The One With 4 Stores
It's crazy.Insane.
This grocery shopping thing is making my head spin.
Our main store, let's call it Schmaleys, well they are highly over-priced.
So we switched to an alternate store Chafehay. The prices are better.
But, the change is overwhelming. Overwhelming because we had to learn a new road map to maneuver the place.
It's like coming home to find your bedroom on the opposite side of your house, and the shower outside.
It's that crazy.
Our main store was like our second home. Plus, the produce and meat selection....like one of our children. Huggable, loveable, 7% fat and fresh.
Imagine my horror when I tried to choose a few good kids at the "other" store. The meat is not as lean. The celery, not as crisp.
Then we tried gargantuan Scmalbart. Even better prices, but the meat and produce...not worthy or our main store.
Don't get me started on Plarget. I am anxiously awaiting their addition of a produce and meat section, so I can just pop a tent in the outdoor section and live there.
Damn it! Trying to make a dang good meal requires 4 stores, two towns, and hours of stress.
Why can't this be easier?!
March 10, 2009 at 3:08 AM
Trust me... I completely feel your pain. Just on an entirely different (and somewhat more horrific) level!! :)
March 10, 2009 at 3:57 AM
These are the times I love being single, childless and fancy free. I spent 20 bucks on sammich fixins that will last me two weeks. HAH! I love it!
Oh ... I didn't mean to be 'in your face' like that. Really. I'm actually freaking out a bit about da monies this month.
March 10, 2009 at 4:03 AM
I too have four stores that I need to shop at to really buy all of the stuff I want or need. Luckily three of them are within 2 miles of my houe, but really who has the time! I sure have changed my shopping habits in the past few months attempting to cut spending!
March 10, 2009 at 6:25 AM
you took the words out of my mouth and off of my computer screen!!! I JUST had a similar convo with my sister- so plese don't think I'm a big copy cat when you see my similar post.
March 10, 2009 at 6:36 AM
I don't get this either. But I have learned from my mistakes and misfortunes.
Since my kids go through an average of eight gallons of milk a week, and even with two refrigerators and a freezer, there just isn't enough room for it all, that means multiple shopping trips, anyway.
So, since they ALL carry milk, a little shopping list gerrymandering means I can get everything I need over the course of the week, by visiting only one store at a time.
Until I get home, and someone says, "Mom, I forgot to tell you we were out of..."
March 10, 2009 at 6:49 AM
I feel you. I do the same thing.
March 10, 2009 at 7:10 AM
I feel your pain. Near me there is Peapod (dot com) and it uses Stop and Shop. I can place an order online and they deliver!! The delivery charge is only about $7. I just order the sale items and then buy other things at my regular store. It makes a difference.
Is there something like that near you?
March 10, 2009 at 7:13 AM
Haha...I can feel your pain! I hate it when we try to shop and grocery stores that we are unfamiliar with.
March 10, 2009 at 7:15 AM
You are SO right. I hate the fact that MY store (We'll call it...Fleijer, lol) has THE freshest produce, the best meat, but not always the best prices.
Ugh.
Oh well, I'm going to stay true because of convenience.
March 10, 2009 at 7:47 AM
I feel your pain. I scour the ads each week and choose one drugstore (Walgreens, CVS or Rite-Aid), one grocery store (Meijer or Kroger) and one superstore (Walmart or Target). So I hit at least three stores every week, sometimes more. Thankfully, all of my stores are within one mile of each other. They are also in the process of converting our Walmart into a Super Walmart. I hope their meat and produce selection is decent so I can cut out one of my stops each week, but I'm not hopeful. The things we'll do in this economy to save a few bucks...
March 10, 2009 at 7:54 AM
Yeah, that is just wrong...do you have any companies that deliver to your house? That makes it less stressful and I bet it might be cheaper than the FANCY store...that was a good compromise for me a while ago but then guess what...I was back at Plarget!!!!
