I'm sorry for all of you that do not have a Wegmans.
A Man Who’s Going to Save Your Neighborhood Grocery Store
31–40 of 50 posts
Re: A Man Who’s Going to Save Your Neighborhood Grocery Store
#32Earlier quoted context omitted.
> More generally, Am I willing to save 30% on bread crumbs or soap if it means buying a 6-12 month supply up-front? Yes, that’s a great ROI! This depends on the size of your home and the amount of storage space you have. I am generally unwilling to buy a 6+ month supply of household goods because real estate is significantly more expensive than toilet paper.
People say that, but people have a hard time letting go of junk they’ll never use to make space for stuff that they consume everyday.
I think people fit on a wide spectrum ranging from hoarder to absolute minimalist.
I was speaking for myself, and some of the hidden costs associated with buying in bulk.
Re: A Man Who’s Going to Save Your Neighborhood Grocery Store
#33Earlier quoted context omitted.
That's a fight we have fought before and won. I'm confident we can fight it again.
Why? Is the goal to have good groceries nearby or is it some kind of a war against “big” companies?
Personally? I’ve lived places where Walmart was the only grocery store within 30 miles. I much prefer my neighborhood grocery stores and would rather they not have the competition. Walmart has a history of forcing other retailers out of business.
Yes, I understand that statement is antifreemarket and many people will disagree. I think people should take a more active approach to shaping their local communities.
Re: A Man Who’s Going to Save Your Neighborhood Grocery Store
#34Since my Vietnamese sister-in-law introduced me to Asian farmer's markets, I tend to only shop at them for anything fresh. Their produce selection is just so much better than traditional American super markets, they actually have a real butcher, and their seafood selection is much larger. Their produce selection tends to be a lot cheaper than standard grocery stores too because they have separate supply chains and di…
Yeah, I get all my seafood (except wild pacific salmon, for some reason Trader Joe's has by far the best) from Korean/Thai grocery stores. Great selection on fresh/frozen shellfish and fish.
I think most traditional major supermarket chains have a higher markup on the "fresh things" like produce/meat/seafood but low prices on processed things + eggs + milk. Meanwhile the Asian groceries tend to have a low markup on produce/seafood but high markup on the processed things.
I just need to find a place to get meat and nice-ish cheese (currently stock up on store-brand cheese every two weeks at Trader Joes) for cheap. I don't miss small grocery stores at all, usually they were too expensive with poor quality produce/meat and very poor seafood selection in my experience.
Re: A Man Who’s Going to Save Your Neighborhood Grocery Store
#35From looking around my city and noticing which grocery stores are thriving and which aren't, I've noticed a pattern. I readily admit that I am judging by how busy they are and have no insight as to their actual profitability. Also, my city seem unusual in that Whole Foods is not particularly popular here. People who would shop there have had better places along the same lines for years before Whole Foods came around, so there were already deeply entrenched shopping habits.
The very high-end grocery stores are doing about the same as they always have. The bulk/budget grocery stores are doing better than ever. It's the ones in the middle that seem to be dying.
I'm not sure how much of this can be placed at Amazon's feet. Amazon's grocery offerings seem to be geared toward the high-end.
Re: A Man Who’s Going to Save Your Neighborhood Grocery Store
#36Article has a confusing title, it not about saving your small local neighborhood store. It is about how supermarkets can compete with Amazon, Walmart and online. His idea sounds a lot like Whole Foods, and not a neighborhood store. The store that resulted is called Harvest Market, which opened in 2016. It’s south of downtown Champaign, Illinois, out by the car dealerships and strip malls; 58,000 square feet of floor…
Exactly. I like the idea of "traditional American supermarket" for the irony content. When I was a youngin', our town didn't have any chain stores, just a dozen or so family markets. I miss the culture and environment, not so much the lack of selection. Since then, it's hard to take sides in a Safeway vs Walmart vs Amazon brawl. The first chain fast food (aside from the ubiquitous Dairy Queen) came somewhat later. Th…
> When I was a youngin', our town didn't have any chain stores, just a dozen or so family markets.
Me too. I truly miss those days, and make it a point to shop at the few remaining such markets in my town.
Re: A Man Who’s Going to Save Your Neighborhood Grocery Store
#37Earlier quoted context omitted.
Exactly. I like the idea of "traditional American supermarket" for the irony content. When I was a youngin', our town didn't have any chain stores, just a dozen or so family markets. I miss the culture and environment, not so much the lack of selection. Since then, it's hard to take sides in a Safeway vs Walmart vs Amazon brawl. The first chain fast food (aside from the ubiquitous Dairy Queen) came somewhat later. Th…
Having shopped at family markets, I also don't miss their prices.
I don't remember them being particularly expensive (although they were never "budget" stores), but their quality was always above average and they were active members of the neighborhood rather than just stores that sold stuff.
Re: A Man Who’s Going to Save Your Neighborhood Grocery Store
#38Article has a confusing title, it not about saving your small local neighborhood store. It is about how supermarkets can compete with Amazon, Walmart and online. His idea sounds a lot like Whole Foods, and not a neighborhood store. The store that resulted is called Harvest Market, which opened in 2016. It’s south of downtown Champaign, Illinois, out by the car dealerships and strip malls; 58,000 square feet of floor…
It sounds like Kelly is trying to position his stores as "warm and fuzzy", with a "Mom's Kitchen" section, rather than "opulent", like Whole Foods. “When did you start to mistake opulence for success?”, he says. Now consider Trader Joe's. They have modest sized stores. They're rather plain. They offer mostly their own house brands. They don't have sales, coupons, delivery, or affinity cards. The prices are reasonable…
Personally, I tend to do most of my shopping at a regional bulk/budget chain. For produce, I tend to hit up the farmer's market and the neighborhood grocery store (I buy produce on an as-needed basis rather than as part of my scheduled shopping).
Whole Foods is too expensive and unpleasant, Walmart is too unpleasant, and Trader Joe's is too variable in terms of quality -- some of their stuff is great, some of it is awful, and it's hard to tell which by looking.
Re: A Man Who’s Going to Save Your Neighborhood Grocery Store
#39Since my Vietnamese sister-in-law introduced me to Asian farmer's markets, I tend to only shop at them for anything fresh. Their produce selection is just so much better than traditional American super markets, they actually have a real butcher, and their seafood selection is much larger. Their produce selection tends to be a lot cheaper than standard grocery stores too because they have separate supply chains and di…
Yes, on the whole, Asian markets have it going on!
Re: A Man Who’s Going to Save Your Neighborhood Grocery Store
#40Earlier quoted context omitted.
That's a fight we have fought before and won. I'm confident we can fight it again.
Why? Is the goal to have good groceries nearby or is it some kind of a war against “big” companies?
I honestly don't consider Walmart to be a "good" store. They're cheap, and that's it. They bring a large cost to the community, too.