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Old 01-12-2011, 06:18 AM
 
Location: Kansas City, MO
3,565 posts, read 7,925,603 times
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I've found Hen House to be highly underrated. Their emphasis on local and upscale products is great. I absolutely love their small neighborhood-oriented stores in NE JoCo. I recently went into the Village store (71st and Mission) and it has everything I expect, despite the small floor plan. The Plaza needs a grocery store and I think this is exactly what would work. I applaud the Ball family and their passion and devotion to providing us these wonderful stores.

What do you all think? How do Cosentino's Brookside Market and Hen House compare?

~MoKan
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Old 01-12-2011, 08:26 AM
 
3,339 posts, read 9,300,183 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MOKAN View Post
I've found Hen House to be highly underrated. Their emphasis on local and upscale products is great. I absolutely love their small neighborhood-oriented stores in NE JoCo. I recently went into the Village store (71st and Mission) and it has everything I expect, despite the small floor plan. The Plaza needs a grocery store and I think this is exactly what would work. I applaud the Ball family and their passion and devotion to providing us these wonderful stores.

What do you all think? How do Cosentino's Brookside Market and Hen House compare?

~MoKan
I think it depends on who manages the stores. I think Cosentino's in the P&L District is a destination in itself, and I'm in JoCo, KS. There's notning else like it in the area, IMO. I only began shopping at Hen House about six months ago after shopping at Price Chopper for over three years. I was wrong about HH prices being so much higher than PC. HH actually charges a lot less for some items we buy all the time, especially chickens. There is a big difference there. Now that I know what's always cheaper at PC, though, I'll buy those items at PC. Deli prices at PC are as much as $3-4 dollars a pound less.

That said, we do spend more at HH because of their selection. Unfortunately for my wallet, their sushi is pretty good.
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Old 01-12-2011, 08:30 AM
 
Location: Tower Grove East, St. Louis, MO
12,063 posts, read 31,476,475 times
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HH and Cosentino's downtown and Brookside are the only grocery stores I've found that we really like. Doesn't mean I don't shop at Sun Fresh all the time anyway because I'm lazy, but ...

I think a Plaza grocery store could be quite successful. There's certainly plenty of residents in the area. Though I suspect the Cosentino family would prefer everyone have to go down to Brookside.
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Old 01-12-2011, 02:54 PM
 
3,326 posts, read 8,818,667 times
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Trader Joe's should have went into the Plaza, or at least nearby Westport. Now that I've been in one, I see what all the fuss is about. Cheap food, good food, fresher and less processed-tasting than the average.

We never had a Hen House nearby, so I've only been in one or two of them, but didn't find them to be anything special. Most Hy-Vees we shopped at were usually really nice and well managed. When comparing Hy-Vee to Price Chopper, I found Hy-Vee to be like Target (clean, well-run), and Price Chopper to be like Wal-Mart (trashy, 'neckish). Just an average. Some HV's weren't so great, and some PC's were so-so.
The Sunfresh in Westport seemed okay from my limited experience, but others weren't as good. Then there's places like Apple Market and Thriftway which serve their purpose as neighborhood grocers... good for a quick milk and bread run or some such thing.
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Old 01-12-2011, 03:33 PM
 
Location: Kansas City, MO
5,765 posts, read 10,954,266 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TinaMcG View Post
only began shopping at Hen House about six months ago after shopping at Price Chopper for over three years. I was wrong about HH prices being so much higher than PC. HH actually charges a lot less for some items we buy all the time, especially chickens. There is a big difference there. Now that I know what's always cheaper at PC, though, I'll buy those items at PC. Deli prices at PC are as much as $3-4 dollars a pound less.

That said, we do spend more at HH because of their selection. Unfortunately for my wallet, their sushi is pretty good.

Hen House and Price Chopper are the same company. Hen House is basically Price Chopper that is marketed towards a more wealthy target market.

Basically, Price Chopper is Ball's budget grocery store and Hen House is meant to be the more friendly, innovative, neighborhood market.
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Old 01-12-2011, 03:36 PM
 
Location: Kansas City, MO
5,765 posts, read 10,954,266 times
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Personally, I think Hy-Vee blows Price Chopper and Hen House out of the water.

