Supermarket Woes

[Jenise]

Things have gotten a lot better and a lot worse for us here in old Bellingham.

The supermarket chain, Haggen, began here in Bellingham with one store back in the 30's. By the time I moved here 13 years ago there were 9 or 10 Haggens, and a local buyout of another chain expanded the group to about 18 stores at which point they were bought out by some butthole in Florida who then bought a bunch of unwanted stores in California and Oregon and almost simultaneously opened something like 120 new Haggen stores about two years ago. I kid you not, a 700% expansion. And then they drove those into the ground rather spectacularly and everything went on the auction block in the middle of last year. All of which many suspect as being the original plan all along as a play on real estate and Trumpian bankruptcy thinking--plus someone was bleeding off millions in cash while all that went on.

Anyway, locally in Washington, 28 Haggen stores were purchased by Albertsons and 14 of those including all those near me will keep the Haggen name. Albertsons, which owns Safeway, of which there are two in this county, has promised to leave the Haggen stores somewhat alone so they can retain their local feel and emphasis on what someone somewhere thinks is what the locals want and expect--like anyone would know as most of that was obliterated during the reign of the Floridians. Anyway, fat chance--in corporate take-overs, everyone says that!. In truth they'll all just be a Safeway in disguise. Big loss even for someone like me who doesn't go to Haggen nearly as often as I used to, because:

Next week Whole Foods opens a store in Bellingham. The coming of WF has been an apocalypse of sorts for two local concerns: the two Fred Meyer stores and the two Food Coops, who both spent the year since the WF announcement upping their game considerably. I rarely went to Freddie's but now I shop there often--in huge part because of the variety, both organic and non- but particularly the former, of produce that surpasses everybody else in spades. I love their cheese department (Murray's, out of New York) and can also buy organic dairy and eggs and my favorite local coffee. At Freddie's I have the best chance of getting everything I went to town for under one roof--if I don't have time to forage, this is where I go. Though rather than giving all my money to the Kroger boys (which owns Freddie's), I do often shop first at the local Coops where I especially prefer to buy organic and local meats. Both are about 25 miles away so none of this is actually in my neighborhood. There is, in fact, nothing in my neighborhood. Even the closest Haggen is 14 miles away, and it's hardly the jewel in their crown. It's in a town called Ferndale, and it doesn't get the higher-end goods that some of their other stores in places of more concentrated weatlh do.

If there's one thing I regret about moving here, the grocery situation is it. Bellingham was a huge step backward over Huntington Beach, California. HB itself wasn't exemplary but I didn't have to go far for better quality and diversity. Here, Bellingham is IT. The Canadian border, across which many foods cannot travel, is on one side and Seattle's 100 miles away on the other.

Sigh. How are things in your town?

Wow, read your Haggen overexpansion/bankruptcy tale minutes after reading today's NYT story on Fairway filing bankruptcy.
Used to be a huge Fairway fan, but quality has suffered as they expanded.

I can't really complain re supermarkets, though. In my village our Stop n Shop is middle of the road, but far better than some markets I've seen (you should see some upstate NY/VT/NH markets). The A&P in Hastings (neighboring village), is reopening as a local market (from circulars of Yonkers location I doubt I frequent, but didn't go to the A&P more than 3-4 times a year). The DeCiccos (local chain) in Ardsley (other neighboring village) is upscale oriented, pricey but good quality (except extensive cheese doesn't move enough).

But my town is adding a whole animal butcher this month, my CSA resumes next month, we've got a branch of an Arthur Ave deli. Hastings has a good farmers market. Within 10-12 miles I have HMart as well as another large Asian supermarket, 2 midsize Japanese groceries, multiple greengrocers, fish stores, 3 Indian markets, Yaranush (Armenian place with great spices, olives, feta and other cheeses, oils), Stew Leonards, Whole Foods, probably 10 chain supermarkets I rarely go to, cheese shops, etc.

