What is your favorite Supermarket?

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Wegmans is my all time favorite store. Worked for them for 5 years after I was downsized in 2006. Now here in Florida we go to Publix. I work for them PT. It's a nice store great service, just not all the high end stuff i am use to getting in Wegmans. Everyone I met down here that is from the Northeast wishes Wegmans would expand down here. I am one light away from Publix and two lights away from Winn Dixie and Aldi. I have seen in the paper ads for Albertsons but have not found where it is yet. There is a Whole Foods but to organic for me.
 
WalMart Supercenter, but I only go in there about once or twice a year right now.  I shop at HEB about 99.99% of the time.  We're getting a new HEB Plus in the area in time for thanksgiving shopping.  It will be the largest HEB in the area between here and Ft. Hood.  I'm looking forward to that cuz it will have an expanded area, but I odn't think I"ve ever bought anything at the deli counter, or anything special, just too expensive for me.  But it will be nice to have increased variety and possibly some gourmet variety to opt. if I so choose.  We have a Target that's a "shrunken" version of a regular Target.  Sometimes if they have an item or two on sale generally I "cannot live without", I'll go and then paruse through the grocery items area and get things that are a bit unusual.  I like many of their Archer Farms products because they'ree a bit upscale and different.  If I need or want beef or similar meats in large, high-quality quantity, I will go to Sam's Club.  And as David & Allen have stated, prices between HEB & WalMart are competitive withg HeB winning out more times than not. 
 
Here in Mass I shop at Stop and Shop most of the time and with a good sale. Then its Price Rite in Revere and SuperWalmart in Salem NH. My partner works for Shaws/Star Market and the prices are a tad much there. We are getting a Wegmans in Northborough MA that I am looking forward to opening in October 2011.
I also shop at H Mart in Burlington and they have Korean detergent that I do like quite alot plus the produce there is quite good. They have anything and everything for Asian cooking.
When I lived in Chicago I loved going to Dominick's and once in awhile Jewel.One place that I did hit alot there was Caputo's in Bloomingdale IL at the end of the Elgin /O'Hare Expressway. And another place was Yohans in Arlington Heights now called Mitsu or something like that. When I lived in Omaha I was a SuperTarget shopper. HyVee was good as well. Very rarely I would ever shop at Bakers. Now Bag-N-Save I would get the mac salad that was to die for with the chunks of cheese in it. I make that now from scratch here.
 
Raley's owns a number of chains.  Around here, all of the Nob Hill supermarkets sold out to Raley's probably ten years ago, but they're still called Nob Hill.  Lately I'm finding they're more expensive than Safeway on items I usually buy.  I really hate Safeway but no matter which direction I head from home, Safeway is the first market I'll encounter so it's a convenience thing.  Their staff is both annoying and apathetic at the same time; very Stepford and creepy.  As in, "Did you find everything OK?"  If you didn't, they couldn't care less so why do they even bother to ask?  Because management tells them they have to.

 

Save Mart is my favorite supermarket.  They have an excellent selection and prices are reasonable.  Unfortunately, they're not conveniently located.

 

When Albertsons bailed out of Northern California, Save Mart bought most of their stores and resurrected the Lucky supermarket chain.  Unfortunately, Lucky markets are the exact opposite of Save Mart, with limited selection and a general lowest common denominator target demographic.  I don't go to Lucky at all.

 

Fresh and Easy has just opened here in a former Albertsons.  I haven't checked them out, but plan to.  They'll be opening more stores in the coming months.

 

Local independent chains are still hanging on.  Lunardi's is high end.  I used to shop there for my mom when they had a good ad for a given week, but I don't go there myself anymore unless I want something special from the butcher.  Too expensive on non-sale items to make it worth bothering.  Another local chain that had been around since the 40's, PW Markets, just folded a few months ago.  The rest of the local chains are ethnic supermarkets catering to either Mexican or Asian clientele.

 

Target has expanded their grocery section and they have every-day prices that are on par with other supermarket sale prices.  I do select grocery shopping there, but they aren't a grocery destination for me.

 

Dave's son-in-law is in management at Whole Foods, but we never shop there.  They don't call it "Whole Paycheck" for nothing.

 

 
 
Whole Foods

If you're ever in Austin, Texas, it is worth a trip to the headquarters of Whole Foods, which has a flagship store. It is sort of like the Disneyland of grocery stores.

The parking garage is below the store, and they have an escalator for your shopping cart. I'd never seen one of those before!

In addition to indoor seating, there are two outdoor terraces where you can enjoy a coffee or eat prepared food purchased inside, with free wi-fi throughout. One of the terraces has a man-made babbling brook.
 
