Grocery Stores - Which do you dislike the most and what alternatives do you have

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ladies tell me how you buy quality meat, like chicken breasts, a variety of steak, and ground beef without going to giant or safeway. I need ideas.

Buy from a local butcher or farm.

[Anonymous]

I hate TJ's because of the crazed cult followers on DCUM.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ladies tell me how you buy quality meat, like chicken breasts, a variety of steak, and ground beef without going to giant or safeway. I need ideas.

Farmers market

[Anonymous]

So, I resist Costco because it feels like such chaos to me. But, I like the way they treat their workers - I'm looking at you Walmart! - and now you are telling me they have organic meat and chicken? Really? Even the one in NE as that is probably the closest? Organic fruit/veggies/dairy too?

[Anonymous]

Don't like the trader joes, except for their European style yogurt. Shop at giant, h mart and whole foods.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ladies tell me how you buy quality meat, like chicken breasts, a variety of steak, and ground beef without going to giant or safeway. I need ideas.

Farmers market

They sell meat? Anyone go to the falls church one? It's close by for us. I'm curious how meat is priced there too.

[Anonymous]

I go through a rotation of TJs, Costco, Aldi and Wegmens.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ladies tell me how you buy quality meat, like chicken breasts, a variety of steak, and ground beef without going to giant or safeway. I need ideas.

Farmers market

They sell meat? Anyone go to the falls church one? It's close by for us. I'm curious how meat is priced there too.

Yes I believe just about every market in the area has at least one meat vendor. Generally most DCUMers would complain it's "crazy expensive" because the farmers are pasture-based, small, and humane. Therefore you have to pay $10-12 for boneless chicken breast per pound. It's typical price for that quality of meat and farm. Some certified organic if that's important to you.

[Anonymous]

The Potomac Village Safeway is a sad, sad store. I have no idea why that would be someone's go to store. The Giant across the street with the horrible hilly parking lot (you don't realize it's a problem until you try to push a cart full of groceries to your car) is much nicer. That said, it's all about the individual store. The Sangamore Road Safeway is much better and I actually like the Giant at Old Georgetown.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Safeway - dislike most.
- has no organic section. Meat often is spoiled when I open it same day

Harris Teeters - tied dislike most
- diagonal aisles are a cluster fuck it's annoying
- meat section is very tiny and ghetto like walmart

My favorites:
#1 - MOMS organic market - if they had a real meat department, I'd do my entire shop there. I love the lay out, only like 5 aisles to make it thru, never lines, happy vibe, great cheap organic produce and staples like $3 canned tomatoes and bulk rice and beans and so many organic snacks for DD. BUT, the meat department is a joke it's like 3 feet barely anything weird tasting grass fed ground beef and $14 for 2 chicken breasts. I just want plain old meat lots of variety.
#2 - Giant - love hate relationship. I love the reliable quality of the meat and the enormous variety. They have anything and everything I can do my entire shop there. Its unavoidable I have to buy meat there. I hate how packed it gets though stresses me out.

PP, the Safewy in Tyson's on Anderson Rd is the worst. Bought meat there 3x or so, as soon as I opened it up, it smelled so bad. Took it back 2x and both times from different people at CS would say, oh yeah, we did get a bad batch, the 2nd time I heard the same excuse I was appalled. WILL NEVER BUY MEAT THERE AGAIN.

I buy meat at Costco, that's where I feel I get the best meat. Have also purchased meat from the Latin Market in Falls Church/Tysons, also good. Produce love Moms and WF, but Moms has the best produce.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ladies tell me how you buy quality meat, like chicken breasts, a variety of steak, and ground beef without going to giant or safeway. I need ideas.

Buy from a local butcher or farm.

We buy our meat at the Amish market. There are several in this area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I live in DC and shop at the Georgetown Safeway, the new Giant at Cathedral Commons, the Whole Foods in "Georgetown" (really Glover Park), once in a while Rodman's, and about twice a month at the TJ's in Foggy Bottom. No problems at any of this places. In fact, I'm giddy at all the choices now. I've lived in DC for 22 years and the city used to be a grocery desert. Used to have to drive out to the suburbs for good choices. Back in the day there was the Social Safeway, the Soviet Safeway, and the Salvadoran Safeway in NW DC. That was about it. Oh, and the "Mad Men" 1960s Giant.

+1 I second the Giant at CC and Rodman's for non-perishables like coffee. The TJ's on 14th Street is decent and much better than the one in Bethesda with the horrible parking structure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Safeway - dislike most.
- has no organic section. Meat often is spoiled when I open it same day

Harris Teeters - tied dislike most
- diagonal aisles are a cluster fuck it's annoying
- meat section is very tiny and ghetto like walmart

My favorites:
#1 - MOMS organic market - if they had a real meat department, I'd do my entire shop there. I love the lay out, only like 5 aisles to make it thru, never lines, happy vibe, great cheap organic produce and staples like $3 canned tomatoes and bulk rice and beans and so many organic snacks for DD. BUT, the meat department is a joke it's like 3 feet barely anything weird tasting grass fed ground beef and $14 for 2 chicken breasts. I just want plain old meat lots of variety.
#2 - Giant - love hate relationship. I love the reliable quality of the meat and the enormous variety. They have anything and everything I can do my entire shop there. Its unavoidable I have to buy meat there. I hate how packed it gets though stresses me out.

PP, the Safewy in Tyson's on Anderson Rd is the worst. Bought meat there 3x or so, as soon as I opened it up, it smelled so bad. Took it back 2x and both times from different people at CS would say, oh yeah, we did get a bad batch, the 2nd time I heard the same excuse I was appalled. WILL NEVER BUY MEAT THERE AGAIN.

I buy meat at Costco, that's where I feel I get the best meat. Have also purchased meat from the Latin Market in Falls Church/Tysons, also good. Produce love Moms and WF, but Moms has the best produce.

Wow how did u know I was talking about Anderson road? Lol. Had same experiences as you a few years ago and completely quit shopping there. I buy steak at that little Latin market too!!! I get the sirloin it's very good. What meat do you buy there? I love their charcoal selection too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Safeway - dislike most.
- has no organic section. Meat often is spoiled when I open it same day

Harris Teeters - tied dislike most
- diagonal aisles are a cluster fuck it's annoying
- meat section is very tiny and ghetto like walmart

My favorites:
#1 - MOMS organic market - if they had a real meat department, I'd do my entire shop there. I love the lay out, only like 5 aisles to make it thru, never lines, happy vibe, great cheap organic produce and staples like $3 canned tomatoes and bulk rice and beans and so many organic snacks for DD. BUT, the meat department is a joke it's like 3 feet barely anything weird tasting grass fed ground beef and $14 for 2 chicken breasts. I just want plain old meat lots of variety.
#2 - Giant - love hate relationship. I love the reliable quality of the meat and the enormous variety. They have anything and everything I can do my entire shop there. Its unavoidable I have to buy meat there. I hate how packed it gets though stresses me out.

I forgot #3 - Trader Joes. It's ok for in between shops when you don't need too much stuff. Their ground beef, chicken, and ffrozen fish is very good.

I live close to Whole Foods but it's dead last on my list. Food selection is terrible, prices are terrible, there's no point to shop there except the fabulous vitamin and personal care section and incense.

Also, get the coupon books at the cashier at MOMs!

I don't bother with TJ's meat and fresh seafood because it is ALWAYS rotten when I am ready to cook it. I only do their frozen stuff, produce, and juices.

[Anonymous]

I feel like this is the perfect thread for the Whole Foods rap:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UFc1pr2yUU

These guys are from Berkeley, CA, but it totally reminds me of WF in Clarendon.