I was amazed by this in the 90’s when we visited Sydney - in the US I had never seen a Woolworth’s which sold food… they were the classic five-and-dime store and were fading fast.
Here in Lexington KY we have:
Kroger (dominant)
Meijer
Super Wal-Mart (probably 2nd place)
Save-a-Lot
Wild Oats Market
Chicago has Jewel (add an “s” if you’ve got the Ditka accent) and Dominick’s, however Jewel is Safeway and Dominick’s is Albertsons (or is it the other way around?)
In Hyde Park, all we have are two co-ops. I think the community is working to keep big store chains out of the neighborhood. Which is good in a way, but sucks because the co-op is freaking expensive and can get away with it because it has no competitors.
I’m sandwiched between Jewel and Dominick’s. I prefer Dominick’s, my gf prefers Jewel.
When I was in Michigan, I lived between a Farmer Jack and Kroger. I preferred the Kroger.
Indianapolis, IN:
Kroger
Marsh
Joe O’Malia’s
Trader Joe’s
Aldi
Save-A-Lot
Safeway (I think there’s still one on the east side)
Lo-Bill
Super WalMart
Super Target
Meijer
Wild Oats
We typically shop at Kroger and Marsh. (Marsh is a local chain which includes O’Malia’s and Lo-Bill. Actually, I think they just sold out a couple years ago. But the store names haven’t changed.)
Piggly-Wiggly (6-minute walk)
Food Lion (6-minute drive)
Lowe’s Foods (8-minute drive)
Medium Target (12-minute drive)
Super Mall-Wart (13-minute drive) (shunned like the plague)
CostCo (brand new-non-mamber)
Sam’s Club (ex-member)
That’s all I have ever used in current locale.
Coconino County-Sunny South (till today-37 degrees tonight 85 two days ago)
Piggly-Wiggly (6-minute walk)
Food Lion (6-minute drive)
Lowe’s Foods (8-minute drive) (These were bought from Hannaford’s who took a bath when branching this far south fro Socko, Maine, staying only a couple of years-lots of cutthroat competition)
Medium Target (12-minute drive)
Super Mall-Wart (13-minute drive) (shunned like the plague)
Hariss-Teeter (18-minute drive)
Big Lots (remainders) (20-minute drive)
CostCo (brand new-non-member)
Sam’s Club (ex-member)
That’s all I have ever used in current locale.
Another Columbus, Ohio resident checking in: Giant Eagle (3 minute walk), Kroger (maybe a 10 minute walk), Meijer (10-minute drive), Wild Oats (5-minute drive), Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, Marc’s, Aldi, Sunflower Market (all 15- to 20 minutes in a car). Oh, and for Mexican groceries (I require real corn tortillas), there’s La Michoacana (they’ve bought out several smaller stores and have 5 locations now, all between 15 and 20 minutes from my house). There are also several specialty independent grocers that I stop in at from time to time.
There’s also Sam’s Club and Wal-Mart not too far away, but I don’t go there…
GT
As DoctorJ once opined, you can’t take a piss in this city without splashing some on a Kroger.
You forgot Slone’s Signature Markets, which I’ve never seen anyone actually shop at.
Personally, I shop at Meijer and Kroger. Kroger is usually where I go if I just need something quick, since it’s closer. Meijer is where I do my big shopping.
Columbus resident. What gardentraveler said, except different driving times, obviously.
Hey, I get to mention one that hasn’t come up yet!
The biggest chains here are United and Albertson’s. To a lesser extent, there is Lowe’s (not the hardware store, honest). United is not the same entity as the United Grocery Outlet mentioned on page 1. There are also the customary Super Wal-Marts (amazingly, we’re about to have a total of FOUR of those), Super Targets, and a Sam’s Club. United is the one I prefer, although Lowe’s is closer. The Lowe’s just seems dirtier and seems to attract some rather trashy people. United is always clean and the employees are helpful. And Albertson’s has that whole “card” thing that I’d rather not deal with.
United has also started opening special supermarkets called “Market Street” which are very nice indeed; they carry exotic stuff other stores never have, plus they have a kitchen demonstration area and a big area by the produce section that’s kind of like a cafe, where you can actually buy prepared foods and sit and eat. I recently learned that a new Market Street is being built very close to my home, which thrills me greatly. Okay, partly it’s for the shopping, and partly it’s because United stores almost always have Wells Fargo bank branches in them, and that’ll shorten my usual drive to the bank considerably.
