What are your least favorite places to shop for groceries?

Mine was just re-enforced. Pick-N-save.
8 people with carts in line, one check out clerk. Far higher prices than local competitors.
Awful service. They have cut back severely on meats and fish. Prices are even higher than another Roundy's owned outfit "Marketplace" that is supposed to be more upscale. The killer was that I sprained my wrist and it was in a brace. I was picking up several cases of soda for a cookout, and was told to put all of them, rather than just one up to be scanned because the cart had to be empty. I asked for help since it would hurt my wrist, I was told I would have to do it myself.

With the current collection in my area of Sendiks (far better service, very little cost more than Pic-n-save), Woodman's and Aldi's for prices, Trader Joes for a few items of theirs I like, Meijer's moving in, whole foods, Walmart for simple staples if I am not going to Woodman's, rumor of a couple of other chains expanding into the area, I am spending the extra $.25 to $1 in gas to avoid pic-n-save.

Dominick's- I loathe Dominicks.
Without fail, every time I go in they are out of the exact item I went in for, no matter what it is.
I go out of my way to NOT shop there.
I only shop there in extremis....

irisarbor wrote:Dominick's- I loathe Dominicks.
Without fail, every time I go in they are out of the exact item I went in for, no matter what it is.
I go out of my way to NOT shop there.
I only shop there in extremis....

I harbor similar feelings toward Jewel. More than anything, they seem to be a waste of retail space. I swear Devon Market has twice the selection in 1/3 of the square footage.

The Target on Howard in Evanston. And at the risk of being stoned, the Shop & Save behind the Golf Mill mall. Those aisles are too damn small.

Hi- I actually like the Target on Howard. The one place that I like the least is probably Walmart. I am just not a big walmart fan, even though I do belong to Sam's Club, and buy all of my prescriptions and most of my gas there.

I just hate Walmart's parking lot, and it seems like I always have a hard time finding a parking space there. It seems like both of the stores in Niles are congested, no matter when you shop there. I would much prefer to shop at Target over Walmart.

Either the Tony's on Elston or the one on Central. Just thinking about those parking lots....
The ones I've visited in the suburbs are awesome, though.

As far as I'm concerned, Jerry's Fruits in Niles can just collapse.

I like the Target on Howard, too. My ploy: since I'm generally getting a 'scrip when I go in, I pick up whatever hard-goods type groceries when I'm there (clothes/dishwasher detergent, cleaning supplies - that sort of stuff), and just buy everything at the pharmacy. I don't go nuts and do a full-blown shopping trip, but the foregoing items are always very reasonable, and the pharmacy service and prices are top-notch.

Hi- I was in Jerry's a few months ago for the first time in years, and the parking lot is awful, and the store is really cramped. The prices were really reasonable, but I don't live near there, and I could not wait to get out of there. I was worried that I ws going to get in an accident in the parking lot there, because it is so congested.

NFriday wrote:The one place that I like the least is probably Walmart.

I wasn't thinking about WalMart for groceries. WalMart makes me want to murder.

NFriday wrote:Hi- I was in Jerry's a few months ago for the first time in years, and the parking lot is awful, and the store is really cramped. The prices were really reasonable, but I don't live near there, and I could not wait to get out of there. I was worried that I ws going to get in an accident in the parking lot there, because it is so congested.

I also hate shopping in Jerry's. If anybody needs an expansion, it's them. They can bulldoze the McDonald's and use it as a parking lot. But the prices and quality are fantastic.

WalMart still makes me want to murder. But I am now a regular shopper at Jerry's, hellish as it is, because of the prices. I'm saving up to $40 a week on groceries now. It bugs me that they don't have a freezer section or fresh meats, but I can go to Fresh Farms for those. As for canned goods, it's slightly better than Aldi - they have a set stock so you don't have to wonder what they'll have from one week to the next, but they don't have a lot of choice.

Ok. How about this? My least favorite place for groceries is also one of my favorites ??? It's Fresh Farms on Touhy!
First of all, I work most evenings and Saturdays, which leaves Sundays. On a Sunday afternoon, you almost can't find a grocery cart. The moment I get inside, I feel like I'm in a Turkish prison. Everyone is walking in circles, going in the same direction, but I'm going the opposite way, like in that scene in Midnight Express. I guess I'm a bit claustrophobic, because with carts banging in to me and folks leaving carts unattended, I find myself in a hurry to finish shopping and get to the car. I think most of the aisles are to narrow.

