Big box grocery stores

[Rusty Blade]

It occurred to me the other day, as I was shopping for groceries, that my local big box grocery store has had a hand in destroying several traditional small businesses. The butcher, the baker, the deli have all gone extinct since big box grocery stores have muscled in on their territory. And I cant say I am impressed.

The big box grocery store baker, I found out recently, draws from the same bag of mixed ingredients to make 6 or more different breads. The only thing that changes are the shapes, not the contents. My local baker had a secret recipe for each of their various baked goods. And it was delicious.

It is disheartening to see the world disintegrating into mediocrity when at one time we supported the butcher who could always be counted on to find some little gem of meat to meet our needs. Now, unless it comes in on the truck you are out of luck. The other say I was searching for ground chicken and the butcher at the big box store said the order didnt come in. I asked if he could grind some and he looked at me like I had two heads. And the deli, well, I wont go there at all. Cole slaw in a sealed container from half a world away...pffft. And salami, dont even ask.

I got the big box grocery store blues.

 

[rbscebu]

It's called a free-market economy. Not always the best for some.

 

[Rusty Blade]

It's called a free-market economy. Not always the best for some.

Yup, I get it. But my cole slaw will never be the same.

 

[Toothpick]

I’ve succumbed to the Walmart and Amazon economy. Groceries comes from Walmart via curbside pickup and I freaking love it. Haven’t been inside the local Walmart in about 2-3 months now. Everything else comes from Amazon. When the Costco opens up I imagine some things will come from them.

There are still butchers and bakers but I believe they are mostly in the large cities and secluded in a neighborhood where they been for the last 100 years and are supported by the same neighbors that have been buying from them just as long.

I know of a place in the Chicago area that is AMAZING. But also…ASTRONOMICAL PRICES. Last time I was there (few years ago) we wanted to buy some meat for a cookout. Burgers, steaks, etc. Nope. Not willing to pay $45 for 6 burger patties. Or $98 for 4 steaks. That’s the price you pay for a local butcher. I know the food would be excellent, but I’m just not willing to pay the price.

So yeah, as you say “back in the day” when the local butcher or deli was all there was the prices were a lot better. But now that big box stores have edged them out they have to compensate by raising their prices so only the loyal customers shop there.

 

[MrSpeedy]

I'm almost 50 and for as long as I remember bakeries, meats, and deli-style food has been bought at a grocery store (and I grew up in a fairly small town). So I don't think this is a new phenomenon. That being said, I do believe the quality depends on the grocery store you go to. At the one I go to, it is excellent. They will cut or grind meat, and the bakery goods are outstanding.

 

[Whisky]

I also got tired of the Big Box Store’s fares although I’ve found that the local Meijers op to be better than WalMart. I bought the King Arthur Flour Bakers Companion cook book and taught myself to bake the breads I like. I buy my meat by the full and half (full pig and half cow). The butcher calls before they process the meat and I can specify how thick I want my steaks and chops and what kind of sausage I want made (out of 25 types to choose from). The meat is a big upfront expense but you usually reserve at a price about 6mo in advance so it’s possible to buy the meat well below what market cost is at the time you pick it up. Deep freezer is another expense.

My wife makes the Cole slaw and potato salad so even if I hated them (which I don’t) I’d still have to eat them.

The only meat I buy “fresh” anymore is fish. Luckily there’s a pretty good fish monger close by that usually has good prices.

 

[Bakker1964]

My wife and I have been discussing half cows and pigs.

 

[BigLeegr]

It is sad to see the disappearance of specialty businesses but as has been mentioned free market economy doesn't necessarily guarantee the best quality products. On the other hand, mass market/imports from China etc. HAVE allowed people of lesser means the ability to buy things that-even a generation ago- would have been too expensive for the majority of the population. Throwing out a TV after 3-5 years? Unheard of 50 years ago. Garages full of power tools with duplicates or triplicates because you couldn't find one when you needed it so you just bought another instead of looking for it? Most people would have a basic set of hand tools for basic repairs and maybe a couple power tools unless they were really into carpentry etc. as tools were pretty expensive back then. So yes, it's a loss on one hand, but apparently enough of the buying public has chosen a less personal/specialized shopping experience in favour of being able to buy more for less.

 

[c__port]

The same marketing/economics shift that destroyed opportunity for small specialty brick-and-mortar enterprise also created unbelievable opportunity for small mom-and-pop home businesses. Just look at all the micro businesses involved in just selling to shaving enthusiasts, and multiply that by every niche pursuit out there now. Food is definitely the same, and I benefited from that on Fathers' day when my kids gave me some gourmet hot dogs made by someone who farms, butchers, prepares, and ships everything they sell.

