Grocery Stores

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EOst
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Re: Grocery Stores

Postby EOst » January 13th, 2015, 10:08 am

What were you fixing to cook that you couldn't get the supplies for at TJ's?

mattaudio
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Re: Grocery Stores

Postby mattaudio » January 13th, 2015, 10:11 am

Sorry, but TJs is weird. They only have basic "groceries" and it's far too focused on prepared/packaged foods. Most of the produce comes pre shrink wrapped and the packaging is obscenely wasteful. I go there maybe once a year max for snacky stuff, but that has recently been supplanted by costco + ziplock bags + freezer/pantry at much lower cost.

Snelbian
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Re: Grocery Stores

Postby Snelbian » January 13th, 2015, 10:19 am

The only reason I ever go to Trader Joe's is nuts and Raynal brandy. While I haven't checked Aldi and I don't do Costco, nuts are cheaper at Trader Joe's than anywhere else. They're even cheap enough to make up for the fact that the Jimmy Buffet aesthetic pretty much instantly makes me view suicide pretty favorably.
What were you fixing to cook that you couldn't get the supplies for at TJ's?
Presumably anything more complicated than two jars and a box...

Wedgeguy
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Re: Grocery Stores

Postby Wedgeguy » January 13th, 2015, 10:21 am

I've noticed that as of the 1st of the year that Cub went on another price hike binge again. Wish there was a HyVee closer to uptown.

EOst
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Re: Grocery Stores

Postby EOst » January 13th, 2015, 11:42 am

Presumably anything more complicated than two jars and a box...
I'm really just curious what people eat for dinner, because even as a "creative cook" I mostly make variations on the same six or seven meals. ;) Most of what I use, though, could be sourced at TJ's (even if I usually get it elsewhere, because I don't trust their produce) so I do wonder what it is that I've been skipping over.

ECtransplant
US Bank Plaza
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Re: Grocery Stores

Postby ECtransplant » January 13th, 2015, 11:51 am

The only time I don't shop at Trader Joe's is when I'm lazy and go to the Lund's across the street from me, so count me among those who don't know what it's missing. Regardless, their chocolate is cheap and amazing.

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Realstreets
Nicollet Mall
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Re: Grocery Stores

Postby Realstreets » January 14th, 2015, 11:20 am

The only reason I ever go to Trader Joe's is nuts and Raynal brandy. While I haven't checked Aldi and I don't do Costco, nuts are cheaper at Trader Joe's than anywhere else. They're even cheap enough to make up for the fact that the Jimmy Buffet aesthetic pretty much instantly makes me view suicide pretty favorably.
What were you fixing to cook that you couldn't get the supplies for at TJ's?
Presumably anything more complicated than two jars and a box...
Chicago Lake Liquors has Raynal brady too! Love that stuff. But yeah TJ is only ok. I've had bread, cheese and produce go moldy on me days after buying it. However, their frozen items are amazing, especially the Asian food. Toothpaste is also great (as it doesn't have soap in it) and is a third the price of Tom's, etc. Plus they have the fastest cashiers in the biz, which I appreciate.

David Greene
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Re: Grocery Stores

Postby David Greene » January 16th, 2015, 12:19 am

Cedar Summit Farms is (temporarily?) ceasing production later this week. Curious if it's because of the CapX2020 power lines. Whatever it is, sad news! That's my favorite milk! Hoping it returns soon.

Edit: Link with more context http://www.startribune.com/local/south/288340901.html
It's a real shame. My wife and I tourned their operation a few years ago and they really put a lot of thought into squeezing out every last bit of energy from the milk production system. They captured a lot of waste heat. They also do/did rotational grazing which was pretty interesting to learn about.

David Greene
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Re: Grocery Stores

Postby David Greene » January 16th, 2015, 12:21 am

But yeah TJ is only ok. I've had bread, cheese and produce go moldy on me days after buying it.
I saw moldy and rotten produce on the shelves at the SLP location. And it wasn't just a few pieces here and there. That convinced me never to go back.

If the bread is fresh, having it go moldy in a fews days is a *good* thing!

nate
Landmark Center
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Re: Grocery Stores

Postby nate » January 16th, 2015, 3:23 pm

Plus they have the fastest cashiers in the biz, which I appreciate.
Tangent:
The SuperTarget in Midway has to have the slowest cashiers in the world. It's absolutely maddening and has definitely decreased my willingness to go there for groceries.
Is this unique to this location or are Target cashiers noticeably slow elsewhere?

web

Re: Grocery Stores

Postby web » January 16th, 2015, 4:15 pm

NO self serve registers??

mattaudio
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Re: Grocery Stores

Postby mattaudio » January 16th, 2015, 4:22 pm

NO self serve registers??
They are the worst thing ever. The only place I patronize that has self serve registers is Home Depot. And they will invite me to use the self serve registers, and I will refuse and wait in line to have an actual human process my transaction.

