How many of you shop at Grocery Outlet (the "Bargain Market")
4I was just having a conversation with some of the Grocery Outlet employees, and they shop online the same way we do lol. Very curious how much overlap there is; it’s the “deals” version of a grocery store
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We have one here in my town in SoCal (I have ALOT of grocery stores within a 3-4 mile radius), and I’ve been there a handful of times. Honestly, the prices were never really low enough to me to justify trying some of the jankie brands, and the effort put into the store (by both managers and employees) always seem lackluster.
Than a couple years ago, they upscaled the store… better lighting, better produce displays, some better selections. It honestly was a better shopping experience. But they also jacked up the prices to basically the same level as all the other chain local grocery stores. So there’s no real value proposition there anymore.
Besides, Aldi‘s still has the overwhelming lead when it comes to food prices.
(on a sidenote, Vons is absolutely gouging the hell out of everyone since the pandemic.)
@haydesigner
One interesting thing about chain stores is that the prices that are not in the ad are not necessarily the same as in the same store across town (source, someone who actually did the comparison shop herself of a set of items across multiple stores)
One thing I have found is which store is cheaper depends upon what you buy. I have started a somewhat of a rotation. I have stocked up items but I shop more leisurely, usually 2-3 times a week. (the 3rd is the farmer’s market). I have basically 3 choices I use. I go to Vons/Albertsons (we have both a short distance apart) for certain items that are priced better there or that they carry that others don’t. I go there about once every 2 weeks unless it is dollar days, then I go for a couple things that are almost always on those lists I alternate with Stater Brothers (Local regional chain) mostly for meat. This is because I can buy 1 of something. Less wastage. They will also butterfly or spatchock chickends for me. They have certified meat cutters. they also carry items Albertsons does not. And some items are cheaper
My second time each week is often Sprouts. more expensive but if smaller and quicker in and out if all I want is for example fruits and veggies.
I refuse to shop at Walmart. And have been boycotting Target since they screwed the pooch. Aldi is not far away but just doesn’t meet my needs overall. I have gone in for this and that but I end up going somewhere else to get other things and that’s a waste.
I remember when my father would go shopping as a child. When he went he mapped everything out and went store to store to store to get the best prices. All on the same day. That’s just not me
I guess especially since I retired I am willing to pay for the privilege of my convenience
Yes, I’ve known about them for many years and I like it. The nearest store is close enough to even walk to but then I can’t buy too much because I have to carry it home. I think they are Western states only. We don’t have Aldi here.
By the way Trader Joe’s started as a similar discount store selling clearance, cut-out, overstock foods and wines. Now almost everything is made custom for them and prices there have definitely gone way up.
@pmarin
The TJ and ALDI history is actually pretty fascinating.
@chienfou @pmarin
I used to be able to get out of TJ’s with like 5 bags for $25, now it’s a good $150-200 every time I shop there. They are by far one of my favorites, I just wish they were close to me. It’s about a half hour drive. They definitely have stuff I’ve become very accustom to (their frozen pizzas), I just hate when you find something you love and they stop making it bc your shit out of luck.
@chienfou @Star2236 Used to go to TJs from way back in California in 1980s. My mother would go with me to help me stock up with a few wines on my way back to college (“bad mother!”) since I was only like 19. But I remember their early cut-out/clearance days which were fun but mostly a thing of the long-past.
I’ve had so many really-favorite foods that just dropped out of inventory. The people there at the back service counter are good at looking things up on their computer and will tell you what is going on. The Tuna for Cats supplier went away for some reason. My favorite spicy basil frozen vegetables were discontinued.
They told me since most stores are small they try to limit to 1000 SKUs (Items, basically) and that means they cut stuff all the time, sadly for some of us. In holiday season they up-it to about 1500 items they said.
@pmarin Everything’s gone way up and you still can’t beat TJ prices for specialty cheese, bread, spices, and frozen Indian food. Their prices on everything else is competitive with supermarkets but specialty-store quality. Their meat is great and competitively priced. It’s sadly true that they’ve dropped lots of great things because there aren’t equivalents elsewhere.
I shop TJ’s once a month and Aldi usually twice - there are things I’d never buy there but Aldi usually has a lot of stuff that’s good enough at a good price. However for paper goods and some bulk things I hit Wegmans bimonthly.
The ones in Oregon used (maybe still do) have monthly wine tastings. They would also set out samples of cheese, salami, crackers. It was a fun time but a bit of a drive and then had to be in Friday afternoon traffic (plus after sipping some wine – though my wife would usually drive). The managers of the stores we went to were very nice but they now retired.
