The peanut/almond butter machine is on the bulk bin aisle where the flours and nuts are. It's on the north side of the ailse, facing towards where the bakery is, and is on the end furthest away from the registers. (Hope that helps).

I went again yesterday. They were having a sale on Kashi frozen meals, and their Wallaby yogurts were on sale for 97 cents per. I got a nice haul of lunch items, fruit and other various things for about $60, which is what I would spend at Crest on the same amount of groceries.

Their peppers (red, green, yellow AND orange) looked spectacular. I grabbed some of those as well.

I got some of the salsa, just before the meat section, and it was very good. Not sure if it's made by them but it was very good.

Went yesterday. Awesome store! Protesters present but there were still tons of people. If the protesters are from Homeland, then they should take note what Sunflower is doing. If local places actually carried significant numbers of healthy food, locally produced, then I would shop there. Since they don't, I'll shop at Sunflower.

ok... i've been twice now. i really like this store but my only gripe is that they're still stocking the place past 9am. all the extra palettes, boxes, etc. in the aisles make it difficult to navigate the store... especially given how busy it is. -M

I did buy some grapes (47 cents/lb) and some other stuff that seemed to be a good deal). The half-slab of coked ribs looked great ($4.99) but were rather tasteless. Havent tried the cooked Turkey Roast i bought yet but the Cheddar potatoe soup I had before was tasty and doctored up is an excellent soup base.

I've been in there twice now and seemed to have missed it both times (halfway looking) but didn't really see that much "local" stuff. Sure they had a sign on the front wall touting the benefits of buying local and all but esp the produce I was looking at was from out of state or country just like every other grocery store. I certainly expected more local produce at a place that has "farmer's market" as part of their name. I honestly saw just as much MIO stuff at Buy 4 Less and Wal-mart. Shoot, even McDonald's is promoting their sausage biscuit as MIO...LOL

ok... i've been twice now. i really like this store but my only gripe is that they're still stocking the place past 9am. all the extra palettes, boxes, etc. in the aisles make it difficult to navigate the store... especially given how busy it is. -M

Thats just it though. This place is ridiculously busy all the time. If they didn't restock throughout the day, there would be no product for you to buy.

Thats just it though. This place is ridiculously busy all the time. If they didn't restock throughout the day, there would be no product for you to buy.

yeah, but don't you think they could at least finish the first round of stocking before the store opens? minor gripe; overall i really like shopping there. -M

So what is the deal with the "dont shop Sunflower" protesters out by the street?

Here is some INTERESTING information about Homeland Stores. Interesting that they would protest the fact that Sunflower is NOT an Oklahoma-owned company...

http://ajonlybetter.blogspot.com/2011/09/open-letter-to-homeland-grocery.html

From their facebook:


BREAKING NEWS: Sunflower Farmers Market is blooming in Edmond, Oklahoma in 2012!!! The new market will be a free-standing store located at 24 E. 2nd St., on the southeast corner of E. 2nd and S. Broadway, and will bring at least 100 jobs to the area, along with serious food, silly prices and smiling faces! Spread the word to your friends in Oklahoma!

There goes my dream of that old Homeland becoming a bookstore... all in all, though, a very good use for that corner. Almost as good as the last tenant, Smith Tile and Carpet (I kid! I kid!).
PS> The value of the building that is home to Subway, etc., just went WAY UP.

They are going to kill it in that location...close to UCO's neighborhood...lots of student shoppers within walking distance....very smart location for them. I love the way they are rehabbing old spaces and making them an asset again for the community. I actually just told my wife that they should go into that space to take advantage of the students close by.

I think they should convert the empty space where Ultimate Electronics was at Penn and Memorial. Busy area and would give Wal-Mart and Target a nice run for competition.

http://newsok.com/sunflower-farmers-market-to-open-store-in-edmond-next-year/article/3606666?custom_click=lead_story_title

Evidently they are looking at other areas as well.

Like I mentioned in an earlier post, the manager said they were finalizing the Edmond lease (which happened) and were looking for a location in Norman for their next store.