Our local coop did not react well to the coming of Whole Foods. The first thing they did was to open a second location in a suburban area in the southern part of Sacramento. That was a disaster - no one shopped there and they had to close it after a year, at a huge financial loss. Now they're in the process of putting up a new building because the old one isn't good enough any more.

They also seem to have attempted to move themselves upscale in price. The produce, while nothing to write home about in terms of either quality or selection, is quite expensive. Given that we have an amazing farmers' market and many CSA opportunities in the area, there's no good reason to buy produce there. They do have an excellent cheese department and it's no more overpriced than anywhere else in the area (which is to say that it's ridiculously overpriced). The wine department, at least, is done right. It's small but full of high value wines from all over the world unlike most supermarkets here which all carry the same big-name stuff. You can even occasionally pick up a Bone-Jolly!

So we still belong and shop there when they're running the member discount promotions and we'll get dairy products, Clif bars, and a few other specifics there, but we're not fans.

[Jenise]

So we still belong and shop there when they're running the member discount promotions and we'll get dairy products, Clif bars, and a few other specifics there, but we're not fans.

I'm sorry to hear that, even we have some of the same complaints about produce at our Co-ops. The quality is always outstanding and I truly respect that they emphasize 'local' and vet well their suppliers--but you DO pay for it. And that department is too provincial--there's no frisee or broccoli rabe because those departments are run by people who don't know what those are or why anyone should want them. (I complain, yet one can always find fresh turmeric and raw burdock root there. A lot of what they have is Birkenstock-y health food driven.) There are actually a lot of CSA opps for people who live in Bellingham proper--but I don't so can't avail myself of that. And the wine departments at our two are also excellent--Vic and Tim who manage each one are in my local tasting group, so I know their taste well. I love that they're given the power and autonomy to run their departments as they wish. Each is like it's own small independent wine store.

As the Safeway-ization of our conventional grocers continues, the Co-ops are going to become even more valuable.

[Jenise]

But my town is adding a whole animal butcher this month, my CSA resumes next month, we've got a branch of an Arthur Ave deli. Hastings has a good farmers market. Within 10-12 miles I have HMart as well as another large Asian supermarket, 2 midsize Japanese groceries, multiple greengrocers, fish stores, 3 Indian markets, Yaranush (Armenian place with great spices, olives, feta and other cheeses, oils), Stew Leonards, Whole Foods, probably 10 chain supermarkets I rarely go to, cheese shops, etc.

That sounds like heaven! Bellingham actually has some small businesses that are trying to bring a more artisinal level of foodstuffs to market. And as more people like me move here with higher expectations, things are happening to improve Bellingham's historically bland and isolated landscape. We have two very successful local bakeries, a good bagelry, a cheese and wine shop called Perfectly Paired, a delicatessen whose Greek owner and lover of find French and Italian wine (so his deli has practically turned into a wine shop, too) is going to start making his own salumi, and a heavenly organic pork producer called Jack Mountain Meats who sell to restaurants and the co-ops. An organic meat market has also opened up, but they're quite small as yet and you don't always know what they're going to have. There ARE alternatives to Safeway. But they're spread out and even I who like foraging am sometimes tested about sticking to my principals, as they're also far away. The recession put an end to a plan to open, quite nearby, a small specialty grocer wherein it wouldn't be a single corporate entity but a collection of small indie shopkeepers. That would have been heaven! Ergo, I rely on standard grocers more than I'd prefer.

I live in NYC so, with a little travel, I can have anything.

But I mostly buy from the stores that are walking distance from my house: Key Food (a middle-of-the-pack supermarket) and two green-grocers (one run by Chinese people, one run by Turkish people... leading to different house strengths/weaknesses). If I walk a little further, I can visit another, larger Key Food, a wonderful fish store, and a fancy-shmancy supermarket, Union Market.

There are also a zillion prepared food choices but I only go there when lazy.

