Where do you buy your groceries?

[dreamshark]

 For quite a few years now we have been doing our main grocery shopping at the Cub Foods on Nicollet and 50-something, with side trips to Trader Joe's in StLP.  I've never been crazy about Cub, but it's relatively convenient and big enough to have most anything we need. But for the last year or two I've been increasingly dissatisfied with it. Physically it's seriously in need of maintenance - floors gouged and cracked and stained, shelves looking decrepit. But I didn't consciously notice the physical deterioration until they started randomly rearranging the store, which forced me to LOOK at things while trying to find the toilet paper. When I did finally find the paper products, it was clear that the stock had been compressed into a smaller area and the particular type of Puffs that I usually buy weren't being carried any more. That's happening with more and more products. I've been blaming myself that I couldn't find them, but finally concluded that they just weren't there any more. And a lot of shelves at any particular time seem to be empty, as if they can't afford enough employees to keep the shelves stocked. 

I don't know if the problem is just this particular Cub Foods, or if the whole chain is going downhill. 

Anyway, I'm about ready to look for a new supermarket. Where do you buy your groceries, and why? 

Comments

[sraun]

Bi-weekly grocery run - CostCo in St. Louis Park followed by Cub Foods nearby, or by the Cub Foods in Uptown, usually followed by the Seward Coop Friendship Store. Which Cub depends on what's on the list - I've noticed a difference in stocking between suburban and urban Cubs, the SLP one is suburban, the Uptown one is urban. There are two sets of about 5% of stuff on our list that we can't find at both, so we go to the one that's going to have the uncommon stuff we're getting this time.

In between - it varies quite a bit. The Cub at Rockford Road & 169, because it's convenient to work. Everett's on 38th, because it's on the way home. The Friendship store, because it's convenient.

[quadong]

I do groceries at Target on University. A few weeks ago I thought to myself that probably I was paying a Targét premium and so I had better try the cheaper stores.

So I went over to the nearby Rainbow. I found it to be in the sort of condition you note for your Cub. There were big empty areas and it seemed overall rather sad. And when I compared prices to Target, they were much *higher*. At least on the items I compared, which I will dub the cucumber-ice-cream index. I have not repeated the experiment with the Cub on University.

[pameladean]

If I shop at Cub it's usually at the Uptown one that used to be a Rainbow. It's certainly a bit worn down, but I haven't noticed the gaping empty holes in the shelves or anything like that.

The vegetarian half of the household gets its groceries from Coborns' Delivers with assistance from the Seward Friendship Coop and Trader Joe's, mostly the one in St. Paul but sometimes the one in St. Louis Park, and supplements from various Cubs when something we regularly get at Coborns' is cheaper there and we happen to think of checking. I think the omnivores shop mostly at Cub though I'm not sure which one, with excursions to various coops and to Kowalski's or Lund's/Byerly's for special things, but I'll let them weigh in if they like.

P.

[pameladean]

Forgot to say Why. I don't drive but am apparently such a control freak about when I get my groceries that it didn't work for people to give me rides, and I got very tired of lugging groceries home on the bus. So getting them delivered is still delightful. Lund's/Byerly's delivers too but they are way way more expensive and aren't really set up for regular delivery as the default.

Trader Joe's has things Coborns doesn't, or has them far more cheaply; they don't have everything, and what they do have may disappear for months and then reappear. Cub seems a good basic grocery store. I have to be cautious at the coop, but it has things nobody else reliably does and I like supporting it a little.

P.

[laurel]

Primarily get groceries these days from Target via Instacart. Was surprised to find Target had better prices on most things we looked at for groceries. Occasionally will have Instacart deliver stuff from Cub. We also occasionally still get groceries delivered from Coborn's Delivers, they were our main place to get groceries for years (dating back to when they were Simon Delivers). Kevin will sometimes stop at Kowalski's (down south on Lyndale) or at a Lund's/Byerly's downtown. Oh, Kevin also sometimes buys milk and the occasional other thing at the Super America at 40th & Lyndale (they often have sales on frozen pizzas and so on) and he will rant about their milk selection if given a chance (they seem to run out a lot or have nearly expired or expired milk on their shelves). (We had an actual milk man for a few years but gave that up when our milk man retired; there are still some around though and they deliver not just milk but all manner of stuff.)

Instacart also delivers (to us and likely to you as well) stuff from Whole Foods, the Wedge, Lakewinds Co-Op, and other places. (We've had them deliver from the Wedge and Petco occasionally.) Their prices on stuff are the same as in the stores, they occasionally have discounts only available through them (in their "Coupons" section), they also honor regular old coupons. They do charge a delivery fee and you also need to tip delivery folks/shoppers. But they have an option to pay X amount for year to then not have a delivery fee charged when you purchase at least $35 of stuff, which can be a decent deal if you know you'll be using them a lot. Coborn's has a similar thing if I recall correctly.

Gratuitous referral link for Instacart in case you or anyone wants to try it out (should get you a $10 credit & us a $10 credit). FWIW if anyone wants to try Coborn's Delivers I can email a link to get $20 off first order (of at least $75).

There are occasional things we also get from Amazon, often that are Subscribe & Save items. I guess I'm all about doing most of our shopping online, I can't recall the last time I shopped in a physical grocery store but I think it was the Cub you're talking about and it was late at night & I wound up waiting around the checkouts for someone to finally show up and check me out. D'oh!

[lydy]

I mostly shop at the Cub on 60th and Nicollet. I did find the Great Rearrangement irritating, but they didn't stop carrying anything I get on a regular basis. Wait, no, they did stop carrying a brand of Parmesan cheese that I prefer. Quite some time before, they stopped carrying most of the Indian frozen dinners I prefer for work lunches. But they still have $7 rotisserie chickens, which I need for my silly, sick cat, and they are reasonably serviceable in other ways. If I need salsa, I prefer the Cub on Lake Street and Minneaha. David prefers the apple fritters from the Funny Little Mall Cub, as well.

I actually haven't noticed how shopworn the space it. I guess I just don't care about that.

[carbonel]

I buy most of my groceries at the Target at 66th and Cedar. The selection is limited, but for the things they have, the prices are excellent -- generally 25% less than Cub or Rainbow. And the location is quite convenient for me.

If I need to fill in things that Target doesn't carry, I'll stop at either the Rainbow at 66th & Nicollet or the Cub at 60th & Nicollet, depending on which direction I'm heading or coming from. Before the Bally's Gym became the LA Fitness at a new location, the Rainbow was very convenient, but now it's a tossup.

If I'm buying for a party, or if I need smoked salmon, I'll stop at the Trader Joe's at 494 & France.

And occasionally I stock up on things at the Costco in St. Louis Park. It's a hassle to get to, though, especially at rush hour.

[minnehaha]

The Cub on East Lake by the Target is getting a facelift, and so perhaps the Nicollet Cub will get one, too. I shopped there when I lived off Nicollet. I recall the blue cheese potato salad with great pleasure.

I used to shop at the Rainbow on East Lake, but have for decades bought most of our groceries at the Lund's on 62 and Penn. Having moved west, I tried the Lund's in Edina, but it is filled with horrible people. I also shop at Linden Hills or the Wedge. I never go to Whole Foods or Trader Joe's. I go to Costco when I need Costco stuff (which we describe as "a five pack of plasma screen tvs).

K.