March 10, 2009 at 8:00 AM
There used to be a time when I'd spend the better part of Saturday touring the city for various stores...not anymore. I couldn't be bothered, and I'm too old now...
March 10, 2009 at 8:13 AM
I can so relate...we need one store for the prices, one for the produce and meat, and one store for tp, etc.
Ugghhh...it's all so frustrating and overwhelming.
March 10, 2009 at 8:54 AM
I shop in 2 or 3 different store weekly. I spend most of our food budget at our main store but there are a two other smaller places with great deals on produce and/or coffee and spices. It can be a pain but my grocery budget is not a guide it's a rule. The thing I have noticed about Plarget is that although their meat and produce is nice it's way more expensive than other stores.
Um, it wasn't my intention to write you a novel but I did so, yeah.
March 10, 2009 at 9:36 AM
I am soooooooo the grocery shopper of the house. I do, though go to 3 different stores. they each have certain items that I like to get. As for the main grocery store, or any grocery store...I hate learning new places to find everything...though I DO go down every single aisle...I just have to...I'm a freak like that!
March 10, 2009 at 11:01 AM
Oh yes, I can relate. I am actually laughing very hard, because it sounds so familiar.
March 10, 2009 at 11:57 AM
I can relate as well! stop the madness!
March 10, 2009 at 12:09 PM
oo I feel your pains! What I do is plan my meals for the month go to the cheap store for anything that is not perishable and go to the more expensive store for the stuff that is.
March 10, 2009 at 1:17 PM
I know, and Schmalbart no longer sells Propel by the quart, so at least I can cross them off my list now and shop at Target instead. Fortunately, our grocery store has everything I like except a special bread, but I can buy that frozen 3 at a time, so we're good there. :)
March 10, 2009 at 1:22 PM
I am bad... I pay too much for the convenience of not having to drive far away or wander the aisles trying desperately to find my Nestle Quik. I am lazy, I admit it... I just excuse it by claiming to be a voluntary part of the economic stimulus package.
March 10, 2009 at 2:01 PM
I feel the same way about change...lol.
March 10, 2009 at 4:47 PM
I cannot bring myself to buy meat at Schmalbart...it's not natural for fresh meat to be fresh for that long! I like my Shaw's, um...Smaw's because it's 2 minutes away and the prices are just dandy.
March 10, 2009 at 5:23 PM
I often visit two, but not four! EGADS!!
And we all know I LOVE me some Plarget, with the exception of their groceries...
March 10, 2009 at 6:15 PM
I tend to shop at whatever store I am closest to because I am horribly lazy...
March 10, 2009 at 6:48 PM
We have 2 grocery stores that are about double the price of walmart, which is an hour away.
P.S. They should make ALL walmarts with the same layout. Now wouldn't that just make sense?
March 10, 2009 at 7:14 PM
This is why this weekend when the Hubs offered to take BG and do all the shopping I happily sat on the couch and said OK!
March 10, 2009 at 7:25 PM
Lately I've added PMS and Shmallgreens, just for the rebates and coupons.
I feel your pain...
March 10, 2009 at 8:46 PM
You have my sympathy. Bet it snows there, too.
Barbara
March 11, 2009 at 9:51 AM
Even though it kills my soul, we shop at Walmart, best prices. As for meat, we started buying a whole cow a few years ago, and it's the best investment ever, we always have meat in our freezer. And in the summer, our local farmers market is the cheapest for produce. If I need chicken, I turn to gigantic frozen bags fo it from a wholesale giant.
March 11, 2009 at 2:16 PM
Don't y'all have a Stater Bros? I think that would solve all your problems... move down south a little ;-)
March 11, 2009 at 8:24 PM
I can totally relate to this post!! I was shopping at Smart Foods for awhile until I realized that Safeway had much better prices and deals but it totally threw me off when I had to learn my way around Safeway. I felt a little out of sorts for awhile!!