Quality grocery stores in OKC

[rizzo]

Crest already is on that side of town, Hefner & Rockwell. I don't see them putting another location up there without closing that one.

You're absolutely right though, that area along Memorial should be attracting all sorts of higher end businesses. There is so much land and it's one of the reasons why I don't really feel like moving from this side of town. I'm holding out hope that they build a Lifetime Fitness on Memorial.

The Crest on Rockwell is small. A new one around memorial & Rockwell area would be welcomed.

[bchris02]

The Crest on Rockwell is small. A new one around memorial & Rockwell area would be welcomed.

I agree. The Rockwell Crest compared to the new Norman location is like the 18th and Classen Homeland compared to the Britton and May location. Far NW OKC could really use a decent grocery store. The best option for those who want to avoid Wal-Mart is Homeland at 122nd and Rockwell. That isn't a great store by far but it's the best there is in that corner of the city.

[Jim Kyle]

The best option for those who want to avoid Wal-Mart is Homeland at 122nd and Rockwell. That isn't a great store by far but it's the best there is in that corner of the city.

Since there's almost nothing else within a mile of that Homeland, it has to be the best in that corner. However the Crest a mile south at Hefner is better in many ways. My preferences, however, are the Homeland at Britton and May, and the Buy For Less at NW Highway and Hefner Parkway. And even the Homeland at NW Hiway and MacArthur is much better than the one at NW 122 and Rockwell...

[bchris02]

Since there's almost nothing else within a mile of that Homeland, it has to be the best in that corner. However the Crest a mile south at Hefner is better in many ways. My preferences, however, are the Homeland at Britton and May, and the Buy For Less at NW Highway and Hefner Parkway. And even the Homeland at NW Hiway and MacArthur is much better than the one at NW 122 and Rockwell...

I personally prefer the Homeland to that Crest. Neither of them are really good stores though. Sometimes I'll drive to Buy for Less on NW Expressway or Sprouts on 63rd to grocery shop.

[Jim Kyle]

I personally prefer the Homeland to that Crest. Neither of them are really good stores though.

Agreed! Both have a limited range of choices. For any items that both carry, though, the Crest is usually at least 10% lower in price, and sometimes there's a 2:1 difference. Meat is better at Homeland, produce usually better at Crest. Consequently I shop both of them and wish for a better choice out here near NW 122 and Council...

[trousers]

Another store I've become a regular in is Sprouts. Not only have I been impressed with the quality of the food, but the value is better than at Crest or Whole Foods. I'm not yet where I can move 100% of my grocery shopping there, but I'm about 50/50 between Sprouts and Crest (especially when it comes to produce).

I'm about in the same boat. All meat & produce from Sprouts. Dry goods, frozen items, and juice from the Buy For Less on NW Expressway. Though I don't know if I'm allowed to mention BFL on this thread since it seems reserved for "quality" grocery stores lol.

[bchris02]

I'm about in the same boat. All meat & produce from Sprouts. Dry goods, frozen items, and juice from the Buy For Less on NW Expressway. Though I don't know if I'm allowed to mention BFL on this thread since it seems reserved for "quality" grocery stores lol.

Buy for Less on NW Expressway as well as Uptown Grocery are decent stores. A lot of the other stores in the chain are dirty and dated. Pretty much every traditional chain in OKC, be it Homeland, Crest, or Buy for Less is very inconsistent with a select few stores where they sink all of their money with the remaining locations being neglected.

[bradh]

I'm in the minority I think, but I really like the Buy for Less on Expressway, it's a great store with an incredibly friendly and helpful staff.

[bchris02]

I'm in the minority I think, but I really like the Buy for Less on Expressway, it's a great store with an incredibly friendly and helpful staff.

I don't think anybody has said they didn't like that Buy for Less. They have some other locations though that are close contenders with the 18th and Classen Homeland for being the worst grocery store in the metro.

[bradh]

True, I just wanted to point out about the staff at that location, always going out of their way to help shoppers, and seem to take pride in the store.

[bchris02]

I was in Norman this evening and stopped by the new Crest. It's a real grocery store, like is standard in other cities and should be expected. Kudos to them for raising the bar. Now NW OKC needs a location like this one and the one on S May.

[bradh]

Dude...there is nothing different at Buy For Less on Expressway from the Crest on S. May. When I drove down to that Crest to shop once I felt like it was a waste of gas.

[bchris02]

Dude...there is nothing different at Buy For Less on Expressway from the Crest on S. May. When I drove down to that Crest to shop once I felt like it was a waste of gas.

