Shopping for value (and shopping safety)

[JAS_OH1]

[Mod.Edit: This and following few posts moved to form a new topic].

I'll freely admit to not really paying attention to ads or prices, for that matter. I can guess the prices of most things just from buying them so often, but I usually don't shop on price.

It was beaten into me as a kid that everything we bought had to be cheap, cheap, cheap because we were so cash-poor and I swore I'd never be that miserly when I got my own money, if I didn't have to be. MrsT is exactly the opposite - she grew up in an affluent, comfortably well-off family, and she's so tight-fisted, she could (as her dad liked to say) "squeeze the sh!t out of a buffalo nickel."

I guess I am a mix of both. I won't be so miserly as to do without foods I love, I just try to find the best price on it. If I want filet mignon and it's $5 a pound cheaper to buy the whole tenderloin in cryovac than it is to buy individual steaks, I will buy a tenderloin (or 2), trim and cut into steaks myself, grind the scrap into burger meat (which is pretty darned awesome), and portion and freeze whatever I am not going to use immediately. And if there were three stores that all had great sales going on, I have been known to make a list for each one and go shop at each store instead of getting everything I need at one of them. Yeah, it would cost me more in time but I dang sure can get more bang for my buck that way. At least I would do that pre-COVID. Now I don't object to paying a little bit more and I get everything I need during one curbside pickup trip.

I love, love, love Adam's Reserve White Cheddar. I don't care how much it costs, if I want it, I am not going to by an inferior brand just to save money. There are other foods I feel the same way about. However, what's on sale during a given week will likely influence what we are having for dinner during that week.

 

[CookieMonster]

a stick . . .

when it became necessary for our youngest to have a car at college, she was adamant it had to be a stick shift.
now,,,, I admit . . . I forced all our our kids to learn to drive a stick shift . . . . no learn, no license . . . mean ole' SOB am I....

that aside I asked her "why?"
answer: "if you have a stick shift, nobody wants to borrow your car."

 

[TastyReuben]

And if there were three stores that all had great sales going on, I have been known to make a list for each one and go shop at each store instead of getting everything I need at one of them. Yeah, it would cost me more in time but I dang sure can get more bang for my buck that way.

I've probably looked at a grocery store ad less than five times in my life. As goofy as it sounds...I can't read them. Pictures of food and explosion graphics with prices in them, and little print with the details below the pictures, arranged haphazardly on a page - something in my brain can't process that easily. It's like I'm grocery-ad dyslexic.

I do, though, load up and use digital coupons from Kroger.

I just know who has what. My old pattern was (on a day when I'd hit them all):

35 minutes to Meijer to get a particular dog food and to look over their beer and international aisle, and if I'm buying canned pizza sauce as a backup to what I usually make at home, and Dietz And Watson lunchmeat, and Weber smoked breakfast sausage.

10 minutes to Marc's in Kettering, which is a small chain around Cleveland (ours is the furthest south). They have weirdly-flavored potato chips, lunchmeat I like, and bratwurst patties, and a great cookie aisle, as well as Quisp cereal for MrsT, and a handful of northern Ohio-Michigan products I can't get anywhere else.

Start the long journey home and stop at Dorothy Lane Markets in n Springboro, three-location gourmet shop, especially known for their meats, deli, bakery, produce, alcohol, and cheese. I get beer there, fresh meat, low-pasteurized cream (so I can make creme fraiche), some bakery items, specialty produce, cheese, and olive oil.

Then onto the big Kroger In Centerville, for all my "center aisle" items, some produce, and basic dairy.

Finally, I occasionally stop at a little mom-and-pop shop on the way home, because they carry fruit pies from a local specialty maker, and they have a proprietary sandwich spread (sort of like ham salad, but we like it better) at their deli that they're known for.

The local Kroger, 15 minutes from the house, is a mid-sized one, and I use it when I've forgotten something at all those other places.