Looking at this question from a "local" perspective, Solano County does have one good to excellent supermarket-Nugget Market. As a bachelor too lazy to cook, Nugget largely feeds me through their deli

We have the usual-three nicer Safeways which upgraded their interiors at least partially in response to the arrival of Nugget. We also have one Asian supermarket which can be great and two Mexican supermarkets along with one smaller footprint Mexican deli/market.

No Whole Foods or fancy Bay Area supermarkets, although Davis (1/2 hour to the east) does have three Nuggets and a smaller footprint Whole Foods. Napa (1/2 hour southwest) has a enormous Whole Foods, a really good local supermarket (Valerga's), multiple delis and Mexican markets. And, the Bay Area lies an hour south with all of its food choices.

Looking at this question from a "local" perspective, Solano County does have one good to excellent supermarket-Nugget Market. As a bachelor too lazy to cook, Nugget largely feeds me through their deli

We have the usual-three nicer Safeways which upgraded their interiors at least partially in response to the arrival of Nugget. We also have one Asian supermarket which can be great and two Mexican supermarkets along with one smaller footprint Mexican deli/market.

No Whole Foods or fancy Bay Area supermarkets, although Davis (1/2 hour to the east) does have three Nuggets and a smaller footprint Whole Foods. Napa (1/2 hour southwest) has a enormous Whole Foods, a really good local supermarket (Valerga's), multiple delis and Mexican markets. And, the Bay Area lies an hour south with all of its food choices.

Woodland also has La Superior, an excellent Mexican market.

[Jenise]

Looking at this question from a "local" perspective, Solano County does have one good to excellent supermarket-Nugget Market. As a bachelor too lazy to cook, Nugget largely feeds me through their deli

I know someone who used to work at Nugget. Sounds like a great store for both customers and employees, as such things go.

Well, our Whole Foods is now open! I've been in twice and bought ramps both times. Never have seen this east coast delicacy on the west coast before but once, and I'm in love! Interesting selections of fresh fish. We never see swordfish here but they have it, and they also have fresh arctic char (which I adore) and farmed Barramundi, something I've never seen in the northern hemisphere but recall enjoying in Australia. Another find: fresh blue corn tortillas.

We have so many good local stores here in Santa Rosa that I never bother with Safeway, Whole Foods, Lucky or Trader Joe's, and there's a Safeway and a Whole Foods in walking distance.
Oliver's (just opening a third store) and G&G are my favorites. Oliver's has a wide variety of produce and very competitive prices for staples, and decent meats and deli. G&G is good for Asian stuff and their core produce is very good quality, but less variety than Oliver's. They have two stores, and they are owned by a family of Chinese descent - very friendly - and a better deli and a huge selection of cheeses. There is also Pacific Market which is in walking distance. It's a smaller store (one of two, the other in Cotati) and has very good meats and good produce. It's pricier enough, though, that the 10 minute drive to Oliver's or G&G pays for me.
There's also Community Market - two stores, coop, totally vegetarian. One is two blocks from home. I'll sometimes walk over there if I need an onion or a head of lettuce, but it's pretty darned expensive.
And there are two "farmer's" markets.
And a very good butcher shop - Willowside Meats - where I pick up dry-aged beef, smoked bacon, and great sausages.
Just off the top of my head.
I eat well!

Ooh, nice that you can get barramundi! That brings back memories of a great meal in Port Douglas, many moons ago.

Anyway, it's a relative of bluefish, right?

We're sitting in Cincinnati, home base of Kroger. And we try to avoid their stores....even though a recently-renovated and expanded store sits about a mile from our house. One major issue is heavy stocking of the Kroger brands....which are of middling quality...while not carrying quality product. Produce department is usually a mess but our CSA starts up next Saturday. Kroger has a fairly large wine section but not much that interests us (although at one time there were 2 bottles of Grange on the shelf at $525 each.) There is a tasting bar which is usually open plus periodic wine events, again rarely of interest. The situation inspired us to coin the pejorative term "Kroger wine" to indicate an insipid, mass-market bottling. The Murray's cheese shop is a highlight.