This is awesome! Just think in a few years with Sunflower and Whole Foods being huge successes what other stores will be coming to OKC.

Can't wait for the Edmond location to open (and maybe Norman too!!). . . . . then maybe I can actually get IN the parking lot at MY store!! (lol!!)

No. It was Premium Natural Beef from Hobart. I visited the ranch myself and met the owner. I was told by Crest (probable lie) that Premium "couldn't meet demand" at Crest stores and that's why they stopped carrying it. Not sure what they use now. No matter, I've pretty much quit buying beef from them.

i believe on premium's facebook page they said crest wasn't making enough of a profit on selling the beef, so they quit carrying it. may have been a blessing in disguise, since premium beef is now going to be carried by whole foods nationwide.

i believe on premium's facebook page they said crest wasn't making enough of a profit on selling the beef, so they quit carrying it. may have been a blessing in disguise, since premium beef is now going to be carried by whole foods nationwide.

Before Sunflower opened, I shopped Crest regularly (and still do for some things), but what you stated is their standard operating procedure. I think they are a little like some of the stories about Wal-Mart in that if they can't strike what they consider an "acceptable deal" with the manufacturer, they won't sell it. Frequently you will see signs advising why they are no longer carrying something (that you have been buying for several years!!). . .although it is couched in verbage that makes it sound like the producer is being unreasonable.

I was off work on Friday afternoon and thought I would run by Sunflower hoping it would be less busy than my previous visits but that wasn't the case. It was crazy busy. I was visiting with a produce employee who said the store's meat sales are tops in the chain. Makes me wonder why OKC is only now a desirable market for this store (and Whole Foods). Seems R & D would have concluded some time ago that the concept would be well received (although I'm not a marketing guy). Am I wrong?

I think that previous grocery studies had concluded that we didn't have enough dense areas of necessary income thresholds within 5 mile radii of potential store locations. They didn't take into account Oklahomans' willingness to drive everywhere.

Went yesterday. Awesome store! Protesters present but there were still tons of people. If the protesters are from Homeland, then they should take note what Sunflower is doing. If local places actually carried significant numbers of healthy food, locally produced, then I would shop there. Since they don't, I'll shop at Sunflower.
My wife and I decided to go "early" today (Saturday) to avoid or minimize the customer crush and we got there around 8:30 a.m. (Sunflower's hours are 7 am - 11 pm, 7 days) ... it wasn't quite as packed at 8:30 this morning but it was still pretty full ... I'm liking this place more and more ... but that not what I want to say.


Sunflower is moving forward new metro locations sooner than planned. After my wife and I left, I looked at the checkout tape and it looked as though two Amy's frozen cheese enchilada dinners which were advertised as being 2 for $5 were charged individually at $4.29 each (and I highly recommend this product, by the way). I went back into the store, spoke with the checkout person, and a young (in his 30s) man came over and I repeated my brief explanation ... as we went to the frozen foods area and I mentioned to him the description in the weekly on-line flyer (http://www.sunflowermarkets.com/Shop/WeeklyAd.aspx) for this product. Looking at the pricing info described at the appropriate shopping isle location, he said, yes, this had apparently been mismarked and the discount pricing should apply. From some of his comments during our conversation, I surmised (but did not ask) that he was not from Okc but was a manager or assistant manager who had moved here from someplace else. Anyway, we went back to a fast-lane checkout counter that wasn't being used and he cheerfully refunded the difference. He asked, other than this matter, how I liked the store, and I replied, "Very well." And, now, back to the point. I said, to the effect, "It looks like Sunflower has been warmly welcomed in Okc," and he said, "Yes, unbelievably so. That's why we have moved forward with our plan to add an Edmond store right away instead of doing that six months down the line." I replied that I'd noticed that announcement in this week's newspaper stories. So, apparently, Sunflower is as enchanted with Okc as Okc is with Sunflower.


