non-traditional grocers: Target, Walmart, Dollar Tree

Have you been picking up your groceries at stores not known primarily as food stores?

I was surprised to go into the Walmart on Golf Road to find that they built what amounts to a supermarket right into the store. Here you can buy all your fresh meat, frozen fish, all your dairy and even a pretty big selection of produce (bigger selection than Aldi, for example). This Walmart has a very extensive frozen food section – several aisles worth, and a great-smelling bakery section that rivals Jewel or Dominick's.

Walmart's grocery prices are sometimes higher and sometimes lower than other stores. I do find it harder to do price comparisons from store to store lately because all stores seem to be steadily raising their prices. But some items at Walmart seem to be regular bargains. Many cold cereals, Quaker Oatmeal, Smucker's brand natural peanut butter and Ovaltine are all priced significantly lower than I can find at other stores.

And a gallon of milk is always under $2. They accept coupons. They "price match guarantee" if you bring in a printed newspaper insert from another store they will match any sale price which saves running around from store to store. And this store is open 24 hours (take THAT, Meijer! ha ha).

Walmart
8500 W Golf Rd
Niles, IL 60714
(847) 966-7904

The rest of the Walmart store has been revamped and I swear it looks like just like the Target down the street.

That Target, too, has shoehorned in an entire little grocery store. It is smaller overall than the Walmart grocery. They do not seem to have facilities for baking bread or packaging meat. Target's produce section and dairy sections are also smaller than Walmart's. In my limited experience, you will not be able to find fresh mushrooms or ricotta cheese for example. But if you are at Target anyway, you could pick up ingredients for dinner in a pinch.

Target has a number of its own brands including Archer Farms (I think that is a Target store brand, isn't it?). Prices on a gallon of milk are no bargain. In fact, prices overall are not a driving factor. The way I look at it, Walmart is pulling people in with certain prices that families need to buy every week. Target seems to be attracting its customers with its other goods, clothes, toys, pharmacy etc and capturing the add-on grocery dollars while someone is in the store for another reason.

Target at Golf Mill, Golf and Milwaukee
239 Golf Mill Center
Niles, IL 60714
(847) 768-9217
M-Fr: 8:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m.
Sa: 8:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m.
Su: 8:00 a.m.-9:00 p.m.

The Dollar Tree at Waukegan and Dempster is another store that has significantly revamped its offerings. This includes its food section that, while still a food desert, has some occasional nuggets of surprising good stuff. My favorite find is nice-sized jars of roasted red peppers for $1. I think these are great for keeping in the pantry for a quick antipasto. I also grab the knock-off fried onion rings in those stand-up foil pouches, the kind that go on top of green bean casserole or tuna noodle casserole.
There are no refrigerated cases and no fresh produce or bread, just cheap packaged goods, bottles, boxes and cans. Ninety percent of the items I would likely never buy but there are a very few recognizable national brands that may work for you.

Dollar Tree
6929 Dempster St. at corner of Dempster and Waukegan Road
Morton Grove, IL 60053
Hours: Mon – Sat: 9:00am – 9:00pm, Sun: 10:00am – 7:00pm

In this area, the competition for our food dollar has never been fiercer! And competition is good for the consumer. Have you been picking up your groceries at places other than food stores?

--Joy

Joy wrote:The Dollar Tree at Waukegan and Dempster is another store that has significantly revamped its offerings. This includes its food section that, while still a food desert, has some occasional nuggets of surprising good stuff.

I've always thought of "food desert" as referring to large neighborhoods that have few good food options. With Produce World and a large Dominincks on that corner, I'd hardly call it a food desert.

nr706, of course you are correct that that area is far from being a food desert, what with H-Mart, Jerry's, all the Aldi's, Dom's, Jewel, Walmarts and Targets, not to mention the smaller specialty stores like Smeisser's, the Polish delis etc. etc. And your definition of "food desert" is exactly the way it is popularly understood (and understood by me).

What I said was that the food section of this Dollar Tree store is like a food desert: no produce, no fresh bread etc.

--Joy

Wal-Mart has been providing grocery offerings for many, many years (they're just selective about which locations get it, based on competition in the area). In fact, when my kids were in college, Wal-Mart was pretty much the grocery for the area. Target's also been pushing into food on a rolling basis. I wouldn't call either non-traditional, just non-traditional for your area.

Interestingly, I just stumbled into this blog, which - in a slightly different manner than my own - details what kinds of foods you can get at places like these:http://www.clearancecuisine.com/

As I've pointed out before, Walgreen's has a surprising number of decent food items if you really look for them.

