Is anyone familiar with WinCo supermarket? (Phoenix, Tucson: 2015, purchase, living)

[sandy6879]

I would agree that produce here, for the most part, is not that much of a price difference compared to some other areas of the country. I was in CT last month and it's cheaper there than here for a lot of it. That's eye-opening.

[Wally Sconce]

Originally Posted by ElleTea

Produce outrageous? Really? I find the opposite to be true. Produce is CHEAP here. Super cheap. I have bought whole pineapples for under a dollar and oranges at 3 pounds for a dollar, things like that. Where are you shopping that it is so high?

Comparing Frys, Albertsons and Walmart. Honestly you are getting soaked considering a lot of this stuff is local or produced close by. Packaged goods aren't bad but somethings are unbelievable.

Bag of salad..3 bucks

[ElleTea]

Originally Posted by Wally Sconce

Comparing Frys, Albertsons and Walmart. Honestly you are getting soaked considering a lot of this stuff is local or produced close by. Packaged goods aren't bad but somethings are unbelievable.

Bag of salad..3 bucks

I don't see it. Everything I buy produce wise is less than where I moved here from. I could never get a pineapple for under a buck there, or the previously mentioned 3 pounds of oranges for $1. Or apples for 77 cents a pound. Or onions for 49 cents a pound. A lot more than just being in close proximity to the source plays into the price of produce. (My ex is a produce manager, so I know more about that than I care to know)

I shop mostly at Fry's, never Albertsons or Walmart.

And bagged salad is ALWAYS going to be high. You pay extra for that convenience. I never buy bagged salad, pre-cut veggies, etc. They are too expensive (and bagged salads taste like the bag).

YMMV

[Wally Sconce]

Originally Posted by ElleTea

I don't see it. Everything I buy produce wise is less than where I moved here from. I could never get a pineapple for under a buck there, or the previously mentioned 3 pounds of oranges for $1. Or apples for 77 cents a pound. Or onions for 49 cents a pound. A lot more than just being in close proximity to the source plays into the price of produce. (My ex is a produce manager, so I know more about that than I care to know)

I shop mostly at Fry's, never Albertsons or Walmart.

And bagged salad is ALWAYS going to be high. You pay extra for that convenience. I never buy bagged salad, pre-cut veggies, etc. They are too expensive (and bagged salads taste like the bag).

YMMV

I know you pay a premium for prepackaged produce but like I said earlier prices down here are high for that type of thing.


I haven't been to Frys since July, just got back. I wonder ..do you think (anybody think) prices vary from one part of town to the other? From Walmart on Cave Creek road(close to Cave Creek) to a Walmart say down the I17 some where? Fry's in Anthem compared to Fry's down on Bell road?

Albertsons has good pricing and selection on meat.

[ElleTea]

Originally Posted by Wally Sconce

I know you pay a premium for prepackaged produce but like I said earlier prices down here are high for that type of thing.


I haven't been to Frys since July, just got back. I wonder ..do you think (anybody think) prices vary from one part of town to the other? From Walmart on Cave Creek road(close to Cave Creek) to a Walmart say down the I17 some where? Fry's in Anthem compared to Fry's down on Bell road?

Albertsons has good pricing and selection on meat.

You can always compare the ads for different stores on the website to see if they vary by zip code. I would suspect that they do, though maybe not the advertised prices. Other shelf prices, I am sure they vary.

[jimj]

Originally Posted by pbenjamin

Von's is not owned by Kroger. Von's is the Southern California branding for Safeway. Kroger owns Ralph's in SoCal.

Correction <bold> Vons,Safeway etc is now the branding for Albertsons.

[MN-Born-n-Raised]

Originally Posted by ElleTea

Produce outrageous? Really? I find the opposite to be true. Produce is CHEAP here. Super cheap. I have bought whole pineapples for under a dollar and oranges at 3 pounds for a dollar, things like that. Where are you shopping that it is so high?

You are spot on Elle. The competition is brutal here in the PHX area. It's 20-50% higher in MN than AZ. Admittedly, I cherry pick the deals. I often buy asparagus at a $1 a pound, Bananas at $0.39 a pound. Raspberries @ $1 a small tray. Giant peppers @ $0.79 ea (worse case a $1 ea). Apples all day long at $0.99 a pound (sometimes $0.79 / pound; pick your flavor or choice).

Fresh seafood at Winco. Hummmm.. I am going to drive up to get some lobster tails and hope they have some deals on fresh asparagus. Here is the plan. On a wood fire Traeger pellet grill, pour some spicy bloody Mary mix over the lobster and baste it in the tail several times. Then I plan on using the grill to cook the Traeger grill with salt, smoked pepper, garlic, sprayed with a dust of olive oil.

I've never shopped at Winco but it is 4 miles away.

