By Frugal Frannie
“Inflation is a state of mind,” said my pal Spendthrift Sammy, claiming his weekly grocery tab has remained largely the same for years. “It’s fake news to scare people.”
Oh, I relished my rebuttal. “The April 2023 Consumer Price Index for Urban Consumers shows a 7.1% year-over-year jump for the ‘food at home’ category. Global food companies have admitted jacking prices. My food bills are way up. All balderdash?”
He didn’t budge. My confidence wavered. Did I have the facts to back up my feelings?
Given it’s been nearly 11 months since I did an apples-to-apples comparison of UWS grocery prices for WSR, I headed out on Saturday, May 27, visiting eight stores and two online purveyors to shop for the same market basket of 20 items:
- Brooklyn Fare, 62nd & West End Avenue
- Jubilee Marketplace, 69th & Riverside Boulevard
- Trader Joe’s, 72nd & Broadway
- Fairway, 74th & Broadway
- Gristedes, 84th & Columbus
- D’Agostino, 91st & Columbus
- Key Food, 96th & Amsterdam
- Whole Foods, 97th & Columbus
- Fresh Direct, online
- Stop & Shop, online
I purposely chose larger markets with multiple NYC locations to somewhat level the playing field. If you’re a devotee of other fine UWS shops, please use my data to compare with your favorite. One woman can only visit so many places in a day!
My methodology: Use unit pricing to create a standardized cost for 20 basic foodstuffs. For example, if Granny Smith apples in a 3-pound bag had the lowest price-per-pound versus loose apples, I recorded that lower per-pound price in my spreadsheet. It’s not perfect, but it’s the best way I’ve found. If an item was on sale, I quoted the discounted price available to ALL shoppers – not just “club members” or “card holders.”
Disclaimer: The following information represents my best efforts to find the lowest-available price for a given item. I entered 200 prices on Saturday, so if I transposed a digit or missed a special discount on an end cap somewhere, forgive me. Please consider this as a guide, not congressional testimony.
THE DATA
Let’s first look at the giant current differences between stores before we dig into the 2022 comparison analysis. The lowest price for each item is in pink:
Because Jubilee did not have all 20 items, it’s not included in this total basket comparison:
Now, an UWS grocery-inflation-rate drumroll, please!
Comparing the surveyed stores that had all 20 items available on both July 6, 2022, and May 27, 2023, here’s how much total prices rose or (yes) fell:
If you’re gasping at the idea of any store having lower prices than last year, join my club. But indeed Brooklyn Fare and Fairway did. At least with the basics in my basket. Had I measured different items, especially processed stuff like crackers or canned soups, who knows?
Also interesting that the two stores at the least and most expensive ends of the spectrum, Trader Joe’s and D’Agostino, saw the biggest price increases between July and May, over 9%.
“Turns out, we were both right about inflation,” I told Sammy, adding a caveat re: the utterly micro scale of this particular research project. “Your mileage may vary!”
What’s your impression of prices, UWS frugalistas? How are you ensuring you get the best value for your food dollar? Please share your tips in the comments.
Disappointed you didn’t go to WSM at 98th St. Their prices are outrageous, even compared to the WSM at 110th,
Whole Foods on Columbus is much cheaper than WSM on 98th. but it’s a further walk for us.
They are expensive. They are open 24/7/365 which is nice though.
Service also has gotten very poor. I try to avoid but prepared foods ok.
I had no idea! But I don’t there because of the prices, even though it’s the closest to me.
What’s WSM?
West Side Mark-Up, I mean Market.
Westside Market
Agreed. Their prices are also much higher than the West Side Market in my work neighborhood, which is Third Avenue and 12th St.
Build the woman a monument already! What a great public service!
Hooray for TeeJay (Trader Joe’s) !!! Great store with excellent assortment worth browsing. So is Fairway, IF you don’t mind the “mishigoss” of competitive shopping ! AND, Fairway has an exceptional prepared-food section.
