I just got the saddest letter from my oldest aunt. Her husband died unexpectedly in August, and to put it in a nutshell, she’s not doing well, emotionally or financially. (Sounds like he was in charge of the bills and such; she’s smart enough to take care of it herself, but meanwhile finding out what’s where has been quite a chore for her.)
Things aren’t beer and skittles for us either, but since we’re doing well enough to host a Christmas Eve party, while she’s selling her belongings “to make ends meet,” I’d like to send a little something to help her out. I’m thinking maybe a money order and a grocery gift card.
Luckily she has two major grocery stores in her town (the burbs of Chicago) that sell gift cards: Jewel and Dominick’s. All I know of these stores is what I see on TV ads. Any appreciable difference? If I knew where she shopped, I’d pick that one. But since she’s a little old lady on a fixed (and apparently insufficient) income, I don’t want to send her, say, someplace upscale if the other one has the better deals.
So which one do you think she’s most likely to shop at? She does drive, so that’s not an issue, and they both seem to be fairly close to her house, according to Mapquest.
Thanks much for any input you can provide toward brightening a fresh widow’s Christmas.
They’re pretty much the same. I shop at both. Sometimes one of the two has a newer or bigger store than the other in a particular area, but there’s no pattern to that. I’d figure out which is closer to your aunt and buy the gift card from there.
In the area where I live, I’ve found that Jewel is usually a little bit cheaper than Dominicks. Therefore, if I need something, I go to Jewel. For my weekly grocery excursion, though, I go to Cub foods. Cheaper than both of them.
For some reason, it always seems to me that Dominick’s is more expensive than Jewel. Although Dominick’s always seems to have better fruit/vegetables. Jewel appears to have a slightly cheaper deli.
To be sure, I shop at the local place which is significantly cheaper than either of those two. Generally though, my Mom (who essentially lives an equal distance from both) will shop wherever has the deals on whatever it is she needs that week (and they both print fairly comprehensive circulars every week).
That said, I second the “whatever’s closer” suggestion. But since you don’t know… I’d have to go with Jewel.
Well, Jewel is a little bit closer, and if they tend to be cheaper, I guess that seals it. Jewel it is! I’ll call them in the morning.
Thanks a bunch, folks. We came home from a celebratory weekend with friends to find this sad missive in the mailbox, and it just put tears in my eyes. It must have really pained her to put those words to paper. I just hope she accepts whatever it is that I send.