[JayCT]

I can see going to Whole Foods for some things. I know that they have store brands which are good but I am not sure they would have everything I buy in store brands that are reasonably priced. Their meats are good and not badly priced when on sale but I do not have the time to go to multiple stores to shop so I tend to just buy everything at Stop & Shop. I guess that is what they are counting on.

Wegman's is not in Connecticut yet. They just opened a couple of stores in Massachusetts around Boston and announced a store in Brooklyn, NY. Would be good if they did come here and give Stop & Shop some decent competition.

[WouldLoveTo]

Originally Posted by JayCT

I can see going to Whole Foods for some things. I know that they have store brands which are good but I am not sure they would have everything I buy in store brands that are reasonably priced. Their meats are good and not badly priced when on sale but I do not have the time to go to multiple stores to shop so I tend to just buy everything at Stop & Shop. I guess that is what they are counting on.
.

Totally agree. When I switched to grassfed meat, I went to WF and there were only TWO products on sale and they were more than I'd pay at S&S. They claim "local" yet nothing was from CT. I went online to check out their sales for a couple of weeks and they were slim. The store is always packed as well. I just stay away.

For what we buy regularly, S&S is the least expensive plus we get gas points. I buy most paper towels, tp and things like aluminum foil at Target every few months, and baggies at the dollar store once a year.

I'm going to end up buying meat from a farmer soon. USDA just approved exporting chickens to be processed in China. No thanks.

[mels]

Originally Posted by WouldLoveTo

Totally agree. When I switched to grassfed meat, I went to WF and there were only TWO products on sale and they were more than I'd pay at S&S. They claim "local" yet nothing was from CT. I went online to check out their sales for a couple of weeks and they were slim. The store is always packed as well. I just stay away.

For what we buy regularly, S&S is the least expensive plus we get gas points. I buy most paper towels, tp and things like aluminum foil at Target every few months, and baggies at the dollar store once a year.

I'm going to end up buying meat from a farmer soon. USDA just approved exporting chickens to be processed in China. No thanks.

The only time I have ever seen grass fed beef at Stop and Shop, it was from Australia (if local is your priority) and they only had ground beef (I don't do prepackaged ground beef). You have to pick your priorities and shop from there, whether it be price, geography, factory feedlot meat vs. pasture raised/cage free/organic, etc. Luckily there are stores to cater to all of us, from Aldi to Whole Foods and everything in between.

[Goose-boy]

Originally Posted by mels

The only time I have ever seen grass fed beef at Stop and Shop, it was from Australia (if local is your priority) and they only had ground beef (I don't do prepackaged ground beef). You have to pick your priorities and shop from there, whether it be price, geography, factory feedlot meat vs. pasture raised/cage free/organic, etc. Luckily there are stores to cater to all of us, from Aldi to Whole Foods and everything in between.

S&S carries grass fed sirloin, tenderloin and strip from New Zealand. All cattle is pasture raised in NZ, they have much stricter regulations on the way animals are raised than the US. This is the only thing that I go to S&S for, and it's only once a month or so.

WF does have overpriced items, no question, but I just don't buy that stuff. Produce is slightly more than S&S but quality is far superior. It's a matter of priorities in your budget, quality food is near the top of mine. It's also a far better shopping experience, in my opinion.

[WouldLoveTo]

Originally Posted by mels

The only time I have ever seen grass fed beef at Stop and Shop, it was from Australia (if local is your priority) and they only had ground beef (I don't do prepackaged ground beef). You have to pick your priorities and shop from there, whether it be price, geography, factory feedlot meat vs. pasture raised/cage free/organic, etc. Luckily there are stores to cater to all of us, from Aldi to Whole Foods and everything in between.

S&S isn't advertising local meat. WF is.

The Urgaway (?) ground beef creeps me out. I've written to them about it. They do have other types of beef, but it's harder to find.

Do you live in Marlborough?

[mels]

Originally Posted by WouldLoveTo

S&S isn't advertising local meat. WF is.

The Urgaway (?) ground beef creeps me out. I've written to them about it. They do have other types of beef, but it's harder to find.

Do you live in Marlborough?

I do...usually I shop at WF and BJs (for paper goods and such) plus my local CSA from June-December. When I did go to S&S regularly, I would bounce between the 2 Glastonbury stores, depending which was more convenient.

[MikefromCT]

Originally Posted by mels

The only time I have ever seen grass fed beef at Stop and Shop, it was from Australia (if local is your priority) and they only had ground beef (I don't do prepackaged ground beef). You have to pick your priorities and shop from there, whether it be price, geography, factory feedlot meat vs. pasture raised/cage free/organic, etc. Luckily there are stores to cater to all of us, from Aldi to Whole Foods and everything in between.

This is precisely the reason why I rarely purchase meat anymore. Too often it's the product of factory farming, something I staunchly disagree with, and oftentimes it's also tainted and unsafe to eat, specifically ground beef. I know some people's rebuttal to that is to just cook it thoroughly, but that doesn't fly with me. I don't want fecal material mixed in with my meat. (Anyone who's read Fast Food Nation will understand this viewpoint.)

If that's true that we'll soon be seeing chicken in grocery stores from China, well then I guess I'll be cutting poultry from my diet in the near future.

[WouldLoveTo]

Originally Posted by MikefromCT

If that's true that we'll soon be seeing chicken in grocery stores from China, well then I guess I'll be cutting poultry from my diet in the near future.

Well, it's American chicken. But they'll send it over there and process and send it back. Makes tons of sense!!!

And I recently read someone is petitioning to have country of origin removed from food labels. So you won't even know.

[MikefromCT]

Originally Posted by WouldLoveTo

Well, it's American chicken. But they'll send it over there and process and send it back. Makes tons of sense!!!

And I recently read someone is petitioning to have country of origin removed from food labels. So you won't even know.

My guess it's either Tyson, ConAgra or some shyster lobbyists from the American Meat Institute.

Anyway, if we're talking strictly about S&S here, I agree that quality and freshness are an issue. The only reason I have for going there nowadays is to recycle bottles and cans.

[chanTy04]

I could swear that I got a greeting card sized ad in the mail this week from Stop and Shop, inviting me to come in and see their new revamped fresher produce area. But because I already associate Stop and Shop with rotting produce I won't eat, I tossed the ad without giving it a second thought. I just saw this thread and it reminded me of that. Maybe someone else can confirm that they got this ad too? Maybe S&S is finally trying to improve?