WinCo

**terryinokc** · 04-11-2018, 10:41 AM

Don't get me wrong....I want to like Winco.
Grocery stores are kinda my hobby for years..I know...pretty weird. I check them out when I'm out of town.
Worked in grocery stores here and in a couple out of state.
Been to the one in Moore 4 times. Don't love it..don't hate it.

Reminds me of an exact copy of the old Food 4 Less at 122 and Penn and in Del City--minus the bulk food. Or the Food 4 Less stores in Joplin and Springfield MO.

My rotation is Crest and Aldi. I think the new Aldi remodels are great. I'd buy everything there if I could. I guess last in the rotation is Homeland at Britton and May just because that's where I get my prescriptions.

Don't get me wrong....I'm glad it's here...I will definitely shop at the 39th street store. Live pretty close to it. We needed a good store in the area. Thanks Winco for the investment!
Just wish it was some kind of a Kroger store.

**Pete** · 04-11-2018, 10:44 AM

For this area of town, there isn't a Crest reasonably close so I literally never go there.

Winco is a lot like most new big retailers in that you have to take the time to understand it and be able to quickly navigate. Once you get that down, their prices are great, selection is massive, service is excellent and they have self-checkout which is a huge feature to me.

They are also open 24/7 which means I can go very early and avoid the crowds.

**shawnw** · 04-11-2018, 11:31 AM

I went to a WinCo for the first time ever last weekend (MWC) and I think the bulk food section impressed me the most. I was also impressed with the size of their plant-based/compostable/disposable plates/flatware, etc. I'm always very surprised in this day and age that more stores don't have a better selection in this category.

**WenDragon** · 04-12-2018, 01:24 PM

Originally Posted by Pete

For this area of town, there isn't a Crest reasonably close so I literally never go there.

Winco is a lot like most new big retailers in that you have to take the time to understand it and be able to quickly navigate. Once you get that down, their prices are great, selection is massive, service is excellent and they have self-checkout which is a huge feature to me.

They are also open 24/7 which means I can go very early and avoid the crowds.

of the 2, which would you say is your favorite--Aldi or WinCo?

**Pete** · 04-12-2018, 02:06 PM

Originally Posted by WenDragon

of the 2, which would you say is your favorite--Aldi or WinCo?

I personally love Winco because they have everything.

Most the time I only want to go to one store, which is why I sometimes end up at the Walmart Neighborhood Market on 23rd & Penn. I really don't like that store but sometimes I need an exact spice or bit of produce or staples like name-brand soda. Winco has all that plus everything else.

I like Aldi for the same reason I like Trader Joe's... Lots of interesting things you can't find elsewhere. But neither come close to fulfilling my entire list and therefore I only go once in a while.

**Pete** · 04-12-2018, 02:07 PM

Originally Posted by WenDragon

of the 2, which would you say is your favorite--Aldi or WinCo?

I personally love Winco because they have everything.

Most the time I only want to go to one store, which is why I sometimes end up at the Walmart Neighborhood Market on 23rd & Penn. I really don't like that store but sometimes I need an exact spice or bit of produce or staples like name-brand soda. Winco has all that plus everything else.

I like Aldi for the same reason I like Trader Joe's... Lots of interesting things you can't find elsewhere. But neither come close to fulfilling my entire list and therefore I only go once in a while.

**roci28** · 04-13-2018, 05:21 AM

Big trailer outside of 39th Street store that says they are opening in 5 days.

**Pete** · 04-16-2018, 07:14 AM

Taken yesterday:

**David** · 04-16-2018, 10:11 AM

I'll have to give it a try on my usual shopping day this week and see how well it might do as a replacement for the Belle Isle Walmart for me.

**Pete** · 04-16-2018, 01:42 PM

Originally Posted by David

I'll have to give it a try on my usual shopping day this week and see how well it might do as a replacement for the Belle Isle Walmart for me.

Expect crazy crowds for the first few weeks.

**GISinOK** · 04-16-2018, 01:51 PM

Originally Posted by Pete

Expect crazy crowds for the first few weeks.

I live in the neighborhood right behind this store. Not looking forward to the traffic that will build up on St. Clair on that awkward curve.