In WA I don’t think they can do the tastings. They can sell hard liquor after laws changed and sometimes there are interesting things at good prices. The WA liquor tax is very high (not their fault).
I’d say that their fresh fruits and vegetables are actually better than sad-looking ones at the local big-chain grocery stores. The store staff constantly maintains the fruit/veg area. There will sometimes be a place for bags of discount fruits maybe not pretty but still usable, usually $1/bag. Also at this time of year lots of good garden plants: flowers, sometimes even trees. Christmas trees in-season.
Since I used to go there a lot for wine (don’t as much anymore – we have casemates), I did learn that the selection of what they can stock varies by region because of the way wine distribution is done. Some stores don’t seem to care and I guess just say “send me the usual stuff” but other stores have knowledgeable wine guys and if you get to meet them you can ask “what is new and good” and they will point out things to try. Apparently each store can request things from the local distribution and some will pick out some of the special stuff. If it really is something like that (special but cheap) be prepared for it to sell out quickly. Used to carry a wine opener in the car so you can try a taste in the parking lot and then if you want go inside to buy more because it might not be there tomorrow. Also at least in the old days you could call back and have them hold a case for you till tomorrow. But again the good wine deals don’t come as frequently as they used to and most is just “regular stock” which always seems to be there, and is kind-of, Meh.
@pmarin
I used to carry a wine opener in my car too but that was for drinking while walking with my friends playing disc golf.
@Star2236 another reason to love the screw-caps or whatever they call them these days.
You can install an app and sign-up and then scan a barcode at checkout (like almost all stores want you to do at the moment). You’ll sometimes (not always) get extra benefits.
Hey @DictatorChops …on a side note, welcome to the madhouse.
Grocery Outlet: Where East Meets West
@Rowsdower For people that know the history, that’s pretty funny.
EDIT now I want some chocolate chip ice cream!
@pmarin Just don’t buy this chocolate chip ice cream. It wasn’t worth the 27¢ that Grocery Outlet charged. (More like exceptionally tasteless!)
@Rowsdower yes the “light” in the title sums it up right there. Avoid.
I love this place. Bargain roulette. You get the weirdest, cheapest stuff there. Sometimes it’s awesome (habanero pineapple crisp snack) sometimes it’s awful (mushroom jerky). We call it Groçout (pronounced “Gross Out”).
KRULL! A SKULL! BRETT HULL! AWESOME!
I’m a fan. I actually bought two of my favorite blueberry plant varietals, an orchid and a loaf of local bread from ours yesterday.
@sillyheathen That’s gonna make some crazy sandwiches.
@macromeh but they’ll be crazy delicious!
User DictatorChops looks like a new account, made for the singular purpose of posting spam in the forum. (starting with thread necromancy and an incomplete thought about Splenda and/or stevia before this current topic)
But then it got a lot of positive response and conversation/interaction.
Did we get trolled? Did we invert that and defeat the troll? Is DictatorChops actually a genuine person really joining our community, and just happens to looks completely suspicious?
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
@xobzoo looks like been deleted, and if troll-ness is confirmed, that’s fine with me.
@pmarin @xobzoo
@xobzoo The thift store thread was actually revived by @pepper114 who was showing @sammydog01 and me how her thrift store plant was coming along. But whoever this is has also been on as “ProfessorChops” and some other “Chops” name. Also no longer a valid account. Weird …
@xobzoo It was “DocChops.”
@Kyeh @xobzoo Eek. If I’m going into surgery and a supposed Doctor Chops comes out with a cleaver I’m going to try to get out of there. And then they say we’ll put you to sleep now. So the next day you wake up behind a 7-11 in some bad part of a town you don’t remember going to. You haven’t figured out what organs are missing. just No!
/image dr evil no meme
Is bargain outlet a store? We don’t have that here, we have aldi. I’m a Meijer shopper. They partner with local farmers for all their produce and they actually own a three acre greenhouse here in Michigan and grow all their own lettuce. I still like to shop at the farmers market once it gets going. I also like Trader Joe’s and shop there when I’m out that way. There’s a lot of stuff I only buy at TJ’s. My bougie grocery store is either plum market or nino Selvaggio where I can get anything and everything under the sun. We also have a great independent grocery store, right up the road that has an awesome deli, puts together little stuff you’d find in like the meat market (stuffed chicken breast, roasted chicken which veggie and potatoes)on a regular basis. The owner is awesome and always on the floor checking stuff or stocking, I talk to him all the time and he’s so nice and helpful, I love that about that grocery store.
