grocery stores (Austin, Mart, Sunset Valley: coupons, coop, employment)

[prettybuttercup]

Hi,

Are there any discount grocery stores in Austin? Of HEB, Randall's Albertson's and Whole Foods which have the best prices and how do these compare?

Thanks,
Pretty

[mandib]

HEB has the best prices that I've found. Randalls is rather expensive. I don't know of any discount grocery stores... certainly not Whole Foods!

[chickenfry]

Walmart

[PfinallyInAustin]

Albertsons is no longer in the Austin market. HEB would be the store with the lowest prices, as well as the most locations, by far.

[theaustinegalitarian]

I shop at Wal-Mart. (how come this board does not have "evil grin" smiley?)

Actually, I was just thinking about this because of the whole transportation issue and the threatened bus strike:

The big stores would do well to support some small food-peddler "boutiques" in the neighborhoods that would specialize in basic healthy foods and could give the people there coupons or something to encourage them over to the big store.

It would answer the problem of there being only convenience-junk-food stops available in some places, it would reduce the need to use gas to travel, it would increase employment opportunities, and it would make a lot of marketing sense for the "big-box" stores to attract people "across brands" because people could see ads for other groceries while picking up some high-quality bread, fresh veggies, or meat.

I've been trying to persuade the convenience stores near me to put in a freezer full of basic goodies like those frozen sausage & turkey meat "tubes" because I know a major consideration for them is "shelf-life" since they are designed to run off minimal staff.

[woodinvilleguy]

Randalls is cheaper on dairy and things that are in their ads. Other than that HEB is cheaper.

Costco is by far the cheapest for a large number of items.

[MJinAustin]

HEB is by far the least expensive for a regular market. Super Target has good prices too. Randall's is overpriced on a majority of items, but uses loss leaders (like woodinvilleguy mentioned dairy) to get you into the store. WF is normally insanely priced.

[S6Sputnik]

Here Everything is Better

[rridgeback]

What part of town do you live in?

The lowest price at grocery stores is going to vary, if not day to day, then certainly week to week. Fiesta is one of the least expensive in town. There's one north of the river and one south. Sun Harvest can be quite a bargain, particularly if you shop on Wednesdays when both the past week's ad prices and the new week's are both active.

If it's consistency you crave, then HEB is the winner, in general. But then again, not all HEBs are wonderful to shop at. It depends on which HEB you frequent. Aside from the fact that some of their locations are a bit dingey, the only real knock I have against HEB is their below mediocre bakery department.

Randalls never has the best prices unless it's something in their current ad and you happen to be carrying their so-called "smart card."

Yes, Costco can have great deals but you have to buy in bulk and accept their limited selection. Even Whole Foods can have some great deals, particularly on their store brand, 365. Also, I would be remiss not to mention the beloved Wheatsville Coop Grocery. It's not the cheapest because all their fruit and veg is organic. But their prices aren't horrible either.

Finally, try out the downtown Austin Farmers Market, the Sunset Valley Farmers Market or the Triangle FM!

[sanmiguel]

For high quality meat items, it is hard to beat Randall's discount bin. Usually, they have must sell items for 30-50% off.