Inquiries on Baum Boulevard Area Projects (Washington, Etna: coupon, live, prices)

[greg42]

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

I've never shopped at Whole Foods because I've always been afraid it was out of my price range.

You should try Whole Foods sometime. Many things are out of your price range but they also have a lot of items that are competitively priced. They have to compete with the Trader Joe's just up the street which has low prices on some overlap items. Produce is sky high though and it's pretty cramped and crazy in that store too; don't try it on a Saturday! Trader Joe's also has cheap prices on a lot of things. No card games at those stores either.

[Goodjules]

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

I'm just excited because it's something different. I've never shopped at ALDI before, and being that I don't care about name brands or quality as much since I'm penny-pinching while saving for a home it may just suit me rather well. I just don't like the Bloomfield Shur-Save (sorry to offend anyone), and the new ALDI in Friendship will be the next closest grocery store to us besides trekking down to the Strip District, as we already do from time to time. Otherwise we like the Shakespeare Street Giant Eagle in East Liberty, but I abhor that I have to pay premium pricing in order to avoid using their "Advantage" Card. I also hate that they now also force you to have one of those cards if you want to use the self-checkouts. Why are they all but demanding you have a card to shop there? What are they doing with your personal information that's this important? It makes me wonder. We also like Trader Joe's but can rarely pick up a full grocery order there. I've never shopped at Whole Foods because I've always been afraid it was out of my price range. I've had one too many unpleasant run-ins with people ramming me with shopping carts at the frenetic Market District store in Shadyside.

If Downtown Pittsburgh attracted a Wegman's I'd pee myself. Literally.

It's more of an outlet store for groceries than a traditional grocery store. You can get everything you need there, you just may not be able to find certain brands. Check one out and let me know what you think.

[jay5835]

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

I've never shopped at ALDI before, and being that I don't care about name brands or quality as much since I'm penny-pinching while saving for a home it may just suit me rather well. I just don't like the Bloomfield Shur-Save (sorry to offend anyone), and the new ALDI in Friendship will be the next closest grocery store to us besides trekking down to the Strip District, as we already do from time to time.

In terms of merchandise, you may be disappointed. I hated Shur-Save when I lived in L'ville, and did most of my shopping in the Strip. I went to a couple of Aldis, and the selection was even poorer. All I've ever bought at Aldi: one dozen eggs. And the whole "shopping cart for a (returnable) quarter" doesn't bother me. It was the food. I hear they now have decent cheese departments, too. We'll see on May 8.

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

Otherwise we like the Shakespeare Street Giant Eagle in East Liberty, but I abhor that I have to pay premium pricing in order to avoid using their "Advantage" Card. I also hate that they now also force you to have one of those cards if you want to use the self-checkouts. Why are they all but demanding you have a card to shop there? What are they doing with your personal information that's this important? It makes me wonder.

I don't know what to say. Use the "Advantage" Card? This isn't something specific to GE. Every other chain supermarket I've shopped at has one (Safeway, Giant, QFC).

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

We also like Trader Joe's but can rarely pick up a full grocery order there.

You're not supposed to be able to, AFAICT. I go there for four things: their English Breakfast tea bags, 48 for $1.99, which are my favorite for making ice tea, which is basically all I drink except water; their St. Andre cheese, which is $9.99/lb., vs. $13.49 at Penn Mac and $14.99 (at the moment) at Market District; canned beans for chili; canned tomatoes.

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

I've never shopped at Whole Foods because I've always been afraid it was out of my price range.

It is more expensive, generally speaking, but you can find good pricing on certain things. Like Trader Joe's, they charge $9.99 for St. Andre, and $2.49 for the best bread for eating with St. Andre, the "Italian bread" from their bakery. You can generally buy the cheapest extra virgin olive oil at WF, and their food and salad bars are of such a higher quality than those at Market District, I don't mind paying the dollar extra per pound. If you can stop off there during your work day to eat, you might like the food and salad bar. It's $8.49/lb.

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

I've had one too many unpleasant run-ins with people ramming me with shopping carts at the frenetic Market District store in Shadyside.

Isn't that the worst? It took me a very long time to get used to shopping there, particularly in the produce department, where there's just not enough room for the carts.

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

If Downtown Pittsburgh attracted a Wegman's I'd pee myself. Literally.

I've never been to Wegman's, but I hear I'd like to.

[tabinekotaro]

Originally Posted by jay5835

I've never been to Wegman's, but I hear I'd like to.

BEST GROCERY STORE EVER!

I lived in Rochester, NY, Wegman's homeland, for several years. It ruined me for any other grocery store. I work in Binghamton, NY several times a year, and I always joke that the only reason I make the trip back is so that I can go to Weg's. But it's not really that much of a joke. . . .

I heard a rumor once that Wegman's and Giant Eagle had quietly decided to not encroach on each other's territories. But, there's both Wegman's and GE in Erie, I think, so maybe that's false and there is still hope for us to get one in Pittsburgh.

[doo dah]

Originally Posted by Geeo

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the floors above the Aldi's is the parking garage for the market, right? I remember reading when the plan was proposed that they wouldn't need a parking lot because when the building was built as a car dealership, the cars were stored above through a series of ramps, so it really is a parking grarage on the upper floors, not offices.

The garage is in back of the building, on Roup. The last time we walked by there, it definitely looked like offices upstairs. I know Pitt's Department of Biomedical Informatics is moving into either that building or the one Crazy Mocha will be in, next door.

[FreightTrainRunning]

I don't know what to say. Use the "Advantage" Card? This isn't something specific to GE. Every other chain supermarket I've shopped at has one (Safeway, Giant, QFC).

That's part of why I shop at Trader Joes. No membership card, no sales, no coupons, just decent prices without all that hassle.

[doo dah]

In the US, Aldi Süd ("South") owns Aldi and Aldi Nord ("North") owns Trader Joe's.

[jay5835]

Originally Posted by GeneW

That's part of why I shop at Trader Joes. No membership card, no sales, no coupons, just decent prices without all that hassle.

Seriously, you buy everything at TJ's? I can't. They don't sell dried beans, for one thing. Only dried beans that are included in cute little kits with other ingredients that I don't want. And I can't stand buying certain produce items there: I have to buy two peppers wrapped in plastic rather than just being able to buy the one I need? Please, give me my Advantage Card any day of the week.

[greg42]

Originally Posted by jay5835

Seriously, you buy everything at TJ's? I can't. They don't sell dried beans, for one thing. Only dried beans that are included in cute little kits with other ingredients that I don't want. And I can't stand buying certain produce items there: I have to buy two peppers wrapped in plastic rather than just being able to buy the one I need? Please, give me my Advantage Card any day of the week.

I used to shop there some, never could buy everything food-wise there either. (I'm not counting non-food but related items like paper towels; I buy that stuff at Target.) I can't buy everything anywhere really. Whole Foods comes the closest but I still occasionally care to pick up something elsewhere. Very minimal at this point; I'm valuing my time more than finding the absolute best places to get everything and driving all over the place to get it.

[FreightTrainRunning]

Originally Posted by jay5835

Seriously, you buy everything at TJ's? I can't. They don't sell dried beans, for one thing. Only dried beans that are included in cute little kits with other ingredients that I don't want. And I can't stand buying certain produce items there: I have to buy two peppers wrapped in plastic rather than just being able to buy the one I need? Please, give me my Advantage Card any day of the week.

We end up at the Giant Eagle for toilet paper, paper towels and cat littler. The rest is either from TJ's, drugstore.com or Amazon.

And I'm way too lazy a cook for dried beans.