About the footprint size of the grocery. During the above conversation, I mentioned that I'd gauge the May Ave. store to be the size of a mid-sized grocery. The person agreed. I also said that, given the relatively small footprint, that a large number of items were in the store ... which undoubtedly accounted for the narrow isles. He said, yes, that's the trade-off. He said that Sunflower does not build new buildings but always establishes new stores in existing buildings ... that is a way of saving on overhead costs, he said.


Union Protestors. On leaving, we drove by the two union demonstrators which were located along May Ave. I decided to stop and speak with them, and we did. I asked if either of them worked for a grocer in the city, and neither did. I then asked, "Why then are you protesting?" The answer was sort of vague but employee unions and "buy local" mantras were mentioned ... and I'm not one who is unsympathetic with either position. I'm not at all against union collective bargaining and I certainly favor the premise of "buying local." I said, "What city grocers are "local?", and the reply was that Homeland and Crest were two. Given some of the comments in this thread, I said, "Are you SURE about Homeland?," and I was told, "Yes." Not being well-versed about that, I didn't inquire further. But, wondering about employee wage matters, I said, "Isn't it true that Homeland (a union shop) pays its workers less than what Sunflower (a non-union shop) is paying theirs?" The answer was, "Yes, but that's just a tactic ... wages will go down later and that's a Sunflower tactic, or something along those lines.


The Unasked Questions. The questions that I didn't think to ask, but should have, is that, "Why isn't Homeland offering the same quality of produce and other edible products, and at the prices that Sunflower is?" My neighborhood Homeland is at NW 18th & Classen, and I promise you that if that Homeland offered the products and prices that Sunflower does, I'd much rather drive 4-5 blocks from my home and be a happy camper than driving to NW 63rd and May. But it doesn't, and I've now been to Sunflower 4 or 5 (not sure which) times since it opened. Plus, Sunflower does seem to make an effort to buy from state suppliers when the products are "locally" available.

Whether or not Homeland is a "local" company or not, and I know that Crest is, the bottom line is that product quality and price of products are what consumers are looking for, I think. Competition is not a bad thing, I think. Make your own offerings better to match the competitors, I'd have to say. I have a sense that Crest get it, but that Homeland does not.

It is a bit of a drive for me to buy groceries that might need to be refrigerated but once the temperatures fall, I plan to check out Sunflower AND Whole Foods.

I'm really excited about the store in Edmond. It will be really convenient to our neighborhood.

Sunflower Market is coming to Edmond. It will be located on Broadway and 2nd at the old Color Tile store. They start work next week.

http://www.sunflowermarkets.com/Default.aspx

I think that previous grocery studies had concluded that we didn't have enough dense areas of necessary income thresholds within 5 mile radii of potential store locations. They didn't take into account Oklahomans' willingness to drive everywhere.
I think many companies try to apply the metrics that are common in other markets to OKC and don't understand the OKC mentality. I know many here is Austin who think that "anything on the other side of the river" requires planning a trip and a possible overnight stay..... It seems that many native Austinites know little about the area outside of Austin while us transplants know more about the region than those who have spent their lived here. The limits of the adventures outside the are are limited to tubing in the New Braunfels area, a swim at Hamilton Pool or a Greune Hall show. When I have talked about some of my motorcycle rides out in the Hill Country most have a blank stare about the area although they rave about the Hill Country. I guess growing up in OKC I just expect to travel more, my West Texas wife seems to have the same view since they had to travel 30 miles to Odessa or 60 miles to Midland to do many things.



Union Protestors. On leaving, we drove by the two union demonstrators which were located along May Ave. I decided to stop and speak with them, and we did. I asked if either of them worked for a grocer in the city, and neither did. I then asked, "Why then are you protesting?" The answer was sort of vague but employee unions and "buy local" mantras were mentioned ... and I'm not one who is unsympathetic with either position. I'm not at all against union collective bargaining and I certainly favor the premise of "buying local." I said, "What city grocers are "local?", and the reply was that Homeland and Crest were two. Given some of the comments in this thread, I said, "Are you SURE about Homeland?," and I was told, "Yes." Not being well-versed about that, I didn't inquire further. But, wondering about employee wage matters, I said, "Isn't it true that Homeland (a union shop) pays its workers less than what Sunflower (a non-union shop) is paying theirs?" The answer was, "Yes, but that's just a tactic ... wages will go down later and that's a Sunflower tactic, or something along those lines.

