Why was that shocking? You'll have to forgive me as I have always lived in Arkansas and never grocery shopped any other place.
I live in Spring. I go to the Randall's at Champion Forest/Louetta. I'm open to a place that has better prices. This place is a block from my house, which makes it easy. I would not shop there, if I didn't have a Randall's card.
I worked at Randall's Corporate office during the switch to Safeway several years ago. Many long-time employees left during the merger and people just didn't care about it the way they used to. Safeway even hired Randall Onstead back to save another of their failed mergers (Dominick's in Chicago), but he left again a few years ago. It's been sad to see the decline.
We don't have sales tax on food staples like that in Texas. You shouldn't be making people pay MORE for milk for their children. That's crazy to me.
I used to sack groceries at the store at Memorial @ Dairy Ashford in high school...the same one I shop at now. It seems to be improving a bit, though. It still feels too impersonal, now. But they've recently renovated the store, and it's much nicer. But it used to be that the store managers made effort to meet the customers...that you could tell them things you wanted on the shelves....it just felt like a community store. I've always been pretty loyal to Randall's as a shopper...but it's just not like that, anymore.
Wow that place is still around?! I remember going there after school sometimes to get some string cheese while waiting for my parents to pick me up.
MadMax, you live pretty close to me. They upgraded that Randalls to a Flagship I can't say the same for the HEB next door
Yeah...the Flagship is great. Store #11. That HEB is an embarassment. Seriously, it's awful. It stinks. Literally. You walk in and it smells. Not exactly a good marketing strategy to be met with an unpleasant aroma as you walk in a place to buy food. They should improve it dramatically or just shut it down.
I go to the same if it's a quick run, but I prefer HEB for big outings - the variety and quality is much better IMO.
I like shopping the HEB on Fountainview the best. It is the best grocery store in the city, I have seen, followed by the Fiesta on I-10. But, I can't go to that HEB as much anymore since I started going to school again. So, it is more often the Kroger on OST or the Fiesta on South Main. The S. Main Fiesta is alright, and the Kroger is slightly worse but slightly closer, but they are both better than my neighborhood's stores, the HEB on Scott and OST (which I'm told is the most profitable in the city) and the Fiesta on Wheeler. Central Market and Whole Foods are pretty to look at, but I'd never shop there. They jack their prices up way too far. I'd have to be in the market for some chateaubriand or caviar to consider it, and even then someone like Pete's Fine Meats could probably do as good a job at half the price.
OK, that makes sense to me. There is a HUGE debate going on in our capital about the grocery sales tax. This is probably what it is about.
I live in Austin so HEB is pretty much the only choice up here. I do however shop at Costco and Whole Foods also. The flagship whole foods is da bomb.
Kroger on Briar Forest @ Dairy Asford because it's close to work, or midtown Randall's, W. Gray Kroger, or 14th @ Shepherd Kroger if I'm home. Whole Foods if I'm loading up on produce.
