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    By The Pound

    4.7 (115 reviews)
    InexpensiveGrocery
    Closed 10:00 am - 5:00 pm
    Updated 2 months ago

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    a shelf full of jars of food
    Grace K.

    I was really excited to see the number of ethnic ingredients and herbal foods offered here that are hard to find at a typical grocery store. Foods like mung beans and goji berries are usually unavailable or sold at expensive prices in small batches as specialty items at grocery stores. While there are two Asian grocery stores I know of in the area I've been able to get these at, the prices here are such a steal that it makes up for the extra grocery trip I have to take. By the Pound is able to keep their prices low as they sell their foods in bulk. It's also nice knowing there is an additional place I can check if something I'm looking for runs out at the other places I frequent. Furthermore, they have an impressive array of candies, dried fruit, coffee/tea, baking items, and sauces/syrups. They have a variety of chocolate blocks for baking (like milk and white chocolate), cake flour, caster sugar (so helpful when you don't have a functioning blender to make your own), sprinkles, etc. There's also the added advantage of buying only the amount you need when you purchase in bulk, so you don't have to commit to large bags of rice or containers of soy sauce and vanilla extract you know you'll have trouble finishing. They do have a sheet of paper by the register for customers to suggest food ingredients they'd like to see at the store in case you don't find what you need. To be honest, I wasn't sure what to expect on my first visit, and was so overwhelmed by all the choices (in a good way) that I ended up going home with only a bag of strawberry licorice lol. Now that I know what they have, I can make a list of the things I need to purchase on my next visit. Their blueberry tea is on my to try list for the next time I stop by. Do keep in mind, however, that they have a $5 minimum on using credit cards. They will charge you a quarter if your total purchase is less than $5 and you don't have any cash on you. Luckily I had just enough cash to pay for my candy this visit. All in all, I was really impressed by the variety By the Pound carries and appreciate the lower bulk prices and ability to only buy what you need. This store is certainly worth a visit!

    Business Hours
    Mary S.

    If you love the bulk sections at Arbor Farms and Whole Foods, you have to check out By the Pound. This place blasts the Meijer bulk section out of the water! Candy Herbs & Spices Tea & Coffee Flours Dried Fruit Dry Beans & Grains More spices than Whole Foods. I got myself some annatto seeds - aka achiote. Score! The Jordan Almonds were some of the best I've ever had. The candy shell is not so thick that you'd crack a tooth, and they're very flavorful. Dark chocolate covered almonds made hubby very happy when I got home. Each section has shelves above for items that accompany each type of bulk item. For example, in the flour section, you will find baking soda, yeast, etc. I found rye flour here, which has not been in the bulk section over at Whole Foods for a while. Fancy tea. The kind that blooms in hot water. Fantastic. And lots of yummy loose leaf teas. Tea infusers, tea bags, coffee filters, etc. There is a small section of kitchen tools. I am so glad I read about this place on Yelp. I had been to By the Pound once or twice during high school - a million years ago - and had forgotten about it over the years. I'll be back regularly now!

    Spices by the pound

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    2 months ago

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    1 year ago

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    5 months ago

    fabulous store, great selection of herbs and spices at very good prices. You can get a tablespoon of a spice if that's all you need!!

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    8 months ago

    love! love! love! Tare your containers, get the amount you want. Remember maple syrup!

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    3 years ago

    Barry Callebaut dark chocolate "chips" best we have ever had!!! Thank you so much for carrying so many and such high end products!

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    Page 1 of 3

    Ask the Community - By The Pound

    Do they carry carmels?

    I've seen caramels in box packages, chocolate caramels, and small caramels like bulk type.

    What kind of teas do they have? Does it include spice mixes? Like chai or masalas?

    They have a lot of loose leaf tea from Kenya. I saw oolong tea, chai, jasmine pearls, Jasmine loose leaf tea. I saw a lot of loose leaf teas that have spices in them.

    Do they have bath stuff also? Like shampoo, conditioner, etc?

    They recently added a variety of Dr. Bronners Liquid soap, which is a great all purpose cleaner. There is an unscented that I purchased for $7.50 per pound, which is roughly a pint. That is roughly what I see for retail prices for Dr Bronners.

    View All 5 Questions

    Review Highlights - By The Pound

    I mean of course there's candy like other bulk stores - but there's so much more to bulk than just candy!