With prices for food set to go sky high I think more people will be shopping at stores like this for food or other items they would get in a grocery store. Also drug stores carry some food items at good prices too.

"I was surprised to go into the Walmart on Golf Road to find that they built what amounts to a supermarket right into the store.

Not such a suprise... Walmart is the largest grocery retailer in the United States. It's my impression tht most of their really big grocery store departments are in smaller towns and cities, but maybe they're moving into the major markets now.

When we visited our son in Reno a year or so ago, he said he shopped at a local Walmart because it was the best grocery store in town. We went with him and it was an excellent market - big selection, fresh, high quality (including the produce and the meat) and good prices.

Thank God they haven't gotten into my line of business yet! And, fortuantely, they won't.

Mike

Menards carries basic "man" food. Yesterday I saw that they had no name steak in a freezer.

Don't forget Ikea, Marshall's, Cabela's.... More specialty items than basic groceries, but you could certainly put together a whole meal with the goods at Ikea.

It's out with the slushies and in with the salads at Target

http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/ ... -at-target

Hi- Some of the Dollar Trees do have a frozen and refrigerated section. I know the one on Howard and Western does. Some of the Dollar Trees also carry bread, including Brownberry and Thomas.

Reporter Monica Eng recently taste-tested some unusual Dollar Tree food products: http://www.wbez.org/sections/food/dinin ... ore-112780

I buy "Duke's" Mayonnaise, a favorite in the south 8oz, and Nuevo Leon Tortillas for $1 each at Dollar Tree. I would never,ever,consider buying an edible product from another country at dollar store.

I am at Target once or twice a month to pick up various prescriptions and whatever else, and I find there are about ten things from the grocery that I buy there if I happen to be there and need something.

I probably shop at Walmart once every six weeks. Big benefit for me is that it's open 24/7, while the Ultra down the street is only open 6AM-Midnight. Not the greatest selection, but again I have a list of things I know are a good value there, such canned pears or apple cinnamon mini rice cakes. Produce is pretty bad, but for that I go to Pete's Fresh Market anyway.

I don't shop at Dollar Tree, Big Lots, etc. The rest of my food shopping pretty much rotates between Pete's Fresh Market (I wish they'd get around to opening the one in Willowbrook), Whole Foods, and very rarely Ultra.

Artie wrote:I buy "Duke's" Mayonnaise, a favorite in the south 8oz, and Nuevo Leon Tortillas for $1 each at Dollar Tree. I would never,ever,consider buying an edible product from another country at dollar store.

very good to know, thanks, we really like Duke's Mayo and have been purchasing from The Fresh Market in Wilmette

Artie wrote:I buy "Duke's" Mayonnaise, a favorite in the south 8oz, and Nuevo Leon Tortillas for $1 each at Dollar Tree. I would never,ever,consider buying an edible product from another country at dollar store.

I buy German soups and sauerkraut at 99 Only and Big Lots.

Various Jellies and Jams from France.

Lindt chocolate bars from Germany

Hot sauce and Salsas from Mexico


And that is just what I have purchased this week.

Sweet Willie wrote:

Artie wrote:I buy "Duke's" Mayonnaise, a favorite in the south 8oz, and Nuevo Leon Tortillas for $1 each at Dollar Tree. I would never,ever,consider buying an edible product from another country at dollar store.

very good to know, thanks, we really like Duke's Mayo and have been purchasing from The Fresh Market in Wilmette

YMMV as to which Dollar Tree actually carries Duke's and when they have them. I buy mine in Lansing,Il and they sometimes disappear for a few months.

Dollar Tree
The Landings Shopping Center
16719 Torrence Ave Lansing,Il
(708) 474-0849

Artie wrote:I buy "Duke's" Mayonnaise, a favorite in the south 8oz, and Nuevo Leon Tortillas for $1 each at Dollar Tree. I would never,ever,consider buying an edible product from another country at dollar store.

How close to expiration date is the Dukes mayo being sold at the dollar store?

Have not bought food at Target. Its sale ad is never tempting as the prices are high. Only shop at Walmart around Thanksgiving- it has all the baking needs (flour, sugar, etc) on sale. Can't comment on the produce, bakery, deli or meat as I have glanced at but never bought. Nothing caught my eye there. The Dollar Store/Family Dollar etc food scares me. Depending on the store, some of it looks old or came from a distressed sale. I have not heard of most of the brands. But I have no problem buying other stuff there=got some great pint beer glasses for only a buck each.

stevez wrote:How close to expiration date is the Dukes mayo being sold at the dollar store?