Most "union protester" are just people hired to protest, pretty much "professional protesters" and most are not union members. There was an ad in the Austin alternative weekly paper a few years ago with a want ad for protesters. There was even an article in that paper and on one of the TV stations about the use of "non-union" protesters hired to do nothing but protest at a "contract rate" well below that of what minimum wage with no benefits that seemed at odds of what they were protesting. I saw a protest up in Denver at the BOK owned Colorado State Bank and Trust and neither of the protesters bore any resemblance to what you would think a "bank employee" would look like, in fact both of them looked like their "full time job" would have been street corner panhandlers, so holding a sign up on a street corner was a common skill for them.

I do know at the time those of us who worked at Skaggs (early 80's) made more than the union workers at Humpty Dumpty and Safeway/Homeland. I know that they cut wages in the late 80's while Homeland did not do that until the early 90's. You could make a pretty good living in the grocery sector until those cuts occurred. As far as I know they have not cut wages at the Sunflower stores that have been open a few years here in Austin, that is just standard union rhetoric.

Went again today around 12:30 or so. It was still very busy, but not nearly as crowded as two weeks ago. We found a parking space easily, most of what we were looking for easily (it's frustrating when people stand right in front of the item you want or need and are pondering their purchase and WON'T MOVE...but that's everywhere) and the checker commended us for our ability to use the bags labeled "organic" for organic produce and for writing the PLU number on the rice I purchased from the bulk area. I mean, it's kind of common sense, but she said we would all be trained eventually!

I got out with 2 avocados, organic broccoli, 2 things of berries, a flank steak, and half a pound of jasmine rice for $12. I'm most proud of the flank steak lol.

This is great news for Edmond. I'm excited.

I worked for Pratt's back in the 90's and I made more than my friends who working at Homeland under a union contract. At the time minimum wage was $4.25 an hour. I started out at $5.00 an hour as a bagger and moved up to Deli Seafood with in a year to $6.35 an hour with regular overtime. My friends at Homeland were making $5.00 an hour with 75 cents going to union dues. In general the local grocers have always paid better. My bosses wanted to be competitive with Jewel-Osco / Skaggs / Albertson's (or Whatever name they chose to be under that given year). My old neighbor moonlighted at the Reno Crest for a little while as a stocker and he made pretty good money.

The thing I loved about Pratts was we got paid every Friday. Back then, I was a teenager. When your a teenager every Friday payday is just awesome all the way around. My folks loved it too... I never had to hit them up for money. I always had plenty. I would save a little, spend a little and still have money left over.

I was in today and was packed. Parking was tricky in the afternoon but patience is key! Once in I got all I wanted for $14 and overheard the cashier talking to the woman in front of me saying 6-8 months for the Edmond store.

Haven't went yet but am hoping to take a trip soon.

Also can't wait for the Edmond Sunflower Farmers Market to open.

Yeah, the unions are ruining Homeland. They don't have a chance in the long term.

One of my friends worked at Homeland and is now working at Sunflower. She is making a lot more money, has better benefits, and works only 40 hours a week instead of 70 that she was working at Homeland. She loves working there and is excited about their expansion to other parts of OKC!

we drive from mustang. bring a freezer bag for the cold stuff. produce is great. loaded up on the 3 avocados for $1. i'm looking forward to the edmond store opening so i have an easier time parking!

10 to 15 more miles just to have an easier time parking? :Smiley078

10 to 15 more miles just to have an easier time parking? :Smiley078

I'm thinking mark means the parking will be easier at the May/63rd store. . . which is what I'm looking forward to!!

:doh: of course, my bad.

:doh: of course, my bad.

not at all!! We're just all elated to have these people in the City. I think retailers, at long last, are "discovering" OKC!!

My friends at Homeland were making $5.00 an hour with 75 cents going to union dues.

Did I read that correctly? That's insane.

