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Are You Buddies With the Staff at Your Local Grocery Store?
On average, I shop at Mollie Stone's on California Street in San Francisco twice a week. I've been picking up groceries there since I moved into my current apartment two years ago. Naturally, I've developed a relationship with everyone from the fishmonger to the spirits director to my favorite checkout guy, Travis, who always asks what I'm making.
Do You Ever Buy Foods Solely For Their Cuteness?
Last time I went shopping at Whole Foods, I came across some tomatoes that were so dainty, the smallest ones were tinier than my baby fingernail! I found them incredibly adorable and, admittedly for this reason only, found myself shelling out $4 for a carton. Have you ever been swayed to buy something just because it's (almost) too cute to eat?
UK Government Opposes Buy-One-Get-One-Free Food Deals
The UK government, in an effort to reduce wasted food, is pressuring grocers to stop employing buy-one-get-one-free sales tactics. The nation's administration found that a third of all food in the UK is wasted, including roughly 5.1 million potatoes and 220,000 loaves of bread each year.
According to the Waste and Resource Action Program, or WRAP, the average Briton throws away more than his own weight — over $700 worth — in food annually.
Sales Surge at Salvage Supermarkets
As customers search for deeper discounts, they appear to be moving away from traditional grocery stores. In recent months, sales have soared at salvage supermarkets, no-frills operations where shoppers can buy food that's discounted, sometimes by more than 50 percent. The lower price, however, comes at a cost.
Will Wal-Mart's New Cookies Hurt the Girl Scouts?
Over the years, world's biggest retailer Wal-Mart has been the source of heated scrutiny for many organizations, from labor unions to environmental groups. The grocery giant's latest purported victim? The Girl Scouts.
Simple Tip: Keep Reusable Totes in Your Trunk
From drinking less bottled water to making more educated seafood choices, I've been all about adopting a greener lifestyle. But simple as it sounds, the one thing I could never quite nail down was bringing reusable totebags to the grocery store.
Every Sunday, without fail, I'd pull into my local Trader Joe's, and catch the "Don't forget to bring your reusable bags!"
Do You Go Through the Self-Checkout?
Although a recent report found that you can save both cash and calories by going through the self-checkout at the grocery store, some consumers have mixed feelings about scanning your own sundries. On one hand, you can bag everything to your liking, but on the other hand, the automated machines often get stuck on unseen errors. What's your take on them?
Self-Checkouts Better For Your Wallet and Waistline
Next time you're waiting in line at the supermarket, do yourself a favor and mosey over to the self-checkout instead. According to Consumer Reports, ringing up groceries yourself could save you calories — as well as cash.
Last month, the magazine reported that the unit price of Coke at the register was more than twice as expensive as Coke sold in the beverage aisle, illustrating the fact that items sold near the checkout tend to be more costly than their grocery aisle counterparts.
Restaurants, Suffering From Poor Turnout, Look to Retail
These days, chain restaurants are looking for any way to eke out a profit, from offering cheaper steaks to haggling with customers. But given the economic downturn, many are no longer expecting to fill tabletops at dinner — instead, they're counting on customers at the grocery store. Restaurants from Jamba Juice to California Pizza Kitchen and even Tony Roma's plan to introduce new licensed food products in the next year.
The Year's Best Grocery Store
Earlier we asked your thoughts on the Best of 2008, and that included your favorite grocery store of the year. Although prices went through the roof on everything from beef to dairy, you chose Trader Joe's as your number-one pick. For the second year in a row, it was the clear winner, taking 39 percent of the vote.
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