[MikefromCT]

Originally Posted by kidyankee764

Stop and Shop has to be one of the worst run grocery stores in the country. Their stores are dingy, produce subpar at best, prices sky high, employees miserable, etc. Hopefully this strike will get corporate to pay attention. If not, I hope they fold.

Totally agree. Only on occasion do I go there for things, and it's usually for basic things generic paper towels. Completely underwhelmed by the store for reasons you described, and the employees deserve better.


All I have to say is, I'm so grateful we have a Trader Joe's in town. It' s not perfect, it's crowded at 8 am and 8 pm and they often discontinue items I love, but all in all, they're the best. Usually I get different things from different markets (deli meats from Crown Market or Hall's to support a local biz), coffee from Whole Foods (their 365 brands are dirt cheap but delicious), but for most of what I eat, I go to TJ's.

[WouldLoveTo]

Originally Posted by MikefromCT

Totally agree. Only on occasion do I go there for things, and it's usually for basic things generic paper towels. Completely underwhelmed by the store for reasons you described, and the employees deserve better.

I get all paper goods, laundry detergent and dishwasher soap from Target online. Sometimes I'll get aluminum foil and baggies from the dollar store. Both options are cheaper than the grocery stores (though I probably should compare again to be sure)

[Stylo]

Originally Posted by MikefromCT

Totally agree. Only on occasion do I go there for things, and it's usually for basic things generic paper towels. Completely underwhelmed by the store for reasons you described, and the employees deserve better.


All I have to say is, I'm so grateful we have a Trader Joe's in town. It' s not perfect, it's crowded at 8 am and 8 pm and they often discontinue items I love, but all in all, they're the best. Usually I get different things from different markets (deli meats from Crown Market or Hall's to support a local biz), coffee from Whole Foods (their 365 brands are dirt cheap but delicious), but for most of what I eat, I go to TJ's.

Since Amazon took over WF and I get the 5% cash back and Prime discounts, as well as more reasonable prices on produce and meats - I do most of my shopping there. I don’t even mind spending a bit more on cleaner/Organic foods. It’s also just a nicer place to shop. I hate bright sterile stores.

Then Costco. Then Trader Joe’s for some less perishable items (don’t like their produce or meats). Occasional Target trip for things like paper or hygiene goods.

I do like the ShopRite in my town. Just don’t bother with it much.

[G1..]

Originally Posted by JayCT

I never found our Stop & Shop or any of the others I have been to, dingy or to have subpar produce. They have always been very clean and bright and the produce is always very good IMHO. The prices have not been the lowest but not the highest either. The remodeled store in Glastonbury however is now dark and very poorly laid out. I don't think they could have done a better job at making food shopping a miserable experience though. Jay

This but it should be noted the the parent Company is Royal Ahold and they do own or run S&S but it 's run as a separate company in the NY area from the New England area as are the Giants Stores in PA and the Giant Foods Stores in Landover MD. All are "individuale entity's and considerd some of the nicer stores and companies to work for in the Industry.

[7 Wishes]

Originally Posted by LINative

I agree with Jay. At least when it comes to the Stop N Shops on Long Island.

Not all but the majority of Stop N Shops are pretty nice good sized supermarkets. They do have a few smaller older locations that could use a remodel but the majority are pretty big, well lit and up to date.

Originally Posted by G1..

This but it should be noted the the parent Company is Royal Ahold and they do own or run S&S but it 's run as a separate company in the NY area from the New England area as are the Giants Stores in PA and the Giant Foods Stores in Landover MD. All are "individuale entity's and considerd some of the nicer stores and companies to work for in the Industry.

Having been to Stop and Shops in both states, I concur. I find the NY ones to be a lot nicer than the CT ones. I didn't realize the NY vs. New England S&S's were the same deal as the PA vs. MD Giants (which I knew because in my former career one of my jobs involved analyzing the geography, financials and marketing practices of supermarket chains). I always thought the PA vs. MD Giant were literally different companies though that had some deal to share the brand name as long as they cross each other's geography as their logos are different from each other, whereas S&S in both NY/NJ vs. New England use the same logo.

I thought maybe it had to do with the New England ones being "original" Stop and Shops and the NY and NJ ones being a result of S&S buying out Finast and Edwards in the 90s and renaming them (something that applies to a few but not all of the CT stores as well but not the ones in MA or RI).

[hvexpatinct]

Hannaford is far and away a better store than S&S - I don't understand why Ahold insists on holding onto the S&S brand/model in CT.

And as to the local competition - S&S is a little prettier than Shop Rite, sure, but Shop Rite has a better selection and better prices.

I do most of my food shopping at the local independent places - New Morning Market has very competitive sales on organic/fair trade items - and fill in around the edges with Shop Rite, Target, and occasionally TJs when I can deal with the crowds and terrible parking lot

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by WouldLoveTo

I'm not sure which Glastonbury one you go to, but I completely agree about the damn columns! They must've added one or two rows and it skewed everything else. I don't think the one near East Hartford is a dark store though, so maybe you mean Oakwood. I haven't been in that one for over a year and that was around the time they were finishing the reno.

Aldi's near me is unfortunately a dump. I do like their pork so I really wish they'd clean up that store!

I really loved Shaws. I have not been thrilled with Shop Rite that replaced Shaws in East Hartford. I constantly find flies in the baked good cabinet and the guy who stocked it didn't speak or read english, so he put them out wherever. Nothing like getting a nut muffin from the cinnamon chip section.

For what we buy, Stop and Shop has been a bit less and the gas points are a bonus. We go to Shop Rite now and then but it's not a regular stop for us anymore.

No, it was the Glastonbury Boulevard store. I found it dark. Some aisles were hard to see merchandise. DW, who shops there all the time noticed it too. Has to do with the darker color scheme and lighting. Before the colors were brighter and the lighting better so it was bright.

Funny I did not like Shaw’s when it was there. Back then I did as much food shopping as she did. Did not care for their meats and produce and found it annoying that they were out of things. How can a major supermarket not have larger bottles of Heinz ketchup? When I asked the manager about it, he said to just buy their store brand instead. They said that for other items I could not find which I found annoying. I just stopped going there after that. Jay

[Stylo]

Originally Posted by hvexpatinct

And as to the local competition - S&S is a little prettier than Shop Rite, sure, but Shop Rite has a better selection and better prices.

Not the case in Milford, and AFAIK, Danbury and Orange. The new Shoprite’s are aesthetically nicer than S&S.

[JimG2]

I only go to the New Britain S&S out of convenience. Not that much farther to the Plainville Big Y, but Big Y in my experience is even more expensive.



Drove past today and was surprised to see the picketers set up at the store entrances. I would have thought that legally, they would have been stuck at the sidewalks on the street on Corbin and W Main, not on store property.

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by JimG2

I only go to the New Britain S&S out of convenience. Not that much farther to the Plainville Big Y, but Big Y in my experience is even more expensive.



Drove past today and was surprised to see the picketers set up at the store entrances. I would have thought that legally, they would have been stuck at the sidewalks on the street on Corbin and W Main, not on store property.

I was surprised to see the strikers at the doors too. That is private property so the must have permission to do that. Usually strikers are out on the sidewalk.

I have also found Big Y to be pricier the few times I went there. Still it’s a nice store. Jay