I have lived an hour away from that store for 25 years and have never been there.  when I as at UT in 1973-1977, it was viewed as quite a quirky little store. 
 
I Shop at Several Stores for Different Things

I usually go and get my canned goods and the non-perishables over at Save A Lot....they have the best prices on the things I use the most. I also get cold cuts and the like there too.

 

I don't like their meats, but Safeway usually has good specials, if you're willing to be flexible about menus. I also like some of their Bright Green cleaning and paper products. Good prices and they work well. Safeway is also my "go to" store in a pinch, since I have one about two blocks from work.

 

I also hit Fred Meyer for the canned and packaged stuff if I can't make it to Save A Lot...their prices are much better than most others. I also like their deli fried chicken better there...it's the closest to homemade without me dragging out the cast iron skillet. I have an Albertson's on the way home, but unless they are running a super special on something, I don't stop. 99% of the time, I end up getting annoyed shopping there.

 

Back when Chris and I were still a we, I did a lot more shopping at Costco and Wal-Mart Supercenter, but I don't usually purchase a large enough quantity of anything to make that much of a difference in the bill for me.
 
<span style="font-family: tahoma,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: medium;">I spread it around.</span>

 

<span style="font-family: tahoma,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: medium;">Most of my food purchases are from Costco, albeit usually in bulk form. </span>

 

<span style="font-family: tahoma,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: medium;">For other stuff, like produce that Costco doesn't offer (radishes and green onions, for example) or specials on frozen entrees (perfect for work lunches), I'll go to Pak 'N Save, which is owned by Safeway and generally carries much of the same stuff as Safeway. I prefer Pak 'N Save to Safeway because the local store is larger, with more room on navigate a cart in the aisles, with better lighting and usually with a better selection. Also the nearest local Safeway is in a crowded strip mall with bad parking and too many pan handlers and vagrants. </span>

 

<span style="font-family: tahoma,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: medium;">For stir-fry and kim chee ingredients I'll generally visit one of the many local Asian markets. Haven't made kim chee for a while and am starting to want it again, so I guess I'll be picking up a load of Napa cabbage, daikon radish, ginger, etc at the local market fairly soon. </span>
 
What about store you are sort of forced to use-not much elese available.Food Lion.then Harris Teeter and Lowes Foods out here.Harris Teeter is best-but expensive.Don't use the WALMART grocery store.
 
Louis: Google translate is great - I could understand most of your link.

Not too far from me, there are two, two level Targets with cart escalators. It is pretty neat the way the carts move slighty faster than the steps so that you are at the end just before your cart arrives.The Targets are both large, busy, and only about a mile away from each other.

The Ikea in the burbs has a cart escalator ramp. The special carts won't roll on the ramp and you ride down with your cart.
 
PeterH is right...

For several decades, Kroger has been a mainstay in the ATL...but their quality varies greatly with location...

I live about a mile from a borderline ghetto mega-Kroger, interestingly named the "Kroger Fountainbleau"...

I get my prescriptions there, and their pharmacy staff is top notch...

For convenience, I do pick up a few things while I'm there, staples and non-perishables...but the store often looks like a tornado has passed through, and shelves are half-stocked...and prepare to be in the checkout line 15+ minutes...I always get the impression that the store personnel just "up and quit"...

Conversely, when I really want to shop, I drive to the "Kroger Edgewood" about 20 minutes away...

The difference is night and day...within a one-mile radius of the store, you have multi-million dollar estates, as well as housing projects...

But that store caters to the higher-end customer, with items you won't find in other stores, making it the second-busiest Kroger in the ATL...

And pricewise, Kroger can't be beat, even against Walmart...

Several times/month, they send store coupons selected based upon your buying habits, with $ off those items you consistently buy, often enticing you with a "free" item, and a bonus like $5 off if you spend $15 in produce or frozen foods...

Publix stores, on the other hand, are consistently cleaner, better stocked, and faster checkouts, throughout the metro area...and their BOGO's are hard to resist...

And, especially when entertaining, BJ's and Costco are great...

 

George
 
Alas, our family's favorite grocer sold out in the mid 1980's to a corporation and the atmosphere of the store went downhill very fast.  The Bautsch family started in the grocery business in 1946 as Wausau's first self-serve grocery store.  They eventually outgrew the 1st store on W. Stewart Ave., and built a large store around 1980 on 17th Ave., about 1/2 mile from the old store.  What really made 29 Super the most popular in the area was the fact that they were not in the city of Wausau during the 1950's & 1960's because Wausau still had a "blue law".  The store was located in the Town of Stettin, which meets up with Wausau's west side.  So, on Sunday's many people would border hop to buy their beer & liquor.  They also had an awesome bakery, and meat department.  They had an "Escaload" where they packed your bags of groceries into numbered metal bins, and placed them on a conveyor belt which went underground to a small building next to the store.  When you pulled up to the building, you showed the attendant(s) your bin nos. and they would load your groceries into your vehicle.  Carts were never allowed out of the store.  Many of their employees started with them while in high school, and stayed on as full-time employees after graduation.  They truly believed in "customer service".  Ah, the good old days.
 