Fairway is no deal, they want $6.99 for a pack of Persian cucumbers, when they go for $2.99 at Trader Joe’s.
As I tell my friends & family, Whole Foods has the best combination of price and variety on the UWS. Yes, Trader Joe’s has the lowest prices in this comparison, but they typically have only 1-2 choices per product and very minimal selections for cleaning supplies, beauty products, and prepared foods.
Whole Foods offers less choice than compared elsewhere, especially when you factor in price. I guess your budget is much larger than mine. The only value is the occasional item(s) on sale. Even then, they are often sold out quickly. And ordering online? OMG $9.95 fee no matter how much you order + tip. That plus inflated prices? No bargains here.
I shop at Whole Foods (Amazon Prime and Amazon Direct) and I expect to pay more for more humanely raised and organic foods. Whole foods (and TraderJoes) are not conveniently located for me and refunding is much easier for my unsatisfactory online purchases. Time is money and the stress from navigating congested stores,
another unwelcome cost. I am concerned about reports of Amazon’s trucks idling and polluting the air and other possible unsustainable practices.
If you get the yearly delivery pass at Fresh Direct it’s basically free.
The prices aren’t really inflated though, at least in a benchmark test versus other local markets, as this very article shows.
Regarding delivery – Whole Foods has their own delivery service; Trader Joe’s does not, instead requiring you to use a third party that you need to pay a delivery fee for or a monthly/annual subscription fee with other associated fees. Plus, TJ’s isn’t available on any of the major third party platforms (such as Instacart or DoorDash). Where are you going for your TJ’s delivery???
It’s interesting how the same attribute can be viewed as a benefit by some and a negative to others! For my part, I have been conscious of and very much appreciate how simple it is to do shopping at Trader Joe’s. Their 1-2 choices in various categories are perfectly adequate or even excellent – in many cases better than national brands, and the time spent in mulling over differences between products is saved. I also have come to know which items are best (for me) to get there, and which I prefer to get elsewhere. Overall, to me, it’s a boon and great value that has helped me keep feeding my family well! But I can understand the other point of view.
Trader Joes for the win again!
Always boggles my mind how Gristedes and D’Ag are able to stay in business, who is shopping there and paying ~2x? Not like their quality is better than Fairway or whole foods.
Love Trader Joes but they do not have great fruit. My produce friend told me they get the last of whats left. Best fruit is always FD
Gristedes owns D’agostino part of wholly owned by John A. Catsimatidis’s Red Apple Group.
Gristedes, DAG and rest benefit as being last men standing so to speak of NYC supermarkets. Many locations have been in same place for decades (even if under different supermarket names before Gristedes took over) thus rents are often reasonable.
More to point often because they nabbed locations years ago DAG, Gristedes and so on often occupy largest space on a block or in area suitable for a supermarket.
In many areas of Manhattan Gristedes or another supermarket owned by them are the only choice for blocks around.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D%27Agostino_Supermarkets
http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/red-apple-group-inc-history/
Some of us can’t haul Things gone from TJ, so it is a great disservice to the elderly and disabled.
We’re in our mid and late 70’s and do all our grocery shopping on foot or, rarely, by public transit. We shop at WSM, Whole Foods, and Gristedes. Gristedes is the closest, so that’s where we tend to buy the heaviest items. Their clientele is mostly elderly, and they offer delivery for those who need it (not sure of cost) and a free discount card. Fewer customers mean no crowded aisles and no waiting in line. Yes, their prices are absolutely outrageous.
Have been in Trader Joes 5 times in 9 years, and the crowds are way too large and checkout waiting times way too long—much more than Whole Foods. I believe people who like frozen and prepared foods tend to shop there.
Bless you, Frugal Frannie. You’re the apple of our eyes and a real peach!!!
In defence of TJ’s checkout lines….while they can be long, they move swiftly. Also, do take note: if you are older, you don’thave to wait in line because they will take you in at the front of the line. I shop with a rollator which makes me a candidate for this privilege. Could you believe that sometimes a TJ staff make a point of notifying me that I can be at the head of the line? (This is TJ;s at Columbus & 93rd St.)
