I'm very passionate about how much I dislike Broulim's, so let me start with the good things about it. The staff here are superb. They are friendly and very helpful. Contrast that with Wal-Mart's seemingly miserable staff that knows nothing about the store and Broulim's seems great. Another pro is that for Rexburg, they carry the largest variety food. Lastly, it is a very clean environment.
Now for the negatives. Let me start with the biggest con - the price. I'm sorry, but you either have to be clueless to how much things cost or just not care about money. I know that it is the convenient option, but this place is so overpriced you literally save money by driving 30 minutes down to Idaho Falls to shop at either Winco or Wal-Mart (both of which have terribly crappy environments), even with the inflated gas prices. Just to give you a little idea how much you can save, my wife and I meticulously plan our meals for two weeks, which allows us to do our grocery shopping twice per month. We spend about $100-$120 each time, making our grocery bill around $200 per month. We don't have expensive taste, and we eat pretty basic meals. The same basic menu from Broulim's costs at least double, sometimes more. That's right. A $100 trip to Wal-Mart in Idaho Falls costs at least $200 at Broulim's, and that's if you're lucky enough to get all Western Family products. Seriously, as long as your car gets more than 8 MPG fuel economy, it's in your best interest to drive an hour down the road and back. But like I said, some people could care less about money and would rather pay the fee for the convenience.
The next bad thing about this place is the produce. As Tim said on his review, the produce is bad. It's not just a suspicion, my friends. It's a fact. Wal-Mart typically has crummy produce (at least where I am from) compared to other places. But Broulim's has the worst produce I have ever had. I can't tell you how many times I have bitten into an orange that was so dry, I literally thought it had be juiced prior to me having bought it. I also can't tell you how many times I have walked in for bananas, only to find a massive pile of bananas so green, it would take at least a week of sitting on my counter to even begin becoming ripe. Did I mention that the produce is EXTREMELY expensive here as well? Winco has the best produce options around the area, even though I hate shopping at Winco.
My last complaint isn't so much with the store, but the mentality surrounding it. It's a well-known fact that the owner is a local man with ties to everyone in power in this city. I admire him for his entrepreneurial ability and desire to grow small economies. However, there is a sickly disease in Rexburg called small-town syndrome that prevents growth or competition of any type. If Wal-Mart wanted to expand their Wal-Mart here to a Super Wal-Mart, it would never happen because it would easily put Albertsons out of business and give Broulim's a run for its money. I've heard from Wal-Mart corporate folk that Wal-Mart isn't interested in competing with and putting local, well established businesses under. But sometimes, I really wish they would. There are cities with smaller populations than Rexburg that have supercenters, yet oddly, Rexburg doesn't. As an example, the owner of Taco Time happened to be a member on the city council, and was successful at blocking Taco Bell for a really long time. I wonder how many times similar things have happened in Rexburg without the consent or knowledge of the residents? read more