Did I read that correctly? That's insane.
A friend worked there in the early-90's and she had been there for many years (since she was in high school) and her union dues were quite a bit more than her uncle who worked at AT&T under a CWA contract. He was a die hard union guy and even he thought the UFCW was screwing over the Homeland employees. I think at the time she had to work 1.5 or 2 hours a week to cover the union dues.

I'm so glad to hear that Sunflower market is already looking at expanding! The current location is fine for me as I live in North OKC and work on May Ave, but every time I've visited I've wished they had one in Norman where my brother and sister in law live. My sister in law is a vegetarian who doesn't do much cooking of her own, and one of the things I've really noticed about Sunflower is that it has a much wider variety of frozen vegetarian items than I'm used to seeing at area grocery stores. And it's not just the bigger selection of Amy's frozen dinners. I didn't even know they made meatless "chicken" tenders until my last shopping trip there (though I'm still asking myself why one would want meatless chicken tenders). I hope Norman comes soon after the proposed Edmond location!

shriekingviolet: until they get a Sunflowers in Norman, may want to check out Buy 4 Less...pretty sure I have seen meatless chicken tenders and the like at the one on Portland & NW Expressway (but probably smaller selection than Sunflower). besides Amy's, they are also carrying more vegetarian mexican too

I'm so glad to hear that Sunflower market is already looking at expanding! The current location is fine for me as I live in North OKC and work on May Ave, but every time I've visited I've wished they had one in Norman where my brother and sister in law live. My sister in law is a vegetarian who doesn't do much cooking of her own, and one of the things I've really noticed about Sunflower is that it has a much wider variety of frozen vegetarian items than I'm used to seeing at area grocery stores. And it's not just the bigger selection of Amy's frozen dinners. I didn't even know they made meatless "chicken" tenders until my last shopping trip there (though I'm still asking myself why one would want meatless chicken tenders). I hope Norman comes soon after the proposed Edmond location!

They aren't looking at expanding, they ARE! Surprisingly, the vegetarian or meatless chicken patties by Morningstar are fantastic, and you can get them anywhere such as Walmart or target

That is very exciting - really sad for that location to sit empty.

I agree i like the morning star ground crumbled meatless hamburger meat, i use it to make chili and it is really good....

Ah man, that's right across the street from the Edmond Sun! Wow! Can't wait. :)

I have to say that I too went to Sunflower to see what all the fuss is about. I am sure they have some wonderful products. It was so crowed that I could not explore the products and make my buying decisions. The isles were small and there did not seem to be a flow to the layout. This might be because of the large number of people in the store. I bought a few things and got then got the heck out of Dodge. When the crowds go away I am sure I will go back to give Sunflower another try. Looked like a blizzard coming to OKC and everyone was stocking up. Everyone thanks for posting it will defiantly help in my grocery buying decisions. :tiphat:

I wonder if the Edmond location is going to have the same parking headaches as the OKC store along with union protesters?

stopped in half-price books while there friday night. they said they've been seeing more traffic since sunflower market opened, including people who thought they just opened (they've been there at least two years already!)

My wife has been there a couple of times and raves about it. Better, fresher produce and meats at lower prices than Wallyworld. She brought home some organically grown grapes that are just wonderful.

Tried some of the pre-made stuff yesterday and today. I had some Italian Wedding soup and a pretzel roll (very tasty, and hot! But I think someone took all the meatballs before I got to it), Mid tried the sushi. He said the rice was different than he was used to, but it was still decent sushi, especially since it came from a grocery. It looked fresh to me. We also had little slices of cheesecake. Rich and tasty.

I got some of the hummus today, and it's very tasty. They have a large selection of flavors, though today I just got plain. I'm intrigued by the artichoke hummus.

Yesterday and today were still very busy, but nothing like it was. I think everyone's down at WF looking around! I plan to get there eventually, but with $4 large bottles of olive oil and $0.99/lb short grain brown rice, I have to go to Sunflower.