I love Schnucks’ premade stuff in the deli - like the Texas potatoes! This summer my friends and I would go get the pre-made plates with Texas potatoes and sandwiches on Hawaiian bread. Mmmmm…and they re-did the one near my parents’ house and made it super nice - the new salad bar is huge!
Who was it who mentioned DeMoulas/Market Basket? waving Don’t have any near me, but yeah, I’m very familiar with the chain.
I’m blessed to live in an area which doesn’t have a Super Wal-Mart and will unlikely ever have one. I’ve never been in one. The thought of groceries along with my Hanes undies is quite unnerving to me…
Argh, this is what you get when you work in the business. I won’t identify Current Employer or Former Employer in this list, but here’s what’s around here:
Stop 'n Shop
Shaws/Star Market
Hannaford
DeMoulas/Market Basket (it’s ocal chain, btw)
Whole Foods
Trader Joe’s
Price Chopper (only a couple right now – they’re mostly at the other end of the state, but they’re trying to move into the area)
There are also several family-owned markets with 1-2 locations scattered in the metro area. Most of them specialize in meat/poultry with a smattering of produce and groceries. They’ve been around for a very long time.
The Oriental Supermarket is at 5132 W Colonial, and the Caribbean Supercenter is right across the street at 5111. They’re between Kirkman and Pine Hills.
Dallas, TX
Krogers
Tom Thumb
Whole Foods
Albertsons (fading fast)
Super Wal Mart/Super Target/Sams
Several Mexican supermarkets
The Kroger is close, so I go there. I should go to the Whole Paycheck more often.
It completely slipped my mind that Costco should be considered a grocery store. (I :smack: myself.) There is one very near me, in addition to the stores I listed earlier.
Lansing, MI area
Meijer
Kroger
L&L Food Centers (formerly Goff)
Meijer’s dominates. You can tell if someone is really old if they refer to Meijer’s as Thrifty Acres, a name that some of its stores were formerly known as. Kroger is a distant second and L&L is a distant third behind Kroger.
I’m in NE Ohio (specifically Youngstown), and around here we have:
Giant Eagle (closest is 2 minute walk or less from my apartment)
Nemenz IGA
Sparkle Market
Marc’s
Rulli Bros (though it’s not necessarily a chain - there are only 2 stores and they’re actually owned by different branches of the same family).
Major chains other places I’ve lived at the time I lived there (for some of these, it’s been long enough that I don’t know how the grocery market has changed):
Bi-Lo (growing up it was Red Food Store) - Chattanooga, TN
Shaw’s - Maine
Kroger, Harris Teeter, HG Hills - Nashville, TN
Kroger, Jitney Jungle - Jackson, MS
Kroger, Publix, Whole Foods - Atlanta, GA
Kroger, Bi-Lo, Fresh Market - Knoxville, TN
Houston, Texas.
National chains: Kroger, of course; pretty good & EVERYWHERE. Sam’s, Costco, SuperWalMart (ugh) & SuperTarget. (Plus the Target that just opened in my neighborhood–no fresh produce, meat or fish, but more groceries than your regular Target.)
Fiesta. Regional chain started in Houston. Multi-ethnic offerings to suit a multi-ethnic city. Heavy on Mexican/Latin American, plus Kosher, African, Asian, etc. Stores reflect ethnic mix of their neighborhoods. Great music! A favorite.
Rice Epicurean. Pricey, but good for selective shopping. Watch for sales!
Whole Foods. Pricey & smug.
Central Market. Pricey & NOT smug. Amazing selection of fresh produce, “pure” meats, lovely bakery, etc. Also has “regular” brands.
Randall’s. OK in a pinch. (Started local, but I think it’s part of a larger national chain.)
MANY ethnic stores, from tiny to HUGE. Located in old original downtown Chinatown (small but still busy) to the farthest reaches of suburbia. For example: Hong Kong Food Market–centerpiece of Hong Kong City Mall. It’s the size of a blimp hangar; weird produce & even weirder aquatic creatures (many still alive.)
NH/VT border:
Price Chopper
P&C (formerly a Grand Union)
Shaw’s
Local Co-op