POPSOCKETS! ROAD ROCKETS! SONNY CROCKETT! AWESOME!
@Star2236 the furthest East I found a “Grocery Outlet” was in Idaho. And that’s not very far East. But been to many up and down the West coast.
They added the “Bargain Market” to their ads but I don’t it’s part of the name. So depending on where you are (longitude), you probably don’t have one.
I hit my first ALDI in the U.S. in Missouri. I knew it from before from the Netherlands, and it was similar. Seemed like lower-grade food (and wines), more like you would find at an (ugh!) Walmart. Whereas TJs seems to have upscaled quite a bit. Including their prices.
Grocery-Outlet is still hit or miss. But mostly high-quality stuff not like what they called the cut-out or “dent-shop” (dinged cans) of the old days.
@Star2236 Well, for the record, the ALDI I knew has remodeled and seems to be trying to be a nicer prettier store. None here now that I’m back West for a bit.
I heard there was a new Trader Joe’s much closer than the old one. They are expanding a lot, but then so are their prices
I think the corporate guys loved the excuse of “it’s Covidflation, just add $1 to everything!”. But Kroger and their disciples were even worse. Record profits several years in a row. Don’t get me started! Oh well I guess I’m already started.
Your question reminds me of one of the best parts of travel to new areas (usually in a small RV) and explore grocery and discount stores. Never been to a Meijer or a Menards.
@pmarin
I’ve actually never been to a Menards either and there over. It’s just not something I think to go in. We have lots of Ollie’s around here, I go in that place a lot for books for my nephew and nieces.
@Star2236 I used to try hit up as many Costcos in foreign locations as possible. Both Edmonton Alberta and Montreal Canada were fantastic. Montreal especially. Those silly French made really good foods we can’t get anywhere else. Meat pies even!
Funniest story was trying to continue the quest of hitting as many Costcos as possible to Seoul Korea, Should have just driven ourselves. (Had access to a company car there). In retrospect which is always better.
Hotel concierge wrote instructions on paper (for Taxi Drivers in Korean). We took subway across town and got in a taxi showed him the paper, drove around about 20 minutes. Never saw a Costco. Eventually he just shrugged and left us at the closest Metro station. Not sure if there ever was a Costco there in Seoul or not.
@pmarin
My boyfriend thinks I’m crazy bc one of the first things I like to do when traveling to a new area is hit up the local grocery store to see what new interesting things I can find.
@pmarin @Star2236 This is not crazy! It even works when exploring areas of a large city with a significant international population. (I wish I could find a Ukraine foods importer.)
@pmarin @werehatrack
Never seen one of those.
@pmarin @Star2236 I like to do that in foreign countries too; much more interesting than the tourist souvenir shops!
@Star2236 @werehatrack on the topic, my local Grocery Outlet can sell alcohol, and one product they’ve been getting is a Ukrainian vodka that is quite good. I was surprised they still are getting it or maybe it’s from a warehouse somewhere. It is a rye vodka which is subtle but has a different character. (Many don’t know that vodka can come from many different fermented products, but we don’t see rye very often)
@pmarin @Star2236 @werehatrack
Grocery stores have long been my go-to in foreign lands to pick up souvenirs to bring back home.
@chienfou @pmarin @werehatrack
What kind of things do you bring back from the grocery store?
BTDT when travelling in their region, but they aren’t in Houston (yet), so it’s not like I have the option often.
@werehatrack I “lived” in Houston 1985-86 and used to come back a few times since; not recently. Can’t think of any discount stores there at the time. There was an outdoor flea market that was cool. There were the typical mainstream grocery chains of the time and they would have “triple coupons” and then people would tell me it’s all on the company expense account why bother but for whatever reason I wanted to get the best deal.
@pmarin HEB finally moved into Houston, which immediately caused Albertson’s to depart, Randall’s to close a bunch of their stores, and Kroger to drop their prices. A few local grocers claim to be “discount”, but that’s only true if you want their worst generic-brand stuff. Aldi arrived a while back, too; there’s a list of things we regularly source from them.
yes, I go weekly. can’t find a $2 party size pack of weird Oreos anywhere else!
@alexpope And the gonzo test flavors of weird potato chips from Herr’s seem to never be anywhere else.