Groceries (Knoxville, Farragut, Adams: how much, buy, live)

[Adamson865]

Thanks all. I'm packing up and heading out in the U-Haul a week from today.

This will be the first time I've ever had to pay sales tax on groceries (boo hiss) so low price will be important to me. I surveyed the weekly ad for Kroger there and the Kroger-owned Fry's here; formatting, products, prices in the ads are identical *except* for produce. I take that as a good sign that whatever produce is more available in each region gets highlighted in each location.

[creeksitter]

If the South Knoxville Kroger scares you then take a trip to The Fellini Kroger on Broadway and afterwards S Knox will seem downright middle class.

Eventually you will go to West Knoxville because everything is there. I like to visit Trader Joe's and maybe catch Aldi on the way home. For close by shopping Kroger is your best bet.

[grampaTom]

Originally Posted by creeksitter

If the South Knoxville Kroger scares you then take a trip to The Fellini Kroger on Broadway and afterwards S Knox will seem downright middle class.

Eventually you will go to West Knoxville because everything is there. I like to visit Trader Joe's and maybe catch Aldi on the way home. For close by shopping Kroger is your best bet.

I agree

[Adamson865]

Originally Posted by creeksitter

If the South Knoxville Kroger scares you then take a trip to The Fellini Kroger on Broadway and afterwards S Knox will seem downright middle class.

Eventually you will go to West Knoxville because everything is there. I like to visit Trader Joe's and maybe catch Aldi on the way home. For close by shopping Kroger is your best bet.

No, that's not my MO. I don't like to travel long distances just for groceries. For a special reason like maybe to go to Academy for shoes or something similar, but not for groceries, and I definitely don't visit multiple grocery stores to do my weekly run. I usually go to Walmart and I see there's one down south, but I will check out the Food City down there as well as the UGO. Probably the only one I'll check out across the river will be the Publix because it's close at hand.

[TheShadow]

Publix is a great top-notch store in my opinion. Think Whole Foods without the organic requirements and not quite as pricey. Kroger is a minor step down from that. Ingles is very similar to Kroger. I think they might have the same parent company. All 3 of them can be on the pricier end of the grocery spectrum. Food City is a very run of the mill grocery store. Lower prices. Occasional good deals. It's fine, but nothing at all to be excited about. You have to be careful with the produce and, of course, check your expiration dates on everything there. Food Lion is similar to Food City, with even worse (less fresh) produce than Food City. (Can you tell I hail originally from the salad basket of the country?) Aldi is a discount chain, and they have very limited selection. I went in once and walked out empty-handed as they had nothing that I was looking for in appropriate quantities for a 2-person home. Maybe it's just me, but there were none of my familiar brands. It sounds weird, but Walmart has better produce than a lot of the grocery stores here because they sell such a volume that it's re-stocked more often. They have smaller selection, but it tends to be fresher.

If you drink, be prepared for sticker shock. Also liquor isn't sold in grocery stores, just beer and wine.

[Adamson865]

Originally Posted by TheShadow

Publix is a great top-notch store in my opinion. Think Whole Foods without the organic requirements and not quite as pricey. Kroger is a minor step down from that. Ingles is very similar to Kroger. I think they might have the same parent company. All 3 of them can be on the pricier end of the grocery spectrum. Food City is a very run of the mill grocery store. Lower prices. Occasional good deals. It's fine, but nothing at all to be excited about. You have to be careful with the produce and, of course, check your expiration dates on everything there. Food Lion is similar to Food City, with even worse (less fresh) produce than Food City. (Can you tell I hail originally from the salad basket of the country?) Aldi is a discount chain, and they have very limited selection. I went in once and walked out empty-handed as they had nothing that I was looking for in appropriate quantities for a 2-person home. Maybe it's just me, but there were none of my familiar brands. It sounds weird, but Walmart has better produce than a lot of the grocery stores here because they sell such a volume that it's re-stocked more often. They have smaller selection, but it tends to be fresher.

If you drink, be prepared for sticker shock. Also liquor isn't sold in grocery stores, just beer and wine.

Thanks! Now *this* is what I was looking for... but do these grocery stores have sidewalks? (nyuk nyuk)

I'm checking out now to get ready to leave Tucson on Monday - see ya on the other side...

[creeksitter]

My point was that if you go to West Knoxville anyway that's when you visit trader Joe, if you like them, that is. If you are driving out to Walmart there's a food City nearby and you can decide which one you favor. Are you the guy working at UT hospital? If so, Publix is very convenient.

[Serious Conversation]

Originally Posted by TheShadow

Publix is a great top-notch store in my opinion. Think Whole Foods without the organic requirements and not quite as pricey. Kroger is a minor step down from that. Ingles is very similar to Kroger. I think they might have the same parent company. All 3 of them can be on the pricier end of the grocery spectrum. Food City is a very run of the mill grocery store. Lower prices. Occasional good deals. It's fine, but nothing at all to be excited about. You have to be careful with the produce and, of course, check your expiration dates on everything there. Food Lion is similar to Food City, with even worse (less fresh) produce than Food City. (Can you tell I hail originally from the salad basket of the country?) Aldi is a discount chain, and they have very limited selection. I went in once and walked out empty-handed as they had nothing that I was looking for in appropriate quantities for a 2-person home. Maybe it's just me, but there were none of my familiar brands. It sounds weird, but Walmart has better produce than a lot of the grocery stores here because they sell such a volume that it's re-stocked more often. They have smaller selection, but it tends to be fresher.

If you drink, be prepared for sticker shock. Also liquor isn't sold in grocery stores, just beer and wine.

This is my take too.

The Bearden Kroger is really, really good. Publix is also very good, but pricier. Ingles is sometimes a step below Publix, around Kroger's level, but they also have a decent selection of local/regional stuff. Food City and Food Lion are a clear step below that.

Ingles is independent and not affiliated with Kroger. Ingles is based out of Asheville.

[JOinGA]

Publix has weekly BOGO items. That is a good time to stock up on the items you like. By the way, in TN you do not actually have to buy one to get one free in Publix. They just ring up at half price.

[danielj72]

Originally Posted by TheShadow

Publix is a great top-notch store in my opinion. Think Whole Foods without the organic requirements and not quite as pricey. Kroger is a minor step down from that. Ingles is very similar to Kroger. I think they might have the same parent company. All 3 of them can be on the pricier end of the grocery spectrum. Food City is a very run of the mill grocery store. Lower prices. Occasional good deals. It's fine, but nothing at all to be excited about. You have to be careful with the produce and, of course, check your expiration dates on everything there. Food Lion is similar to Food City, with even worse (less fresh) produce than Food City. (Can you tell I hail originally from the salad basket of the country?) Aldi is a discount chain, and they have very limited selection. I went in once and walked out empty-handed as they had nothing that I was looking for in appropriate quantities for a 2-person home. Maybe it's just me, but there were none of my familiar brands. It sounds weird, but Walmart has better produce than a lot of the grocery stores here because they sell such a volume that it's re-stocked more often. They have smaller selection, but it tends to be fresher.

If you drink, be prepared for sticker shock. Also liquor isn't sold in grocery stores, just beer and wine.

I agree with this assessment of our grocery choices. Actually I have always liked Ingles. Publix is a great choice if one is near to you. As far as the alcohol goes……total wine In Turkey Creek is a good place to go and save a bit. They have an unreal selection.