Now, though, I'm almost exclusively at the local Kroger.

 

[JAS_OH1]

I've probably looked at a grocery store ad less than five times in my life. As goofy as it sounds...I can't read them. Pictures of food and explosion graphics with prices in them, and little print with the details below the pictures, arranged haphazardly on a page - something in my brain can't process that easily. It's like I'm grocery-ad dyslexic.

I do, though, load up and use digital coupons from Kroger.

I just know who has what. My old pattern was (on a day when I'd hit them all):

35 minutes to Meijer to get a particular dog food and to look over their beer and international aisle, and if I'm buying canned pizza sauce as a backup to what I usually make at home, and Dietz And Watson lunchmeat, and Weber smoked breakfast sausage.

10 minutes to Marc's in Kettering, which is a small chain around Cleveland (ours is the furthest south). They have weirdly-flavored potato chips, lunchmeat I like, and bratwurst patties, and a great cookie aisle, as well as Quisp cereal for MrsT, and a handful of northern Ohio-Michigan products I can't get anywhere else.

Start the long journey home and stop at Dorothy Lane Markets in n Springboro, three-location gourmet shop, especially known for their meats, deli, bakery, produce, alcohol, and cheese. I get beer there, fresh meat, low-pasteurized cream (so I can make creme fraiche), some bakery items, specialty produce, cheese, and olive oil.

Then onto the big Kroger In Centerville, for all my "center aisle" items, some produce, and basic dairy.

Finally, I occasionally stop at a little mom-and-pop shop on the way home, because they carry fruit pies from a local specialty maker, and they have a proprietary sandwich spread (sort of like ham salad, but we like it better) at their deli that they're known for.

The local Kroger, 15 minutes from the house, is a mid-sized one, and I use it when I've forgotten something at all those other places.

Now, though, I'm almost exclusively at the local Kroger.

I look at sales ads online most of the time these days, even though I still get the paper ones in the mail. My grocery store has them online in both the sales ad format with photos and an easier-to-view format in columns on the page. You can click for more information about the item. It's also super easy to order online. The website has filters and search methods to make it easy to find what you want, but I would imagine most groecery stores offer that on their websites these days.

I previously shopped at Marc's all the time. We have about a 1/2 dozen of them nearby, the closest one being 4 miles away. Now I go there only to stock up on certain things occasionally and I double mask before going inside. I mostly shop at Giant Eagle these days, Marc's doesn't offer cursbide service.

Wish we had Kroger in Akron. We have shopped at Kroger numerous times while on our vacations. I like their prices and products, nice employees.

 

[TastyReuben]

Wish we had Kroger in Akron. We have shopped at Kroger numerous times while on our vacations. I like their prices and products, nice employees.

I have an ongoing love/hate relationship with Kroger. I've had exceptional service there and some real dunderheads.

I'm in the local one so often, most of the people know me by name, it's like when Norm walks into Cheers.

I was also on really good terms with the folks at the big one in Centerville. I'd frequently go there at 6AMish on a weekend to do my shopping, and it'd be me, five other shoppers, and all the employees, so it was the same thing. One of the cashiers used to try and guess what I was making from my purchases.

A couple of other Krogers...real a-holes. I assumed it was due to bad store management at that location, which led to unhappy workers, which led to treating customers like turds.

When I was doing curbside, I was really impressed with Kroger's online ordering. It did everything I wanted, showed me when coupons were available, whether I'd already clipped it or not, alternative products, good filtering and sorting...but I missed my shopping, so after a couple of minor missteps (over a dozen or more orders), I went back to doing my own shopping. I didn't need much prompting - I love grocery shopping. Love. It.

 

[TastyReuben]

I wish you good health always.

You as well, thank you!

I feel fairly safe grocery shopping, as I go at off-times, always mask, and sanitize like crazy. Being that most of the contact with others is incidental, and I try and distance, I feel ok with it.