NFriday wrote:The one place that I like the least is probably Walmart...I just hate Walmart's parking lot...

One of my least favorite places to shop for groceries ought to be one of my most favorite places to shop for groceries, but the parking lot is the issue. I'm talking about the Mariano's near Roscoe Village. The lot is an Accident Waiting to Happen. (I'd be surprised if a few haven't happened already.) I also live in terror of the parking lot at the Whole Foods on Ashland. The surface lot at this WF is for sure in the AWtH category, and the garage structure isn't much better. Even when I am right in that neighborhood, I'll generally go a little out of my way to the WF on Halsted. (Which is a pleasanter store in every other respect as well.)

Aldi's-the sole check out line on a crowded Saturday makes the place so not worth it.
Dominicks-a/k/a Safeway-except for President's Horseraddish Chedder Cheese (husband's favorite) there is no reason to visit.
Jerry's-the parking lot is the worst and the place is run down.
Tony's in Niles- Understaffed deli makes the 20 minute wait unbearable. But I still like this place.
Shop N Save in Niles-You can not get in and out quickly in this place. Too many cool things to buy along the perimeter ( produce, dairy, prepared meals, deli and bakery) of the store. Interior aisles have various ethnic foods as well as American goods but I feel these are pricey.
Meijer-just too big and nothing unusual.

Pie Lady wrote:...And at the risk of being stoned, the Shop & Save behind the Golf Mill mall. Those aisles are too damn small.

Check out the Des Plaines location on River Road, north of Dempster. Unlike the Golf Mill location, which was was adapted to fit into an existing structure, the DP store was built from scratch and is much more maneuverable.

Buddy

BrendanR wrote:As far as I'm concerned, Jerry's Fruits in Niles can just collapse.

I had to laugh my ass off at this one because it was the first one to come to my mind. A few years ago I used to go there with my parents on a weekly basis. Sunday afternoons, one of the worst times to go but you could not tell my father and try to get him to change his habit. I tried and it was damn near impossible. Tha parking lot is the pits, it so damned cramped and crazy. Inside the store is even worse with the narrow aisles and people bustling everywhere there is no place to breathe. Once some guy bad mouthed my mother because her cart was in the way. I once got into it with this impatient woman who rudely huffed because I was in her way. Have you ever heard of the words "Excuse me?" Another time some douchebag just leaves his cart standing in line while I was behind him and he finished paying for his stuff and expected me to get it out of my way. The checker wasn't phased and didn't even bother putting his ass in place. It brought out the most rudest and dumbest people I have ever seen in my entire life (and I work in a college library so I have seen alot). I hated that effing place. Hated it. My mother hated it. Yet week after week my dad would continue to shop there and insist on it because it was great to him. But the prices are dirt cheap and the quality is good. We used to go there back in the early to mid 90s and I don't recall it ever being that nutty. I don't hate any grcoery store as much as I hate Jerry's. I mean, I dislike Jewel, Dominick's and Aldi's for mostly minor quibbles but I seriously hate Jerry. Love his prices though. I haven't set foot in that place since I got married two years ago and ironically I love to cook and shop more now than I did when I was taking care of my parents.

KajmacJohnson wrote:I had to laugh my ass off at this one because it was the first one to come to my mind.

Oh, I know. It's so bad, I don't even like driving by on a Saturday afternoon. The screwed up parking lot actually spills over into Milwaukee Ave and it can take a couple lights to get through Milwaukee and Oakton. And no where has my ankle been knocked around more by inconsiderate jerks with shopping carts.

Another one: Andy's Deli, also on Milwaukee. Screwed up parking lot situation spills onto the street and everyone southbound hits the brakes since some asshat is inevitably double parked outside while so and so shops inside. Inside the store, it's no better with people milling about, just killing time or something. I've never seen so many apparent old friends reunited, introducing their whole families to one another and getting caught up from years past...right inside the door of the freaking grocery store.

