| Author | Message | ||
     Tom Reingold Citizen Username: Noglider Post Number: 2281 Registered: 1-2003  |
clkelley, please say more about the homemade cleaning supplies. That sounds interesting. I must be a yuppy or a yuppy wannabee, because I didn't use the term derogatorily, just observantly. I've had no bad experiences at all at Whole Foods. I feel I fit in there, except when I see the total on the bill. Your comment about saving money by shopping there is food for thought. Perhaps it's true if you replace ready-made food at Pathmark with whole ingredients at Whole Foods that you cook yourself. Tom Reingold the prissy-pants There is nothing | ||
| mikecappy Citizen Username: Mikecappy Post Number: 87 Registered: 10-2001 |
If anyone has been to a Randall's Flagship, Kroger Signature, Tom Thumb, etc. you'll agree that everything up here stinks. From the Starbucks, to the Sushi bar, to the video section, to the dry cleaning, to the wine section, to the guy who brings your "sacks" out and places them into your car for free. No comparison. | ||
| clkelley Citizen Username: Clkelley Post Number: 156 Registered: 6-2002  |
Nothing wrong with being a yuppy - as long as you're not obnoxious about it (blocking aisles with carts, oblivious to other shoppers, or scowling at their less-stylish clothes, etc.). Somehow I can't see Tom Reingold doing any of these things. Here are links to two books about nontoxic cleaning: Clean House, Clean Planet by Karen Logan Better Basics for the Home by Annie Berthold-Bond There are real differences between the two books - Berthold-Bond uses harsh but natural stuff like washing soda, Logan doesn't. Both have great ideas. A little web-searching would yield some interesting ideas, as well. | ||
| Miss L Toe Citizen Username: Miss_l_toe Post Number: 22 Registered: 10-2003 |
You can go to the store locator to find the nearest Wegmans (which is in Woodbridge, just down the GS Parkway) http://www.wegmans.com Why are the ShopRite stores in Millburn and Short Hills so grotty? It's like being in a 1960s time-warp. I check the dates very carefully on produce I buy there. On at least three occasions in the Dairy & cooked meat section in ShopRite I've picked up out of date cheeses and pre-packaged salmon and they don't seem very grateful when I've taken the items to the Customer Services desk. I told them I will phone the Environmental Health if this continues. Made In England | ||
| papayagirl Citizen Username: Papayagirl Post Number: 166 Registered: 6-2002  |
A lot of my grocery shopping lately is done at the A&P in Kennilworth. I have a weekend loop i do - Costco on 22 for apples, lettuce, etc., then up to Target and maybe Home Depot, and back down to Walmart/pet store/liquor store. The A&P is only a minute or two from there, and it's big and pretty nice. The Shoprite on Liberty/Morris never has enough parking, and the checkout will kill you, but they always have everything i need. The one in Millburn, OTOH, is a bit cleaner and brighter, but it doesn't stock many of the brands/varieties i like. And i always manage to find something expired on the dairy shelves there. I always tell them, they always say thanks, and they never remove the products. Pathmark is great for packaged and ethnic goods, but getting in and out takes way too long. I have to be in the mood. Whole Foods for when i want to splurge on nice produce. I really like their seafood counter too. It's cheaper than Freeman's. Trader Joes is a once a month trip that we always look forward to. Half of our freezer is from there. I do all the others - shoprite in essex green (i'm just rarely in the area), kings in maplewood (for quick weeknight recipe ingredients), a&p (when i just need one thing), etc. I keep meaning to visit Wegmans to see if it's a convenient addition to the lineup. But my parents live on the way, and it's usually not worth the guilt trip i'll get if i don't stop by. | ||
| eliz Citizen Username: Eliz Post Number: 720 Registered: 5-2001 |