FYI—TJs allows seniors to skip the line. Just walk to the front, and the line director will point you to the next cashier.
Yes TJs can definitely can have long wait times if you are there at peak hours. I try to go early, usually nearly no line and items are fully in stock. Worth the wait even at peak hours in my opinion but your patience with long lines may vary.
Gristedes has ice cold air conditioning during the summer, the 103rd street location. It’s nearly empty all year but when July hits it’s just dead. I don’t get it. I asked a friend of mine who knows Catsimitidis how Gristedes stays in business, he laughed and said that whatever he owns, he makes money, no matter how things appear.
Bizarre… would love a WSR investigatory article with your friend…
disproportionate shopping core UES
This is wonderful work. Can you please provide an update including Morton’s? There are Morton’s all over the city.
Talk about outrageous! Morton Williams is eyewateringly expensive. Then there’s Citarella….
Re: “Morton Williams is eye-wateringly expensive”
Perhaps, BUT that might be the result of M-W’s policy that shelves are NEVER left with vacant spots, possibly an unusual retail expense requiring higher prices.
OR, some stores, like Whole Foods (often derided as ‘Whole Paycheck), want that upscale look to attract a certain type of customer.
We here on the ‘Lower-Upper West Side’ will be getting our own MW this autumn….hoorah !
This is terrific!
Agree that this lovely lady deserves a medal for taking the time to do this survey. Invaluable! I will check these prices against Morton Williams which I believe will be on the higher end.
I am between two Key Food stores, one at W.86 and one at W.96. I recently checked the two weekly flyers and found huge differences in the exact same items. Chicken Breast at W.86 – $1.99, at W.96-$2.49. Last week Tropicana OJ at W.86 2 for $7.00. At W.96 the same juice was 2 for $9.00. Several choices of 12 pack beers at W.86- $13.99, at West 96, same choice of beers-$15.99.
Last week I compared by walking 7 blocks my savings for the same exact items was $12.50 and that was for only 8 items!!
Frugal Frannie is right. Check around. We are a family of two, but on a large order, maybe for a family of 4 you can save a bundle.
I bought tea at 96th Key Food, went to return it at 86th and was told it was a separate entity – had to go back to 96th.
Key Food 96th/Ams is MUCH more expensive than Key Food 86/Ams, and since their move to bigger digs, prices jacked up even more. 86th St shop is moving (or adding?) to Broadway this year. We’ll see how their prices move with them.
Only if you have the physical ability to do that.
What these stores are doing is outrageous.
Thanks for this tip! If you buy plants and kill them as often as I do, Plant shed’s potted plants at 86 St are about $1 cheaper than the same plants at 96 St.
I wonder if most shops around 86 are a few dollars cheaper than those closer to 96 st?
Wow. This is something. Thanks for this information. One would think that prices within the same chain, literally separated by only 10 blocks, would be the same.OMG. I suspect difference is price of renting spaces? Who knows but really great piece of information.
Different owners
There’s no way rents are higher in the 90s than in the 80s.
Sure there is
Key is not really a chain. They are a cooperative of independently owned supermarkets, which probably accounts for the price differential. And I have checked 86 vs 96 and consistently 86 is less expensive. Luckily, I live closer to 86. I’ve given up on Fairway, because the vegetables can be shabby and the meat is no bargain. I also shop at TJs. And I try to buy what I can from the vegetable man on 86th who is there in all weather.
You should check out the price gouging at the store named “Whole Foods” on the corner of 89th and Bway. (pls note that this is an independent store and is not affiliated with the larger Whole Foods chain) Wow!! Last week I was told I could pay $11.00 for a loaf of Ezekiel 4:9 Sprouted Bread!!! Same loaf yesterday at TJs cost approx $5. I can understand charging a little more since they are a smaller specialty market, but TWICE the price more?!? Also does anyone know when Key Foods on 88th is due to open. We need competition in this area. Something other than “Dirty Bar” (aka Barzini’s – where I have actually seen mice in the store despite the owner’s denial) and Whole Paycheck (aka Whole Foods).