One thing I personally don't like about Walmart SS, Superstore, Meijers and Super Kmart is that they're all too big. It's an excursion just to get around the store and I'd rather just get in and get out as quickly as possible. That's why I go to the older Kroger more often or the A&P/metro down the street
 
One thing I personally don't like about Walmart SS, Superstore, Meijers and Super Kmart is that they're all too big. It's an excursion just to get around the store and I'd rather just get in and get out as quickly as possible. That's why I go to the older Kroger more often or the A&P/metro down the street
 
I don't have much choice

In my part of Ohio, there is Giant Eagle, which is high for the things I regularly buy.

Fortunately, there is a local chain of about 12 units called Acme Fresh Market. However, the product mix at the one here in Kent is skewed more toward the KSU students.

There are the Marc's stores that Retropia mentioned, but the nearest one to me is 6 miles away, and I no longer drive.

I love to visit my sister and her family...they are in greater Minneapolis, and I really like Byerly's. They live near the one on France Avenue.

In Akron, there is West Point Market, which is very like Byerly's, but is a single unit. When I worked in Akron, I got to West Point several times a month.

Whole Paycheck and Trader Joe's are in Cuyahoga county, which is north of here.

EarthFare just opened in west Akron, I haven't yet been, but soon.

Even though Kroger's headquarters are here in Ohio, they are not in this corner of the state, due mostly to the still strong union presence.

If I am at Target anyway, I might pick up a few items, but I don't grocery shop there on a regular basis.

As for WallyWorld, the less said (by me,) the better.

Lawrence/Maytagbear
 
I have no real favourite supermarket, I have favourite articles that I buy in various shops! I buy many items at "Albert Heijn" as this supermarket is almost unavoidable here, but I am also a big fan of "Marqt". The movie shows the interior of the shop in my neighbourhood:

<iframe width="425" height="349" src="" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

PS
"Marqt" has only two detergent brands on sale: "Ecover" and "Neutral"
 
Well Louis,

There is also a big disadvantage: "Marqt" is quite expensive! And it spoils your taste. There are things that I always bought at "Albert Heijn" and that I was happy with and now, after tasting them from "Marqt" I don't like them as much as I did before. Luckily the "Marqt" supermarket is not on my way to work so on weekdays I can restrain myself and go to "Albert Heijn".
 
For me it is between three main supermarkets depending on the sales:

Stop & Shop is the major player here but their sales are hit or miss. However it is most convenient and generally a fairly well run store

Shop Rite is picking up momentum here having purchased most of the now defunct (thank God) Shaw's. The nearest Shop Rite is about 12 miles away in Norwalk, but there is one coming to Fairfield within the next year. It will be on the site of an old Shaw's which was originally a First National/Finast/Edwards (in that order). The construction of the Shop Rite is being delayed due to "ongoing and long standing water and sewage issues in the structure's basement." Apparently, Shaw's had that problem for years and never fixed it. It was a dirty, smelly (think rotting meat, sewage and bad scented candles) and awful store and I well understand why they were not successful in their brief ten year stay in Connecticut. They took over other abandoned stores (mostly Grand Union and Edwards), changed the sign out front and never invested a dime in capital improvements. Pretty sad. Anyway, Shop Rite is becoming my go to store for most items. Generally clean and well run, the local Shop Rites are owned by the Cingari Family that started with the Stamford based "Grade A" Market, In fact, the Norwalk store is actually called "Shop Rite Grade A". Good prices overall and clean well stocked stores make it a winner. Shop Rite also runs the Price Rite chain which is generally in less affluent areas, but these too are good stores. Their premise is lower prices and no frills, but they don't always have everything in every brand. It works for some things.

Next up is "Big Y" out of Springfield Mass. They are expanding into southern Connecticut and their stores are immaculate, appealing with great meats, outstanding customer service and a fairly good bakery for a supermarket = kind of the Publix of New England. Their overall prices are a notch higher than the other stores, but one can clean up on "buy one get two free" sales,

While I like Whole Foods for some special items, it is just too pricey for everyday items. That said, I am excited that Fairfield is getting its own Whole Foods in a few months along with a Chipotle Mexican Grill, That;s fairly big stuff for us.
 