I cant even stand to stop foot in a Price Chopper. They are organized oddly, they are usually dirty, and they just have a weird vibe to them. For example, I went to one looking for a loaf of bread and walked the entire store to find the bread in the alcohol isle. Price Chopper just grosses me out and I have been to several all over the city. I dont remember ever going into one and it being clean.

Hy-Vee is organized in a logical manner, they are always clean as can be, their customer service is top notch, they dont require some bull**** card to get discounts, their meat is good, and their prices are competitive.

If I am within a driving distance of a Hy-Vee, I wont even consider another grocery store.

My wife has taking a liking to Super Target grocery though. They seem to have good deals at times.
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Old 01-12-2011, 03:50 PM
 
Location: Tower Grove East, St. Louis, MO
12,063 posts, read 31,476,475 times
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Neither Price Chopper nor Sun Fresh require a card for discounts either, fwiw.

We used to occasionally shop at the Hy-Vee in Columbia and liked it quite a bit, but I've only been to the Prairie Village Hy-Vee while living in KC and I've never been so disappointed in a grocery store. Maybe I hit it on the worst day ever, maybe their produce stockers all called in sick, but I've never seen such a sad display of rotten produce sitting out in my life. After trying, unsuccessfully, to find three ears of corn that weren't completely rotten from the picked over mess of a bin, I walked out. Certainly never to return.

Went to Cosentino's instead and there were literally three employees stocking and asnwering questions in the produce department. It was like night and day.
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Old 01-12-2011, 04:58 PM
 
Location: Kansas City North
6,771 posts, read 11,404,343 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by aragx6 View Post
Neither Price Chopper nor Sun Fresh require a card for discounts either, fwiw.
Not so. Price Chopper has the "Chopper Shopper" card. And not all Price Choppers' are owned by Balls. The one up north at 291 and I-35 is owned by Cosentino's.

The common thread with Hen House, Price Chopper and Sun Fresh is they are all supplied by Associated Grocers. I believe the owners decide what "brand" fits the demographics of the area the store is located in. The store at 64th and North Prospect (next to Hobby Lobby) used to be a Hen House and now its a PC.

When I was working in Overland Park there was no better lunch than chicken salad on a bagel from Hen House at 119th and Roe. And judging from the crowds in there, a lot of people agreed with me.
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Old 01-12-2011, 05:02 PM
 
Location: Middle America
37,409 posts, read 53,268,292 times
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Hit and miss, for sure. I know that many swear by Hen House as the upscale of the chains. However, the one nearest my house is subpar, doesn't stack up to the local Hy-Vee (my store of choice) by a long shot. After one too many times of getting bad produce there, I wrote it off. It might be an anomaly, but it's definitely nothing to shout about.

The Hy-Vee I shop at is VERY good about stocking local products, and doing a good job of labeling them as such, for what it's worth. I really go there exclusive of other grocery chains these days, although if I am in Super Target for something else and need to pick up a grocery item or two, I'll grab it there rather than make an additional stop at Hy-Vee.
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Old 01-12-2011, 07:25 PM
 
Location: Washington, DC area
11,108 posts, read 23,704,485 times
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I would agree with the hit and miss with Price Chopper and Hen House. It really depends on the market the store is in. The Hen House on 64th & I-29 near our old apartment was really nice and upscale, but then there was a Hen House in Waldo that wasn’t so great. I don’t think it’s a HH anymore though. Then the Price Chopper near our last home at 470 and Woods Chapel is really nice and upscale while the ones in Blue Springs were nice, but nothing like the one in Lakewood.

HyVee’s are much more consistent no matter where they are. The ones in Independence and Raytown are just as nice as the ones I have been to in Lee’s Summit, JoCo etc. I think they are all company owned and employee owned though which makes a difference.

Honestly, I’m more a fan of Schnucks from my St Louis days. It sucked they couldn’t compete in the KC market. Associated Grocers is very powerful in the KC market and they won’t let a new guy in town easily.
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