Grocery stores rip us off!

[VoVo]

Raise your hand if you went to the grocery store in the last month or so, bought some fruit and vegatables and found some of the produce unfit to eat. Anyone? Anyone??

I sliced up a pineapple yesterday, fresh from the grocery store and nary a bite was edible. They know we won't go to the trouble of coming in and complaining and we will have forgotten about it by our next visit and do it all over again. I believe they knowingly sell produce they know is sub-standard. :mad:

[Jennifer]

haven't had that problem, yet. What store do you frequent?

[DrScreed]

I am very picky on my produce but have not had that problem, I mainly use Price Chopper and Hy-Vee but I am looking to start using Whole Foods.

[Christopher]

We shop at Wal-Mart. No problems here.

[VoVo]

Ah, ha! It's a vast conspiricy to deprive me of vitamin C. I can't believe no one else consistently finds poor produce. :eek: Walmart is where I refuse to buy produce for this reason and even Henhouse has bad stuff sometimes. I'm going to try Hy Vee next.

I wonder if I'm too picky. That's not it as my wife agrees about the poor quality. :confused::confused:

[twila]

I have noticed it also. It it really maddening and really there is no excuse. Produce is expensive but so important in our diets. We are about to try Whole Foods as well.
Wal-Mart on 135 in Olathe is better than most grocery stores.
We all need to take it back even though it is a pain but how else will they improve?

[Jennifer]

Produce is expensive but so important in our diets. Boy that's no joke. Maybe if the produce were cheaper and the junk food were more expensive, the obesity problem would turn around.

[VoVo]

I have noticed it also. It it really maddening and really there is no excuse. Produce is expensive but so important in our diets. We are about to try Whole Foods as well.
Wal-Mart on 135 in Olathe is better than most grocery stores.
We all need to take it back even though it is a pain but how else will they improve?

Somebody please let me know where fruit is consistently good. I love it and I hardly ever get any that pleases me. My sister-in-law sends me a lug of peaches every year at the end of summer, right from the trees in the Sacramento valley. Yum!

[Aaron]

Boy that's no joke. Maybe if the produce were cheaper and the junk food were more expensive, the obesity problem would turn around.

Nah...Some might eat better, but most would choose a donut over a grape fruit any day.

[Monica]

I think it is all a roll of the dice crap shoot. Most of the time everything is fine but I have had a few bad things this year, even during the summer from various locations. I tend to shop close to home, the exception being Costco since they are not close to me. I have also taken things back this year, yes it is a giant PITA to load it back in the car and return it, but I am forcing myself to do this.

I returned a ham to Price Chopper yesterday, I had just gone to the store and got it. When I started opening it I didn't like the smell or lack there of, once I got it all the way open the juice smelled soured. I took it right back. They not only took it back but the meat manager went with me and helped me pick out a higher quality ham that cost more than I had spent. He then offered to slice and net it for cooking.

I got a watermellow at Sav-A-Lot this summer, my son cut into as soon as we got home and it was rotten. I drove it back and got my money back. That location closed soon after that :(

I had a bag of product not make it out of the store with me this summer from Price Chopper, I called and the person who rang me up remembered bagging all these items together but they were not there anymore. They let me go back and replace everything...They didn't double check the weight or worry about making sure we were even, but it didnt matter I tried to be as honest as possible since the reciept had the weights on it from before.

We had a pineapple like you mention but I can't remember where it was from.

[twila]

Not going to buy any pineapples any time soon, something must be in the air? :eek:

[VoVo]

OK, I have this thing figured out. I will buy meat and a few bulk items at Sam's Club, Fruit and veggies from Hy-Vee and all other stuff from Wal-Mart. This is based on intensive investigation of prices and quality. Trust me, you cannot beat Wal-Mart for everyday groceries. Hy-Vee prices are thru the roof by comparison.

[Jennifer]

Out of curiosity, how did Price Chopper compare or did you check it? If you did was it a Balls or Cosentinos or McKeevers?

[VoVo]

Out of curiosity, how did Price Chopper compare or did you check it? If you did was it a Balls or Cosentinos or McKeevers?

I didn't check as a couple of years ago, I tried three different Price Choppers, and for whatever reason, had no luck at all with the produce. I haven't been back.

[Beancounter]

I like to shop at Super Wal-Mart because I like the ease of one-stop shopping, and I have always been impressed with their produce. I was skeptical at first because it is, after all, Wal-Mart, but I have never been disappointed. I've gotten produce at both Price Chopper and Hy-Vee and Wal-Mart is better. I refuse to shop at Hen House because they have lots of pretty displays, but higher prices and they don't offer anything to justify the prices.

[Luvkittys7]

I like to shop at Super Wal-Mart because I like the ease of one-stop shopping, and I have always been impressed with their produce. I was skeptical at first because it is, after all, Wal-Mart, but I have never been disappointed. I've gotten produce at both Price Chopper and Hy-Vee and Wal-Mart is better. I refuse to shop at Hen House because they have lots of pretty displays, but higher prices and they don't offer anything to justify the prices.
The pretty displays? Lol.

OK, I have this thing figured out. I will buy meat and a few bulk items at Sam's Club, Fruit and veggies from Hy-Vee and all other stuff from Wal-Mart. This is based on intensive investigation of prices and quality. Trust me, you cannot beat Wal-Mart for everyday groceries. Hy-Vee prices are thru the roof by comparison.