[MN-Born-n-Raised]

Originally Posted by Wally Sconce

One thing I have noticed over the last 5 years. Food has gotten bloody expensive down here, your produce is outrageous.


I can buy produce in Canauckistan for less than down here and on average it is shipped 3 times the distance.
example.
I can buy bananas for 77 cents a lb..in Canadian funds....convert that to US funds and you will see what I mean. Must be lack of competition in AZ. We sure as hell don't grow bananas in Canada.

Almost everything you buy here is the same price or more up north but switch CDN to USD.

WTH is a big bag of lays chips 2.88? I buy them for 2.49 CDN.

I just got back for WinCo for the 1st time. I am staring at my receipt. Banana's were 38 cents a pound. A large cucumber was $0.48 ea. Asparagus $1.37/lb. Smoked Turkey Breast sandwich meat $4.48 / lb. 2 Liter Dr. Pepper $0.88. A decent sized Cobb salad $3.18, Large INTL Delight Creamer $2.48, Red and Green Grapes $0.98 a pound, Cilantro 48 cents a bunch, small lobster tails $4.48 ea, etc etc etc.

Mailed Flyer: Less $10 off (spend $50 or more get $10 off), less free Frosted Flakes, Less free cookies.

In short, WinCo rocks! There are a few thousand signs around comparing items from the other major stores. They are the cheapest out there. While I think Fry's have a better selection, no one is going to beat their prices. IMHO, Walmart is a joke. There is no savings there. Here is a hint: Forbes Welcome (several Walton's are the wealthest people in the world). Anyways, WinCo is the real deal!!

[jlawrence01]

OK, I live south of Tucson. When I am up in Phoenix, I bring my ice blocks and my cooler to shop there. In general, I find them to be less expensive than either Fry's or Walmart. My experience has been in the Chandler area stores ONLY.

First, I would say that the produce is about average both in price and quality. The produce is better and cheaper than Walmart but not as good in quality as Fry's. The prices are similar to Fry's.

The bulk food is excellent and there is a lot of it. Bulk food prices are 20-40% less than Sprouts on similar product. I buy a lot of bulk goods in that store and it represents a great value.

The prepared foods are pretty good and dirt cheap. I can grab a sandwich for the trip home for $1.99 and it is better than any fast food. Ditto on the salads. Their deli is pretty limited BUT I have enjoyed what I have bought.

Meat prices are excellent and generally better than most of what I have bought in Tucson ANYWHERE. I buy a lot of my meat there.

As for the canned goods and frozen products, I have not really priced them out much. What I have looked at leads me to believe that Winco's EDLP is actually less than Fry's everyday prices. Fry's promo prices might be less.

I would NOT make a special trip to Winco from Tucson. HOWEVER, I will continue to stop in the Phoenix Winco stores. Winco is my #3 store in terms of money spent after Fry's and 99 only.

====================

As for the store lay-out, Winco is a carbon copy of Supervalu's Cub Foods in the Midwest.


By the way, Phoenix grocery prices are VERY competitive. I believe that I pay about 10-15% more living in the Tucson area. Just wait until Aldi makes an appearance in 3-5 years ...

[ElleTea]

Originally Posted by jlawrence01

OK, I live south of Tucson. When I am up in Phoenix, I bring my ice blocks and my cooler to shop there. In general, I find them to be less expensive than either Fry's or Walmart. My experience has been in the Chandler area stores ONLY.

First, I would say that the produce is about average both in price and quality. The produce is better and cheaper than Walmart but not as good in quality as Fry's. The prices are similar to Fry's.

The bulk food is excellent and there is a lot of it. Bulk food prices are 20-40% less than Sprouts on similar product. I buy a lot of bulk goods in that store and it represents a great value.

The prepared foods are pretty good and dirt cheap. I can grab a sandwich for the trip home for $1.99 and it is better than any fast food. Ditto on the salads. Their deli is pretty limited BUT I have enjoyed what I have bought.

Meat prices are excellent and generally better than most of what I have bought in Tucson ANYWHERE. I buy a lot of my meat there.

As for the canned goods and frozen products, I have not really priced them out much. What I have looked at leads me to believe that Winco's EDLP is actually less than Fry's everyday prices. Fry's promo prices might be less.

I would NOT make a special trip to Winco from Tucson. HOWEVER, I will continue to stop in the Phoenix Winco stores. Winco is my #3 store in terms of money spent after Fry's and 99 only.

====================

As for the store lay-out, Winco is a carbon copy of Supervalu's Cub Foods in the Midwest.


By the way, Phoenix grocery prices are VERY competitive. I believe that I pay about 10-15% more living in the Tucson area. Just wait until Aldi makes an appearance in 3-5 years ...

Oh, I can only hope!!!