Why No Upscale Grocery Stores in Burke? (Springfield, West Springfield: home, neighborhoods)

[Fairfax Mom]

I am sure that the Lowes is just as bad as a "nightmare" as the Home Depot is on Saturdays that is!

I also love Wegmans in Fairfax but unless I go at 9 AM the place is always a madhouse with the rudest most inconsiderate fellow shoppers (they must be from NJ/NY like me) - people bump right into others without even saying "excuse me"
And the dumpy Kings Park Giant is a good place to go when you just need to pick something up fast - the store is tiny.

[JakilaTheHun]

Originally Posted by DC Oldtimer

Frankly I dont know how Safeway stays in business, the prices are so high.

I agree. Safeway is terrible. All the stores I've been to have very high prices, dim lighting, the clerks are hateful, and the shelves are poorly stocked. There used to be one less than a mile from me, but I'd always just drive a few extra miles to go to the Harris Teeter or Shoppers.

[JakilaTheHun]

Originally Posted by Fairfax Mom

And I think there is a "Super Target" in Falls Church..

No, there's not. The Target in Falls Church only carries a few grocery items and it's kinda dumpy. They might carry a little bit more than some of the others (when they bother to stock), but not much.

I haven't seen any "Super Targets" (I think they technically have a different name) in this area. In fact, I've really only see a few ever --- there's one in Durham, NC and I know I went to one in the Atlanta 'burbs once, but those are the only two I've encountered.

I'd actually question why Target doesn't try to sell more groceries; their store-brand items are actually very good. Much better than Wal's Mart "Sam's Choice" crap. And normally better than the other grocery store brand items I've tried.

[athousandlogins]

And I think there is a "Super Target" in Falls Church.

There isn't, unfortunately. But Falls Church does have a "Greatland Target," which is bigger than a regular Target and therefore has a better selection of stuff like clothes and cleaning supplies than you would find at the Burke Target.

The difference between "Greatland Target" and "Super Target" is that "Super Target" has a full grocery section.

They do have one brand new "Super Target" way out at the butt end of Manassas. Sometimes I make the drive down there on a weekend and get ALL my shopping done, groceries and otherwise, in one spot for the entire week. The drive is worth it because it still cuts down on the amount of time I spend doing errands to only have to make one stop. And their prices are right. But their produce isn't the best and neither is the selection, so there's a tradeoff. Also, if I hit traffic on 66 getting back to FFX City, which does happen even on a Saturday sometimes, then I start to worry about my perishables!

[springfieldva]

Originally Posted by ChristineVA

My friend who drives down from Fairfax to the Woodbridge Lowe's says the Fair Oaks Lowe's is a "nightmare." Not sure why--his words!

That stretch of Rt 50 really bugs me. I'm used to the traffic around this area, but that area is probably my least favorite place (aside from 95) to drive around here. The Lowe's over there is always very busy but it's the one I go to. I do wish there was a Lowe's closer to Burke.

But come to think of it, I do believe there is a Lowe's in Alexandria off Rte 1....

[ChristineVA]

Originally Posted by springfieldva

That stretch of Rt 50 really bugs me. I'm used to the traffic around this area, but that area is probably my least favorite place (aside from 95) to drive around here. The Lowe's over there is always very busy but it's the one I go to. I do wish there was a Lowe's closer to Burke.

But come to think of it, I do believe there is a Lowe's in Alexandria off Rte 1....

I think that's how my friend feels. He swears he gets down to the Lowe's in Woodbridge in 30 minutes but he lives RIGHT off 123 a tad south of George Mason.

[Flamingo13]

Yes, that's the Lowe's we go to - it's right on Richmond Hwy. (Rt. 1).

Originally Posted by springfieldva

That stretch of Rt 50 really bugs me. I'm used to the traffic around this area, but that area is probably my least favorite place (aside from 95) to drive around here. The Lowe's over there is always very busy but it's the one I go to. I do wish there was a Lowe's closer to Burke.

But come to think of it, I do believe there is a Lowe's in Alexandria off Rte 1....

[lbernatz]

I am lovin' this thread... Will be moving the family to Clifton, come June and appreciate the insight on grocery shopping options.

I had already scoped out the SuperTargets in the area and the only one is in Manassas. We have SuperTarget, SuperWalmart, Whole Food, HEB, Kroger, Randalls, Fiesta here in Texas (I guess its true when they say everything is bigger in Texas!) I love the SuperTarget and was really bummed there aren't more in NOVA luckily I won't be too far from the one in Manassas. I too love that I can get several errands run at one place and I like their archer farms brand. Produce isn't fantastic but its decent when I'm in a rush.

SuperWalmarts drive me crazy and I try to avoid them when possible, although they have a fantastic selection of pre-packaged junk food.

My husband is from Rochester, NY (Wegman's home) and his first job was at a Wegman's...needless to say his whole family thinks it's the "Bomb". His theory in house hunting was that we should buy within 10 miles radius of Wegman's cause they've already done the market analysis of income levels and the home values should be decent near a Wegman's...go figure!

Thanks for the scoop.

[tgbwc]

Originally Posted by torpor

They recently renovated the Giant at the corner of Rolling Road and Old Keene Mill Road in West Springfield, which might not be too far away for the OP, depending on which part of Burke she lives in. I still wouldn't consider it "upscale," but it's definitely nicer than the standard Giants/Safeways of the area and could be a decent compromise for upscale places like Whole Foods or Wegmans.

How about the Giant at Huntsman Square? What is it like?

[Flamingo13]

I'm not sure what stores are in Clifton - I shop at all the stores that are a reasonable distance: I look at the sale fliers, know prices, etc. and go from there - it helps if you have a basement or somewhere to stockup on extras when there is a super good price.

People don't mention Trader Joe's so much but they have great prices on many items, I just wish there was one here and not in the super-crowded shopping area at Bailey's.

I've never shopped at a SuperTarget or a SuperWalmart (I don't shop at Walmart, period - YUCK) - so I can't speak for those food prices.

Prices did used to be much better competitively than they have been in the last several years - also it seems manufacturers have raised prices so much (TP for example, name brands, used to be a good buy at .20 or so per roll, good luck finding that now).

We actually shop at Harris Teeter quite a bit, partly because it's the closest but also in large part because we shop their sales, they have more employees, they have nicer employees, etc.