Point Loma Groceries (San Diego, National City: co-op, home, to buy)

[utsci]

I'm new to the area and wondering about grocery shopping in the area. I'll be living near Rosecrans and Lytton and I do have a car. I would like to live as inexpensively as possible, but I like my food to be safe. I'm told that there are some local ethnic groceries that offer meat, fish, produce at reasonable prices. And I am not familiar with the California chain stores such as Vons, Ralphs, etc. I have lived in areas with Sprouts and Whole Foods.
I would appreciate any information to make my dollars stretch. Thank you.

[Jehjeh]

People's Co-op in Ocean Beach. OB People's Food Store

Membership is $15/year (non-members get the member prices on food the first time they shop there, so go check it out and let the cashier know it's your first time there, but after that you'll be charged 10% on top of the listed prices unless you buy a membership). The co-op is vegetarian and the deli is vegan, but even if you're a carnivore, the food's generally delicious. Excellent prices on produce and bulk goods.

Edit: Note that parking at the Co-op sucks. They're expanding, and hopefully that will help with the parking situation, but until then, go there in the morning or prepare to park a few blocks away.

[AADAD]

Peoples is a very fine start. The best organic veges. In spring and summer you will find street markets which also have organics. Some of the best tomatoes around. In 4 years here we have not personally experienced a problem with organic foods at either Vons or Peoples.

You may want to peruse the big stores and see which you like. We use Von's almost exclusively as they have a gasoline discount and you can get .20 off each gallon which helps. We are fans (in Scripps Ranch) of Vons large selection of organic vegetables and grass fed beef.

It's funny that these foods now marketed as organic and grass fed is what food tasted like when we were kids growing up. That aside, most of the stores have managers who are interested in getting products if they don't have them. My personal fave is Ralphs but Vons has a selection which is better.

But as the other poster states, for fruit and veges Peoples is superior.

[tatertothotbot]

Sprouts! Great produce prices!

[elchevere]

If Trader Joes floats your boat there is a nice one over at Liberty Station.

[RosieSD]

Also check out Baron's Market on W. Point Loma Blvd (http://www.baronsmarket.com/). It's small and family owned. My husband works on Pt. Loma and shops there on the way home sometimes. He finds good values on produce there by checking their specials.

And, no telling how pricey it is going to be, but the new Public Market in Liberty Station will supposedly be offering all sorts of fresh and artesanal foods when it eventually opens (Liberty Public Market)

Finally a little farther afield from Point Loma, but I really love the Little Italy Farmer's Market (http://www.littleitalysd.com/mercato/) Not always the cheapest, but great variety. And, a fun way to spend an afternoon too.

Vons has always been my supermarket of choice, but since our local one closed, I've found Albertson's to have good service and choices. I like it a little more than Ralph's, which I find to be pricey.

You won't lack for choices living in Point Loma!

[utsci]

So which grocery stores are most budget friendly? My living expenses in San Diego are much higher than other places I've lived so I'm being very cautious about my food budget.

Budget is why I also asked about the ethnic markets. I've heard that they can be a bargain.

I appreciate organic but my budget does not always allow me to shop for everything I'd like. My experience in other areas is that Sprouts has better prices than other mostly organic stores. And I've found that farmers' markets are about the most expensive options in most cities, unfortunately, as I would like to buy local.

[moved]

There are lots of ethnic markets in San Diego, but I don't think there are any in Point Loma. Some of your choices include Pancho Villa (North Park); Northgate Market (Barrio Logan, City Heights & other locations); El Super (City Heights & National City), and many more, these are just a few.

[utsci]

ok, what about the local chains like Ralphs and Vons? Which has better prices? especially for packaged items?

After looking at some ads online it seems that Sprouts has really good prices on produce.

[moved]

I think Ralph's prices are lower than Vons, but I don't shop at the chain groceries, so I can't really answer that. I rarely go into Ralph's, and never go into Vons. My shopping is done at Walmart, Costco, and the ethnic grocery stores.