I am a card carrying charter member of the I Loathe Dominick's Society, but today, while waiting in line to buy medium sized King Crab Legs at Costco for $14.99/lb. I got tipped off by a lady in front of me that the Dominick's on Milwaukee and Devon across the street from Superdawg had HUGE King Crab Legs on sale for only $12.99/lb. She seemed like the honest type, so I got out of line and instead made a beeline for the above mentioned crappy Dominick's. Sure enough, they had the largest, most beautiful King Crab I've seen in quite some time (including those being sold at Dirk's) for $12.99 if you have a Dominick's loyalty card.

On this occasion, it may be worth checking out your local Dominick's. YMMV.

stevez wrote:I am a card carrying charter member of the I Loathe Dominick's Society, but today, while waiting in line to buy medium sized King Crab Legs at Costco for $14.99/lb. I got tipped off by a lady in front of me that the Dominick's on Milwaukee and Devon across the street from Superdawg had HUGE King Crab Legs on sale for only $12.99/lb. She seemed like the honest type, so I got out of line and instead made a beeline for the above mentioned crappy Dominick's. Sure enough, they had the largest, most beautiful King Crab I've seen in quite some time (including those being sold at Dirk's) for $12.99 if you have a Dominick's loyalty card.

On this occasion, it may be worth checking out your local Dominick's. YMMV.

I've had the "on sale" King Crab legs from Dominicks twice this year. The first time they were absolutely outstanding - perfectly sweet and fresh. The second time, not so much. I learned (re-learned, really) a valuable lesson: smell your seafood before you buy it.

Kennyz wrote:I've had the "on sale" King Crab legs from Dominicks twice this year. The first time they were absolutely outstanding - perfectly sweet and fresh. The second time, not so much. I learned (re-learned, really) a valuable lesson: smell your seafood before you buy it.

These are fresh and seem to be of the highest order, not the "seconds" you would expect to find at Jewel/Dominick's. I'm sure they are set up as a loss leader to bring people ionto the store (I bought nothing else, opting instead for a stop at Lincolnwood Produce for lemons, garlic and other accoutrements). They were moving a lot of them and they were still frozen and being freshly unpacked from the cases. Unless at some point these were thawed and then refrozen, they are well cared for.

Just a follow up to say that the Dominick's King Crab Legs I bought for New Year's were very good, once again proving the old adage, "Even a blind dog gets lucky once in a while."

nr706 wrote:My Evanston Dominick's is at Dempster & Dodge. You're going to the good one.

That's "my" Dominick's. I only go there A. to avoid the annoyance of Evanston Jewel, and B. to get something you can't get at Aldi (e.g. pine nuts).

A large Dominick's is serviceable, but medium sized ones are notoriously lacking in things like the OP described.

This article from a few days ago says the new Dominick's on Broadway in East Lakeview (to replace the one that burned down a few years ago) is in jeopardy of not being built. At least for a while yet.

I am boycotting Dominick's on Devon & Nagle. I bought Sudafed Day & Night there very late Friday, realized when I got home it expired in AUGUST, so I tried to return it Sunday. They REFUSED to give me a refund, because for some reason it rang up as Safeway brand on the receipt, and at the customer service desk it didn't ring up at all! It wasn't "in their system." So basically, I buy meds from other establishments, save them until they expire, buy similar products from Dominicks, then try to return the opposite product. Very clever of me! I couldn't believe the terrible customer service I received in the age of Twitter. $7 to me is a lot, and it's a drop in the bucket to them.

Right before this happened, I tried to go through the DIY checkout (for just 3 cans of broth and floss), which is another blood boiler. I didn't have my bag in the right place, so I needed someone to come by and approve my not-bagging (!!!!!), which took at least 5 minutes since there was absolutely NO ONE nearby. No manager. The customer service teen disappeared, then returned to the desk to yap with her co-worker friends. Hate hate hate those machines, they are not the least bit convenient unless you're buying one thing with no coupons. You really have to blow those coupons into the next century before the machine realizes you've deposited them. Okay, rant over.

