Depends on which one. We shop at any number of stores. Costco is Costco, Target is Target, but… Trader Joe’s is TJ’s and Jewel is always “The Jool’s”
At various times, I say “the supermarket,” "the grocery store, or “H.E.B.” I use them terms pretty much interchangeably.
The store.
Voted “grocery store” but I also sometimes just use the name too. Costco is always called by name though.
Every week one of the two conversations takes place at our house:
Me (to wife): I’m going to the store.
Child: Where?!
Me: the grocery store
Child: Which one?
Me: Publix
Child: Can I come?!!
Wife (to me): I’m going to the store.
Child: Where?!
Wife: the grocery store
Child: Which one?
Wife: Aldi
Child: Okay. Bye.
Can you guess which one hands out free cookies to the kids?
I wish this was multiple choice, but I said store’s name, because when conveying that information (usually to my wife), it’s important which grocery store I’m going to. Otherwise, the generic is “grocery” for me. But 95% of the time I say the name of the grocery store.
I voted “going to the grocery store” but I’ll specify if said store is known for a particular item (or type of pricing).
I usually say “the supermarket” without specifying which one I mean, but I’m usually going to Woolworths so it’s not really necessary to elaborate.
The name plus “'s”, almost always. Whether or not “'s” is part of the actual name. It’s a Chicago thing.
“I’m going to Jewel’s, need anything?”*
“I’m going to Mariano’s, need anything?”
“I’m going to Aldi’s, need anything?”
Exceptions: Cermak, Target and Costco. Those don’t get “s”. I have no idea why.
I do have to be specific about which grocery store I’m going to. If I’m not, I end up getting requests for water chestnuts and bean sprouts from Aldi, or cereal from Cermak, and that just ain’t happening.
*Except I almost never go to Jewel. Hate that place.
I’m from New York (albeit New York City), and I’m not sure I’ve ever heard of Wegman’s.
I might say simply “the store” if asked, either because it’s none of their business, I’m not really sure where I’m going, or maybe am stopping in more than one place. To me, a supermarket is likely bigger than a grocery store, and usually cheaper, but there isn’t a distinct difference.
When we lived in Virginia, my husband *loved *going to Wegmans, even though it was two exits down 95, and there was a Giant practically across the street. It was the only place I could always get him to go to. I never knew you could have such an attachment to a grocery store until Wegmans.
I say something along the lines of:
- “I’m going shopping”;
- “I’m going to the shops”;
- “I’m doing the shopping” etc.
It’s not a Chicago thing. I refer to Aldi as “Aldi”, because I’m pedantic, but I’m the only one I know who does so. The pattern seems to be that if it looks like it’s named after a person, it gets the 's. So “Aldi’s” is short for “Aldi’s store”, or the store owned by some hypothetical dude named Aldi, and “Mariano’s” would be the store owned by Mariano, and so on. But Costco is obviously not a person’s name, so the store is just Costco, not Costco’s.
It is often pointed out as a Chicago quirk, but it’s good to see we’re not the only ones. It’s not just names, though. Back when Venture was around, we called it “(the) Venture’s.” And “Jewel” also becomes “da Jewel’s”. So there is often an inclusion of the definite pronoun, as well, in Chicagoese. Like if I someone said “I’m goin’ downda street over to da Aldi’s,” that would sound perfectly fine to my ears.
Usually, I use the supermarket’s proper name – whichever supermarket I’m going to (different ones, have different and varied pros and cons; thus some “playing the field”). Am in the UK, so using a UK firm’s name as an example: I always say just “going to Tesco”, never “going to the Tesco”.
Grocery store or the actual name.
As a side point, my mom used to say she was “going to trade”.
My family calls it the grocery store, or the name of the store.
What about A&P? Or Walbaum’s?
If you are as old as I am, you remember when there were separate stores for everything, and going to the grocery meant going to the place where they had fresh fruit and veggies, canned stuff, and some dry goods, like boxed pasta, but no fresh baked goods or meat (although they may have had lunch meat in packages). You had to go to the bakery and the butcher’s for bread and meat. If you needed aspirin of Band-Aids, you had to go to a pharmacy. My mother went out in the morning with one of those carts on wheels, and came back with it full of packages. All the different stores were within a few blocks, so it wasn’t difficult, except when it was raining, or there was snow on the ground.
That’s the New York I remember.
Except for the people in large parts of NY state where there are no Wegman’s - the closest one to me in 40 miles away in NJ. The closest one in NY is probably 250 miles away in Syracuse.
I might say I'm going to the supermarket or I might say I'm going to Pathmark, Stop and Shop, Aldi's or Waldbaum's. If I'm going to BJ's or Stew Leonard's, I always specify. I wouldn't say " I'm going to the store" because that means I'm going to the (bodega,deli) that sells milk and dairy items, bread,cold cuts, and has a small selection of groceries but no produce or meat.