Whole Foods for all my meat and fish needs which I am extremely picky about. Also for cheese, produce and gourmet type items. Everyone who works there is friendly, helpful and knowledgable. They order special cheeses, cut my meat the way I want, etc etc. Pathmark for frozen foods, occasional items - never more than 15 items so I can use the self check out. The only fresh food I buy there is the fried chicken which is fantastic (and really really cheap when on sale). The music helps offset my general antipathy towards the store. I really don't understand how anyone shops at the A&P on Valley - I can't believe it's not shut down by the health department (do we have one?). The place smells bad - not good for a grocery store! The lighting is terrible and it once took me 25 minutes to get beer and there was only 1 person with a few items in front of me. All paper products, juice, household cleaners, swiffer supplies  come from Costco. I find the Shoprite in Millburn crowded and not that great and I don't get excited about the one in Essex Green. | ||
| mem Citizen Username: Mem Post Number: 2815 Registered: 5-2001  |
The grocery stores in ironbound Newark (Seabra's mostly) smell like a big giant dirty diaper. | ||
| clkelley Citizen Username: Clkelley Post Number: 157 Registered: 6-2002 |
"I really don't understand how anyone shops at the A&P on Valley - I can't believe it's not shut down by the health department (do we have one?). " A few years ago my mom & dad told me that they saw a TV show about terrible things they do in grocery stores such as bleaching meat, etc. (it was 20/20 or 60 minutes, can't recall which now). After the show, they asked me if I have ever shopped at the A&P in Maplewood, NJ - because it was one of the stores "outed" in this piece. They were changing the pull-dates on the meat. Yeesh. Not too long after that I was in the A&P (for the cheap booze of course! ) and noted that they were selling brown broccoli. | ||
| papayagirl Citizen Username: Papayagirl Post Number: 167 Registered: 6-2002 |
clkelley - it was a Dateline special, and i read about it here on MOL when i first moved to Maplewood. (You can probably find the discussions in the attic.) Both the Pathmark & A&P were featured. I've never purchased meat at either one. | ||
| clkelley Citizen Username: Clkelley Post Number: 158 Registered: 6-2002 |
Thanks for the correction - definitely scary stuff. My parents didn't mention the Pathmark or I would have abandoned it much sooner than I did.  | ||
| Earlster Citizen Username: Earlster Post Number: 122 Registered: 8-2003 |
We don't have the time to run around all different stores. So it is mostly Whole Foods, Pathmark only once in a while for some canned products. Kings when I need it now and my neighbours don't have it either. (To expensive, otherwise nice.) Union Pork store for sausages, codl cuts and some specialy items like sausage salad, german mustard, seasonal items, dumplings, kraut and certain chocolats. Whole hams, things like that. Costco for bulk stuff. Paper products, water. Trader Joe's for frozen items. I would love a Wegmans or an Albertsons. | ||
| Lizziecat Citizen Username: Lizziecat Post Number: 182 Registered: 5-2003 |
The Pathmark at Livingston circle is way better than the one in South Orange. Safer, too. I won't shop anywhere if I don't feel safe there at night. | ||
| Miss L Toe Citizen Username: Miss_l_toe Post Number: 27 Registered: 10-2003 |
I went to Wegmans a few days ago and it was wonderful and the goods are beautifully displayed. There is just a fantastic selection at the deli counter (eg. shrimp salads including shrimp in a whiskey dressing); they will give a free taste of anything you would like to sample. They have a fabulous range of bakery items too, many varieties of bread and cakes made on the premises. It's a bit far to go every week, but certainly worth a trip say, once a month or for food for special celebrations. Made In England | ||
| Spare_o Citizen Username: Spare_o Post Number: 22 Registered: 9-2003 |
We hit Trader Joe's about once a month, King's when we need a few ingredients for dinner on a week night and A&P for when we need more than a few things but not enough to justify going to Pathmark. We also go to Whole Foods for produce and wheat-free pasta (allergic to wheat) and Pathmark since I just discovered their amazingly wide selection of wheat-free breads that don't look or taste like roofing shingles. Thanks to this thread I popped into Kam Man yesterday to pick up Nishiki rice and a few other things I didn't know I needed (and when I have a bit more time I will browse, definitely an experience). Being still relatively new to Maplewood, I have had to find new places to shop that stock wheat-free products - not an easy task but I am beginning to find what I need. | ||
| e roberts Citizen Username: Wnwd00 Post Number: 26 Registered: 3-2004 |