The Tonys in Niles does have a pokey deli but the store layout is such that you can grab your number and still do quite a but of shopping while in sight/earshot of the counter. The bakery, fish, imported cheese and some of the produce is right there.

And even my beloved Fresh Farms can annoy during peak time. As mentioned, they do get really busy and the parking and store navigation are tight. That Walmart they share a lot with has got to be one of the worst, too. Come to think of it, that whole Village Crossing vicinity is busy and tough to get through on a weekend during daylight.

The hideous Jewel on Southport. Horribly organized, awful selection, and they no longer grind their own pork - you have to buy this weird industrial stuff in a tube, it's hateful. It's the only Jewel or Dominicks I've shopped at in years, every time I set foot in it, I remember why I stopped shopping at these places. I bring my own groceries now when I visit my fella who lives in the area.

Jewel on Ridge in Munster. The selection, the prices, the ambiance, all are hateful. Oh how I detest Jewel. Probably the least worst of my selections, which is horrible.
Ultra on Indianapolis Blvd in Highland. They never have quite what you want, and for such an amazingly large store their selection is limited. Plus, the floor cleaner guy chases me around with the cleaner, I swear upon all that is holy.
Pay Low on Ridge in Griffith/Gary. Organized so poorly that I feel hopeless and despondent when I shop there - like I don't deserve to have food, because if I did I would be able to find it.

I have a love-hate relationship with Strack & Van Til on 45th in Highland; the new remodeling makes it comfortable and enjoyable to shop there, the lighting is well-thought-out, the layout is considered, the prices are only on the high side of acceptable, but I want to stab the guy who does the sushi. You can hear him from across the store, droning out the same thing every few seconds: "FRESH SUSHI SAMPLLLLLE! YUMMY YUMMY YUMMMMMYYYYY!"

I love Trader Joe's, but I hate their parking lots. Not sure which is worse - the one on Lincoln or the one on Roosevelt. I guess a sight edge would be given to the northside location, full as it is with Real Housewives of Roscoe Village and their maniacal toddlers* pushing tiny shopping carts.

*And now that I possess one of those maniacal toddlers myself, my resolve to never use those carts has grown stronger. I'd hate to be responsible for any amputations.

Suzy Creamcheese wrote:I love Trader Joe's, but I hate their parking lots.

You have to be willing to drive the 600 and 700 blocks of Diversey (which often is no picnic), but if you did, you'd discover one Trader Joe's that has a good parking lot. (Actually a parking garage. Free, spacious, easy in and out.) I understand it may not be worth contending with that stretch of East Lakeview to get there, but if you really want to go to a Trader Joe's badly enough, the parking at that one won't be the dealbreaker.

Hi- The WF in downtown Evanston got rid of those kiddie carts pro9bably five years ago. They had too many complaints from other customers who complained about all the times the children were not looking where they were going, and hit their shins with those kiddie carts. I remember they got some complaints from parents when the carts were removed, but the store said that too many customers had expressed displeasure at the kiddie carts, and they far outnumbered the people that wanted them to remain in the store. Is Trader Joe's the only place that has them now?

Hopefully when the new Trader Joe's opens up next year in Evanston, the parking situation will be improved. The only store I ever go to now is the Glenview store, and I don't go there that often, and the parking is OK there. Thanks, Nancy

Suzy Creamcheese wrote:I love Trader Joe's, but I hate their parking lots. Not sure which is worse - the one on Lincoln or the one on Roosevelt. I guess a sight edge would be given to the northside location, full as it is with Real Housewives of Roscoe Village and their maniacal toddlers* pushing tiny shopping carts.

*And now that I possess one of those maniacal toddlers myself, my resolve to never use those carts has grown stronger. I'd hate to be responsible for any amputations.

Hahaha. I went to the TJ's in Oak Park the other day which I find easier to navigate than the one in Roscoe Village (although you may not be able to stomach those Oak Parkians anymore so than the Roscoe Village-ites) and a little girl almost crashed into my cart with her kiddie cart. But she was the only one in the store and the mother lashed out and told her how to properly behave which I appreciated.

MincyBits wrote:Jewel on Ridge in Munster. The selection, the prices, the ambiance, all are hateful. Oh how I detest Jewel. Probably the least worst of my selections, which is horrible.

