Comments on: Is It Worth Higher Prices For A Quality Shopping Experience?

By: Bill

Bill — Sun, 29 Jul 2007 19:04:32 +0000

I go to grocery stores instead of Wal-Mart most of the time simply because they are closer (4 stores less than 1.5 miles away)

Bulk once-a-month stuff comes from Sam’s during weekday business-only hours (no crowds)

By: Mitch

Mitch — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 17:13:56 +0000

Maybe it’s just my isolated upbringing, but I don’t know enough about the grocery chains listed by various commenters. (Fry’s? HEB?) If it’s not just me, could we like label things a bit? This would be my first pass at a list:

low status:
Aldi’s
IGA

medium-low (what I think of as “normal”):
Hy-Vee (store brand beef jerky!)
Sunshine
Eagle Country Markets (may be out of business)
Hilander
Country Mart

medium-high:
Schnucks/Logli’s
Dierbergs
Wild Oats
Kroger’s

high:
Whole Foods
Richmond Center Schnucks

By: lori

lori — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 00:20:18 +0000

I shop at the cheaper no frills store and I like it!

By: m360

m360 — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 17:36:36 +0000

Buying products on-line does save a lot. If nothing else, you escape sales tax. Food is taxed in some states and some have a ‘junk food’ tax. On things like electronics, books, clothing, there is usually a good discount, some give free shipping over a certain amt. like $25 and no sales tax.

By: m360

m360 — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 17:30:46 +0000

I would say Wal*Mart has the lowest prices on the staples I buy every month. Some products, like dannon yogurt, may be 4 cents less, but cereal can be 75 cents cheaper. Some products can save $1 or more. I try to memorize prices at different stores and compare them. One thing I consitantly find is that my dollar goes farther at Walmart. In fact, I couldn’t justify spending more at a cleaner but more exspensive store for items that are sealled. I will agree that buying produce is not so ideal @ WalMart, most of their stuff is rotten or goes bad quickly. I also save on cleaning products, shampoos, cat litter, etc. The store is adequatley clean, although I do find dust on the boxes sometimes. But it’s no different than the more exspensive chains. I also like the self check out lanes, although I think people should get a disscount for doing it themselves. I can’t agree that Target is as cheap or cheaper than Walmart though. Every store has a few items that are cheaper than their competitors but over all, nobody beats Walmart.

By: Elaine

Elaine — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 17:30:31 +0000

I’m with Michelle, I get as much of my food as I can at farmer’s markets or locally owned places. I prefer to see my money supporting my own community. Also, I won’t shop somewhere that isn’t within walking or at least biking distance.

Trent I’m surprised to see your emphasis on shopping online. You’ve written before about the value of your community. Taking most of your business elsewhere undermines that.

By: Lori

Lori — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 15:39:56 +0000

I agree. I don’t always shop there but I do shop at a higher end grocery store mainly to buy produce and when their meat is on sale for a good price. The lower end store’s produce is okay only if you are going to use it that day and the meat at the higher end store is good. Really good. If you have to keep the produce anytime at all, it goes bad and you have to throw it away. Plus, as you said, helpfull clerks, clean and organized store and it carries items that we use that aren’t carried at the lower end stores.

By: Diana

Diana — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 13:45:28 +0000

I agree with you on this one. I love shopping at our local Fresh Market which carries clean, organic, and all natural food/products. I know I will be paying more there, but I feel great shopping there. I don’t feel like I am in a huge, infinite space of “stuff”. I prefer shopping somewhere that you know someone took time to plan and present their products in a good manner. Yay for small grocery stores!

By: Michelle

Michelle — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 13:30:37 +0000

I usually will shell out the extra dough to support our local farmers though direct farm purchases and shopping at Farmer’s Markets. By joining a CSA, you can avoid much of the chain store shopping experience (ick!), do some good for your community, and obtain a far superior product than you could a Wallyworld or Tar-zhay.

By: beloml

beloml — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 13:27:45 +0000

Trent,

Could you elaborate on researching and shopping Black Fridays at Sam’s? If you’ve posted on this before, I couldn’t find it on your site.

