The New York Times had an article in today's food section by a chef who tried to fix some decent meals using items from a discount grocery store.
I thought I'd write something in response about how you can save all kinds of money on groceries without shopping at discount stores. But first I thought I should take a closer look at the discount store in my neighborhood, in case it defied my preconceptions.
I generally stay away from these stores because I'm turned off by all the cheap, processed foods. But the Madrona Farmers' Market, where I vend, is held in the parking lot of a Grocery Outlet. They're great hosts, and I can usually pick up items there that I've forgotten to bring, like soap and paper towels.
Today I checked out the store on 130th and Aurora. As I expected, I found long aisles of canned meats and vegetables, and boxes of convenience foods. But I was actually impressed with the cheese section, which included ricotta salata as well as several varieties of flavored havarti.
I was disturbed by an observation I made on my way out the door. The ice was priced at 99 cents, and the sign said that was a $2 savings over the price of $2.99 that regular grocery stores charge. I buy ice regularly, and I rarely see it for more than $1.29. Even Whole Foods--Whole Foods!--sells a bag of ice for a dollar. If discount store prices are so low, why do they have to lie about what the competition is charging?
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