I for one am not sure it's a bad shift. Sure, I can't go the B&B mercantile (small B&M "everything" store of my childhood) and buy a pair of slacks anymore. But I can order them from 150 different vendors, or I can even go on Etsy and find someone who will custom make slacks fitted for me and all of these are shipped to my home. Those vendors now have opportunity to support their families through making or sourcing low-inventory goods that can be marketed effectively by even the smallest businesses, and that opportunity simply wasn't there a generation ago.

 

[garyg]

I try, vainly it seems, to support the little guys. We used to have a "chain" of 6 groceries here that were great - their meat counter was I'd guess 75 feet long. Those stores got gobbled up by Kroger's, the meat counter is now about half the size & if you can't find it at ChinaMart you can't get it at Kroger's either. But they used the room gained by getting rid of the specialty stuff to bring in seasonal crap like lawn chairs & picnic coolers .. kinda like one of the Marts. The last indie hardware closed a year ago, now we have ACE which though limited in selection of actual hardware carries an amazing line of canned soup & potato chips

Now I make separate stops at a local grocery, vegetable market, deli & butcher's. There are still some around, just not down the block. I have tried the food delivery and suspected they had a contest to select the worse looking vegetables or cuts of meat. Amazon sells some of the specialty stuff that Kroger no longer carries, but big A's stuff often has limited shelf life left when they dump it off on you...

But as long as the public is willing to put up with it ...

 

[Doc4]

The big box grocery store baker, I found out recently, draws from the same bag of mixed ingredients to make 6 or more different breads.

"Back in the day" 20-30 years ago I found supermarkets that had great bakeries that made great bread.

Now, not so much.

My wife and I have been discussing half cows and pigs.

I recommend half lamb and half pig.

 

[njpaddy]

My wife and I continue to shop at the same NJ supermarkets we've used for 40+ years, ShopRite and Stop & Shop. Outside of a couple of items my wife finds cheaper at Target, our grocery shopping goal is to get in, get out, and get home ASAP. We rarely set foot in a Walmart, especially NJ Walmarts, and avoid Aldi and other no-name groceries that have cropped up.

Our only grocery store guilty pleasure is Kroger. Kroger was our grocery store when married 50+ years ago and lived in KY. It's still our first stop when we visit my wife's family in KY, and we'll meander around for an hour or two to stock up our hotel room. We also stock up before the trip home.

 

[Avi]

They exist .. you just have to pay for it. Our default run is Wegmans / Costco / Jmart (small Asian grocery store ). Wegmans is a reasonable balance btwn quality and price but really a chain. We also have a small store called McCaffreys - in a really affluent section of town. The meats and fish are great and worth paying for ( well as a treat ) but I have joked with my wife the prices are designed for either super rich people or college students who have no idea what prices are ( weird things like lemons that are a buck each ).

We do have a butcher near us as well, the flip side of this in the NE are the bagged produce stores with names like Produce Junction .. they seem independent but sell fresh groceries really competitively with prices that make Walmart look like a Whole Foods :

Seasonal — Produce Junction

producejunction.com

As an aside when Amazon bought Whole Foods their quality has gotten so bad in our area we just gave up on them.

 

[njpaddy]

Our default run is Wegmans / Costco / ...............

As an aside when Amazon bought Whole Foods their quality has gotten so bad in our area we just gave up on them.

No wonder that the last time we stopped at a new Whole Foods that opened, we left without buying anything and never went back. Wegmans is ok, but not worth the drive from our place. We do go to Costco every month or two for paper goods, vitamins and a chicken. While their food looks great, the quantity is too much for just my wife and I.

 

[T.Orso]

"Back in the day" 20-30 years ago I found supermarkets that had great bakeries that made great bread.

Now, not so much.
I recommend half lamb and half pig.

View attachment 1293385

Wow. I must see if my cheese guy has something made from the milk of this animal. How could it not be delicious?

Seriously though, I live in a city where there is every kind of niche food seller, many of them in business for decades and thriving. I know this is rare. I may never move.

 

[ylekot]

I agree that single source products (meat from a butcher, fish from a fish monger etc.) is superior to what you will find at any combo market. The beauty of the large chain stores is consistency and availability. The salmon I eat with my relatives in New Brunswick Canada is FAR superior to anything I can get here in podunk USA, but at least I can get it whenever I want it and at least get a bit of the flavor. The whole farm raised versus wild caught is a whole different argument as well. I am just thankful to only have first world problems to be honest.