Quality grocery stores in OKC

[jerrywall]

Trader Joe or Amazon? Trader Joe’s has been around since 1958 .... way before hipsters were born. Lots of blue hairs shop at TJ.

So we were into Trader Joe's before it was cool?

[Rover]

So we were into Trader Joe's before it was cool?

I think TJs has always been cool. Our local hipsters (along with the Nichols Hills crowd) are just now finding out how cool. Who would have thought OKC hipsters and NH residents would hang out together. LOL

[jerrywall]

Hipsters already ruined PBR and skinny ties for me. Hands off my Trader Joe's.

#grumpyoldman

[Uptowner]

TJ’s has always been hipster. My description of hipster is “strives to be different, even though some of those differences could be considered flaws.”

[John1744]

Harps Food is purchasing the Country Boy Markets in Harrah at SE 29th and Harrah Road and the store in Little Axe by Lake Thunderbird. This will be the most westward stores Harps has. They are predominately in the Tulsa area, Kansas and Arkansas. We believe this is a step towards an approach to the OKC market for them. The stores will be supplied by AWG of OKC and out of Harp's warehouse.

[bchris02]

Harp's is much more well-run than Homeland in my opinion and is a solid mid-tier grocery store (like Reasor's). Having them in OKC would be a significant step up over current choices. However, they are typically rural-market stores. It will be interesting if they attempt to make inroads into the OKC market. Right now, the NW Arkansas area is the only non-rural market they are in. They don't even have any stores in the actual Tulsa metro (though they are in small towns surrounding Tulsa).

If there is still a niche for mid-tier grocery stores I think there is definitely an opening in this market, especially with SQ 792 coming on line.

[Mott]

I'd like to see a Luckys Market a chain from Boulder, if Columbia MO can support one why not Midtown?

https://www.luckysmarket.com/
and even better if we got a
https://www.luckysmarket.com/luckys-...amery/gallery/

[Harbinger]

I thought this would be a good topic to banter over. I think the article is successful at making the point that these stores do provide a basic need to those with no grocery options near by, but whether or not they do more harm than good is subject to debate...

“Although dollar stores sometimes fill a need in places that lack basic retail services, there’s growing evidence that these stores are not merely a byproduct of economic distress. They’re a cause of it,” write ISLR co-authors Marie Donahue and Stacey Mitchell. “In small towns and urban neighborhoods alike, dollar stores are leading full-service grocery stores to close. And their strategy of saturating communities with multiple outlets is making it impossible for new grocers and other local businesses to take root and grow.”

https://www.fastcompany.com/90278384...s-they-open-in

[Pete]

^

That's interesting.

I don't understand why people shop at these places in towns like OKC where there are tons of other options, even very nearby.

Yet, they are everywhere in OKC, and not just in food deserts.

[stile99]

My first reaction to reading the post was "Yeah right, show me ONE case where Dollar General caused a real store to close!'.

Then I clicked on the link. First two paragraphs shut me right up, Very interesting indeed.

[FighttheGoodFight]

Powerful article there.

[OKCbyTRANSFER]

I'm guessing that's why many of these places have upped the anty and installed coolers and freezer units to expand grocery options to bread, juice and things like frozen pizza. Hmm, maybe cold beer now too. Almost no need to go to a grocery store unless you do want the fresh fruit and meat option. I wonder how much Aldi meets or could further meet the needs of these food deserts.

[John1744]

In the grocery industry and we've attended a ton of seminars about Dollar General. They're handy, usually close and in rural areas other stores won't enter into. They can be built fast with very little overhead (have you ever seen a well taken care of Dollar Store?) The local dollar store tried to poach me for store manager, offered me 20K less than I was currently making and told me straight up in the interview that whatever hours I didn't have available at the end of the week I was expected to make up since I was salary and free labor after 45 hours. They sold it as a way to make sure you get your bonus each year by hitting labor. So many of their managers work 60-70 hours a week to get a $3-4K bonus.

