Kroger or Harris Teeter? (Cary, Apex: college, price, groceries)

[IdaClaire]

I love our HT, mainly because the kind of products I buy are easier to find there than at Kroger. Kroger is somewhat of a middle ground between Food Lion and HT, IMO. It's a step up from Food Lion but doesn't have as many upper end choices at HT.

That said, we found ourselves unusually strapped this week; one week before my paycheck, and decided to bite the bullet and buy groceries at Food Lion. With a few minor adjustments, our grocery bill was almost $100 less at Food Lion than it usually is at HT. This means we bought generic Food Lion animal crackers rather than HT organic animal cookies, etc. If I could force myself to shop at Food Lion just one week a month, I'd save $1200 a year!

[DanielChang]

Originally Posted by IdaClaire

That said, we found ourselves unusually strapped this week; one week before my paycheck, and decided to bite the bullet and buy groceries at Food Lion. With a few minor adjustments, our grocery bill was almost $100 less at Food Lion than it usually is at HT. This means we bought generic Food Lion animal crackers rather than HT organic animal cookies, etc. If I could force myself to shop at Food Lion just one week a month, I'd save $1200 a year!

What percentage would people say that they're saving by shopping at Food Lion? Is that sale or regular prices?

I haven't really noticed significant savings, but of course I'm just shopping for one (me). Of course, I'm just shopping for one (me) and tend to buy the nicest looking produce I can find (seasonal). I stock up on meats, canned goods and frozen goods when they go on sale to save $. I do almost all my shopping at Grand Asia, Harris Teeter, Fresh Market and Trader Joes. I pretty much buy what is on sale (enjoy the wide variety of items).

[Desdemona123]

Originally Posted by jinxor

I pretty much buy what is on sale (enjoy the wide variety of items).

That is the key. If you are the sort that buys the same things week after week with no regard to what's on sale, or the quality of the items, I am sure you can spend less at Food Lion......but is it really a bargin?

Value is getting the most for your money when compared to the quality....it's not just about what's cheapest.

For the record...I shop HT, Krogers, BJs, Costco and Lowes...and if we had a WF or TJ closer...I'd shop there....I also cook almost everything from scratch...but scratch doesn't mean that you don't like variety or decent selection.

[IdaClaire]

Originally Posted by jinxor

What percentage would people say that they're saving by shopping at Food Lion? Is that sale or regular prices?

I haven't really noticed significant savings, but of course I'm just shopping for one (me). Of course, I'm just shopping for one (me) and tend to buy the nicest looking produce I can find (seasonal). I stock up on meats, canned goods and frozen goods when they go on sale to save $. I do almost all my shopping at Grand Asia, Harris Teeter, Fresh Market and Trader Joes. I pretty much buy what is on sale (enjoy the wide variety of items).

I haven't really done a good analysis, but I'd say that my overall grocery bill, if I'm shopping the same way, is about 15-20% less at Food Lion.

That said, I can't shop the same way at Food Lion that I do at HT, as the product lines are so different. The store brand animal crackers at Food Lion were $1.05 for a large box. The Harris Teeter brand, HT Traders, was almost $2.00, but touted itself as organic. I think the two stores are catering to different demographics. I'd be curious to make a list of some common products they would both tend to have and do a same-item comparison some time. My hunch is that Food Lion would be cheapest, followed by Kroger and HT.

[lamishra]

I usually shop at HT but stopped by FL yesterday out of convenience and I would say for what I bought, it was a good 20% less than what I would have paid for the same items at HT, but it is true, the product lines are not equivalent and I still think FL has much less of a selection.
Idaclaire, those organic HT animal cookies are really good and they go on sale all the time for 2/$3.00. I usually stock up on several boxes until they go on sale again.

[tarp]

Try Trader Joe's, they sell better quality and/or organic items usually cheaper than you'd find at Harris Teeter.

[Desdemona123]

Originally Posted by tarp

Try Trader Joe's, they sell better quality and/or organic items usually cheaper than you'd find at Harris Teeter.

Only problem with TJs is that there are so few of them. I can get to HT in 5 mintues....it would take close to an hour right now to get to the closest TJs for me up in Wake Forest.

[Jdatlas]

When the Chapel Hill TJ's it will only be a few minutes from my house. I can't wait! I've never had a TJ's that close before.

[NC_newcomer]

Originally Posted by MAtoNC!

... the rest of the family has organic milk, wild caught fish, no high fructose corn syrup, low sodium, no trans fat, and no artificial colors.

I've been going to the Kroger on Maynard and Harris Teeter on Davis.

What are you buying at each store? I'm getting organic milk/dairy at Trader Joe's but don't yet have a good source for reasonably priced organic veggies, poultry or wild caught fish. Same for a good source of preservative free whole grain bread for sandwiches.

The Kroger on 55/HighHouse seems much cleaner, especially in the deli area, than the one on Maynard.

[MAtoNC!]

I also forget we don't eat nitrates. So that rules out most deli items. Yes, the Kroger is nicer on 55. But I live in live closer to Maynard.

At Kroger I buy the organic milk in the natural section, Alexia fries on sale, EnviroKidz cereal on sale, Blue Diamond nut crackers on sale. The pasta sauces, olives and some other dry goods seem to be cheaper at Kroger.

At Trader Joe's I usually buy organic romaine, organic apples, wild salmon, yogurt, and bread.