Crest

[wdj]

I miss the IGA in French Market Mall. They had those old, crappy automatic doors when I was a kid (back in '96)... I tried to enter through the exit door and it closed on me. I was stuck there until someone rushed over to set off the door's sensor.

[Username]

My strategy:

Braums for Milk, bread & eggs.
Sam's for fresh produce in bulk, some frozen fruit/veggies & frozen fish.
Whole Foods for everything else.

Sometimes I end up at Target, but their produce & meat section is horrible! Produce might actually be worse than Walmart. So much for "upscale!"

[Ginkasa]

When has Target ever been "upscale?"

[Dubya61]

When has Target ever been "upscale?"

I see what you're doing wrong. You pronounce it TAR-get. I go to a better place called tar-JAY.

[Jim Kyle]

Sounds like just a trace of an Okie accent there; my kids who grew up in Louisiana call it tar-ZHAY...

[menos]

Back in the late 90's Baker's Supermarkets tried to move into the OKC market. They bought out Megamarket and tried to convert them into 'upscale' markets. They really spent quite a bit of money on the conversions. I worked on the construction crew and I remember the corporate folks talking to my job foreman and making a big deal about how nice they wanted things.
I was pretty impressed with the final product. It reminded me of the nicer stores I've seen on the east coast.
They lasted a year and had to pull out of the market. Why? Because the looked 'too nice' so they most cost more so a lot of people would actively avoid them. Buy 4 Less bought the stores and promptly ripped out all of the nicer features just so people would shop there. I remember seeing the $200K track lighting system that was over the produce area sitting in a dumpster.
At the time, and I don't think OKC has changed that much in this regard, we are just too cheap. It's more than just grocery stores. It just seems to be a mentality of the bulk of the people here.

[ShiroiHikari]

I agree that Target's meat section sucks big time. I almost never buy meat there, partly because...well, there isn't any. Or it's way overpriced. Their produce section is hit or miss. They're pretty decent for everything else though.

I've noticed a strong "oh well, that's good enough" attitude about a lot of things in Oklahoma. It's like a lot of people are only willing to spend the absolute minimum they can get away with, even if it severely undermines the quality. That's probably how Walmart got such a strong foothold here in the first place. I wish people would learn the difference between being money-smart and being a cheapskate.

[bchris02]

I went to the Homeland at 18th and Classen today. That is simply the finest grocery store I have ever been in. I walked in and the smell just overtook me with pleasantness. The place was clean and had such a great selection and good prices. On top of that, the layout and design of the place was top notch. Way to go Homeland!

On a more serious note, I went to Buy For Less on NW Expressway last week. It's no Crest Fresh Market, but its definitely better than most Homelands.

[SoonerDave]

I think we need to step back and think about some of the sentiments expressed here, particularly as it relates to this implied notion that if you don't like upscale, you must be a stupid cheapskate. Let's keep in mind that not everyone enjoys the discretionary income obviously available to some in this thread, and thus permits them the luxury of being more selective. But that doesn't make the folks with lesser income stupid nor less selective. It may be nothing more than a necessary management of available resources.

We must also be cautious about the notion of snob appeal. Lets face it, folks, its groceries. Groceries. Yes, like anything, there are variations in quality, freshness, and presentation, and with that comes variations in cost, but at some point we have to realize at least in part there's a great deal of bandwagoning going along with "Ooh, I shop at Whole Foods or BeautfulMart or <insert whatever market you want>". At some point, you have to realize that if you buy a banana, once you leave the store, you peel it the same way no matter where the receipt says it was purchased.

Not being critical of Whole Foods per se, just offering a cautionary note that its very easy to draw a notion of some odd moral virtue merely for the fact that you shop at a "nicer" grocery store.

[ShiroiHikari]

I, for one, didn't mean to imply any moral superiority or anything like that. My dislike for shopping at Walmart has nothing to do with it being "low class" and everything to do with it being crowded, noisy, and sometimes dirty (depending on the store). But I go there because I definitely don't have enough discretionary income to be shopping at the "nice" stores every time. I just kind of wish the discount stores could be a bit nicer, though I guess that's probably asking too much.

[gamecock]

I think we need to step back and think about some of the sentiments expressed here, particularly as it relates to this implied notion that if you don't like upscale, you must be a stupid cheapskate. Let's keep in mind that not everyone enjoys the discretionary income obviously available to some in this thread, and thus permits them the luxury of being more selective. But that doesn't make the folks with lesser income stupid nor less selective. It may be nothing more than a necessary management of available resources.

