Food Glorious Food ...!

One of the things I love about living here is the sheer amount of choice for pretty much anything you want to buy.  And even if you can't find what you are looking for locally you can get it shipped to you in a few days, thanks to the marvelous world wide web!

This is doubly true when it comes to grocery shopping - in fact, there is almost too much choice! I have never seen so many different supermarkets in one place, all competing with one another for our loyalty with weekly deals, special offers and various incentives such as  fuel points and $5 Friday specials, which of course is great for us, the consumer.  Of course there are some good ones and some not so good ones, (just like anywhere else), and then there are some GREAT ones (but with a price tag to match!).  

If you are smart (and can be bothered, which generally I can't :-/), you can save a lot of money on your weekly shop if you are prepared to spend time trawling through various websites and newspapers to find the best deals and then split your shopping across several supermarkets.  If you know how to work the system you can also make huge savings on gas too.  For example. I recently read an article via another local blogger, of how they took advantage of the 4 x fuel points being offered by one particular store on gift cards. They were going to purchase a new family computer, so bought $500s worth of gift cards for Best Buy (an electronics chain), earning 4 x Fuel points. Then both she and her husband drove their cars to the gas station and filled up both cars from the same pump, using the maximum discount allowed at one time of $1 per gallon.  Given that gas here is currently around $1.36/gallon, that would equate to two tanks of gas for just a few dollars.  Genius! I would never have thought of that.  

Over the last 6 months (how quickly did that go?!), I have had lots of fun checking out most of the local offerings, making this weekly chore slightly less boring, and this is what I learned: 

• Albertsons - I would maybe compare to Tesco in the UK.  The first time I went, I bought some fresh shrimp to use for dinner that evening which by the time it came out of the fridge again around 6pm had gone off and had to go straight in the bin!  Obviously, they were struck from the list immediately!
• Haggen - maybe similar to Morrisons in the UK ... meh!
• Safeway - love their $5 Friday bakery items, and they were top of the list for my weekly shop initially, but they seem to have slipped over the last couple of months (well, the one near me certainly has) so have had to transfer my allegiance to ...
• Frys (part of the Kroger group) - lovely fresh produce (lots of locally grown stuff too) and really friendly, helpful staff.  Bakery not as good though (although that's probably a good thing)  and a bit pricier
• Costco - enough said. Who doesn't love Costco?! 

Then there is

• AJ's which is I suppose the local Waitrose/M&S equivalent but much much more.  It's kind of a top notch supermarket crossed with a country store and boutique gift shop.  It has a bakery to die for (can you tell which is my favourite section yet? Lol), top quality meat/fish/produce, a gorgeous deli and an amazing wine section (another favourite).  It is also very expensive.  I saw a beautiful autumn wreath in their floristry section this week, full of silk leaves, twigs and berries, for $29.  Thinking that that was very reasonable, was just about to add it to my trolley when I realised it actually said $229!! Good God! I would be expecting real gold leaf and berries made of rubies for that price! Needless to say it quickly went back. Similarly, I was tempted by a gorgeous scented candle which also turned out to be $60. Sigh (why do I never like the cheap stuff?).  However, if you like to cook and bake (as I do) and are searching for a missing ingredient, you can bet you will find it at AJ's.  

This week, my good friend John, took me on a field trip to visit two more stores that I hadn't yet managed to check out yet.

After a healthy breakfast of bananas, pecans ... oh ... and a waffle all covered in hot caramel ... ahem ... we headed to

• Trader Joes - a Californian based chain which advertises itself as a 'neighborhood grocery store with amazing food and drink from around the globe and around the corner'.  It had that laid back California vibe and there were lots of interesting products on the shelves (and some very interesting shoppers!)

  

  Er ...?

  We had to pay for our purchases and make a quick exit after dissolving into a fit of the giggles causing John to spill his 'pumpkin spiced' coffee sample (I ditched mine - bleugh!) as we were laughing so hard ... ahem.

And finally,

• Whole Foods (or whole pay check as John calls it) - Oh my! If you have ever been to the Food Hall at Selfridges, you will have experienced a small corner of Whole Foods Market.  As well as a top notch grocery store, there was also a full bar with large TV screens; a sit up grill bar; sushi bar; Asian food kitchen; coffee shop & cafe ... and of course the most amazing patisserie & chocolate section.  Think I might be popping back there soon!

Mmmmm ...

Macarons are my absolute favorite but not sure I would pay $2 each!

Hope you've enjoyed my little view into the otherwise mundane world of grocery shopping, and hope to see you next time!

Bev x