of a shit since most of their business actually seems to be people buying beer.

Fairway honestly never seemed that bad for produce but I don't fancy the idea of going down there in this weather and then carrying back 4 or 5 bags, esp. since the 1/9 is the closest line to there and I fucking hate the 1/9, cos my subway stop utilizes the dreaded ELEVATOR ONLY approach to the 1/9 ie 400 people in one elevator=crushed bags. If I had a car or for some reason the city moves the A/C over 5 blocks or so, I'd be so set though.

xpost this is why living in the outer boroughs is better sometimes, I just hate toting back that many bags over the subway.

I wish I lived near a greenmarket, but then again I never cook. I buy all of my $6 tomatoes here.

I go to the store every day now because it is one block away. This is very inefficient.

Wal-Mart Supercenter has a decent selection of food items and one can conceivably get almost everything one wants there, but part of my attraction to that chain is that their canned vegetables are simply the best canned vegetables around. I am *so* spoiled by the store brand canned corn and green beans, that I can't have anything else. Their canned corn tastes remarkably like the corn kernels that come off a lightly grilled and crunchy ear of corn, and if one just adds a dash of salt and a little freshly cracked black pepper to the green beans, they are the next best thing to fresh.

I love that I can get "exotic" things at Super Target. Like, I've spotted Edamame in the produce section and, in the refrigerated section, pesto sauce and grated parmesan cheese. Aside from that... well, one could find pretty much the same things at the Wal-Mart Supercenter at lower prices. (And I've also found Edamame, pesto sauce, and grated parmesan at H-E-B, so....)

Sam's Club is great for when I want to get meat. Lots and lots and lots of meat. Tons of ground beef for about $11, lots of pork chops, tons of poultry, etc. Although one could conceivably go mad when it comes to the regular groceries -- one time, we picked up a container of mayonnaise and it lasted us about five months. Never again. We still have six cans of chili we got about a month ago, too. But -- oh! They do have really neat things in the frozen foods aisles, and the avocados they sell are delicious. And their baked goods are always tempting, and I've never gone wrong with one of their bundt cakes, and it's actually the place where I got my computer (for a steal!), so it's good.

We always go to the groceries about once a week, making sure never to run out of anything. Okay, so we'll run out of sodas, sometimes run out of bread and eggs, sometimes be down to the last box of rice, and sometimes have an inexplicable need for ice cream or a certain type of cereal, but pretty much everything else will be available to us at any time.

I like going to Farm Boy and Trader Joe's because I get to drive over a bridge and pass a marina to do so, and drive along Ocean Ave on the way home--it is rather scenic.

I really do split up my shopping like this, because quality of ingredients is important to me. Like Dee, when much meat is needed, I go to CostCo, (Sam's competition) and love their giant salmons that make me think of sexy Canadian citizenship.

The Safeway here does home delivery. As a person with no car, I am in love! I can drink all the fucking milk I want now.

Veggies/fruits/nuts = farmer's market
Proteins = i piggyback on to my bro's restaurant orders every 2-3 weeks (salmon, fluke, ribeye, pork shoulder or loin, veal sausages, whole chickens, usually)
Spices, seasonings, grains, starches, bulk = local co-op

I hit Costco for flats of Nutella 2x a year

I miss Costco -- Sam's is a poor substitute.

People who can get groceries delivered: what's the delivery surcharge, if any? What do you tip?

The delivery was $13 if I wanted to request a two-hour window for delivery, or $7 for a four-hour window. The email announced that "our friendly drivers accept no tips!"

In Boise, it was $5 for delivery from Albertson's, but that was in 2005 & the price may have risen since then.

having your groceries delivered sounds glamorous!

there is a "super fresh" store near me that underwent a makeover a year ago i suspect in part to compete with the nearby whole foods. anyhow, the place is awesome, pleasant low-key lighting, great deals, nice employees, attractive shoppers, etc

i usually buy all my vegetables, tofu in chinatown or at vietnamese market

once in a while i will visit trader joe's and pick up tempeh, olive oil...

occasional forays to indian grocer for spices or frozen treats

going grocery shopping is one of the greatest pleasures in my life. not exactly sure why

I think grocery shopping is very exciting, but also soothing! I love it too. I just hate carrying home milk, cans, dog food, other heavy stuff, with my bare arms. I think this delivery guy might have my dream job, actually, just grocery shopping & driving all day.

People who can get groceries delivered: what's the delivery surcharge, if any? What do you tip?

i don't get groceries delivered very often, but vons will deliver within a 4-hour window for about $10 (i think for a minimum purchase of $50).

i just got back from a trip to the supermarket actually... tonight i'm making breaded eggplant with mushroom sauce and ricotta.

I think this delivery guy might have my dream job, actually, just grocery shopping & driving all day.

i used to think that being the staffer who holds the queue starts here sign/s at trader joes would be a dream job: in a grocery store; pointing people in the right direction; insulated from a lot of other supermarket hassle; customer smalltalk. then i realised that you'd be stuck perpetually experiencing the feeling of being at the end of a queue, without even that pleasing queuer's schadenfraude of having a bunch of people behind you who'd wait longer.

grocery shopping is a pleasure though. i get option paralysis but like being in such a high-density environment.

A Sprouts Farmers Market is opening in town and their flyer promises "Better produce than Trader Joe's, better prices than Whole Foods." I see they're Arizona based and spread over the Southwest. Anyone have any experience with their quality?

weren't they wild oats?

*googles*

ok maybe not

there's a Sprouts a couple blocks from my house. i would agree about the prices, but not about the produce

I think this delivery guy might have my dream job, actually, just grocery shopping & driving all day.

ha, yeah, you might be onto something there!