Friday Free-For-All: Grocery Stores
I’ve been curious about this particular question for quite a while and thought I’d throw it out to all of you. What are your criteria for grocery shopping? The reason I ask is that, when we lived in the Lake Linganore area back in the early ’90’s, the only choices we had for groceries was either to go to Safeway in Mt. Airy or Food Lion/Safeway in Walkersville. Then we lived in Riverwalk, in the north end of Frederick City and we had plenty more options for grocery stores. I was particularly fond of County Market when it was in the 7th Street Shopping Center.
For certain reasons, I’ve been grocery shopping at the Super Wal-Mart on the way home from my job in Frederick. The produce section seems a bit suspect, but the canned-frozen-paper-dairy sections seem more reasonable than any other mass grocery store in the area. Yet I find myself going to the Giant in Urbana for the convenience of it being about 4-5 miles from my house. So here are my questions;
Do you shop based on prices of the goods? Convenience? Both? What is your favorite grocery store in the area? Or are you biding your time before Wegman’s comes to town? (I lived in Rochester NY for 4 years…believe me when I tell you I understand).
I’m still surprised Wegman’s is coming to Frederick, unless it’s a downsized version of its showcase northern Virginia store.
Wegman’s huge selection and upscale setting are indeed wonderful, but so many people today have gone the warehouse way of Costco and Sam’s Club, which offer rock-bottom prices, but little selection.
To be sure, Wegman has some good deals, but will the greater Frederick area sustain an upscale store whose cheese department boasts some 800 types of cheese, a huge international section, etc etc etc?
I also don’t see how Wegman’s will flourish, without someone else taking it on the chin. Giant, to my mind, has long been the area’s class operation, but will Wegman’s steal Giant’s luster? Obviously, the brass at Wegman’s has done its homework and, yes, there is a lot of money in Frederick County today.
My guess is that Wegman’s will not open a flagship, A-level store in Frederick County.
you are so right, Wegman’s is not opening a flagship store in Frederick, but even their scaled down store will be a wonderful addition to the meager choices of grocery stores here in Frederick. I have long waited for a big store the likes of Wegmans, Harrys, Teeters, and some of the other large groc stores in the other states. I cant wait for Wegmans.
I’m looking forward to having a Wegman’s in our area. For me, I hope they are opening a flagship store. I love the variety of foods they have – give me 800 cheeses to choose from!
I’m sure it will do well in this area and I think Giant will have some tough competition when it arrives.
I look for quality in meats, freshness in vegetables (wal-mart definitely does a poor job in that area), etc. I do shop at Giant and at costco for the bulk items; sometimes at wal-mart for canned goods IF I think about it when I’m there.
Bring on Wegman’s!
Monica
I have stuck with the 7th St. Safeway since I moved here nearly eight years ago. I’ve gotten to know the staff by name so it’s like going to a little neighborhood corner grocery store. WalMart? No thanks. Wegman’s? Who cares.
I am from Rochester and have been having Wegman’s withdrawls since we moved to Frederick in July. Even though we don’t purchase 98% of the options Wegman’s offers, it’s nice to know they’re there. Just incase we get creative one of these days. It’s always been the helpfulness of the staff that has impressed us. If you ask an employee where something is, they walk you to it. They don’t stand and point. We chose a Frederick grocery story based on who’s giving out gasoline perks. And the scanner you can carry throughout the store is factor as well. We do not have any aggravation waiting in checkout lines. Wegman’s will be the classic example of build it and they will come.
I watched the movie “The High Cost of Low Price” and haven’t set foot in a WalMart or Sam’s Club since. Between the horrible working conditions of their international workers, the illegal actions taken towards American employees, WalMart’s disrespect for our environment, the destabilization WalMarts bring to local communities and businesses, and the several hundred other issues that I can’t remember but are all well-documented in the movie…I won’t let a penny from my home or business bring any profit to that company. Besides all of that, the quality of their food is terrible. The documentary “Super Size Me” is another great movie regarding the foods we eat and their impact on our health.
I support The Common Market and My Organic Market, and when in Baltimore, I stock-up at Trader Joe’s. The couple extra dollars I spend on high-quality, organic foods produces significantly greater health for me and my family–and therefore less doctor’s & prescription expenses–than if I’d skimped and bought low-cost foods to start with. My 6-year old has never had a sick doctor’s visit or been on antibiotics; my 8-year-old only had antibiotics once in his infancy and hasn’t had a sick doctor’s call in the past seven years…I have no idea when I last had to see a doctor for any illness–15 years? 20?? I have no doubt that the foods we eat are in large part responsible for our collective health.
Have a Healthy New Year. Jessica
I go to several places for several things….
I stop at bloom for the convience They are a tad pricey but convient because it is on the way home.
Price is definetly a plus for walmart. I can walk out of there with the same items as bloom and have it cost a 1/3 less. Produce I dont like though…it never looks good.
I go to giant off of crestwood as they have the best produce and best meat section by far. they are also on the pricey side though. But for good berries and tomatos year round…I go there.
The Giant off 26 is most convenient for me, but I’ve started going to the 7th street Safeway for the quality. The bakery is the big difference. Prices and selection are not quite as good as Giant, but the quality of the fresh bread makes it worth the extra time. Once Wegmans arrives, that’s most likely where I’ll go.
Yeah, I used to like going to that Safeway too when I lived up that way. I liked seeing all the familiar, friendly faces of the employees that work there.
Sometimes circumstances are such that we can’t always go to the expensive stores (unemployment etc…) and, like I said in the post, Wal-Mart has good prices for similar goods in other stores (though I think we all agree that the produce ain’t cutting it!!