you know it upsets me that everyone who lives in this community has to leave in order to do simple grocery shopping. i mean i totally agree with all of you. Pathmark and A&P are gross. It would almost make sense to knock both down and build one real nice supermarket on that property. honestly i dont care which one i have little loyality to a supermarket i just want some pleace clean and safe. | ||
| kevin Citizen Username: Kevin Post Number: 223 Registered: 2-2002 |
Blast from the past (A&P/Pathmark Dateline discussion): /discus/messages/129/7979.html | ||
| Mergele Citizen Username: Mergele Post Number: 53 Registered: 7-2003 |
For the first year or so that I was in this area I did most of my regular grocery (non-Costco) shopping at the ShopRite in WO. Not because it was a particularly enjoyable experience, but I was spoiled from years of living on the west coast and couldn't handle a store that didn't approximate the 'one-stop' approach of Smitty's, Fry's, Albertson's... But over time I found that I would come out of that place so angry at the crowds, the wait, the horrific attittude that I always seem to get from the check-out people that it just wasn't worth the (supposed) time savings. And when I gave up on Shoprite, out of desperation I found myself back at Pathmark. While their produce isn't anything to write home about, I can often get out in under 30 min. with the self-checkout - and my blood pressure under control. ... Of course, I live on Lean Cuisine, so the whole meat quality thing isn't an issue. "Cats climb because being ruler of all you survey sucks when all you survey is ankles." -- Unknown | ||
| Miss L Toe Citizen Username: Miss_l_toe Post Number: 29 Registered: 10-2003 |
Yuck. I've just read the A&P/Pathmark discussion on the thread posted by Kevin. I can't believe that these places selling meat unfit for human consumption haven't been closed down or the managers prosecuted. I *never* imagined this would take place in the USA. I don't know if anyone here has ever shopped at a Super Stop & Shop. I've been in the one in Madison a few times and also in CT when I've been passing through. Along with the aforementioned Wegmans, SSS is exceptionally clean, well lit and has a good range of fresh produce. (I wish they could move into the old Saks Fifth Avenue on Millburn Ave - that huge empty building just after the Sunoco gas station. There has been an ongoing battle for 9 years with Springfield and Millburn townships for Stop & Shop to open a supermarket there). I've just found out that SSS does home delivery, but not in NJ yet. I've registered to be notified when they start home delivery in this neck of the woods. Maybe if enough people register then it will spur them on: http://www.peapod.com Made In England | ||
| Cynicalgirl Citizen Username: Cynicalgirl Post Number: 481 Registered: 9-2003  |
I shop at Pathmark routinely for most items, King's when I need a special steak. Pathmark is way cheaper on ordinary household items than is King's or that Whole Foods place. Price is a biggy and has a lot to do with my Pathmark shopping. I go to the A&P when I want both alcohol and ordinary canned/boxed items. No way will I drive further afield routinely. I find the A&P people helpful -- even if they are working in a sort of a pit. Pathmark folks are half and half. King's just feels too fancy pants for me on a routine basis (clientele). I'd be all for a nicer supermarket in place of both A&P and Pathmark if it could stay cheap and stock wine/beer. Somehow, though, I think low prices may not equate to a nicer store. | ||
| algebra2 Citizen Username: Algebra2 Post Number: 1716 Registered: 5-2001  |
I must say I think it's weird that people judge the shoppers of a super market (Whole Foods) as yuppy or fancy pants (King's). Is WF that expensive??? I go there for their 365 Degrees (store brand) Shells and Cheese b/c it's cheaper than Annie's at Shop Rite. I like they're organic frozen dinners (Cedarlane) -- not pricey. Their store brand pasta sauce -- cheap. I do like their cheese selection and the price isn't a factor b/c no stores have comparable cheeses. What freaks me out is that people are out there judging their fellow shoppers??? Do you really care if I am dripping with jewels or wearing my mink as I pick up my Lean Cuisine? Doesn't anyone recall the Mamma Bear thread of a few years back -- Mamma Bear said she didn't like PathMark because of the "bad clientele" and everyone jumped all over her? So, it's wrong to judge people for being poor and black yet ok to judge people for being wealthy and white? |
