Grocery Shopping

[CardsFan]

Try the Aldi's Happy Farms.
The sliced cheeses are about 2/3 price of Sargento and I think it tastes better.

We have been very happy with the "Happy Farms" cheeses. And probably closer to 1/2 price of Sargento here.

Also, we don't eat a lot of chips and crackers, but I have found I prefer the Aldi's brand for both. The fact they less than 1/2 the price of others is a bonus.

FWIW, for the Walmart shoppers, agreeing with previous comments, the same is true for many of the Great Value products

 

[audreyh1]

I think I’ve said before - we are very lucky at DF’s place because the small fairly new local Walmart has great produce and carries some unusual items like really nice fresh globe artichokes and leeks which we enjoy. We can also find lots of organic items on the shelves including a great selection of olive oils, Frontera salsa. As well as being clean, well laid out, and totally keeping up with covid precautions.

The large Walmarts back in south TX are a big mess with poor selections and we go to HEB instead. It’s like night and day.

 

[Amethyst]

That's probably where the photos were taken.

How could tomatoes be ripe in April except in southern Florida?

 

[John Galt III]

I've been using up the meat from my freezer that I stocked up on a few months ago. Hamburger, then chicken. Next is pork loin.

 

[CRLLS]

Yesterday was our first hiccup in Walmart's curbside pickup. We've been ordering on line and using this service every 2 weeks since the beginning of Covid and have had good experiences. Yesterday we got home and found that 3 dozen eggs were missing from our order. DW called the store and they asked if we wanted a bill correction or to come back and pick the items up. She chose the latter since the WM is only 8 mins down the road. To our surprise, they comp'd a couple of nice yellow pears.

We will still be doing the curbside pickup routine for the foreseeable future.

 

[TrvlBug]

Scored a 5-pack (425 wipes) of Clorox wipes at Costco today . I don't even bother looking for it as it's usually gone within minutes during the old folks hour. Was at Costco around noon and circled back when I saw some in someone's basket as I was going to check out. The person at the exit door said they received 2 deliveries of it today which is very unusual. said the first one sold out immediately and based on how many were there when I grabbed mine, this 2nd delivery was soon to be sold out.

 

[Oilcan]

We have been doing Wal Mart curb service since March and it has been great until today. Got our order loaded and pulled out and thought it didn't take long for him to load us. Got home and we have someone else's order which would cost around $50. Our order was for $180, so someone else made quite a haul today! We called Wal Mart and they are processing our new order and we are now waiting for a call for when it is ready.

Still love their curbside service and will keep using it. Mistakes happen.

 

[Souschef]

I was in my local Vons in SoCal. They had plenty of Viva towels, but at $9 for 6 rolls. They also still do not have any Vanity Fair paper napkins.

 

[fh2000]

We have been doing Wal Mart curb service since March and it has been great until today. Got our order loaded and pulled out and thought it didn't take long for him to load us. Got home and we have someone else's order which would cost around $50. Our order was for $180, so someone else made quite a haul today! We called Wal Mart and they are processing our new order and we are now waiting for a call for when it is ready.

Still love their curbside service and will keep using it. Mistakes happen.

We use Ralph's curb side. Each time we get 5 bags for our $120 order. Last week, I only saw them loading 4. I wondered a bit but did not challenge. Sure enough, when I got home, one bag was missing. I called them, and they found that bag so I went back to get it.

Next time, make sure watch how many bags are loaded into your trunk before leaving. $50 order will be just 3 bags, instead of 8-9 for your $180 order.

 

[harllee]

At my Walmart curbside I got someone else's order one time early on.. Now I ask for the name of the order to be sure. And before I drive away I take a quick look at the bags in the trunk to make sure it is correct.

 

[Gumby]

I made my fortnightly grocery run yesterday. The only thing still in short supply was cleaning products. But I managed to get my bottle of window cleaner refill and can of Comet cleanser, so I was happy.

 

[skipro33]

Went to SAM's today and every time I go, I stop at the customer service desk to check on Clorox wipes. They never have it of course, but this time the lady said to follow her. She lead me to a row of carts filled with groceries and at least 3 had the 5 pack of Clorox wipes. She grabbed one, wiped it down with a disinfectant spray and handed it to me. She told me these were abandoned carts and were staged for restock.

The only problem was the rest of our shopping trip was interrupted by other customers constantly asking where I found them.

 

[JoeWras]

She lead me to a row of carts filled with groceries and at least 3 had the 5 pack of Clorox wipes.

Is everyone OK where you live? Did a sudden apocalypse come? A rapture?

I mean, seriously, 3 people abandon carts with BARS OF GOLD in them? Something is seriously wrong!

 

[TrvlBug]

Is everyone OK where you live? Did a sudden apocalypse come? A rapture?

I mean, seriously, 3 people abandon carts with BARS OF GOLD in them? Something is seriously wrong!

My thoughts exactly !

 

[splitwdw]

Is everyone OK where you live? Did a sudden apocalypse come? A rapture?