And wait til you start bringing in food ads from other stores. Walmart will honor any current flyer from any grocery store. Yah, nothing beats getting Jack's pizzas 6 for ten dollars, and 12 packs of Coke 5 for ten. Dorito's 3 for five and Banquet Dinners for 69 cents apiece. All while enjoying Walmart's everyday low prices on the items you DON'T have ads for. Ah, saving money. It's simply orgasmic. :p

[Beancounter]

The pretty displays? Lol.

No, really - have you seen them? I haven't been in awhile, but I used to work near one and a lot of us would go there for the salad bar or the fresh-made sandwiches, which is all right next to the produce section. I swear, the apples alone were waxed and stacked in this perfect pyramid. I didn't dare take one for fear they'd roll all over the floor after I grabbed it. It was all so pretty and colorful and neat, it was like it wasn't real.

[twila]

Sams has great meat. They have their own butchers which Wal-Mart does not and that is why, I guess, their meat isn't too hot. They just bring it in sort of as is. Buying in bulk isn't too bad at Sams, just come home separate it into what's needed for a meal and freeze it. I do think fresh usually tastes better though but have had great luck with Sams for meat and quite a few bulk items.
Just usually cannot beat Wal-Mart on staples though and I am glad to learn from LK that they will match prices from other store's ads.
It's amazing what can be saved once you catch on to whats what and where.
Used to me a whole lot more mfg. coupons than there seem to be lately also. Anyone who uses them notice this?

[Jennifer]

I don't do Sams but do use Costco quite a bit. There are just some items that we use enough that it's cheaper and easier to buy bulk. They have Zarda's baked beans that we pretty much have as a staple around here, not to mention their price for Johnsonville Brats is unbeatable. We also buy their big blocks of cheese and shred it as necessary.
I have noticed there are not as many mfg coupons anymore and I've also noticed that many of them are set up so you have to buy 2 or more of the item to get a discount. I have a hard time buying 2 of something just to save $0.25.

[Luvkittys7]

What are MFG coupons?

[Jennifer]

What are MFG coupons? Manufacturers Coupons!

[Mary]

I have to agree coupons are getting fewer lately and when you do find one for something you use you see in finer print you have to buy 2 or more to get the savings.

Sometimes it seems like it is just not worth all the trouble to use the coupons but when you combine them with sales you can get some good deals.

[Jennifer]

Sometimes it seems like it is just not worth all the trouble to use the coupons but when you combine them with sales you can get some good deals. That's about the only way I can use them. I needed chocolate chips today and just so happened that I found Hershey's chips on sale for something like $1.29 then to top it off I had a coupon that was get $1.00 off with purchase of 3. I needed 3 bags so it wasn't a big deal but it was nice to be able to use the coupon on top of the sale!

[DrScreed]

All the stores will ad match, so you do not need to drive from store to store. Coupons are huge today, I usually use them and buy on sale, especially non-perishables. It looks like I sale TP and paper towels and kleenex in my basement!:D

[Mary]

It looks like I sale TP and paper towels and kleenex in my basement!:D

So if I need some you have lots to spare right?? lol

[DrScreed]

So if I need some you have lots to sell at a marked up price right?? lol
Fixed it for you

Yes!:D No socialist here, all capitalist.

[Luvkittys7]

All the stores will ad match, so you do not need to drive from store to store. Coupons are huge today, I usually use them and buy on sale, especially non-perishables. It looks like I sale TP and paper towels and kleenex in my basement!:D

HyVee does not match other stores ads. We have tried this. Haven't tried any other stores but Walmart, but really, at those prices, why go anywhere else? I don't bother with coupons, foods ads save me plenty. (I'm sneaky, when I find REALLY good deals, like Kraft Cheese for 99 cents or Totino's Pizzas for 89 cents, we save the ad and use it over and over, keeping the date carefully out of site, lol!!)

All the stores will ad match, so you do not need to drive from store to store. Coupons are huge today, I usually use them and buy on sale, especially non-perishables. It looks like I sale TP and paper towels and kleenex in my basement!:D

Lol. When the Banks crashed or whatever that crap was a little while back, beer prices shot up at the Hyvee in Gladstone. To about 16.50 a thirty pack (for Natural Light). So, I of course, panicked and called around. We found a store that was still selling it for 12.99 a 30 pack and we bought about two hundred dollars worth. My husband set up what looked like a liquor store display in my living room. LOLLY!

[Monica]

Coupons make me crazy, I try and clip and use them but I admit I am not good at it. Plus most of the things they have coupons for are not things I normally buy. Plus Aldi has most things for cheaper than the other stores carry it when it comes to canned goods and boxed stuff, plus their price for eggs, milk, butter, etc is usually the best around. Meat I try to only buy what is on sale, period, it makes everyone else crazy at times because they will ask when can we have this and I answer when it is on sale! Costco sends out a coupon book that usually has some things I buy there all the time, want to buy more often or want to try, so I usually use part of what they send. Some things in it are more wish list item but I figure they will have them on sale again and I might have the extra money then.

I should add a bigger freezer to my Christmas list, lol.

[Monica]

I am trying to use the website www.findgrocerydeals.com more to compare prices. I don't get store ads from most whats out there, I get Hen House and Price Chopper. I would think that HyVee would want to draw me the few extra miles to them, but I guess not.

It takes a lot of time to compare prices, sizes etc. Keep track of it all when prices are changing constantly...Milk seems to change prices as often as gas does these days.

The Aldi by me tends to have several in store specials these days. The other day salad in a bag was 50 cents and celery was 25 cents.