By: Christine

Christine — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 12:54:14 +0000

Monica:

I think you described the store I can’t stand the most! I just had to go there to buy a vacuum and I had all the same problems. Nothing like the check out person not being able to process a coupon from their own store!

I must say that I almost always choose Meijer for shopping. I like the fact the stores are new, clean and open 24 hours. I mostly buy loss leader items there and get the buy one – get two offers quite frequently.

By: Callum

Callum — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 08:08:24 +0000

While I agree that this approach saves money, personally, I have an ethical problem with shopping in a book store then going home to order the books on Amazon. Or likewise with any other products.

Some stores charge more for products because they are more expensive stores. They have more expensive displays, higher paid staff, are cleaner, etc, etc. If everyone chose to use these places as catalogues and then shopped online, they would go out of business.

So in my view, if you’re going to shop online you should do so. If you choose to go to a more expensive store you should at least *seriously consider* buying something there.

By: Mark A

Mark A — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 04:28:27 +0000

This inspired me to write my own post on the subject. It’s a value debate as far as I’m concerned.

By: vh

vh — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 03:04:06 +0000

Great topic, and a source of considerable controversy in these parts: my semi-demi-exboyfriend thinks I’m nuts for shopping in a high-toned grocery store or even Safeway instead of Albertson’s or Fry’s. Yet I’ve found that sometimes Snob City underprices Safeway (not all that hard to do).

I avoid the two stores within walking distance of my home–an Albertson’s and a Fry’s–because I don’t feel safe there. Neither shopping center is very clean, and when you stand in line behind a guy who has several tears tatooed beneath an eye, it does tend to give you the willies. One of my neighbors was shot by a purse-snatcher at the Fry’s strip mall (where a year or two later a couple of baggers accidentally strangled a shoplifter), and two of my neighbors and I on separate occasions have actually been CHASED around the Albertson’s parking lot by a panhandler.

Any day I’d rather drive three miles and pay a few extra bucks to Safeway for the privilege of not having to put up with those shenanigans.

As for Wal-Mart vs Target…eek! Give me Tar-zhay any day! Also, has anyone noticed that Costco stores stock slightly different products according to the demographics of the area in which a given outlet is located? You get better service in the store in the upscale district, too….

By: Suchintya

Suchintya — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 02:12:45 +0000

Where I come from, online shopping has just started. Recently I made a kill for an acquaintance by getting him a camera online at 36% discount to the purchase price in the retail store!

By: guinness416

guinness416 — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 23:59:47 +0000

Yeah, I choose local stores (especially those with proprietors from my country and my husband’s) over soulless big boxes all the time, and don’t regret it.

By: Louise

Louise — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 22:36:56 +0000

@ Brad Brad Brad
I’ve found the Targets and Wal-Marts that I’ve visited to be nearly identical in prices. If I must pick between the two, and I have the option of both, I always go with Target because of the pricing, better quality of products, better variety of products, and shopping experience. Plus, I don’t like how I feel trashy, poor, and evil whenever I leave a Wal-Mart.

By: Brad

Brad — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 21:54:23 +0000

What things is Target cheaper for? I haven’t seen any, except perhaps for the $2 sale price for 12-packs of Pepsi products that were on sale last week.

I find WalMart quite reasonable. The lines are long at times, but then so were the ones at Target last time I was there. :)

(I had been on a quest to find popcorn seasoning originally, so I visited several stores since their online site had some and I wanted to avoid shipping. They did not have it in the store though. :( )

Brad

By: Mishal

Mishal — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 21:33:55 +0000

I also agree with this. I have a choice between HEB and Whole Foods, but I do most of my shopping at Whole Foods. Why? Because I try to buy fresh produce and whole foods has much higher quality produce that doesn’t rot as much as HEB. Often at the cheaper places I have to throw out stuff. Also if you stay at the low end of products, Whole Foods isn’t that much more than HEB. I can easily get a week’s worth of food at both places for not more than $5 to $10 difference in price.

By: Lynnae (Being Frugal)

Lynnae (Being Frugal) — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 21:28:08 +0000

I’m really fortunate. The least expensive grocery store in my area is really clean and has great service! I do have to bag my own groceries, but I don’t mind doing that.