I don't need to fish out that small poor tomato that slipped away and got attacked by fungus in the third shelf of the fridge. I don't need to go for DAYS without cilantro just because no one sells it within walking distance. I don't have to buy treacherous non-granny smiths because I ran out of every fruit in the course of an insanely busy work-week. I don't have to wait for 1/2 hour for erratic buses, look longingly at cars passing by or push crazy heavy carts across 3 miles (because I couldn't bear waiting) or find out that the milk had not survived the 3 mile hike and make emergency paneer instead. I just don't have to stock up anymore.
I can WALK to PriceRite instead. :)
My fridge can finally grow up and be what its meant to be - not a massive OMG-I-am-stockpiling-for-the-drought-of-the-century but a healthy conduit of fresh produce and cooking bliss.
I was chatting with a family on the checkout queue and they were telling me that the crowds would die down as soon as the sales end. I really hope this doesn't happen. I know the prices of meat etc. were ridiculously cheap. The produce prices were great as well. However, on the whole they were more expensive than the farmer's market (Rochester). This tells me that they are hopefully not selling it all without profit in the first week. I think that's a good sign. The enormous mark-up on the rest of the brand groceries around town are really quite atrocious. I am not kidding when I say that Buffalo's (city) cost of living is far higher than Rochester. So price-wise, I think pricerite has come at a right time.
Given the proximity of the place, I didn't feel like I had to fill up my cart to the limit. I didn't even take my cart. I only bought stuff that I really needed (with the exception of the granny-smiths of course). My grand total grocery bill stood at $12.85. I got a decent armload of produce plus some odds and ends.
Broccoli Rabe (Or Rappini): 1.27lb @ 1.29/lb - $1.64
I have never seen this less than $2.00+/lb anywhere. I like it even better than mustard greens because its got this unique punchy flavour that beats out so many other greens. It's a piece of light and pungent heaven with garlic and basmati rice.
Kumquats 1 Pint - $1.99
FINALLY. I finally bought this delightful little fruit today. Thank you pricerite! I am in love with the taste. It's super strong citrusy-lemony-orangy all combined into a concentrated little fruit with an edible rind! I think I might be a bit addicted because I finished half a box for lunch today.
2 Lemons: $0.50
The lemons were HUGE and so fresh.
2 granny Smiths 0.77lb @ 0.99/lb - $0.76
I bought this out of sheer force of habit. Thankfully, I stopped myself before I could pick up a dozen. I already have a dozen at home! Compared to the Wegmans and Tops price for bulk granny smiths - its costlier. It's cheaper than Guercio's granny smiths. However, Guercio's granny smiths are bigger and more intensely tasty somehow.
3 HUGE navel oranges - $1.00
This was a great deal. Get it before it goes away.
Bananas - 2.38lb @ 0.49/lb - $1.17
Standard price - same as Wegmans, Tops and Guercios.
1 lb Strawberries - $1.99
Okay, these strawberries are ACTUALLY sweet and fungus free for a change.
Red Grapes - 2.22 lb @ 0.98/lb - $2.18
Also a great deal. Green grapes were similarly priced.
Ivory Dishwashing Liquid (Proctor and Gamble) - $0.99
My dear building plumber inverted 3/4th of my dishwashing fluid into my kitchen sink in the hopes of stopping the stench and cutting the grease. I found myself in a severe dishwashing fluid bind today morning and had to get a new one. Apparently, this one's supposed to be gentle on the hands and had the least amount of chemicals as compared to the rest of the stacked ones. Yes, I am a sucker and totally believe the lies while I am shopping. Hahaha.
Birthday Card for my friend - $ 0.50
I could have followed (e:mike)'s example and handmade my card - but illumination only struck when I was halfway home. That should say something about how dazed I was to find myself *walking* home with groceries in less than ten minutes.
To get on with the review, I think Pricerite effectively rules the produce planet. I don't think there is need for me to go elsewhere for daily produce. It has dairy - a nice bonus. Milk was priced at $1.99/Gallon. If Guercio's was in that very same plaza, I would still go to Guercio's but unfortunately its not in the same plaza and requires 10X more walking and/or taking a bus. I don't think anyone comes close to Guercio's for their crazy and weirdly awesome speciality foods and cheeses but to be honest it is quite a way off and that factor alone might make my Guercio visits less frequent.
