I Never Thought I Would Care So Much About Grocery Stores

Getting older or becoming a nomad, maybe a combination of both, but for some reason in the last year, I have found myself caring about grocery stores more than ever before. 

Growing up in a typical American suburb there were plenty of grocery stores that carried all the basics and a little bit more. 

My partner is an adventurous eater and together we enjoy exploring new recipes and doing a lot of home cooking. Enter the surprise of grocery stores and how different locations throughout the country have vastly different selections. Produce quality, meat availability, dairy prices, brand selections, all vary between states. Thus we suddenly find ourselves with a stronger opinion on grocery stores than ever before. 

Here is my definitive ranking of grocery stores from best to worst: 

1. Publix

2. Costco

3. Jung Boo

4. Cermack

5. Trader Joes

6. Lowes (Not the home improvement store)

7. Jewel-Osco

8. Acme

9. Winn-Dixie

10. Food-Lion

So far, no one has topped a Publix “Pub Sub” on a beach day in Saint Petersburg, Florida. The five grain bread piled high with toppings, perfection. Pair that with the extensive wine selection, $5 sushi on Wednesday, a wide selection of fresh and frozen seafood, topped with the best produce we have found. Publix takes the number one seed. 

Costco continues to be the leader in bagels and proteins. Consistently the best selection for chicken, beef, ground turkey and frozen pizzas. 

Jung Boo is an Asian Market in the Avondale neighborhood of Chicago. Here we would find sashimi platters for $30 on Wednesdays and Fridays with more sushi grade fish than we could eat in an evening. On top of the platters, you could pick from a large selection of dumplings and sake. It had a food stand out front and a restaurant inside. We regularly miss Jung Boo. 

Cermack is also found in Chicago and this market’s entire back wall was the butcher selection. You can get any meat and any cut or piece of that meat straight from the butcher. Additionally it had a great selection of spices and the largest selection of produce we found in Chicago. We could get yuca and other specialty produce affordably. 

Lowes, not the home improvement store but a grocery store available in North Charleston, was one of the fanciest grocery stores we hit up and the selection left much to be desired. The potato medley bar and produce cutting services were nice, but they rarely had basic produce in stock and boxed goods were double the normal price. 

Jewel-Osco for the win on most affordable pre-cut and pre washed fruit bowls. We still talk about them and miss them.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, Food-Lion has disappointed us in multiple locations. Limited selection of….everything. Expensive. Do not recommend it if you can avoid it, but in smaller locations, it was our only option. 

Food quality, prices, meat cuts, cultural selections, these all vary state to state and even county. With an open mind we have started to open our pallet even further with creative cuts of meats, new fruit obsessions, and stubbornly driving across town to get the best artichokes. Now, we care and talk about grocery stores more than ever before and there is no turning back. Stay tuned as we add more grocery stores to rank in our upcoming locations.