I've been visiting several different Randalls stores lately to get a feel for the different…read morelocations, vibes, and discount deals. One thing I appreciate right away: they're open until 11PM every night. So if you suddenly need milk, sugar, or something random late at night, you don't have to knock on your neighbor's door in pajamas and make things weird.
But what I've really gotten into is what I call "clearance shopping." Randalls has a surprising number of items marked 50% off, usually because they're close to expiration, seasonal, or being discontinued. I've found great deals on sandwich meats, cheeses, chicken breasts & thighs, beef, hamburger, pork, bacon, yogurt, frozen meals, ice cream, and more. I don't have kids, so I'm only shopping for myself, and I've managed to fill my freezer to capacity.
Their meat deals can be especially good. They often run buy-one-get-two-free promotions, and if you check the price per pound, they are very reasonable and competitive. In regards to 50% off examples I've scored large marinated chicken breast for under $3, enough 85/15 ground beef for a couple of patties for around $4 or less, and single marinated salmon fillets for about $3 - you easily pay $15+ at the local restaurants here. At those prices, even a vegetarian might briefly reconsider.
They also have a solid wine selection with plenty of markdowns and digital coupon deals. I did some research and some markdowns are better than Costco offerings. Downloading the Randalls app is a must because you can clip coupons that come off automatically at checkout. The app also tracks your purchases and gives you occasional rewards, which adds up if you shop there regularly. Unfortunately I find the recent updates version is not as intuitive to navigate and find the digital coupons but the staff is aware of this and are always willing to help you.
Now, I did recently read one of those articles saying we should avoid processed meats, donuts, frozen dinners, and fried foods. Unfortunately, Randalls keeps putting many of those things in the 50% off section, and my willpower is apparently also 50% off. Any leftover donuts and pastries are discounted to $1-$2 for a 6 or 10 pack. I mean come on now. Homer Simpson would go nuts and it's hard to restrain myself. I find this location, along with the Mesa store offers the best donut and pastry deals I've seen. The Ben White location recently changed their butchered meat discount from 50% to 30% so I do not buy meat there anymore.
The staff here are all very nice, helpful, and professional. I've become a familiar face at this point, especially because clearance items usually need an associate to approve the discount at self-checkout. If you have a lot of marked-down items, it can take a little extra time, but they've always been patient and polite about it. If you go through the cashier it is much quicker. But make sure to keep an eye on the register because system mistakes do happen more frequently than not but the staff are very good about correcting it.
Overall, I really like this Randalls as it's a great spot for late-night grocery runs, solid app deals, and surprisingly great clearance finds - which is catching fire as the other day I overheard a dad and his son calling it a treasure hunt. So if you like hunting for bargains, bring freezer space and self-control. Preferably more of the first than the second.