But for consumers it doesn't even make sense to shop at the dollar store most of the time. All big manufacturers now make specialty sizes for dollar stores so you perceive you're getting a deal but you aren't in actuallity. One example, Walmart carries a 50oz Tide probably for about $6.99 most of the time. DG will carry a 32oz Tide for $4.99 the bottle will look similar but has less liquid in it. Price per oz? WM Tide: $.14, DG Tide = $.155, they always come out higher in the long run. Even if they do have a decent deal on a gallon of milk or pop I guarantee you they're making it up with the bag of candy you bought or a few of their impulse items.

I'm rambling but it really sucks seeing people on EBT assistance spending a hundred dollars at a store like DG when they could get so much more for their buck at a Crest or even a Walmart.

[Mballard85]

In the grocery industry and we've attended a ton of seminars about Dollar General. They're handy, usually close and in rural areas other stores won't enter into. They can be built fast with very little overhead (have you ever seen a well taken care of Dollar Store?) The local dollar store tried to poach me for store manager, offered me 20K less than I was currently making and told me straight up in the interview that whatever hours I didn't have available at the end of the week I was expected to make up since I was salary and free labor after 45 hours. They sold it as a way to make sure you get your bonus each year by hitting labor. So many of their managers work 60-70 hours a week to get a $3-4K bonus.

But for consumers it doesn't even make sense to shop at the dollar store most of the time. All big manufacturers now make specialty sizes for dollar stores so you perceive you're getting a deal but you aren't in actuallity. One example, Walmart carries a 50oz Tide probably for about $6.99 most of the time. DG will carry a 32oz Tide for $4.99 the bottle will look similar but has less liquid in it. Price per oz? WM Tide: $.14, DG Tide = $.155, they always come out higher in the long run. Even if they do have a decent deal on a gallon of milk or pop I guarantee you they're making it up with the bag of candy you bought or a few of their impulse items.

I'm rambling but it really sucks seeing people on EBT assistance spending a hundred dollars at a store like DG when they could get so much more for their buck at a Crest or even a Walmart.

It's all about perception and they do it very well. There are 3 Dollar General's within 4 miles of my home, County Line and Memorial, and they are always busy. There is one just down from the Crest on Rockwell and Hefner and it is pretty busy from what I can tell. It really just blows my mind, they are filthy and cluttered yet people flock to them like they are selling the miracle to life.

[Plutonic Panda]

That’s the free market. The only reason they’re in business is because people support. The government telling them how many stores they can build is NOT the answer.

[OKCbyTRANSFER]

"
I'm rambling but it really sucks seeing people on EBT assistance spending a hundred dollars at a store like DG when they could get so much more for their buck at a Crest or even a Walmart"
So as you mentioned, and the article as well, those EBT customers could also be getting fresh fruit and healthier options at a full service grocery, and extending the dollars received. Thanks for that info

[Pete]

What is the attraction???


When I lived in SoSA there was a Family Dollar at 11th and Classen and since I could walk, I tried to use it.

It was just so horrible. Cluttered is a nice word. Junky and jammed full of crap spilling onto the floor is more accurate. And the aisles are ridiculously narrow.

And the parking lot was always just full of trash. Like people would go outside, eat/drink/whatever and throw garbage down and it would sit there for days until it blew away.


As much as I hated the Homeland on Classen before the remodel, it was still a million times better.

I just don't understand why people shop at these places.

[OKCbyTRANSFER]

That is a trashy Family Dollar, the other one on 23rd by Broadway was nicer (!) and the newer Dollar General is ok as well.

[kukblue1]

I'm a coupon guy. Shop for the best price. Dollar General is cheaper on some things especially when you use digital coupons on top of manufacturer coupons. Crest is cheaper on some things then Winco. Winco is cheaper then some things at Crest. It really just depends on sales and what your after. Homeland and Walmart are by far the most expensive when it comes to grocery. Even braums is cheaper then Walmart in the produce department most of the time. Really just comes down to where you like to shop. Oh and Aldi has some things cheaper but off brand. Buy for less is Meh for me. Maybe if they had cleaner stores i would go there more. Anyway for me it's Crest, Winco, Dollar General, Buy for less, Braums, Aldi, Homeland, Walmart.