    Mentioned in 27 reviews

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    This is a meat and fish shop owned by Mr. Golam. It's situated in Packard and Platt road opposite…read moreGalleria market. This shop has various Indian spices , rice( basmati), lentils, tea, coffee, cooking oil, ghee and many more items. Very much like a regular grocery store. The main items though are various Bangladeshi fish (frozen) and meat. Chicken, mutton, lamb, beef are the usual items here. The owner is very friendly and understands the meat quality. They even take preorders if you have big events and need large amounts of meat or fish. They can cut the pieces as you desire. This shop have plenty of free parking space too. The only big issue it the pricing of the meat and fishes. They are quite high in comparison to the Bangladeshi stores in Hamtramck. We always buy fish and meat from Golam but recently we started to buy same items from Detroit area through our Frieda who live nearby and it costs us half the price. This is the only shop of this kind in this area so maybe the higher price is justified.

    Golam is a good addition to the area's collection of small ethnic groceries. The owner chatted with…read moreme about all they offered when I visited recently. The exotic fruits like mangos and papayas are obviously shipped in, but they also offer many fruits and vegetables grown locally. Corn on the cob and bright red tomatoes from Michigan were on offer on a recent July afternoon. I have been to many ethnic groceries in the area, but this is the first where I've seen bitter melon, a common ingredient in Indian dishes, available. In addition to produce, they have a meat counter, many dried and canned beans, and an astounding array of snack mixes. Some small flies were buzzing around some of the plums in an unappetizing way, and several of the mangoes and pears were looking dried and past their peak of freshness. Other items, especially the local Michigan produce, looked really good. They were running a special on watermelons the day I stopped in.

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    Trader Joe's - Sadly they're out of liquid stevia - usually a consistent item here

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    Trader Joe's continues to shine. I always say that their employees are the nicest , and I know…read morethey're playing it up a bit for show, but it's definitely a good show they're putting on! You're lucky if the cashier will even give you eye contact at most grocery stores, so the customer service and their overall friendliness is where TJ excels. I dropped in to pick up a few things to bring for a small gathering in Ann Arbor. I didn't need a ton of items so I was in and out pretty quick but some seasonal items always catches my eye, so I of course bought more than I needed. All in all another solid TJ.

    I go to Trader Joe's every other week and I've never had a bad experience here. All the employees…read moreare so helpful and they are always asking about my kids. They always help me out to the car when I look overwhelmed and they hand me flowers when I'm having a bad day. Their flower selection is phenomenal and I can find a ton of specialty foods at reasonable prices . Like any specialty niche food joint they do have some problems with keeping things in stock at different times but it's not their fault it usually depends on the supply chain. I have had so many good experiences talking to cashiers or working with management or looking for things in the store where people have dropped everything just to help me or to give the kids stickers just to make them smile. I can't say enough good things about Trader Joe's. Definitely a Trader Joe's customer for life. I will say their parking lot really sucks though!

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    Zingerman's Delicatessen

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    Zingerman's is definitely pricey and it can take awhile because it's almost always busy, but…read morehonestly I always end up feeling like it's worth it. My favorites are the Reuben, the Georgia Reuben, and Tarb's Tenacious Tenure. The latkes and knishes are also fantastic. There was a period where the bread was so sharp it felt like my mouth was getting cut up every time I ate there, which honestly became part of the experience. But the past few times I've gone, the bread has been perfect. Zingerman's Deli lives up to the hype.

    I'm not a big sandwich person, and the Georgia Reuben is honestly the best sandwich I've ever had!…read more The balance is perfect. The slaw has a sweet-tangy flavor that adds umph without overpowering the sandwich. As someone who usually skips slaw, it's the perfect amount of crisp layered in so it complements everything instead of taking over. The bread is toasted to a perfect crisp on the outside while the inside is soft. The contrast between the crispy exterior and the soft, tasty interior holds me in the moment. The cheese is the final touch that balances the crisp bread and crunchy slaw. Every texture works together. The portion size surprised me. I ordered the small thinking it would be light, but it was more than enough. I was completely stuffed and couldn't imagine ordering a large. I wish I could somehow fly this sandwich over anytime I wanted as I'm from another state, but it's that memorable. I actually came back two days in a row just to have it again. It's going to live in my mind for a long time.

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    By The Pound - grocery - Updated May 2026

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