Did you walk across the street at Superdawg to de-stress?

That would have been a good idea! How could I forget my mantra: chocolate malts fix everything?

Willst I never learn?
I went to the Dominick's on McCormick & Pratt today for some cheap T-Day groceries, one of which was store-brand brown sugar. The light was fine, but the dark, every package, was rock solid. I couldn't even break it apart with my hands. But I picked up some skinny asparagus for $1.49.

Personal commitments kept me busy during the day, so I went to the local Dominic's for some staples and to pick up something to cook for dinner. I wanted something quick and easy to cook, yet at the same time tasty. I thought “Gee, a steak and baked potato with some sauteed spinach would be nice.


So I grabbed some bagged spinach and a decent looking baking potato. Of course these things are hard to screw up. Then I looked for some fresh chives for my potato. The only fresh herbs available were those that come in the little plastic boxes. The one box of chives on the shelf was just disgusting to look at. Most of them were wilted and beginning to rot. I can only surmise that this was brought on by the frequent mist of water sprayed onto the produce. The water gets into the air holes of the box, trapped inside, and rapidly accelerates the rot process. Fortunately, at 6:30 on a Sunday evening, there was someone working in the produce section who found a fresh looking box of chives in the back. The sad thing is, even though I told him this last box of chives was rotting, he left it on the shelf. Someone, no doubt, will grab this box without looking carefully at the contents, only to come home with something inedible.


But my frustration didn't end there.


I had to find the steak I wanted. Being disappointed with the selection of steaks in Styrofoam trays wrapped in plastic, I asked the "butcher" what else they had. He showed me some decent, but not great, looking porterhouse steaks that were on sale. They were even labeled “All Natural” whatever that means. I picked the best looking one and off I went.


Now I'm not expecting some amazing eats here, and the price was certainly right. I thought “Wow, that was a great deal.” Forgetting that you get what you pay for.


I got home and made my dinner. The spinach and potato were good. Heck, even the chives weren't awful. But that steak? Ug! Just terrible. The texture was beyond bad and the flavor was just barely existent. Clearly this was beef that came from some feedlot somewhere. The quality was just so bad.


It got me to thinking. A lot of people out there gladly buy this garbage, take it home and cook it and think “Wow, what a great meal.” It's a shame. The people who run these megamarts are selling America a lie. They tell you, this a great, natural food that you can get cheap. Excuse my harsh words here but, BULLCRAP!


We need to demand better. People need to learn that the food these megamarts are selling us is generally crap, is raised in ways that produce foods that are unhealthy for us to eat, are raised in ways that are bad for the environment, and taste like stuff I wouldn't feed a dog. It's a sin!


I stopped buying chicken at megamarts over a year ago. It started when I wanted to roast a whole chicken for dinner one night. Now, I'm single, and a small chicken would feed me and leave plenty of left overs. I get to the megamart and I was stunned that the smallest chicken in the store was seven pounds. SEVEN POUNDS? What kind of hormone pumped chicken weights seven pounds when it's dressed? And that was the smallest bird I could find. I was disgusted. I haven't bought chicken from a megamart since. Nor should you. The chickens I buy now are certainly more expensive, but you know what? They're organic, raised humanely, are better for me, and taste really really good. So screw the corporate chicken giants that are Perdue and Tyson. These companies don't care about the well being of their animals, what their production methods do to the environment, the quality of their product, and worst of all they don't care if you die. All they care about is a good quarterly earnings report for their stock holders. Well they're not getting my money anymore, and they shouldn't get yours either.


So I guess I don't get to buy protein at the local megamart anymore. I'm fine with that. Actually I'm happy about it. You should do a bit of your own research, do some taste tests and I'll bet you come to the same conclusion.