We must also be cautious about the notion of snob appeal. Lets face it, folks, its groceries. Groceries. Yes, like anything, there are variations in quality, freshness, and presentation, and with that comes variations in cost, but at some point we have to realize at least in part there's a great deal of bandwagoning going along with "Ooh, I shop at Whole Foods or BeautfulMart or <insert whatever market you want>". At some point, you have to realize that if you buy a banana, once you leave the store, you peel it the same way no matter where the receipt says it was purchased.

Not being critical of Whole Foods per se, just offering a cautionary note that its very easy to draw a notion of some odd moral virtue merely for the fact that you shop at a "nicer" grocery store.

Likewise, I think it's fine if people would rather shop at a "no frills" store. But almost all of the grocery stores in OKC seem compete on the lowest prices (e.g., "Home of Rock Bottom Prices," "Buy 4 Less," "Always Low Prices"). I would just like to have the option of paying more for a better experience.

[progressiveboy]

Likewise, I think it's fine if people would rather shop at a "no frills" store. But almost all of the grocery stores in OKC seem compete on the lowest prices (e.g., "Home of Rock Bottom Prices," "Buy 4 Less," "Always Low Prices"). I would just like to have the option of paying more for a better experience.

I agree. To me it is about quality, not quantity. In other words, you pay for what you get, period.

[bchris02]

I was in Homeland on 63rd and Britton tonight. When in that store, its honestly hard to believe its the same chain as most of the other Homelands. Lets say I was pretty impressed with the store. I like Crest Fresh Market better, but it comes in close and its on the NW side so its a real option for me. I really wish they would remodel some of their other stores. What is strange is Homeland is generally the most expensive of the regular grocery chains in OKC but they for the most part have the dirtiest, most run down, outdated stores, with the exception of a few locations one of which is 63rd and Britton.

I, for one, didn't mean to imply any moral superiority or anything like that. My dislike for shopping at Walmart has nothing to do with it being "low class" and everything to do with it being crowded, noisy, and sometimes dirty (depending on the store). But I go there because I definitely don't have enough discretionary income to be shopping at the "nice" stores every time. I just kind of wish the discount stores could be a bit nicer, though I guess that's probably asking too much.

Same with me. I will shop at the Neighborhood Markets but I avoid the supercenters like the plague because I get a headache every time I go in them. I usually don't end up having to go to Wal-Mart because there's a Crest right across the street. I don't see why anybody would shop at Wal-Mart if they have Crest as an option.

[boscorama]

Double coupons are Homeland's only salvation, imo.

Walmart doesn't seem to have sales in the grocery department. What they call everyday low prices doesn't change much from week to week, whereas Crest has blow-out low prices.

I just don't get Walmart loyalty. Oh well.

[ShiroiHikari]

Same with me. I will shop at the Neighborhood Markets but I avoid the supercenters like the plague because I get a headache every time I go in them. I usually don't end up having to go to Wal-Mart because there's a Crest right across the street. I don't see why anybody would shop at Wal-Mart if they have Crest as an option.

Exactly. I hate the Supercenter at 12th and Main in Norman. I think it might be the worst one I've ever been in. It's a dirty, crowded, ugly clusterf@#$. Seriously, you can't even stop to read a label in that place without people trying to push past you while looking mortally offended that you had to stop in the aisle for 30 seconds. By the time I'm done shopping there, I'm ready to hurt somebody. If I'm not in a hurry, I drive to the one on the westside. At least you can get down the damn aisles in that one.

If we had Crest Fresh Market or something comparable within a reasonable driving distance, I'd go there instead. The Homeland on Alameda is nicer than it used to be, and it's closer than Walmart, but their prices aren't very competitive unless you use coupons (which I don't, I'm far too forgetful).

[Dubya61]

Walmart doesn't seem to have sales in the grocery department. What they call everyday low prices doesn't change much from week to week, whereas Crest has blow-out low prices.

I just don't get Walmart loyalty. Oh well.

I was in WalMart the other day and saw some people shopping with local ads in hand. I guess with their ad match guarantee, WalMart DOES have sales for prepared customers, they just don't plan them.

[boscorama]

You're right, I know somebody who does that! The person is OCD but that's beside the point.