Where should I do my grocery shopping?

[mini_cute]

Originally Posted by capoeira

The best place to go for reasonably priced, healthy organic groceries is Rainbow Grocery in the Mission area. They also have 20% off coupon days (3 days/week,every other month for 2010). These are found in the back of the SF yellow pages.

That sounds good.

Originally Posted by capoeira

For household items the best prices are found in the two Target stores in Colma and Daly City. Combine a trip to Target with a stop at the 99 Ranch Market in Daly City for more savings.

I do that too! Target + 99 Ranch, but I also use the trip as a chance to eat the Asian food in Daly City like Porridge King.

[uptown_urbanist]

What neighborhood do you live in? We did the bulk of our shopping at the local produce places coupled with Smart and Final. That was in the Richmond, and there are tons of small markets (lots of Chinese and Russian) and some of them have very good prices on certain items.

And for what it's worth, much as I hate Walmart and refuse to shop there, their produce is actually pretty good; there was an article somewhere pretty recently (the Atlantic, maybe?) where they compared Walmart vs Whole Foods and Walmart ended up doing pretty well.

My San Francisco food experience has been shaped by not having a car and by not having a big budget, but I found we didn't shop weekly -- it was more like shop at a lot of different stores more frequently. One store one day, another the next, so on. The plentiful markets, especially the ethnic ones, make that pretty easy. It gets more expensive if you want a more traditional American big brand supermarket diet -- boxed food like tends to be really expensive in the city. (although you can buy big boxes of things like Cheerios pretty cheaply at Smart and Final)

[bellalunatic]

Rainbow Grocery and Trader Joe's were my two mainstays for major shopping trips. Small mom and pop stores for random forgotten items.

Also, there are many farmer's markets as well, which is much better for produce.

Search - LocalHarvest

[Bunjee]

Safeway with their club card was my go to grocery store. It's not nearly Whole Foods level for price. I lived in the Mission so the bodegas were a regular stop for basic produce. I also worked downtown and took advantage of the farmer's market (Wednesdays, was it?). Get there later when they're close to packing up and some vendors offer almost giveaway prices. I think I remember snagging a bag of chanterelles for $5. It's catch as catch can, though. Since you have a car, I'm surprised no one has mentioned Berkeley Bowl for a once a week excursion. The prices are around Trader Joe's level except the produce is cheaper and the abundance and variety is staggering, especially compared to any chain store. Check it out, if only just for the hell of it. Lots of bulk bin items too like pastas and nuts and the like, and that's a huge benefit for the wallet.

[Faville]

I second Berkeley Bowl. I live within blocks of Rainbow, Trader Joe's, and Safeway, but I still find myself wanting to drive over the bridge to shop at BB. Their produce section is astonishing.

[tanglenet]

When I was a student, I worked at the school cafeteria on a PT basis for free food and pocket change. Worked out well.