Right now I have 2 jars....One is 11/16/15 and the other is 01/04/16. The 11/16 was bought earlier in the year,maybe March or April. I remember buying the 1/04/16 jar later this year simply because the expiration date was farther out then what I had and I wanted to still have some on hand. As I mentioned before these products sometimes disappear from the shelves for months and then reappear out of nowhere. My experience is that expiration dates in these types of stores have to be very closely watched as I've often seen products past their dates still on the shelves.

I'll report back on what's currently on the shelf the next time I'm there.

Artie wrote:YMMV as to which Dollar Tree actually carries Duke's and when they have them.

It does indeed, Schaumburg Dollar Tree had no idea what I was talking about when I asked about Duke's.

Sweet Willie wrote:It does indeed, Schaumburg Dollar Tree had no idea what I was talking about when I asked about Duke's.

From day to day, the various dollar stores have no idea what they are receiving on the next shipment. Some of my purchases at the local 99 Only store this week were:

Coconut flavored Triscuits $1.00
2.5# I Can't Believe It's Not Butter $1.00
1 Doz Grade AA Large Eggs $1.00

The eggs later in the week were $2.50.

The shame is that I cannot count on seeing any of those again ..

It is not like shopping at Aldi.

Sweet Willie wrote:

Artie wrote:YMMV as to which Dollar Tree actually carries Duke's and when they have them.

It does indeed, Schaumburg Dollar Tree had no idea what I was talking about when I asked about Duke's.

I just tried to see if maybe it was listed on their website but no luck. Instead "Calder’s Gourmet Real Mayonnaise" showed up. That stuff is almost always on the shelves.
http://bulk.dollartree.com/search#w=mayonnaise

Artie wrote:

stevez wrote:How close to expiration date is the Dukes mayo being sold at the dollar store?

Right now I have 2 jars....One is 11/16/15 and the other is 01/04/16. The 11/16 was bought earlier in the year,maybe March or April. I remember buying the 1/04/16 jar later this year simply because the expiration date was farther out then what I had and I wanted to still have some on hand. As I mentioned before these products sometimes disappear from the shelves for months and then reappear out of nowhere. My experience is that expiration dates in these types of stores have to be very closely watched as I've often seen products past their dates still on the shelves.

I'll report back on what's currently on the shelf the next time I'm there.

Only 2 Duke's Mayo remain on the shelf exp 11/16/15. The rest is the "Calder’s Gourmet Real Mayonnaise" that is almost always on the shelves there and at other stores. Hopefully Duke's will reappear some time next year.

My new find - Chocolate dipped peanut brittle from Old Dominion Peanut Co. today at the new Dollar Tree on Madison in Oak Park.
4 oz. for $1 and actually pretty good!

Like the perennial flower that blooms every Spring and disappears in the fall,once again I have found 8oz Duke's Mayonnaise on the shelf at Dollar Tree. They were on a shelf on an end cap instead of the usual aisle where they sell mayonnaise and other condiments. Perhaps they have only a limited supply? There were about 15 jars left after I bought mine. Expiration date is 11/05/2016 As always YMMV as to what other Dollar Trees will carry it.

Dollar Tree
The Landings Shopping Center
16719 Torrence Ave Lansing,Il
(708) 474-0849

My latest dollar store deals:

12 oz Bolthouse juices $1
8-5.3 oz Dannon yogurt $1
75 ct Pillsbury frozen cookie dough $1

Here today ... gone this afternoon.

99 Only.

Duke's Mayonnaise is now available at Walmart with free in-store pick up. 32oz jar $3.65
http://www.walmart.com/ip/10308769

Big Lots. Also I pick up grocery items at CVS because I can use my extrabucks. They have stuff like crackers, nuts, cereal, some canned goods, etc.

Walmart has got some food items that are hard to find in other places...they sell Watkins extracts, among other things.

Target has some good frozen food options under brands such as Market Pantry. They have a very extensive frozen food section if you are into that kind of thing.

Dollar Tree might have a few things here and there. Mine does not have frozen food. I'd read the cans carefully regarding food from China or beyond the expiry date.

About once a quarter on Sunday, Big Lots offers a 20% off on ALL merchandise, food and otherwise. Checking my records, this sale was held in January and April so it would be coming up in early July.

While Dollar Tree is NOT my favorite dollar store for purchases, I have yet to see ANY out dated stock there.