A couple hundred yards closer than Kroger (and on the home side of a major intersection) is Fresh Thyme. This store may be a chain; the feel is similar to a WF but the prices don't seem to be as high. Their produce section is very good....wide selection and quality is pretty good. There is a large independent produce store, Pipkin's, about 4 miles away.

Costco is about 3 miles away and we buy a lot of staples there. Additionally, they have some decent wines at times, certainly better than Kroger. We have found their meat department to be a good source. Ribs, lamb, pork, and beef are all decent quality and reasonably priced. An independent butcher, Holzmans, is about 2 miles away. We get better meats there plus some prepped items.

Gordon Food Service is about 2 miles away with far more items than I can count. They are my source for full packer cut brisket and bone-in pork butt.

An excellent independent fishmonger, Seafood Station, is about 2 miles away. Not only a nice selection year round but the folks there are knowledgeable about preparing fish. The owner also preps some food.....smoked salmon, salmon jerky, fish tacos, Lenten fish sandwiches, even BBQ ribs in the summer. Looking forward to the arrival of Copper River salmon and soft shell crabs in the next week or so.

Occasionally, we get really, really motivated and head downtown to Findley Market. This is like Boston's Haymarket/Faneuil Hall on a much smaller scale. Good stuff is generally available there, particularly sausages...not surprising given the German heritage in the city.

Last, and certainly not least, there is Jungle Jim's http://www.junglejims.com/ . JJ's is a grocery store on mega-doses of steroids. It is massive. If humans ingest it, you can probably buy it at JJ's. The wine and beer department alone is bigger than most Whole Foods stores. And the selection is huge....everything from cheap patio pounders to Petrus and DRC. Cheeses from everywhere. Unbelievable array of cured meats. Bunches of tanks holding live (for now) fish for cooking. Game meats. A 40 foot long aisle devoted to chocolate. Had a professional culinary friend in town, he was very impressed, snapping pictures left and right. Any foodie who visits Cincinnati must get to Jungle Jim's.

[Jenise]

Ooh, nice that you can get barramundi! That brings back memories of a great meal in Port Douglas, many moons ago.

Anyway, it's a relative of bluefish, right?

I don't know, Jeff, but I can tell you that sitting in the fish case it was indeed a gray-blue fish, and very different from the pinks and whites of the other fish. They only had it the first day I was there and I haven't seen it since--which I'm sorry about, as I'd love to try it (even though it's farmed).

[Jenise]

We have so many good local stores here in Santa Rosa that I never bother with Safeway, Whole Foods, Lucky or Trader Joe's, and there's a Safeway and a Whole Foods in walking distance.

Indeed you do eat (and shop) well. And good for you in supporting the local guys. I do try to do that, and the fact that this town was anchored by two local chains when I moved here was a draw--but that's over. When it comes to straight groceries the Food Coop is the only "local" left now.

[Jenise]

Mike, I went to the Jungle Jim's website, and the whole concept defies logic! "Our stores also offer more gift shops, boutiques, restaurants and conveniences than any other mega store in the region. Stop in for an hour or make a day of it. However you do it, shopping at Jungle Jim’s is an experience you won’t forget!" All the specialty departments, the "Herb 'N Jungle", and a wine selection like you describe under one roof? And then they call it not something lofty and accurate like Epicurean Specialties but Jungle Jim's???? And it thrives anyway? I love stories like that--it makes no sense that it works, but obviously it does. If I ever get to Cincinnati, it will be my first stop. (Second stop, your house.)

I can attest to the weird wonderfulness of Jungle Jim's. I was in Cincinnati a month or so ago and ended up going there with a couple of colleagues. It's everything Mike says it is, with an amazing selections of wine, produce, seafood, cigars, ethnic food, etc. It also has a couple of very strange acid-trip-touches, including a mechanical animal who sings Elvis (ala Chuckie Cheese) and a giant talking soup can. I've never seen anything like it and it's not surprising that there's a drop-off for tour buses in front.

You're right in putting Mike's house as your first stop, though!