Store Wars: Attack of the Grocers

Gothamist loves food, so we were naturally riveted by New York magazine's great expose of sorts on the growing grocery store rivalries in the city last week. The players include web upstart Freshdirect, the do-gooder organic empire Whole Foods trying to make inroads all over the city and Upper West Side institution Fairway. The article is filled with some hilarious swipes between the owners and managers of the different of stores, but we most appreciated how reporter Chris Smith detailed the rise of the big supermarket in a city of small spaces. Plus the tip about the Red Hook Fairway, slated for summer 2005, with a ferry service to Manhattan - that's gold.

The picture (click to enlarge) above is a NY Post chart that Fairway loves - it shows that Fairway has the best prices around. The New York Times had a great article a few weeks ago about Upper West Siders being obssessive over their grocery stores; Gothamist knows that feeling well. And CBS 2 reported on the city's dirty grocery stores.

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By Jen Chung in Food on May 24, 2004 12:31 PM

Comments [rss]

Loisaida

Don't you be talking shit about Goya.

Michelle

Here's a scam they pull on you at Dags (or "Faggy Chinos" as my friends and I prefer): many of the items there ring up more expensive than they are listed. And many times, the item won't scan at all, prompting the cashier to just enter in a value she deems fit, which is usually more than its listed for. I usually catch these things when I look at my receipt at home.

Well, outraged by your link yesterday, I threw a mini-fit at Dags when my sales girl "decided" my olives were $1.99 when they specifically were $1.49 or under on the sign. Normally, I wouldn't mention such a thing, but being on a tight budget, I asked for a price check. Then I tried to joke around with the people behind me in line (I was well aware I was being the annoying line girl), but they refused to even look at me, to which I responded "Well, this is very awkward." Sure enough, the girl comes back "They're 2.49." FOR GOYA OLIVES! "No thank you!" I declared.

End: Marched into Duane Reade to buy olives from their plentiful food aisle, $1.29. Trust.

Jen W

God, does D'ag's suuuuck. So, so, overpriced. I do go to the one in the Slope when I'm being lazy, but a few times I've been too offended by their prices (and the generally meh to poor quality of their produce) that I've walked out. Yes, I need to sign up for FreshDirect.

blingbling

Say what you will about Whole Foods, the real extortionists in NY are the folks at D'Agostino. That place is a freaking rip off. Out of curiosity, I compared the price of identical brands of swiss gouda once at Dags and Fresh Direct and the Dag price was nearly twice as much. That's simple robbery. I hope that chain collapses into a heap of dust. It's no coincidence that in my building, right across the street from a Dagostino's, nearly half the residents now use Fresh Direct.

wholefoodsaddict

I also shop at whole foods even though it is pricier. The closet grocery store to where I live is much cheaper thean WF but had numerous healthcode violations in the past year and smells like rotting meat. I have a lot of food sensitivities and I often get very sick from things I've eaten, but I've never gotten sick from anything I've bought at Whole Foods, which is worth every single penny extra that I paid.

BobbySteele

Whole Foods should just have big "SUCKER" sign at the entrance. The prices are absurd...

Jen

My lithmus test for a grocery store's value is yogurt. At Fairway, it's 69 cents for Dannon. At the A&P/Food Emporium, it's now $1.15.

yojimbot

organic is more expensive, true, but whole foods fish is wildly over priced. bluefish is $8 a lb. i pick it up from my local fish market for $3 a lb. same for salmon, scallops or anything else in the sea. you can bet its fresher too since they get it directly rather than through 3rd parties.

wholefoodsjunkie

What the picture [of relative prices] fails to consider is the quality of the food. Sure, you have to pay $4.99/lb for chicken at Whole Foods, but I wouldn't pay anything for the slimy Purdue sold at other stores. Organic costs more... but you definitely get what you pay for at Whole Foods.

yojimbot

Fairway is still the King! But my Urban Organics delivery service is a great supplement. Also I like to hit up the Organic Market at Union Sq. Any NY'er that shops at Dag's should be kneecapped.