Barzinis is terrifying, I’m proud to say I have not stepped foot in there for over ten years.
When you judge prices at the 89th St. Whole Foods, you have to consider that everything in this store is Organic, Vegetarian, or Vegan. So virtually everything sold there is premium-priced — not to price-gouge but to reflect the premium price that, still, after all these years, is what you have to pay for Organic.
You are correct in some instances but the example I gave was a comparison of the same loaf of Ezekial Bread @ $11 in Whole Foods vs $5 at TJs. Fairway’s and the larger Whole Foods chain also carry premium, organic vegetables, as well as premium vegetarian and vegan products. In fact they carry the same products as the 89th Street Whole Foods but at substantially lower prices. And as I said, I can understand a slight premium for a small independent but I am seeing anywhere from 20% and higher prices at the independent Whole Foods on 89th Street. I will say it is very clean however, which is a huge plus for a small independent market.
One thing we don’t need is another key food!!!!!
The Key Food at 86th St. on Amsterdam has much lower prices and better sales than the new 96th St. store. Key Food stores are coops and don’t have uniform pricing or inventory.
I live mid-way between these 2 stores. I like the new one better because it seems bigger and brighter, with a better selection, but I had no idea the prices were different between them. I may have to change my shopping habits!
Thank you for your service. That was a lot of work and so well organized.
thank you, very informative; and shrinkflation, which began long before this current bout with inflation, has only exacerbated the effects of the more recent inflationary trends
Shrinkflation is real. Didn’t care about it much for cereals and things in puffed-up bags I rarely buy, but didn’t even realize until this weekend that Haagen-Dazs “pint” of ice cream at Fairway is only 14 oz.
You’ve been screwed.
But that’s not only the case for Haagen-Dazs.
That’s been the case for years….14oz.
Thank you— great piece!
I was particularly interested to see that online with everything included is not that great. Also I have had multiple orders screwed up by Amazon food— they substitute at will— and it’s not really comparable stuff— I ordered 24 cans of Hormel turkey chili and they substituted (with no notice) 24 servings of really bad Salisbury steak entrees— at least my dogs love them!!😜
You can tell them not to substitute at will.
Useless without Citarella or Morton Williams.
@ Pat
Besides being untrue, your comment is rude.
Citarella is the Gucci of supermarkets; it’s for the wealthiest on the UWS, don’t you notice the tall blondes in fur coats buying all types of seafood there in the winter?
I don’t think Citarella qualifies for inclusion in Fabulous Frannie’s great study. Not really a supermarket, it’s an upscale gourmet food specialty store, comparable to the dear, departed Dean & DeLuca or Eli’s Market on Third Avenue. You have to go someplace else else for cat food, Wonder Bread or toilet paper, even if you’re a tall blonde in a fur coat. 😀
Thank you, Frugal shopper! I truly appreciate your dedication to the reporting, and please ignore those who disparage you for missing a store they would have wanted to see. Maybe they’d like to offer to run half the stores’ visits for you next time!
I appreciate the effort that goes into these reviews and charts. But it’s really apples and oranges because sizes of products differ; features differ and there are other factors that make someone’s, say deli meats, preferable for taste reasons and explains a higher price. All turkey breast options are hardly the same.
If you shop regularly at any online or bricks and mortar store, you know your prices. Or should. Inflation has been outrageous for over a year now and your friend who says they spend the same? Well, they may not be paying attention to what they buy (type/amount) or are just somewhat not being honest.
Prices are up way more than 7% in many cases and the only way to try to compensate is to stock a pantry with sale items (that you will use and not have to throw out because they expired) and to carefully shop sales and have a freezer to fill. (Those of us in apartments have relatively small freezers and no way for those massive ones that people in the burbs have and use to stock up on items from say big box stores.)
You also have to cut back as well because sometimes you just can’t afford what you’d like on a real-person’s budget.
