This Acme is the closest supermarket to where I live. It's not the worst supermarket I've been to, but it's really not great. It lags behind in both pricing and selection.
The prices, on the whole, are a good amount higher than what I expect to pay, what I'd consider typical for a supermarket. For example, produce that tends to average $2 a pound at places I like to shop, often averages $3 a pound here. With sales, items here are more affordable, but the sale price tends to reduce them to what I would consider normal prices, rather than true sale prices.
The prices on other items are also high. I'd say prices tend to be highest on cheeses, meats, and seafood. Prices on packaged goods are a little more typical, but still not as low as I can get by shopping around.
The other comments I have are on what this place chooses to stock. In virtually every department, I haven't been able to find the products I like and want. For example, I buy Marcal 2-ply toilet paper, they only sell Marcal in the 1-ply. I like to buy a lot of seafood, but I like to buy smaller, cheaper fish like mackerel, herring, trout, butter fish, and the like. H-Mart nearby is chock full of exactly the sorts of fish I like to buy, and this place has very little of them. They stock Mom's Best cereals, a brand I like, but they recently seemed to discontinue the only unsweetened cereal from that brand, which was the one I liked to buy.
Overall, the goods here tend towards very mainstream and on the unhealthy side. For example, I like to buy 100% whole grain breads when possible. The fresh baked breads in the bakery section of this supermarket only seem to contain a single loaf that is 100% whole wheat, and they've only had it 1 out of the last 5 times I've been here.
I've put in several requests, both in the specific departments, and at the main customer service desk, for the products that I most like to buy. We'll see if this place can adjust their inventory to accomodate my needs.
If not, then I'm going to stop shopping here entirely. The prices and selection are just not very good.
Best alternatives? I recommend H-Mart down 611 for seafood and produce, Trader Joe's up 611 for cheese and packaged foods, ALDI over on Easton road or another on 309, for all-around cheap groceries, or Whole Foods for not-that-much-higher prices and more focus on health and sustainability. Oh, and don't forget the newish Co-Op in Elkins Park. This Acme is expensive enough that you won't pay much higher prices going to that slightly-overpriced co-op.
And if you want to hop in the car, Bell's Market in NE Philly is not too far away, and blows this place out of the water in the prices and variety of their produce selection, not to mention a wide variety of other types of products as well.
Even the Giants in Willow Grove and a few other suburbs, I think I slightly prefer to this store. It's lagging behind nearly all its competitors and I think they really could do a much better job than they're doing. read more