Best Grocery Store (Greenville, Mauldin, Clemson: for sale, real estate, coupon)

[g-man430]

^^Why is there a need for Publix when Bilo sells the exact same stuff?

[vwsam]

Originally Posted by Greenville

Specialty grocers:
Ingles: They are okay, but I do not tend to shop there at all.

Oh yes - forgot about Ingles... I think they have a decent beer selection for a chain grocery store. Cheap gas too!

[Greenville]

Originally Posted by g-man430

^^Why is there a need for Publix when Bilo sells the exact same stuff?

Um, because some people would rather shop at Publix?!?

Just out of curiosity, are you equally loyal to locally headquartered companies for your other shopping needs? When you need clothes, do you see if a locally-owned store has what you need before heading to the mall? When you need something outdoor-related, will you go to Sunrift Adventures first to see if they have it before going to Bass Pro Shops?

[g-man430]

^^Why would people rather shop at Publix? I go to Sunrift Adventures before anywhere else for outdoor goods. I go downtown to see what the stores there have to offer before going to national retailers. I go to Garner's or Earth Fare instead of Whole Foods or Fresh Market. I actually support the local economy. Isn't that what the "made in SC" campaign is supposed to be about? I thought it was. I bought my bike from the Great Escape. When I need books, I go to the Open Book instead of B&N.

[Skyliner]

You'd better stop campaigning so hard for Bass Pro Shops then, because once they come, expect several smaller locally owned businesses to take a serious hit financially. You don't want to have a glaring double standard right?

[g-man430]

BPS is far enough from Sunrift, Half Moon, and Appalachian Outfitters that it will not affect their sales. In fact, it could help their sales due to more people becoming interested in outdoor recreation activites. That's why Earth Fare and Garner's supported Whole Foods Market coming to the area.

[NoodlesKnowles]

Originally Posted by g-man430

I could of sworn Bi-Lo provides money to local charities and is headquartered here, while the others don't and aren't.

bi-lo is owned by a company called A-hold, which owns and operates mediocre level grocery stores all over the US(not my favorite, some of them are ok) they operate really low grade stores in the area I am from(rochester, ny) and I could not be persuaded to shop at them in NY(cheap sales, but overall better prices in other stores) therefore I am very leery(<sp?) down here

P.S: I think publix and whole foods are better options in the area, unfortunately I look for a wider selection of goods, something it seems like bilo and ingles do not have

[Skyliner]

Ahold actually sold its BI-LO and Bruno's brands a couple years ago. I'm not exactly sure who officially owns BI-LO now, but corporate offices and distribution center are still headquartered in Mauldin. More info here

[g-man430]

^^Exactly, so why do you guys shop at Publix instead of Bilo if they're the ones headquartered here? Last time I checked, Publix was headquartered in Florida. Would you rather have your money go to Florida or the local economy? This is why i'm glad we don't have national retailers downtown. We don't need them. Plenty of people already come downtown and i'm glad to support the local retailers/restaurants there and not the national over-rated ones. You guys on UP just want these high-end national retailers downtown, so you can make the case that Greenville is better than other similiar sized cities. It's status quo and only that.

[Skyliner]

G-man, please calm down. People will choose to shop wherever they feel their money is well spent. I prefer our Publix stores hands down over BI-LO, but it has nothing to do with me wanting to give money to a FL based company instead of a Mauldin based company. It is a matter of simply preferring better quality overall and supporting such places in my hometown. I do shop at BI-LO once in a while, but that is typically a result of convenience. Super BI-LO is an improved shopping experience over their standard stores, but there are only a couple of them in the Greenville metro right now and they are not worth driving out of my way to shop at. Publix is not a case where you are "throwing your money away" to a foreign company instead of a U.S. based company so there is no need to view it as such. Publix and Whole Foods Market have far superior customer service and higher quality products, making it an easy decision for me.