I did have to laugh a little with my last trip. I had to go through a proper line because their self-scan app was down. Kroger let's you save your loyalty card and preferred payment on you phone - you just have the cashier scan your phone (or you do it yourself at a kiosk).

I held up my phone for her, and she tried and tried and tried again to scan it with the gun, and finally just reached and grabbed my phone, flipped it all over both her hands, then scanned it on the conveyor scanner, and handed it back.

All I could think was, "Get to a wipe station! Get to a wipe station!"

 

[Morning Glory]

I won't be so miserly as to do without foods I love, I just try to find the best price on it.

I'm the same really. And its also a question of convenience. I prefer things to be delivered to me (I always have but obviously with the current pandemic that is more important). When shopping on-line for specialist ingredients, especially branded items I do look for the best deal. I recently ordered some Gentleman's Relish (a hard to source revered UK delicacy). The prices on-line varied a lot. I could have paid three times what I actually paid.

 

[TastyReuben]

If I have three things in front of me that I feel are satisfactory, and one is $5, one is $7, and one is $10, I'll gladly buy the $5 one. What I won't do is go out of my way or expend a lot of effort to save a couple of bucks. My most treasured commodity is my time, not my money.

 

[caseydog]

I don't do coupons. I do look for good sale prices on things like good meat, since I can vacuum seal them and freeze them for months.

I get fuel points with all my purchases at Kroger that I can redeem for discounted gasoline at Shell stations. I like that.

CD

 

[JAS_OH1]

I don't do coupons. I do look for good sale prices on things like good meat, since I can vacuum seal them and freeze them for months.

I get fuel points with all my purchases at Kroger that I can redeem for discounted gasoline at Shell stations. I like that.

CD

I don't know why you wouldn't do the coupons, they are on the website and all you have to do is click on the coupon and it automatically takes it off your total, whether purchasing online like I do or when you reach the register if you are still shopping in person.

 

[JAS_OH1]

If I have three things in front of me that I feel are satisfactory, and one is $5, one is $7, and one is $10, I'll gladly buy the $5 one. What I won't do is go out of my way or expend a lot of effort to save a couple of bucks. My most treasured commodity is my time, not my money.

Ah, but if you truly loved shopping as much as you say you wouldn't mind going out of your way to save money. And I am not talking about a couple of bucks, I am talking about $20 or even more from the total bill.

 

[TastyReuben]

Ah, but if you truly loved shopping as much as you say you wouldn't mind going out of your way to save money. And I am not talking about a couple of bucks, I am talking about $20 or even more from the total bill.

Yeah, I guess you know more about me than I do.

 

[JAS_OH1]

Yeah, I guess you know more about me than I do.

Do I detect a bit of snark? LOL!

 

[Backbay]

Here is my " going out of my way to save money".... Family member had Pyrex pie plates on their Christmas list. No fluted edges, no easy grips. Just plain old Pyrex pie plates. Checked everywhere locally, Meijer, Walmart , Kohl's, Target - none to be found. Online sold out also. Pyrex.com sold out. Amazon, yep - had them for $10, $15 /$20 each depending on vendor. And I am not a Prime member so plus delivery charges. I just hate having to pay 2 to 3x as much for something I know is a common item. Pop up on the laptop showed an Ace Hardware store had them $5.99 each! Score! Unfortunately, no delivery, I had to pick them up. So, the individual (me) that wouldn't pay Amazon's prices for convenience asked my better half to drive me 80 miles round trip yesterday to pick up the plates We have been laughing about it ever since. I chalked it up to "a nice day for a drive" ...

 

[Burt Blank]

For meat fish and dairy, neither of use care about the cost, it's about quality. For everything else Mrs B is a low price blood hound. Every first Wednesday of the month in the she goes here alone and buy all the household supply's for the month. Her calculation of toilet roll usage is spot on. Nb she does keep two rolls in the safe for emergencies! Žuta srijeda - City Center one Split