) Having said that, I don’t think I would necessarily go out of my way to go there if it weren’t on my way home.
I care mostly about local and high quality foods. So, we make a stop at the Common Market for staples, but we also have a CSA subscription in the winter time greens and shop at the farmer’s market during the summer. When I am looking for meats or dairy I’ll go directly to the farms. *Think outside the grocery store!*
Shameless plug: http://www.EatLocalFrederick.com
We go to the Giant off 26 and Costco for our grocery needs. I found the produce at the 7th street Safeway lacking when we used to shop there. We shopped there mostly out of convenience since we lived about 50 yards from the place. Can’t wait to check out the new Wegmans.
I go to Superfresh and Bottom Dollar (used to go to Food Lion) . Sometimes Giant Eagle because it’s the only thing close to the West Coast Super Markets (Vons etc…) Looking forward to Wegman;s
I only buy what’s on sale. Change my eating habits depending on what is cheaper at the time. Saves tons of money.
I am another person who buys organically/sustainably/locally.
Locally, in the winter it’s MOM’s for just about everything foodwise. Farmer’s markets in the summer. Giant for staples, because they carry quite a lot of the organic stuff and are sometimes better than MOM’s. Hemp’s for meats.
I wish there was a Trader Joe’s up here, they are tough to beat for healthier and gourmet treats at great prices. I do a run down to the one in Gaithersburg every once in a while.
I’ve never been in a Wegman’s, I’m looking forward to it.
Everyone keeps talking about Wegman’s coming but there is no definite date yet. One site plan says spring 2008 and another says 2011. Since ground has not been broken yet, I am going to say that it will not be spring 2008.
I shop either at the Common Market or Giant. I try to pick up as much as I can at the co-op and pick up the rest at the Giant on Route 26 since it is on my way home. I live closer to Bloom and Safeway but this Giant offers me what I can’t get at the co-op.
For my lifestyle and preferences, Trader Joe’s can’t be beat for many (but not all) of my grocery purchases. It’s a good thing I’m so high on their products; otherwise, I’d never go out of my way to travel to their smallish store in that congested shopping center in Gaithersburg. But, it doesn’t appear TJ’s will be opening a store more convenient to Frederick, since they inexplicably (apparently based on outdated data) have rejected the Frederick area as having “unsuitable demographics” for their market segment. So, many of us will continue to have to plan our trips to TJs carefully. Two more comments on TJs: I think that most who visit TJs for the first time will be pleasantly surprised at their prices (as I was), given the common misconception that they are generally high priced. Also, they are not a “complete” grocery store in terms of having all the staples you commonly need, plus you will likely need (or want) to supplement your produce and meat purchases by visiting other stores.
I drive to Frederick specifically to shop at Common Market and Costco. Otherwise, I stick to my local farmer’s market and my local Royal Ahold Giant-doppelganger, Martin’s. My husband likes a diet soda sold only by Weis, so I stop in there to buy it once in a while. The Weis stores in Frederick that I’ve visited are not appealing, but they have a beautiful new store out here in West Virginia. (I’m unimpressed with overall prices and the quality of their meats, though.)
I don’t think I need Wegman’s. I do almost all my produce shopping at either the Common Market or MOM’s. I fill in at the Giant Eagle on 40W. The Common Market has a huge selection of cheese (and a good cheese monger), a good olive bar, a growing deli. The Giant Eagle has a terrific international foods aisle…A Trader Joe’s would be lovely, but I don’t think the Wegman’s will feed a need that is not yet met.
We regularly shop at the Common Market for milk and mayo substitute (grapeseed oil Vegenaise), and bulk rice; Costco for eggs, cheese, and bone-in chicken breasts; and then get everything else (including 93% lean ground beef in bulk when it’s on a good sale) either at the Giant in Urbana because it’s also about 5 miles from our house or the Safeways in Mt. Airy (about 9 miles from our house) or the one in Gaithersburg on Goshen because it’s on the way home from work. Even though we work not far from the Trader Joe’s in G’burg, it doesn’t really have that much different from what the Common Market has.
I work in the outskirts of Frederick but am not as familiar with the area as I’d like to be–does anyone know if there is a Blooms in Frederick or nearby? Or has anyone shopped in a Blooms? Blooms was one of the relatively few grocery stores getting praise from Consumer Reports in an article from not long back, and I’d love to check it out.
I believe that the former Food Lions in Walkersville and out on Yellow Springs Road are now Bloom stores.
Hi- I wanted to jump in on this discussion. I have heard that Wegman’s is coming and I have been to one and loved it! But for my everyday kind of shopping, I prefer Giant Eagle. Living in Mt. Airy I avoid the Weis (not at all appealing). Super Fresh I go to because there are certain things that I like there but the store is looking very, very tired and worn out. The produce is not always appealing. Safeway is nice. I like Food Lion. But sometimes I make a special trip to go to Giant Eagle- either location. I love them both! I also like the Common Market very much. mrstucci
Re Giant Eagle: I may be the last living person unclear on this, but I’ve wondered whether there is (or ever was) any connection between Giant Eagle and plain old Giant grocery stores.
I find myself stopping most often at Giant, simply because there are so many in mid-to-upper Montgomery County, where I live. (Wish there was a Giant Eagle nearby.) It seems to me the Giant chain has generally slipped in recent years, dating back to when a Dutch conglomerate purchased the stores from local DC ownership. I’d happily take my business elsewhere a lot more often if Giant wasn’t so darned convenient for me.
FF, as you say, Giant is owned by Royal Ahold and Giant Eagle is a small local chain in MD, OH, PA and WV so, no relation.