b. What else is new?
c. We all eat - so it's still relevant right?
I have heard the radio commercials for weeks, probably even months. "Discount done right." Honestly though, until the flyer showed up in my mailbox last week announcing the newly opened FreshCo in town, I had not paid much attention.
Lamely, I admit, the coupon for a free grocery bag drove me to the store. I have to admit though, as a discount shopper, I was a little intrigued by the thought of an abundant selection of fresh fruits & veggies, a bakery and deli. This didn't sound like your everyday No Frills.
The newest grocery banner under the Sobey's empire replaced the Price Chopper in my town. I shopped at Price Chopper once and decided not to ever again, so I was a little speculative entering the store. This was even before my Google research verified what I experienced firsthand- this is not a re-launched discount brand. FreshCo is a spanking new brand, and in my opinion, they're positioned to give all grocery stores a run for their money.
Buying Ontario and Canadian grown fruits and veggies is most important to me. Bins full of wonderful, Ontario watermelons and cabbages greeted me at the front door. Just inside, I was met with more bins of potatos, onions, peaches and more, all grown proudly in Ontario. Impressive, I thought. Furthermore, as I walked the remainder of the aisles, I was surprised amazed at how much domestic produce and meat was available for customers to purchase. Their selection might even send Galen Weston back to the countryside for more locally grown food.
You might be asking right about now- "But wait! How can you say you care about getting cheap food AND buying local. You're a bit of a hypocrite." I guess I don't disagree. I buy local/domestic to support our farmers, but I also have to mind my budget. I put Ontario/Canadian first and regardless of price, but if I can have both, why wouldn't I?
I steered pretty clear of the 'value items', which is grocery store code for the processed-high-margin-not-necessarily-healthy foods. I rarely go down these aisles anyway, unless for canned food or cereal, but I could see the bulk pallets proclaiming cheaper prices.
All-in-all, I was impressed. The store was clean. The associates friendly, although I didn't have any questions to really test out their service. The selection, pretty good. As Arnold put it "I will be back."
And if there are more people out there like me, I think they will be too.
Check out FreshCo's handy Pack-Your-Panty, Savvy Shopping Tips and Meet Their Growers on their
website.
If you're like me and planning to spend your Christmas bonus on home repairs and upgrades, you may be looking for some additional ideas to stretch your wallet without compromising the holiday season enjoyment of giving.
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