Right, I wouldn't drive all the way to Norman just to shop at that Crest. I was down there though so I decided to check it out.

[Mississippi Blues]

Okay, I have a question because I honestly don't know how semi-trailers work, if they are hauled around the country by different companies (i.e. how you'll see a Union Pacific train engine on a BNSF owned track). A good friend of mine that recently moved to OKC from San Antonio posted a picture on Instagram of an H-E-B trailer here in OKC. I know H-E-B has said in the not-too-distant past that they don't plan on expanding outside of Texas anytime soon & I don't think they're expanding here anytime soon just because they had a semi here driving around on city streets, I'm just slightly confused why there was one here with no stores located here.

[bchris02]

Okay, I have a question because I honestly don't know how semi-trailers work, if they are hauled around the country by different companies (i.e. how you'll see a Union Pacific train engine on a BNSF owned track). A good friend of mine that recently moved to OKC from San Antonio posted a picture on Instagram of an H-E-B trailer here in OKC. I know H-E-B has said in the not-too-distant past that they don't plan on expanding outside of Texas anytime soon & I don't think they're expanding here anytime soon just because they had a semi here driving around on city streets, I'm just slightly confused why there was one here with no stores located here.

That is interesting. H-E-B's turf is primarily South Texas with the exception of the Central Market stores in the Metroplex and the few stores in the southern exurbs. They have no Amarillo locations so I don't see any reason an H-E-B truck would have to drive through Oklahoma. They do not own any other grocery chains.

[bluedogok]

HEB does carry some Oklahoma made products like Griffin's products, the Austin locations were pretty much fully stocked with them just like Crest in OKC.

[bluedogok]

The parent company of Albertson's (Cerebrus) is buying Safeway and merging them together, Cerebrus bought Albertson's last year.

Cerberus Capital to buy Safeway for about $9.4 billion

[bchris02]

The parent company of Albertson's (Cerebrus) is buying Safeway and merging them together, Cerebrus bought Albertson's last year.

Cerberus Capital to buy Safeway for about $9.4 billion

Unfortunately this has no effect on OKC since Albertson's pulled out of the market.

[Buffalo Bill]

Unfortunately this has no effect on OKC since Albertson's pulled out of the market.

Maybe the new conglomeration will expand into Oklahoma or Kroger will open something here? One can hope.

[bchris02]

Maybe the new conglomeration will expand into Oklahoma or Kroger will open something here? One can hope.

Why did Albertson's pull out in the first place? I always assumed it was the fact they couldn't compete with Wal-Mart but that could just be an incorrect assumption on my part.

[trousers]

Why did Albertson's pull out in the first place? I always assumed it was the fact they couldn't compete with Wal-Mart but that could just be an incorrect assumption on my part.

Wasn't Alberstons bought out by Homeland?

[bchris02]

Wasn't Alberstons bought out by Homeland?

Albertson's pulled out of the OKC market and Homeland bought up some of the locations they vacated.

[bluedogok]

Why did Albertson's pull out in the first place? I always assumed it was the fact they couldn't compete with Wal-Mart but that could just be an incorrect assumption on my part.

When Albertson's pulled out of many markets including closing many stores in Denver and completely leaving Austin it was because they were hemorrhaging cash and were heavily leveraged, the owners at that time couldn't sustain the chain at that level. The closings occurred before the complete Cerebrus buyout last year, they were part of a group that bought Albertson's in 2006. Maybe they were intent on driving down the price to buy the other investors out. The southwest stores (Colorado, Oklahoma and Texas included in that group) were bought by Cerebrus in the 2006 transaction. Cerebrus/New Albertson's bought Texas Panhandle based United Supermarkets last year as well, I know they used to have some stores in the Altus area.

Remember that Safeway went through a leveraged buyout and junk bond scandal and subsequent takeover by KKR which led to the Oklahoma division was bought out and spun off into Homeland in 1987 to help satisfy the debt load along with many others.

I guess Cerebrus needed something to do with the money from the Chrysler divestiture.

[Jeepnokc]

Only chain in OK mentioned is WalMart

The 12 Worst Supermarkets in America | The Fiscal Times

[bchris02]

Only chain in OK mentioned is WalMart

The 12 Worst Supermarkets in America | The Fiscal Times

That's because Wal-Mart is the only national chain doing business in OKC these days. I think OKC's best hope at better grocery stores is for Crest to snowball their expansion of new stores and eventually become to the OKC market what Reasor's is to Tulsa. I highly doubt anybody like Kroger, Publix, or H-E-B will come into the market and save the day, at least not without a change in the liquor laws.