Remarkable how some people comment on articles without having read the article they are commenting on!
Amazing public service, thank you!
I really need to just start walking the ten blocks to Trader Joe’s, the employees are lovely but Gristedes (two blocks from my house) is totally out of control. with pricing
I don’t understand D’agastino’s at all. Fun story: my cat LOVES shrimp, and I buy a pack and freeze them for him for the week (yes he’s spoiled.) He’s had shrimp from Gristedes, Pioneer, Blue Apron, Whole Foods… one time I was walking by D’agastino’s and he needed shrimp and I bought them there and… he wouldn’t touch them! Two nights in a row. I would not buy their seafood. (Another fun fact: Crowley was an early profiles in West Side Mews!)
You couldn’t pay me enough money to shop at Gristedes or D’Agostino. Both are price-gouging pretty much everything on their shelves, I am surprised people even shop there. It’s highway robbery!
Thank you – love these comparisons!
I recently shopped at D’Agostino’s on 91St St & Columbus.. I was truly shocked at the prices. My family has shopped with this chain since the1930’s. What has happened to them? I can’t support $20.00 for a lb of ground coffee. Etc. thank you for this service.
It’s a very clean and lovely shopping experience with a very appetizing looking deli – if you don’t mind shopping absolutely alone in the store and with prices all @double of anywhere else! That said, I did buy a really nice roast chicken there recently after finding Key Foods’ (96th/Ams) birds too pathetic.
Thank you! This is incredible. I appreciate your time and effort.
Whole Foods has the horrible nickname “whole pay check” but clearly that is not accurate, at least not around here. And it tends to be a pleasant shopping experience. Unfortunately it isn’t particularly close to where I am but I stop in when nearby.
I too like the Key Food on 86th. They frequently have really good sales so I tend to stock up on non-perishable items there at very low prices.
Very interesting. You didn’t include Zabar’s (which of course isn’t a supermarket but does have many of the items mentioned). I have the impression that Zabar’s is being especially aggressive about increasing prices compared to other UWS stores (even adjusting for the supermarket vs. specialty store differential). In the past, Zabar’s pricing seemed pretty fair. No longer.
I used to buy a lot of prepared foods at Zabar’s for elderly relatives and the prices never really seemed that bad to me. Now, post-Covid, I notice things at Zabar’s are significantly more expensive than they used to be, and the packages are smaller too.
I buy almost exclusively at the farmers’ markets, with the exception of items not grown in the northeastern region of the US — i.e. olive oil, olives, citrus fruits, bananas, etc. In addition, there are a lot of local carriers and artisanal producers for specialty items, and some set up at the flea market across from the Sunday farmers’ market. Quality of food is important, and frankly more important than price, because it determines not only flavor, but whether it is laden with chemicals and preservatives, etc. or whether it is fresh food that is farm-to-table eating. And that goes for cheeses, other dairy products, meats, fish, etc. that are at the farmers’ markets. I wouldn’t dream of buying something like apples or lettuces at a supermarket. Once you taste food from a farm, there is no going backwards. I love the discoveries at the food markets as well. Scrimp and save on other items, but not on food.
We love the Green market by the museum but the prices are more in line with very high-end markets. For some things, and some farms, the prices are good, or at least what I’d consider fair given it’s from an independent producer, but some stuff is just crazy pricing/
A number of the farmers go from market to market during the week, leaving the same produce out all day at each if it doesn’t sell, and stuff can be visibly old, moldy, wilted. I’m not paying $7/lb for tomatoes when they’re mushy and leaking,
A smoky on a modest income can’t afford to shop at farmer’s markets. You literally spend 5 times as much. It is luxury for singles or couples without children.
On top of all the virtues of Trader Joe’s is their employees. They show no bias as to age, national origin or education or gender. I see teenagers working side by side with 50 and sixty year olds.. College students work side by side with others who likely never graduated from high school. I have met workers from many parts of the world and many non-n ew Yorkers. Other super market chains like Fairway and Wholefood do not have a similar philosophy.