[Pete]

I love Winco because they have such a massive assortment.

I went tonight and had a long list and as big as that place is, I found everything I need pretty quickly.

Big fan of that store.

[jerrywall]

When I had my shop on South Western, there weren't any close convenient grocery options, but there was a family dollar in the shopping center, and a nice dollar general down the road. I imagine the attraction for many is the same reason folks will pay the convenience tax at on cue or 7-11. Close and quick in and out.

[Thomas Vu]

I'm a coupon guy. Shop for the best price. Dollar General is cheaper on some things especially when you use digital coupons on top of manufacturer coupons. Crest is cheaper on some things then Winco. Winco is cheaper then some things at Crest. It really just depends on sales and what your after. Homeland and Walmart are by far the most expensive when it comes to grocery. Even braums is cheaper then Walmart in the produce department most of the time. Really just comes down to where you like to shop. Oh and Aldi has some things cheaper but off brand. Buy for less is Meh for me. Maybe if they had cleaner stores i would go there more. Anyway for me it's Crest, Winco, Dollar General, Buy for less, Braums, Aldi, Homeland, Walmart.

With all of those places on the list, is it worth the extra time in gas and traveling to stop by all of those places?

[PaddyShack]

How did the old IGA places fair? I remember alway going to the Snyder's IGA in Yukon when growing up. My father never shopped anywhere else. But I believe they went out of business before I started making the grocery runs myself, so I can't really compare what they were like to what we have now. All I know is I used to love going to Snyder's to get the free cookie!!

[stile99]

With all of those places on the list, is it worth the extra time in gas and traveling to stop by all of those places?

People always use the gas argument when the topic of shopping around is discussed, and the answer is always yes, it's worth it. I don't consider Dollar General to be a grocery store option at all (I'd think of Braums for grocery store before Dollar General), so when I discuss shopping options in Mustang I say there's just two. Fake Homeland (whatever they changed the name to when they went on their "cost plus 10%" scam, I don't care) and Walmart that doesn't know how to stock. So...basically no options. There's a weekly run to Yukon where the options are fake Buy For Less, Sprouts, Aldi, Walmart, Walmart Grocery, two real Homelands. About a monthly run to Sam's Club. I'll agree that it would be silly to drive to WinCo or Crest from Mustang just to shop, but that's really only due to time and distance, not prices. Even factoring in the cost of gas it would be worth the trip.

Here's the thing with gas. It's crazy expensive, but it's also not. At $4/gallon (nowhere in the metro is charging this that I know of, many places I drive past are below $2 for the last couple weeks) and 15 MPG (this car sucks, dude), you're looking at a touch over 26 cents/mile. We've already used ridiculous numbers but let's go ahead and raise that to 30 cents. If I drive 10 miles and save three bucks, it's worth it in the crappy gas-guzzling car that I filled up at double the normal price, after we rounded up.

So like I said, it's not the cost of gas, it's the cost of time. I'm looking at 25 minutes (one way) to the nearest WinCo, and a similar time to the Crest on 23rd (if I'm going to 39th and Portland, this would be the best option). I could go to Moore, where there's both stores, but about a 30 minute drive. I wouldn't have to save much to pay for the gas, it's the driving time and then the time in the two stores that's the real problem.

[Dob Hooligan]

I go to the Family Dollar around the corner a couple times a week. I'm over 50, so I just want to make a quick strike and get out. Shopping is not fun; rather I hunt and gather. Those dollar stores are great for buying a handful of packaged items without standing in a long line. They aren't anything new, they are filling the niche that Ben Franklin, TG&Y and the earlier Wal-Mart stores used to fill.

I used to work at an IGA in the late 70s. They did a great job of being a locally owned, full service store in about 10,000 square feet. The rule was that-as a checker-you could have the customer you were checking and one person behind them before you had to call for back up. I think we as a society decided we would rather wander mammoth warehouses and stand in long lines in order to save 5-10%. Economies of scale, and all that.