I have been a regular shopper of Harris Teeter and Whole Foods for a few years now. Ever since I moved to the DC area and found that some of the other stores (namely Safeway and Giant) are a) expensive and b) disgusting. Call me crazy, but I don’t want to buy food in a place that is dark and dusty.
So yes, I will spend a little more and go to Harris Teeter where the store is bright, well laid-out, and has great pastries. Seriously, I think you can totally judge a store by its storemade treats. There have been several parties that have benefited from my stopping by Harris Teeter and picking up a red velvet cake. One word for you: Divine.
Whole Foods is similar to Harris Teeter except it is even more expensive and of course it offers organic and natural foods, which is why I shop there. I don’t go there as often and I was reminded why last night. I wanted to pick up something for dinner and given my dietary restrictions, I was looking for something specific like fish or turkey. I found a premade dinner that included a piece of salmon and some noodles on the side. It looked really good so I excitedly flipped it over. As soon as I saw the $9.50 price tag, I put it back. I just can’t justify spending that on one piece of salmon unless it comes with a menu and a waiter.
Enter Trader Joe’s. Ahh… Trader Joe’s. My newfound friend. We have established quite the relationship as of late, Joe and I. I go see him about once (maybe twice) a week and in return, he provides yummy premade dinners, organic foods, and non-perishables at a reasonable cost. Case in point: the premade Morrocan Chicken dinner that I fed my husband last night. (The same dinner that he said was one of the best he’s had.) And what did it cost, you ask? $5.99, thank you very much. And it was a lot of food too! They have other selections such as meatloaf, chicken marsala and lasgana. Each of those can be divided into two meals as they are quite plentiful. Definitely a value in my book.
Trader Joe’s has other great stuff such as mini rice crackers (a personal favorite), pre-cooked frozen shrimp (a weekly staple in our house), and containers of of grapes for $2.99 (I go through at least 2 a week). Now they don’t have everything we eat, so I do still have to make a stop by Harris Teeter. But Trade Joe’s has definitely moved to the top of the list. And as long as he keeps having great prices and yummy food, he will continue to stay there.
(Images courtesy of Wikipedia)
Related Posts:
no comments