Dear Frugal Fanny,
Without SNAP/EBT (food stamps) I wouldn’t eat as well, so your research convinces me to stay with TJ’s. I can stretch my food stamps a lot better & longer at TJ’s. It’s a shlep to get there & home but at least I eat better.
All my thanks for your fantastic research. The medal is in the mail.
Just Plain Janny
PS Please consider Costco (buy in bulk) and Aldi at E. 117th Street for really good food prices.
You can use SNAP EBT cards at participating farmers markets (like Sundays at 79th & Columbus) to get free Bonus Bucks that you can use to buy fruit & vetegables. Just go to the info booths at the market.
https://www.nyc.gov/site/doh/health/health-topics/health-bucks.page#:~:text=Recipients%20of%20SNAP%20Benefits,farmers%20markets%20that%20accept%20EBT.
FYI – a 1/2 gallon of milk at Fresh Direct is only 50 cents less than a gallon – which is terrible for those who live alone on a fixed income.
Buy the gallon and freeze half in smaller portions! Frozen and defrosted milk tastes exactly the same as fresh out of the fridge. I freeze in amounts that I use for certain recipes (i.e. 3/4 cup for my homemade waffles).
Or great for those of us with a few kids who go through milk very rapidly. Different strokes for different folks.
I gotta stop shopping at Jubilee
My walking route every morning has Wholefoods, Trader Joes, and Target on it. I spread grocery shopping depending on what I need between the 3. If I need fresh fruits, vegetables, eggs, or meats, I go to Wholefoods. If I want frozen quick meals and snacks I go to Trader Joes. If I want name brand packaged goods, then I go to Target. Each store has their own strengths and weaknesses.
All I know is very good salmon is still $9.99/lb at Trader Joe’s. Same as before the pandemic. I have that about once a week.
I read that inflation nationally affected areas with high prices less than other areas and not just by percentage increases but going by real price increases. The main place I really feel it is eating out, not buying groceries at Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods.
I thought TJ’s jacked up salmon (frozen) to about $13-14.00 a pound there now, at least at Col. & W.92-93rd. Are you referring to fresh?
I just came back from Trader Joe’s with fresh salmon — yes, $9.99 a pound. And reliably good quality (better than the frozen, so I can’t tell you today’s price on the frozen).
This is very eye opening. Thank you for taking the time and effort to do this.
TJ’s has been pushing up their prices relatively steeply, too, especially since inception of COVID, ~Dec 2019/Jan 2020. Example: Earth Balance Original soy margarine, $3.49 (may even have been $2.99), but now up to $5.49 per container. They’ve also removed many items we came to depend upon, mostly Morningstar- and Tofurky-brand vegetarian products, and non-squishy multigrain breads. The TJ’s house brand for some of these are — unpleasant — so we don’t buy those. There are many very good TJ’s products, of course; they’re always trying new items.
West Side Market even at W.110th is ridiculous: now, $4.49-$5.00 per loaf of bread; WSM inflates its prices frequently, 50 cents at a time; they are incredibly greedy. The Central Market, on W.110th at Manhattan Ave., is similar, keeping parity with West Side; it used to be an affordable C-Town. Orange juice is $6.00 for 52oz., soymilk also. We are not all affluent in this neighborhood; Frugal Frannie’s research is useful.
WSM on the UWS has the wealthy Columbia students, half of the shoppers at the 110th location 24/7 are students. Money is no object when mommy and daddy pay for everything.
I would shop at Trader Joe’s if it didn’t package virtually everything in non-recyclable plastic. (I might even put up with the lines, if not for the packaging.)
Firstly, thank you so much for this report, very illuminating. We recently moved up closer to Cristedes and thought they seemed over priced but double of most! They really are terrible. Some of my fresh produce I bought was rotten and I’ve seen others asking for refunds on the same. Only good for cat litter and toilet paper. Fairway has the best selection for the price by far and well worth going the extra distance. I’m happy to save time with fewer choices but TJ seemed the extreme with not nearly enough choice. Might have to relook into Whole Foods. I know their produce to be consistently good quality but was always under the false illusion they would be crazy expensive.