As for Wegmans and Tops, they are off my list for now. Someone at the shop was remarking that Pricerite didn't have tofu and for that, they would go to Wegmans. I realized that I am not really that desperate for a chunk of soy. That kind of sealed it for me. And who knows - maybe that huge shop has tofu somewhere...!!?
Pricerite is really quite enormous. It took me 2.5 hours to complete a cursory stroll-stare. I don't think I ever saw more enthusiastic shoppers at a lowly grocery store before! People were falling over each other to get a grotesquely packaged turkey deal. Many carried their enthusiasm a bit too far into the realm of obnoxiousness.
Some abandoned perishable refrigerated/frozen items on random shelves on their way to checkout! I thought this kind of behaviour was so irresponsible. Maybe its my infectious disease class spirits talking but... hello? aren't you concerned that these abandoned perishables will end up in the fridge at the end of the day and YOU (yes, you who carelessly ditched them wherever) will pick it up tomorrow? This thought cycle prevented me from getting anything from the fridge. I even spent some time going around the store and replacing perishable stuff in the fridge before I realized that I couldn't beat the ill-behaved protoplasm. Just after I checked out, a woman oblivious to any kind of common sense or courtesy left a milk gallon bottle on top of the stack of green beans!! The lesson of course, is that if you happen to have a mild OCD (as I apparently have) of replacing things where they belong, this week might not be the best time to go to the store.
In summary, I think pricerite is a really nice and very reasonably priced addition to our neighbourhood. I foresee myself getting to know the employees there really well over the next few months. The variety of produce and other groceries they carry is very impressive. However, I am somewhat distressed at the appalling behaviour of some of the shoppers there. In some ways it reminds me of the black Friday mentality. It doesn't make any sense to me. Is it really necessary to run amok and forget good manners when one is at a store that is selling slightly discounted merchandise?
(e:Imk2) there is an Aldi on Elmwood but not my part of Elmwood. It is next to Home Depot across from the Regal Cinemas kinda, it is where the Cheap Movies used to be. I think I was there once.
@(e:James): Hahaha yeah, its definitely ZOMG CHEAP MEAT. Just like Scrooge McDuck with dollar signs in his eyes, people had turkeys and ribs in their irises yesterday. The cashier who rang me out paused for a moment and double-checked to see is she had missed the meat in my purchases! Then she asked me if I was vegetarian. I guess it was that obvious yesterday!
@(e:lilho): Hardly! Wait for my Merge review. ;-)
@Libertad: It's not mine - thank you google!
@imk2: Firstly, I miss you. :( You need to come to "the date" (Slawa and I are going to the south indian place). I was talking to Slawa about the Tonawanda market and I DEFINITELY need to get there this summer. It's so far away though. :/
I can't foresee that behavior staying around. It seems like the entire city is ZOMG CHEAP MEAT and rushing there, filling up the parking lot seven days a week. It does have that Black Friday sort of feel. But once our hunger for meat dies down and our freezers are full with a lifetime's worth of Thanksgiving turkey's, the store will be much more OCD friendly.
i think ALDI would make a killing if they opened up on elmwood somewhere. i don't know why no one has thought of this great idea yet. (e:drew)? anyone on the forever elmwood committee talked about an ALDI opening up somewhere?
i too got great deals on groceries today. i went to the farmers market in north tonawanda and there got, 4/@1 lemons, 4/$1 navel organges, 1lb/!1.99 asparagus, 1/2lb each: munster, feta and farmers cheese for $10. 2 farm raised, pasture fed, antibiotic/hormone free strip steaks for $20, 1lbs/$1.75 tomatoes, baby bell peppers, green, red and yellow: 1 1/2lbs/$2, huge 12 inch cucumbers 2/50cents
the cheeses are an extra good deal here. usually cheese runs around $6 a pound, here it's about half the price. things that are in season and sold by real farmers turn out to be really good deals in the summer. i love this place.
I love that banana holder!
People can be such trash sometimes. That is clearly a very selfish thing to do to leave your perishables on a shelf so they go bad. Some people just generally lack respect then there are others like you there to cancel out some of their bad effects. ;)
you seem to be the healthiest eater ever. go you.