Today, just under $40 got me the following: a pound of brussel sprouts, mushrooms, a bell pepper, vine tomatoes, 2 onions, organic baby spinach, hummus, pita chips, olive oil, white wine vinegar, reduced sodium chicken broth, tomato sauce, marinara sauce, brown sugar, a small container of OJ, whole wheat hamburger buns, 1/2lb short grain brown rice, and I think that's it! Didn't get any meat today, though I can say that a steak I had from there previously was very tasty and economical, since it was on sale at the time.

Sunflower is our primary grocery store now. I've been very satisfied with the quality and the prices are very reasonable. With Whole Foods open now it really just shows how cheap Sunflower is. We aren't spending any more per week there than we were at Crest or WalMart and what we get is generally better and more focused. Really, a very nice well managed grocery store.

I also noticed at my last Sunflower shopping trip Sunday last that the crowdedness has thinned out considerably, now that Whole Foods is open. I also found that one of my favorites there, whole wheat "seeded" hamburger buns (we call them "seed buns" in my family), as well as Mission salsa (both of which I'd purchased at Sunflower previously), were nowhere to be found. I'll ask about those and other matters on my my next trip this coming weekend.

Sunflower is our primary grocery store now. I've been very satisfied with the quality and the prices are very reasonable. With Whole Foods open now it really just shows how cheap Sunflower is. We aren't spending any more per week there than we were at Crest or WalMart and what we get is generally better and more focused. Really, a very nice well managed grocery store.

Are you buying things like staple goods, canned goods, drug department items as well? Are they as reasonable as other places like Crest or Walmart?

I also noticed at my last Sunflower shopping trip Sunday last that the crowdedness has thinned out considerably, now that Whole Foods is open. I also found that one of my favorites there, whole wheat "seeded" hamburger buns (we call them "seed buns" in my family), as well as Mission salsa (both of which I'd purchased at Sunflower previously), were nowhere to be found. I'll ask about those and other matters on my my next trip this coming weekend.

We found whole wheat seeded hamburger buns on Sunday. Maybe they were just out by the time you got there?

Are you buying things like staple goods, canned goods, drug department items as well? Are they as reasonable as other places like Crest or Walmart?

The spaghetti sauce, olive oil, white wine vinegar, and chicken broth I bought were all cheaper than their name-brand counterparts as far as I could remember. I was able to get a can of organic tomato sauce for a $1, I think. A 14-15oz can, not a little one.

i've enjoyed every trip i've mad to the store except for one thing: they STILL don't have the recipe cards for the bulk items!!! i'd like to try the falafel and hummous mixes, but without knowing how much water to mix in, i won't buy it. i've been there once a week since the store opened and have spoken to someone on all but two occassions.

The spaghetti sauce, olive oil, white wine vinegar, and chicken broth I bought were all cheaper than their name-brand counterparts as far as I could remember. I was able to get a can of organic tomato sauce for a $1, I think. A 14-15oz can, not a little one.

I'm thinking more in terms of canned vegetables, sugar, flower, boxed cereal, toothpaste, razor blades, etc.

I'm thinking more in terms of canned vegetables, sugar, flower, boxed cereal, toothpaste, razor blades, etc.

Brown sugar was very cheap, but it was the Sunflower brand. Tasted like regular old brown sugar to me. I tend to buy things like canned tomatoes in bulk at Sam's so I always have them, so I don't really know what the price difference would be.

I never buy toothpaste or razors at the regular grocery store as they are usually more expensive.

I never buy toothpaste or razors at the regular grocery store as they are usually more expensive.

My point, exactly. I applaud Sunflower and what they offer but as a full service shopping destination, they won't work.

My point, exactly. I applaud Sunflower and what they offer but as a full service shopping destination, they won't work.

I agree ljbab728. But, they sure are good at what they do. I've loved having Sunflower close by.

My point, exactly. I applaud Sunflower and what they offer but as a full service shopping destination, they won't work.

Where do you normally buy these things, then? We bought shampoo and soap at Homeland yesterday; the price was about normal for those two items. Razors, however, I get at Sam's so I don't have to buy them often. They may not cost any less, but at least I have a bunch lol.