Thanks for this! However I would have appreciated getting information on Morton Williams.
Thank you for this update. For all of those who would like to know about Morton Williams, West Side Market, Zabar’s, Citarella, and the rest, why don’t you go into those stores, look up the prices for the things Frannie picked, and report back to the rest of us? That would be a community service, wouldn’t it?
Gristedes is deplorable and WSM uptown has a nasty store manager. Please bring another TJ to get rid of both of them! (I know…dream on!)
Not much in TJ for me, a bunch of private brand packaged food. I’m glad to see WF come in second place, that’s where we do most of our shopping these days, albeit at the Columbus Circle store. No one has better quality stuff than WF, and as far as staples, since JB took over they’ve lowered their prices on a lot of things. Also, you can knock off 5% if you have a Chase Amazon Visa, you get the 5% added to your Amazon credits. Plus there are special in store deals for Prime members. Fairway is a sad shadow of it’s former self, since the IPO, bankruptcy, and latest incarnation. Also if you choose carefully your friendly street fruit vendor has well priced produce. I don’t mind using my car to go to Costco a couple of times a year either. And about the greenmarkets, those have become a luxury. We still shop occasionally, especially in August for tomatoes.
Please tell Frugal Fannie to venture up to 118th street and Frederick Douglass Blvd to Lidl supermarket. I believe it will be the lowest prices in ALL categories that FF shipped for.
Very interesting. Thanks for putting in the leg work.
Other factor in pricing is distribution channel. Here again new entrants such as Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s have different models from legacy old school supermarkets such as Fairway, DAG, etc…
Fairway’s distribution center actually handled supplying more than just that supermarket chain in NYC, but others as well. That was pre-bankruptcy and may still be true for all I know. In any event it explains why same products or store brands (such as by Shoprite) show up in Key Food, Morton Williams, DAG, and so forth.
TJ’s and Whole Foods have much tighter distribution systems which among other things limits how many “hands touch” merchandise. This allows them to often price things below what one sees at legacy supermarkets.
https://biz.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Marketing/Principles_of_Marketing_(Lumen)/12%3A_Place-_Distribution_Channels/12.01%3A_Why_It_Matters-_Place-_Distribution_Channels#:~:text=The%20company%20orders%20directly%20from,resupply%20trips%20to%20local%20stores.
I know it is satisfying to shop in a store but I think Fresh Direct is not getting enough credit. I love FD and yes, I pay the annual fee but I think it is a great deal. There is no fee for any delivery and they have same day delivery as well as regular delivery. The article was great but we all have shopping tricks and often we shop the sales of things that we love. BTW I am not cheap but $10 tip is excessive. I do a $5.00 tip and if you are a regular FD often sends codes that offset tips. Here’s what makes FD outstanding. They truly stand by what they sell. If I am not pleased with something they credit me. It does not happen often but they have great customer service. They also have IMHO much better fruits and veggies than many and as much as I like TJ, their fruits and veggies are subpar. I know someone in the business who tells me that TJ gets last licks on this stuff and other than bananas I agree. It’s not a bargain if it does not taste great. TJ is FANTASTIC for nuts, packaged goods and basics but a lot of the frozen food is way too filled with sodium and other not so heathy ingredients. I also like that I can check prices online and as an annual subscriber I can load up when there are things that I like that are on sale. That said I now will add that the UWS is loaded with street vendors who sell fruits and veggies and assorted goods. This is something I so recommend. I am not sure why they are allowed to sell stuff but the guy on 81/Broadway has the BEST produce and Dates that are awesome. If you can’t get a date then eat one but go for the pitted. They are fresher and good for you!
Whenever I get off the train or bus at 103 and steal a look into Gristedes, I try to imagine why there are customers at the registers – masochistic? Unaware? Unwilling to walk 8+ blocks to save 50%? Unable to hear the blaring alarms “you are being pillaged”?