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FISHMANPET
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Re: Grocery Stores

Postby FISHMANPET » January 16th, 2015, 4:36 pm

I much prefer self serve registers. Except at the Hi-Lake Cub, the scales are too sensitive or something and I also need a clerk to come and clear the register or something.

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mister.shoes
Wells Fargo Center
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Re: Grocery Stores

Postby mister.shoes » January 16th, 2015, 4:50 pm

NO self serve registers??
They are the worst thing ever. The only place I patronize that has self serve registers is Home Depot. And they will invite me to use the self serve registers, and I will refuse and wait in line to have an actual human process my transaction.
You clearly are a people person. Some of us...aren't.
The problem with being an introvert online is that no one knows you're just hanging out and listening.

mulad
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Re: Grocery Stores

Postby mulad » January 16th, 2015, 5:56 pm

It depends on the type and number of things you're getting. One of my earliest experiences with the self-checkouts was at a Rainbow which had the volume turned up pretty high, and I had gotten a handful of Kool-Aid packets.

"Fifty..five...cents.....Twenty..five...cents...savings.."

...for each and every little packet. Plus I had to toss them into the bag somewhat forcefully just to get them to register on the scale.

It took me several runs through self-checkouts at different places before I grudgingly accepted them. It took a little while to realize that you need to be pretty deliberate about picking up one item, scanning that item, and then placing it in the bag or scale area. My first instinct was to try and find a way to punch in multiple items at a time, and when that didn't work, I wanted to be able to scan multiple items in one shot before putting them in the bag, but the machines don't want to work that way.

Therefore, I don't mind them if I've only gone to the store to get a half-dozen items or so. If you go much more than that, the conveyor belt and the ability of cashier to make shortcuts for things like those Kool-Aid packets means that the regular checkout is better than doing it yourself. Also, the self-checkout never has paper bags.

The way they set up lines for self-checkout sometimes annoys me. Similar to the single line leading to the cashier area that stores sometimes use when they get busy, it's best to have a single line of people waiting for the self-checkout machines. But some stores put a sign right in the middle where you'd want the line to form. (And that's for a single "pod" of four registers -- I've seen some stores that have six or eight self-checkout machines, which makes forming and moving through the lines even more frustrating.)

xandrex
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Re: Grocery Stores

Postby xandrex » January 16th, 2015, 7:30 pm

I rather like self checkout lanes, in large part because I was a cashier for years through high school and college and actually knew how to bag items properly. A lot of people never learn and they end up either squishing a bunch of my items, packing poorly (usually tossing items in willy-nilly) so I get too many bags, or under-bagging everything (two items to a bag when five would fit, for instance). This is especially true for stores like Target during busy times of the year (back to school, Christmas) where they have a lot of temp workers come in.

Viktor Vaughn
Target Field
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Re: Grocery Stores

Postby Viktor Vaughn » January 16th, 2015, 9:29 pm

My favorite story about the self checkouts - A guy was trying to buy a crowbar at Home Depot and was repeatedly thwarted by the self checkout so he smashed it to pieces.

I could identify the couple of times I've used them.

Anondson
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Re: Grocery Stores

Postby Anondson » January 16th, 2015, 10:39 pm

I went through the self-check out once at Home Depot, at the direction of one of the employees pointing me there because they only had one person running a register. I hesitated because of some oft he things I grabbed.

Scanned my electric weed trimmer, and the voice asked me to place it in the bag and scan my next thing. I looked around like i was being pranked, there was no way in hell the weed trimmer could fit in the tiny bag. I put it in my cart instead, but it wouldn't let me scan my next thing until something was placed in the bag. I just froze up and waved over the harried person tending all the people trying self-checkout.

I never tried it again.

Didier
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Re: Grocery Stores

Postby Didier » January 17th, 2015, 12:47 am

I do all of my grocery shopping at Cup Foods.

Wedgeguy
Capella Tower
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Re: Grocery Stores

Postby Wedgeguy » January 17th, 2015, 10:18 am

Cub is losing favor with me after the first of the year price hike on my staples that I buy the most of. Then they have their sales flyer that has very little on sale that I want to purchase. I wish HyVee would get a store closer to Uptown so that I truly have a choice for food, price and sales.


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