Next time you buy some meat ask where it's from. Ask how it's raised. Ask if it's allowed any pasture time. If you're at the megamart I doubt the guy behind the counter can answer these questions. You might get some double talk corporate speak though. Heck, the guy I bought my steak from tonight couldn't even answer the simplest of questions like; How long should I cook this for? But, if you make the choice to pay a bit more and shop at a butcher shop or fish monger, you're likely to get straight answers and the guy behinds the counter will sure as hell know how to cook the damned thing.

Sorry about the rant.

JLenart wrote:They were even labeled “All Natural” whatever that means.

It means virtually nothing. From the USDA:

A product containing no artificial ingredient or added color and is only minimally processed (a process which does not fundamentally alter the raw product) may be labeled natural. The label must explain the use of the term natural (such as - no added colorings or artificial ingredients; minimally processed.)

This does not rule out growth hormones, antibiotics, crowded feedlots, etc.

Nice post.

I mean, I don't loathe Dominick's really, but I was pretty surprised that they did not carry lemongrass.

Lemongrass? I couldn't get flat leaf parsley there last week.

I had a tough time finding ginger root there recently and once I found it, it was soaked.

I don't think of the Dominick's stores near me as the same. I like the one on Route 176 in Mundelein better than the one on Route 60 in Vernon Hills, and I like the one on Half Day Road in Buffalo Grove as well as or better than the Mundelein one.

I might (or might not) find bean sprouts or ginger or lemongrass at any of them, but I'm sure I'd find them at the Garden Fresh Market in Mundelein.

I was forced to go grocery shopping today, as I was far too busy on my regular shopping day, and of course facing the Snowpocalypse with just a few cans of beans and one Hot Pocket is not a good option. The parking lot at Devon Market was too insane to even contemplate going in, so I had to go to Dominick's. And hence renewed my loathing. I ended up buying all convenience foods as the produce was so unfortunate. Squishy bell peppers for $2.50 APIECE? No thank you.

Sure, this location (Ridge & Devon) got a lovely makeover and yes, they offer cheese samples now, but it's still a Hard Times Store underneath its new gloss.

I just walked past my 'hood's Dominick's (Chicago & Damen), and there was a steady stream of people coming in and out. I didn't need to buy anything there, but I was curious to see the blizzard effect inside. Here's some of what's left:

Plenty of skim and buttermilk...



Kraft brand and string cheese...



Chicken family packs and ham...



Pretzels and corn chips...



El Rancho tortilla chips...



Reggio's and Palermo's pizza...



Hit particularly hard were avocados and Hostess hand pies (both on sale for 10/$10):





I was surprised to see a lot of all kinds of booze left, and no one seemed to be buying personal hygiene products or tulips.



FWIW, Kasia's next door to Dominick's still had plenty of prepared food, sausage, packaged pierogi and other groceries this afternoon.

Kasia's Deli
2101 W. Chicago Ave.
Chicago, IL 60622-6886
773-486-7500

happy_stomach:

Those are some great pictures. I went by Whole Foods on Huron this afternoon and while not as bare, you could see the effects of people stocking up! There was almost no one shopping there and they were planning on closing at 3pm.

As for Dominick's...I usually do my best to not go to my local Dominick's (Grand & Fairbanks) as I find it a poor excuse for a store (I have many horror stories). But the on Monday night I felt the need to stock up on one of my guilty pleasures....DMD (Diet Mountain Dew ) before the storm hit. I've never seen such long lines! There must of been 40 people in every checkout line open.

Hey, I bought tulips! I thought the color might be cheering.

P. Channon wrote:happy_stomach:

Those are some great pictures. I went by Whole Foods on Huron this afternoon and while not as bare, you could see the effects of people stocking up! There was almost no one shopping there and they were planning on closing at 3pm.

Thank you. I actually passed that Whole Foods tonight, thinking I would inspect the blizzard effect there, and it was indeed closed.

Suzy Creamcheese wrote:Hey, I bought tulips! I thought the color might be cheering.

