Do You Prefer to Shop at Large or Small Supermarkets?

September 18, 2008

Yesterday after reading about how supermarkets are shrinking, I got to thinking about the size of grocery stores. Just because a store is bigger, doesn't always mean it's better: Last Friday my sister went to the super-Safeway to pick up dried garbanzos, and they didn't have any! However, the Mexican specialty store closer to my house carries all kinds of dried beans. I prefer smaller markets that carry quality ingredients, how about you?

Source

24 Comments

lexichloe 4 years 34 weeks

I love my local Publix, b/c they have great deli and seafood counters. They have everything I need and I'm comfortable w/ the friendly, helpful employees. That's what matters to me. As for specialty items they may not carry, I'll venture to Whole Foods, but that's very rare.

ilanac13 4 years 34 weeks

it doesn't usually make a difference to me on what size the store is as long as i know that i'm going ot find what i'm looking for. i think that sometimes when you're just shopping and you don't have a set list of things, that's when you can get into trouble in a larger store, but for myself - i'm really organized about what i'm shopping for so 'size doesn't matter'

chiefdishwasher 4 years 34 weeks

Lets go back to the old days...corner grocery, local fruit stand, bakery and butcher...and all stores are closed on Sundays. Kind of like what they still do in Espana.

javsmav 4 years 34 weeks

Ya know what's worse than going to a big supermarket for the first time? Going to your neighborhood grocery store and finding EVERYTHING rearranged!! Honestly, I don't go there as much because of the new set up. They changed it last summer & I'm still mad. I love Whole Foods--it's such a happy place. But I also like the tiny mom & pop organic grocery stores. I support them when i can, but I don't live very close to any of them.

psychobabble 4 years 34 weeks

Commissary all the way! You save so much money on the basics! Anything I can't find there I'll check Dominick's or Whole Foods if it's really a specialty.

verily 4 years 34 weeks

It depends. My favorite grocery store that I drive out of my way to each weekend is pretty large, but it's also upscale, similar to a Trader Joes I guess. For grabbing stuff in the middle of the week, I much prefer a smaller store to a larger one. It's so much easier to find what I need and get out.

Jude C 4 years 34 weeks

You know what's the worst? Going into a huge supermarket for the first time, not knowing where anything is, and wandering about like a lost lamb, covering miles and miles of territory when all you want is to just find the damn soda aisle already!

misfitgirl 4 years 34 weeks

I like smaller ones, almost fanatically, now that I think about it. I go to the one by the house I grew up in, even thought I've moved, because it is small and I know where everything is. There are a lot of Safeways in my area, one even right by where I live and my brother is even a manager, and I still go to the other store because it takes me FOREVER to find everything otherwise.

lisabarn 4 years 34 weeks

oops that should read has WHAT I need....

lisabarn 4 years 34 weeks

It depends on what I am shopping for, if the big one has one I need I love the one stop shopping. But sometimes to get the freshest fish or an unusual ingredient (or something yummy premade...) I prefer the small.

bluepuppybites 4 years 34 weeks

It depends on how much money I have. I prefer a smaller store, but their prices are higher. So if I can't afford the smaller one I have to go to lower priced warehouse type.

vlsin 4 years 34 weeks

When I lived in NYC, I got used to going to different specialty markets in my neighborhood. I had a great butcher, an amazing fish market, a produce place and then a small grocery store for other things that I couldn't at my other stops. I moved to Philadelphia and was excited about the large supermarkets but I found they are just generally lacking in quality and friendliness. And the people there sure don't flirt with you like the Italians at the butcher shop!

Jude C 4 years 34 weeks

The really huge ones drive me insane. I hate feeling like "the dairy is on the other side of the store, but it's too damn far!" On the other hand, my neighborhood Trader Joe's is so small you can't get through the aisles if just one person and her cart are already in there, and that's annoying as well. I think I just prefer a nice, medium-sized supermarket.

looseseal 4 years 34 weeks

Big or small, it doesn't matter as long as they have the things I want to buy, and as long as they're not super crowded (most supermarkets here are super crowded).

dkaufmann125 4 years 34 weeks

Im a Whole Food's kind of girl - however if I need something ASAP - I hit up the local c-town.

bluebellknoll 4 years 34 weeks

I like larger stores because of the wide variety of goods. I would not shop at Walmart though.

lawchick 4 years 34 weeks

I'm with ohkate -- I can get everything I need at a big store and it's cheaper, but it stresses me out! So, my sweet husband does the main shopping at the big store once a week, and I go to the small store to pick up things we need in between.

ohkate 4 years 34 weeks

going to larger grocery stores have their conveniences (see what I did there?) such as carrying a greater variety of obscure foods and baking goods but often the people there are too high strung for me and I get extremely anxious and bitchy as a result.

Kelliegrl 4 years 34 weeks

I NYC, I'd rather shop in a larger store b/c you have more room to breathe

sonya ina 4 years 34 weeks

I'm a big fan of Harris Teeter, and they are usually quite big, but still feel like your neighborhood supermarket. I can't stand going to places like Walmart to go food shopping though -- their produce is usually not up to par and I don't feel like I'm ever being taken care of.

Jyramiah 4 years 34 weeks

Both are fine. But I have a general idea of what my supermarkets have and what I need to get from the little foreign store down the street. It all just depends. And it's usually better to not substitute one thing for another.

Lovely_1 4 years 34 weeks

I like big ones because I like getting EVERYTHING I need in one store and one trip! I hate grocery shopping so I like to get it over and done with!

cravinsugar 4 years 34 weeks

plus, it's only a mile from my apt (both actually), but so is safeway, shoppers and giant. i just like harris teeter lol. a tad more expensive but worth it from service and product.

cravinsugar 4 years 34 weeks

For me it depends! For the most part, I can find everything and more at the Harris Teeter i go to, and everything has always been high quality. Their produce is gorgeous and now they have a farmer's market section that has locally grown (within 50 iles of the city) produce. I did go to the internaional market once, and while it had a couple of ingredients i needed for a special recipe, it seemed unorganized, less clean, and things were harder to find.

Link Love

24 Comments

You Might Also Like