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snowy · 10-04-2010, 06:43 AM

How do you shop for food? Do you comb the ads of local grocery stores, looking for the best possible deals to stock up on? Or do you have a couple of favorite stores you like for different things, and shop at those regularly? Or do you just pick up what you need, when you need it?

This question comes up because yesterday at a family dinner I had to listen to several complaints about a local grocery store closing. While this store did have a reasonable produce selection, to me it didn't have anything special that I couldn't find at the farmer's market or the local hippie co-op. But my mother-in-law insists that it had the best prices on said produce (it might have, but this was likely a result of being able to keep overhead low because the store was last updated in the 1970s...ew). She's willing to drive all over town now to find the best deals that she claims she was once able to find at this one store (oddly, she isn't willing to try the hippie co-op, she writes it off as "too expensive"...yet she's never shopped there).

It occurred to me that I am NOT willing to drive all over town to find the best deal. Our shopping strategy is this: we hit up the local "big box" grocery (Winco) once a month and stock up on pantry items, such as pasta, canned goods, baking supplies, frozen veggies, etc. This place has the lowest prices in town, guaranteed. Then, once a week, we go to the local hippie co-op for fresh staples such as half and half, coffee, eggs, hummus, and when market isn't open, veggies. The hippie co-op also has an owner sale day once a month where we get a discount for spending more, and so we usually save our bulk section shopping for then, as the hippie co-op has an awesome bulk section. As needed, we go to another store about half a mile from us (Fred Meyer/Kroger) for some produce (namely mushrooms), health and beauty stuff, and assorted household supplies (laundry detergent, dishwasher soap, etc). But I typically don't wait for these things to go on sale somewhere and stock up. First, I don't have the room, and second, I don't want to spend a load of time combing ads and driving all over town to find something. How much would I really be saving after I calculated in time spent on that activity, and the gas spent on driving around town? I save money instead by buying in bulk and doing my restocking of pantry items at the store in town that I know has the best prices.

Your turn!

10-04-2010, 06:43 AM	#1 (permalink)
snowy Kick Ass Kunoichi Location: Oregon	How do you shop for food? How do you shop for food? Do you comb the ads of local grocery stores, looking for the best possible deals to stock up on? Or do you have a couple of favorite stores you like for different things, and shop at those regularly? Or do you just pick up what you need, when you need it? This question comes up because yesterday at a family dinner I had to listen to several complaints about a local grocery store closing. While this store did have a reasonable produce selection, to me it didn't have anything special that I couldn't find at the farmer's market or the local hippie co-op. But my mother-in-law insists that it had the best prices on said produce (it might have, but this was likely a result of being able to keep overhead low because the store was last updated in the 1970s...ew). She's willing to drive all over town now to find the best deals that she claims she was once able to find at this one store (oddly, she isn't willing to try the hippie co-op, she writes it off as "too expensive"...yet she's never shopped there). It occurred to me that I am NOT willing to drive all over town to find the best deal. Our shopping strategy is this: we hit up the local "big box" grocery (Winco) once a month and stock up on pantry items, such as pasta, canned goods, baking supplies, frozen veggies, etc. This place has the lowest prices in town, guaranteed. Then, once a week, we go to the local hippie co-op for fresh staples such as half and half, coffee, eggs, hummus, and when market isn't open, veggies. The hippie co-op also has an owner sale day once a month where we get a discount for spending more, and so we usually save our bulk section shopping for then, as the hippie co-op has an awesome bulk section. As needed, we go to another store about half a mile from us (Fred Meyer/Kroger) for some produce (namely mushrooms), health and beauty stuff, and assorted household supplies (laundry detergent, dishwasher soap, etc). But I typically don't wait for these things to go on sale somewhere and stock up. First, I don't have the room, and second, I don't want to spend a load of time combing ads and driving all over town to find something. How much would I really be saving after I calculated in time spent on that activity, and the gas spent on driving around town? I save money instead by buying in bulk and doing my restocking of pantry items at the store in town that I know has the best prices. Your turn! __________________ If I am not better, at least I am different. --Jean-Jacques Rousseau