I avoid the 2 main players here - coles and woolworths. We tend to do 70% of our shopping in Aldi and the balance in Supabarn which is a Canberra based and family owned full service supermarket with much better quality meat, fruit and vegetables as well as a wider range of shelf goods than anyone else...they're also a tad dearer 5% or so.

I can live with that for quality and supporting a locally owned business.

http://www.supabarn.com.au
 
My supermarkets

In Atlanta, we shopped a lot at A&P, mainly because of their red dot specials, and when they pulled out, we shopped mainly at Kroger. When I moved back in 2004, we shopped a lot at Bi-Lo and Food Lion. But my addictions in North Georgia were Aldi and Harry's Farmer's Market. I was on a tight budget back then and Aldi was a life saver. Harry's was great because of the global food offerings.

San Diego, we shopped at Alpha-Beta and Lucky. Over time, it was just Lucky. From 2000-2004, I liked the convenience of Albertsons-Savon. Now, whenever I come home, I shop either Albertsons-Savon or Fresh & Easy.

Denver is unique. We have a lot of ethnic grocers in the metro area. I prefer Rancho Liborio for specialties(marinated carne asada). Albertsons here has great meat, along with Costco. I do shop every now and then at work, but I tend to do most of it at Albertsons.
 
Our main grocery store in Plano, TX when I was young was Safeway. It was the only store and was several miles away in "Old Town". Later a Skaggs closer to our house opened up and we mostly went there.  They had several mergers and changes: Skaggs became Skaggs - Albertsons, then Skaggs - Alpha Beta, and finally Albertsons. It is still open and still a nice store. The old Safeway is now a Spanish grocery market. As a teen in the early 1980s me and my friends had a stupid dirty joke about Skaggs - Alpha Beta, but I shouldn't post it here in the Super forum.
 
Since Kroger opened a new superstore here about 4 years ago, I've done the majority of my shopping there. I also go to Meijer a couple times per month, and get certain items such oatmeal, canned goods & frozen food at GFS (Gordon Food Service) if I want larger sizes. I only go to Wal-Mart if I'm looking for MaryB's Biscuits, as they are the only place around here that has them.
 
We went to check out Fresh & Easy today.  Interesting store with a few cheap deals, and lots of snack items that made me think I was at TJ's. 

 

This one had no live checkers.  It's entirely self-check and self-bag.  That gave me a vision of all grocery chains taking that same route, the one down which full-service gas stations disappeared long ago.
 
Hands down, my favorite is

Publix. Their stores are super clean, well stocked, and the staff are very courteous and helpful. And, as mentioned earlier, their BOGO sales can't be beat. I especially love the Publix Pharmacy. As I am on a regimine of regular medications I've used all the local and chain pharmacys in my area over the years. I switched to Publix about 12 years ago and I have been extremely pleased and would not consider using any other pharmacy. My wife and I do, however, shop our local Ingle's Market and about once a month visit Trader Joe's. A lot of folks around here shop at Bi-Lo which is based in Mauldin, SC (a surburb of Greenville). They run a lot of gimmicks to make it appear their prices are the lowest in SC. But, if you watch, anything not on sale is generally consideribly higher in cost than Publix, Bloom, or Ingle's whom Bi-Lo claims to beat.
 
Shop Rite ... the Leader in Cape May County

Here in Cape May County New Jersey we have ACME (formerly of Malvern PA, now on its third or fourth owner) Shop Rite, and a Super Fresh in Wildwood. The Super Fresh in Cape May Court House just closed. ACME is not longer the store it once was, way out of area owners aren't sure what the market is here and keep changing things. Stop and Shop tried it here with a new store in Rio Grande but that lasted only a couple of years. Shop Rite is the market leader here with a huge store, incredible selection and really good prices. The Walmart has limited groceries. There is a Sav-A-Lot in Rio Grande for really low prices on their non name brand selection. Big Lots has limited groceries but that is where I picked up a bunch of Cascade Dish Washer Detergent with phospates for $6 for a large box. Got enought for about a year of dishwashing.
 
We get most of our food items at either Aldi or Save-A-Lot and sometime Hy-Vee.  I get most of my cleaning supplies and personal items at either Dollar General or Family Dollar.

 
 
Trader Joe's: excellent quality, fair prices. This is not a full service supermarket, however, and I tend to shop at VONS when I need things not found at TJ's. I used to be a major Ralphs shopper, but after a six month strike in 2003, their prices zoomed sky high and never came down. VONS' prices are more reasonable. The store near me is open 06:00-midnight (used to be 24/7) so it meets my needs even when I must shop late at night.
 

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