Grocery shopping is this city has been a very different experience comparing to grocery shopping
in London.
Before we moved here, all I could think of was huge Wal-Marts all over the
place with very cheap deals. No, no, no!!!! When we arrived, surprise... They
were no where to be found in Manhattan.
In order to find bigger markets such as Target and Costco you have to head to East Harlem. If you do not have a car and is not stocking
up for 2 years (for a couple) with the size of the packages, it is not worth
the hassle.
In London, we have big chains such as Tesco, Sainsbury's, Morrison's, Waitrose, Asda, Lidl, M&S in a very fierce
competition. In Manhattan, grocery shops seem to be quite
small, with a limited selection and very, very expensive!!!! Also, in the
beginning I could not understand why I could not find household cleaning
products in the shelves of the grocery shops most of the time. Surprisingly, in
order to buy cleaning products, toilet paper and detergent I had to go to the
24 hours drugstores! I was quite impressed by that. Duane Reade, CVS and Walgreens have become my main
source of household cleaning products. Oh dear, how would that make sense? Now
I have got used to it and thank God I have a 24 hours Duane Reade in front of my
building.
There
are a few fancy chains such as The Food Emporium, Gristedes, D'Agostino, The Whole Foods, Fairway, Morton
Williams, etc. Our first grocery shopping experience was at The Food Emporium in Midtown East. What an expensive
place!!! For some reason there are 2 different prices for the same
product and you never know how much you are paying until you see the receipt
back home and collapse lol I just worked out why last week when I was watching
a TV show where the presenter was explaining the difference in both prices. Not
sure I have understood it fully yet. Have to pay attention when I go back to
The Food Emporium or The Whole Foods next time (only in special occasions or if
I am too lazy to go to Trader Joe's as there is another The Food Emporium branch
very close to our flat).
Our best and favorite discovery this side of the
pond has definitely been our beloved Trader Joe's. Where else can you shop
listening to Michael Jackson or Phil Collins? Where else do you get free coffee
while shopping? Where else are there people holding signs indicating the
middle and the end of the queue because there are so many people around at peak
times? There are units in the Upper West Side (with an escalator for the
trolleys - wicked!!!), Chelsea and around Union Square. We have been to all of them
and our local has become the one in Chelsea
as it is closer to our flat. The prices are nearly half of the ones charged by
the competitors and they have a great selection of fresh products. Ideal for
people who cook home as much as we do.On top of that, the staff and products
are amazing!!!! I have never seen so many happy people working under a roof :)
It is a feel good experience, in spite of being grocery shopping.
Usually we walk there and get a taxi back. So
happy taxi fares are so cheap here!!!!!! Please let me know if you have any
other tips about affordable grocery shopping in Manhattan. Would love to find out more about
any other deals. Posts to follow: farmer's market + grocery shopping
online :)
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