Do it yourself supermarket checkouts

[shara]

Mmm sounds like a good plan

[Geoff]

I went to QF in Qualicum Beach when I was up there several years ago. A nice store, but I found their prices on the high side. And went to the Parksville one years ago, as it was close to where we stayed. It seemed ok to me. I can see why you'd be upset over them putting expired stuff back on the shelves. Lesson here to check those expiry dates, there or elsewhere. I rarely buy groceries at Shoppers here, but I do agree they do give some generous discounts. I mostly go there for stamps, bus tickets, or to buy SLAM magazine ( I am a big hoops fan ), and at the Woodgrove location it is the nice bottle of aftershave, or stamps. At times that changes, but those are my common Shoppers buys.

[shara]

Wow! Google Quality Foods Canada Qualicum and you'll find a web page with an e-mail address for their head office in Qualicum. E-mail them and tell them what's happening. My online ordered and delivered groceries come from the Bowen Road store, and that's never been a problem.

During the snow weeks this winter the delivery service was suspended because there were a lot of places they couldn't reach. I began to run out of things, and I was getting desperate. I e-mailed the head office in Qualicum outlining my problem, they gave me a number to call to give my order, and the order was on my doorstep within hours. I'm a senior, living alone with no family in Nanaimo, and any friends who could have helped me were off toasting their toes in places like Mexico, so I was really stuck. There's no way I could have walked to my closest supermarket and returned carrying groceries.

The service I've had (and the quality of the food) from the Bowen Road store that the delivery is run out of, and the service from their head office, has been excellent. I honestly think that the head office would want to hear about this.

I forgot to tell you that I did this and they called me back, talked to DH, apologized and said there is a gift certificate waiting for us. Although we haven't picked it up yet. They said they would talk to their diary department.

[alas]

That newly renovated Country Grocer is really nice inside. I've only been in once to buy a block of cheese because it's quite out of my way but I liked the look of it.

Does anyone shop there regularly?

I love Country Grocer.

Everything you need as a staple in your kitchen is always regularly value priced or on sale... like cheese, milk, flour, meat.

It seems like Sunday night when I do school lunch shop all the lunch stuff is on sale, from granola bars and yogourt to the kids fav lunch meat.

When we got a grocery store in Cedar (maybe 6-8 years ago?) I still continued to shop at Food Country/Country Grocer... at first only because the milk was $0.75 less.... but ultimately everything is priced well, and there are always cashiers available!!

[fitz]

I have no idea why I loved Country Grocer on my first visit this last weekend.

I can't put my finger on it... the aisles are smaller, the choices more 'refined', friendly staff.. and they carry some of the "Safeway" brands that I had missed.

The deli/cafe is really good in there as well.. had a great panini with roasted veggies & goat cheese, for quite a reasonable price... and the cafe idea didn't seem as out of place as it does at the Save-On equivalent... felt.. comfy.

It's a bit out of the way for everyday shopping, but I'll head down there from time to time for sure.

[Nostradama]

I forgot to tell you that I did this and they called me back, talked to DH, apologized and said there is a gift certificate waiting for us. Although we haven't picked it up yet. They said they would talk to their diary department.

I'm glad to hear that they treated you well. Or at least they will be, once you pick up your gift certificate. They have always been absolutely golden to me. Great delivery guy, handwritten notes from the "pick and pack" lady every week, asking how I'm doing, the usual complaints we all have about long periods of rain, smiles when the sun is shining, that she writes on the computer printout that comes with the groceries. The delivery guy knows I have a bad back, so there's no dropping the flats of water just inside my door, they go where I store them. (Can't drink the city water here from time to time--another story about parts of the north end.) They have actually become friends.

[Nostradama]

even 'tho I very rarely go into one any more, is the increasing number of "in the middle of the aisle" displays they're putting up. I'm not gonna name names, but my nearest supermarket puts them in places where sometimes it's actually hard to get your cart past them. They're trying to pack in as much product as they can, and it's just plain annoying.

[kickidee]

even 'tho I very rarely go into one any more, is the increasing number of "in the middle of the aisle" displays they're putting up. I'm not gonna name names, but my nearest supermarket puts them in places where sometimes it's actually hard to get your cart past them. They're trying to pack in as much product as they can, and it's just plain annoying.

Well there you go, I never shopped for a few years, then when I started again I found there was no room for me in the aisle and the store was crowded. I looked down to check but did not see myself as that much bigger! Yes this habit of putting island displays in the center of aisles is crowding out the factor who really pays, me, and who is going to look at the stuff on an island display when they are walking away quickly in total embarrassment that their cart is now stuck in the middle of it.
I hate crowds and it seems there is one at every store I visit.

[Geoff]

I agree island displays do get annoying. I'm also finding crowds more frequent too. I don't like the crowds either. I do my best to deal with them, but it isn't easy sometimes.

[shara]

You have to go at the right time of day to avoid the crowds. Costco employees have told me that their lull is right when kids are getting out of school but before parents have time to get from school to costco lol. So around 3:30. I find that true of a few places too. Weekday mornings are good at Walmart and I find superstore to be really quiet in the evening except on the weekends. The other evening I was there and there was only ONE person in front of me shocking

I really love how superstore sells you biodegradable bags now that are bigger so you don't need as many