Huge coupon Nazi's at that location too. They go over them with a fine tooth comb and when I've walked out with stuff for free or close to it,they act as if I stole it.

I went to the TJ's in Oak Park the other day which I find easier to navigate than the one in Roscoe Village

The Trader Joe's on Lincoln & Grace is in North Center, not Roscoe Village. Addison is the dividing line, and that store is well north of Addison. I do agree that the parking is terrible, but that's pretty much the case for most of the supermarkets in the area.

The Jewel on Broadway just south of Addison. The workers are rude, if you can find any and the clashers are slow and would rather talk to each other than check you out. Good luck on finding a casher at Osco on Friday at 5 if you just want to get a bottle of wine. People put their cart on one side of the isle and then go to the other side of the isle to look at something, blocking the isle and think it is rude if you want to get through. The produce is very hit and miss. I tend to go to TI for produce and there is never much of a wait.
I got held up at the Jewel on Montrose and Broadway in broad daylight a few years ago and haven't be back since.
I like Tony's on Elston but not on the weekends. The parking lot is full and people are waiting for a space. The clashers are nice and fast. You never have to wait in line long for a long time even if you are third in line..

Fresh Market in Wilmette, where you need to apply for a loan to check out. Neat store, though.

It pains me to say this, because I really like to patronize locally owned businesses, but Morningfield's Market in Park Ridge is just a sad, sad place. You can't even say you can "shop" there, either, because the shelves contain so few items. It sort of makes me think of what it must have been like to try and buy groceries in the old USSR.

If it weren't for the deli, which has delicious tuna salad, and Devon Avenue Meats (which leases space inside the store), there wouldn't be much, if any, reason for me to even darken their doors. A lot of people like their bakery, but they always seem to be out of anything I might be interested in purchasing. The cakes are divine, but how often do you need to buy a custom cake?

They did turn over a large section of the store to wine, beer and spirits, but I haven't paid attention to see if they are even halfway competitive on price (I don't see how they could be).

The place has changed owners more times than I can recall since we moved here in 1998; it almost closed for good the last time it was for sale, but a last-minute buyer, who supposedly had lots of experience in the grocery biz, showed up at the last minute to save the day.

You know what I miss? Byerly's. Did the carpeting freak people out?

Pie Lady wrote:Fresh Market in Wilmette, where you need to apply for a loan to check out. Neat store, though.

It's in Wilmette. You weren't expecting that it would be a bargain were you? Fresh Market is a chain, my Mum used to shop at the one in Greensboro, NC when she was a professor there. It's pretty good if you aren't into buying large amounts of food & it all looks so lovely.

Now a nice 1-2 would be to eat across the street at Akai Hana before you shop at Fresh Market.

pairs4life wrote:

Pie Lady wrote:Fresh Market in Wilmette, where you need to apply for a loan to check out. Neat store, though.

It's in Wilmette. You weren't expecting that it would be a bargain were you? Fresh Market is a chain, my Mum used to shop at the one in Greensboro, NC when she was a professor there. It's pretty good if you aren't into buying large amounts of food & it all looks so lovely.

Now a nice 1-2 would be to eat across the street at Akai Hana before you shop at Fresh Market.

I was not expecting a bargain, but jeeeeezzz.
However, I LOVE that they don't overstock with insane amounts of produce that you know is getting tossed, and they have some unusual items plus lots of healthy options. Their meat and fish looks fresher than any I've seen outside of a specialty shop, with maybe the exception of Whole Foods.
I keep forgetting about Akai Hana, but when I get a car again and I'm back on a regular schedule at work, I can make it up there for lunch.

Pie Lady wrote:I was not expecting a bargain, but jeeeeezzz.
However, I LOVE that they don't overstock with insane amounts of produce that you know is getting tossed, and they have some unusual items plus lots of healthy options. Their meat and fish looks fresher than any I've seen outside of a specialty shop, with maybe the exception of Whole Foods.
I keep forgetting about Akai Hana, but when I get a car again and I'm back on a regular schedule at work, I can make it up there for lunch.

I agree with you. I have to confess that I have been there four times without making a purchase. The new store in Crystal Lake doesn't have the crowds that you find at Joseph's Marketplace or Joe Cap uto's.