**Pete** · 04-17-2018, 06:00 PM

Officially opens at 9AM tomorrow (Wed 4/18) and is then open 24/7 thereafter.

**u50254082** · 04-17-2018, 09:03 PM

Expect some crazy good deals the first week.. but mostly on junk food items (6 pack of 7up bottles for $1.. 50 cents for a box of Ritz crackers.. along those lines)

**jerrywall** · 04-18-2018, 09:14 AM

My wife is considering checking it out after work tonight, since she works so close to this location. If she does I'll post her impressions. I warned her to expect crowds.

**Pete** · 04-18-2018, 09:34 AM

I'm a very early riser so I'll probably go early tomorrow.

I loved these stores in California even though I didn't have one close enough to shop regularly. Now I am just 2 easy miles away.

AND the new Aldi will be a mile. Combined with the Sam's Club at 39th & May, I have fantastic grocery shopping options very close and even Trader Joe's and Whole Foods are only a few miles.

**OKCDrummer77** · 04-19-2018, 09:08 AM

I drove by last yesterday around 7:30-7:45pm. The parking lot was packed, and cars were lined up on St Clair back to 39th. Fortunately, it wasn't affecting through traffic on 39th.

**shawnw** · 04-19-2018, 11:12 AM

Yeah, it was the mess we expected and then some.

**Pete** · 04-19-2018, 11:22 AM

Originally Posted by OKCDrummer77

I drove by last yesterday around 7:30-7:45pm. The parking lot was packed, and cars were lined up on St Clair back to 39th. Fortunately, it wasn't affecting through traffic on 39th.

Same here. Was by there about 8:30 and it was far too crazy to even attempt.

I'll go very early one morning soon.

**stile99** · 04-19-2018, 11:26 AM

Does anyone have a scan of or link to the store flyer listing the opening specials?

**Mastermind** · 04-19-2018, 04:41 PM

@stile99

**stile99** · 04-19-2018, 04:52 PM

Thank you!

**Pete** · 04-20-2018, 06:20 AM

I went this morning around 7AM and there was hardly anyone there except an absolute army of employees stocking, cleaning, baking and generally getting ready for a new day.

I had forgotten how huge and overwhelming this place can be. Will take some time to break it down instead of wandering aimlessly through the scores of aisles. Fortunately, they have very high ceilings and the ability to see all the departments and signs up above.

Unfortunately, everyone else is completely lost and overcome with scale and assortment and I'd hate to be there on a busy day with hundreds of people blocking the aisles with their carts, brows knitted in utter confusion.

**shawnw** · 04-20-2018, 08:14 AM

It was decently not packed at 11pm last night as well.

**LocoAko** · 04-20-2018, 02:40 PM

Stopped in around noon today. Really, really like it and I am excited to have it right down the street from me. It was slammed, which made for a slightly frustrating experience getting around, but I'm sure that will clear up with time. The bulk section is really impressive -- not just the usual stuff (beans, etc) but pasta, pancake mixes, seeds, spices, coffee, etc. The produce section looked sufficient but it was so crowded I didn't spend much time there. If I'm remembering correctly, their prices on certain things were definitely cheaper than the Buy-4-Less right up the road. I got 1 lb of strawberries for $0.99 (in the flyer), a red bell pepper for $0.58 (cheaper than anywhere else I can think of -- Walmart is like $1.68!), a big block of pepperjack cheese for $4.00, 0.6 lb of granola for $1.78, a family size box of Cheerios for $3.64, etc. Also, the employees seemed really happy even despite the crowds getting in their way of restocking. I went looking for more select items (red curry paste, cotija cheese, etc) to make sure they had them and I found everything I was looking for. Every lane on checkout was open and went very quickly, though I forgot until the last minute that I had to bag everything myself, which is fine. Parking lot is a tad confusing to get in/out of. I thought the "no frills" approach would bother me a bit -- I found it very offputting at Aldi the one time I went for some reason -- but I barely noticed that I was taking items out of their shipping boxes at all, and once I got past the first aisle of seemingly random items everything became organized by aisles with signs, etc. I definitely plan on making this my main store, and unfortunately I predict big problems for the NW Expwy Buy-4-Less in the coming months.