I mean, seriously, 3 people abandon carts with BARS OF GOLD in them? Something is seriously wrong!

More than likely there was a limit on how many you could buy and someone tried to check out with too many. I saw a man at BJ's arguing with the cashier that he was buying for other people when he was over the limit on a product.

 

[skipro33]

My thoughts exactly !

It was pretty surreal, that's for sure. A row of carts loaded with stuff and those 5 pack Clorox wipes laying in among the other items just as pretty as you please. I wonder now if maybe they were on-line/ready for pick up carts that were abandoned? I thought you paid for those first though, so maybe not. When I first got to the store and approached the customer service counter, a lady had just purchased two of them and was trying to cover them as she made her way to the exit. I asked how I could get one and that's when a customer service person led me to the carts. I tried to push my luck and asked for two, but he said only if I could prove I was in the health care industry. When I got finished shopping, I went back to those carts and one pack of 5 was still sitting there! I told my wife to stay with the cart, I was going in! She told me in no uncertain terms I would not take more than the one I was offered. Ha!

One of the things I really like about SAM's compared to COSTCO, located almost directly across the street, is that the store is never crowded and has most things I need. On this morning, I would say less than 50 cars in the parking lot, COSTCO had a line going out the door as they limit the total number of customers at a time.

 

[John Galt III]

Just an observation. The attendants at the self-checkout places no longer wipe down the keypads in between customers. Hmmm.

 

[pacergal]

Just an observation. The attendants at the self-checkout places no longer wipe down the keypads in between customers. Hmmm.

Yes! I noticed that at the local pharmacy this week. I also had to ask for the use of the hand sanitizer she had hidden behind the plexiglass. It used to be right beside the keypad. Either sloppy, no care attitude or they know shortages are coming?

 

[Gumby]

Yes! I noticed that at the local pharmacy this week. I also had to ask for the use of the hand sanitizer she had hidden behind the plexiglass. It used to be right beside the keypad. Either sloppy, no care attitude or they know shortages are coming?

From my reading, it seems the health experts feel that fomite transmission is not quite the danger they once thought it was. Aerosol transmission is the far more likely vector.

 

[daylatedollarshort]

I got a response to my completing multiple customer service surveys that curb side pick up was working at our local Sam's Club now. I'm not sure they ever really got the order pick up smart phone app to work, but they had someone standing in the parking lot who asked for our info and brought our order out in just a few minutes. We were pretty happy about that. I have started doing some of my own shopping for items like fresh produce, but Sam's has some good prices on staples we can stock up on like cheese and bread.

 

[Amethyst]

Same with our little local Walmart. The phone app never did work. They have a sign with a phone number, I call the number, and someone is sent out within minutes. Also, if we pull in while someone else is being loaded, the employee comes over, asks our name, and gets our groceries.

This is a little store, so we stick to a few Great Value basics. Today they substituted Pepperidge Farm whole-grain bread for GV. I'll take it! And our bag contained a free sample: 9 miniature plum tomatoes.

I'm not sure they ever really got the order pick up smart phone app to work, but they had someone standing in the parking lot who asked for our info and brought our order out in just a few minutes. .

 

[daylatedollarshort]

Same with our little local Walmart. The phone app never did work. They have a sign with a phone number, I call the number, and someone is sent out within minutes. Also, if we pull in while someone else is being loaded, the employee comes over, asks our name, and gets our groceries.

This is a little store, so we stick to a few Great Value basics. Today they substituted Pepperidge Farm whole-grain bread for GV. I'll take it! And our bag contained a free sample: 9 miniature plum tomatoes.

All the other local grocery stores that offer curbside pick up in our area have designated parking spots with a phone number to call or text on the sign. Sam's doesn't have a phone number on their signs and the time before we tried the pick up they weren't even answering the main store phone. I do like Sam's prices and merchandise the best so I hope their curb side pickup stays functioning. I did put the suggestion on the last customer survey to put a phone number on the sign if they can't get the app to work on the employee side.

 

[John Galt III]

Food inflation report: Panera Bread increased the price of a bagel from $1.10 to $1.39, quite a jump. 20 percent. Not much other food inflation, except 80% lean hamburger went from $2.49 a pound to $2.99 a pound. Been $2.99 for about 2 months now. Eastern Pa Wegmans.

 

[sengsational]

DW uses the Walmart app and you click the "I'm here" thing and it asks you what color is your car and what spot are you in. She says that process might take a few minutes. But if there's an employee done with another delivery, they'll often ask for the name, and come right back with the order.

 

[harllee]

DW uses the Walmart app and you click the "I'm here" thing and it asks you what color is your car and what spot are you in. She says that process might take a few minutes. But if there's an employee done with another delivery, they'll often ask for the name, and come right back with the order.

Walmart really has the curbside grocery pick up down to a science. Overall I think they do an excellent job. I have tried pick up at several other grocers and Walmart is by far the best and they don't charge for it.