Hooray! Until a few years ago, I never cared much for tulips. I freelance as a photo researcher, negotiating the rights for images in mainly academic books, and a few years ago I acquired all of the images for a book on Tulipmania. I learned from that project different stories from the 16th and 17th centuries about tulips being mistaken for food and often, specifically, onions.

Anne Goldgar in Tulipmania: Money, Honor, and Knowledge in the Dutch Golden Age wrote:In 1583 we hear from [Flemish horticulturist] Clusius that a Mechelen merchant, Georgius or Joris de Rye, who had considerable botanical knowledge, had rescued some tulip bulbs that had been thrown away by an unsuspecting Antwerp merchant. The merchant had received the bulbs from Constantinople in a shipment of cotton cloth and, mistaking them for onions, had roasted a few and eaten them with oil and vinegar. Not surprisingly, from what we hear about the taste of tulip bulbs, he threw the rest into a pile of vegetable waste in his garden, where Rye happened to see them and recognize them for what they were.

Now, I immediately think of onions when I see tulips. The flowers were certainly one of the more appealing things for sale at Dominick's.

Outdated items at Dominick's upsets customers

Jill Cataldo, a prominent Chicago-area coupon blogger, claimed she found 761 expired items during two shopping trips, with some foods allegedly dating to 2008.
[...]
Dominick's, owned by Safeway Inc., issued a statement Thursday saying it was unhappy that expired food was found at its stores.

"While expiration dates on food products are largely based on quality, not food safety, that does not diminish the fact that we are displeased with the out-of-date products found at our stores," the statement said. "This is not indicative of how we do business. A high-level and highest-priority team has been assembled to immediately address these issues."

Aha! I knew I wasn't crazy!

Dominick's? Leaving old expired food on shelves? I don't believe it for a minute...

Saint Pizza wrote:This morning Jimthebeerguy stepped into our local Dominick's to pick up a bagel on his way to work, and this is what he saw:

JimTheBeerGuy wrote:Dominick's? Leaving old expired food on shelves? I don't believe it for a minute...

Saint Pizza wrote:This morning Jimthebeerguy stepped into our local Dominick's to pick up a bagel on his way to work, and this is what he saw:

This truly is one of those times when a picture is worth a thousand words.

skess wrote:Outdated items at Dominick's upsets customers

Jill Cataldo, a prominent Chicago-area coupon blogger, claimed she found 761 expired items during two shopping trips, with some foods allegedly dating to 2008.
[...]
Dominick's, owned by Safeway Inc., issued a statement Thursday saying it was unhappy that expired food was found at its stores.

"While expiration dates on food products are largely based on quality, not food safety, that does not diminish the fact that we are displeased with the out-of-date products found at our stores," the statement said. "This is not indicative of how we do business. A high-level and highest-priority team has been assembled to immediately address these issues."

What is new?

I knew that they had issues when one of the Dominicks in Lake County was selling BUTTER for $1/lb ... at Eastertime. When I looked at the butter, it was FIVE days prior to expiration. The shelf date is generally closer to SIXTY days.

I have seen several stores where 20-30% of the dairy was on markdown to move it.

Another store to watch out at is Trader Joe's and their fresh foods past the produce.

JimTheBeerGuy wrote:Dominick's? Leaving old expired food on shelves? I don't believe it for a minute...

Saint Pizza wrote:This morning Jimthebeerguy stepped into our local Dominick's to pick up a bagel on his way to work, and this is what he saw:

What, you don't like free penicillin?

The River North Dominick's didn't even have miso when I stopped by yesterday. Luckily, I'm starting to convince my gf that there is no reason to ever step in the place again.

I have a Dominick's right behind my building downtown and used to shop there because it was so close...but after I found human hair in my deli meat three times I decided to never go back unless I need something in a can. I now drive 15-20 min to While Foods in LP because I think it's that much better.

jblth wrote:The River North Dominick's didn't even have miso when I stopped by yesterday. Luckily, I'm starting to convince my gf that there is no reason to ever step in the place again.

The lack of miso is what did it?