This place is decent and will do the job, but there are a few things to be aware of to make shopping not so annoying at one of the only supermarket choices near Palazzo Pitti.
If you're here for the first time, shopping for the first time in Florence, and/or not fluent in Italian:
-- Come early mornings or late evening unless you want to stand in a line that wraps around the entire store and wait for most likely much longer than the total time of your actual shopping
--This store is small, aisles are narrow and tight so be prepared to bump or get bumped so get your best "scusa" and "mi scusi" ready!
--They have a great wine selection, too. Be sure to find D.O.C/D.O.C.G. on the label (Denominazone Di Origine Controllata/Garantita)
--Carts are hidden outside on the left behind the wall. They aren't always easy to spot inside at the entrance
--Don't fill your cart full, you're better off taking multiple trips/trips per meal to the store unless you are currently or previously a master grocery bag packer and have a taxi outside waiting
(I did this once and had neither of the two perks mentioned above, felt like a bad person for holding up the cashier space, and must have said "mi dispiace" like "50 'leven times"
--When the cashier calls you up, you gotta lift your cart and put it on the left side of the cashier counter (if it's too heavy, or you have a bad back, you're in trouble)
--Bring your own large shopping tote(s)!
They are stingy with bags even when you have to pay for them anyway and will start you off with 1 bag. The cashiers look at you funny when you ask for another bag even though 50€ worth of food clearly cannot fit in that one little bag
--You have to pack your own bags (that's everywhere)
--Security will follow you around, especially when you're taking a long time and using your language translator app to figure out how to read the ingredients
The staff is OVERALL pretty nice and helpful. There are a couple cashiers that are obviously just over tourists and don't care to hide they don't like you. I have been overcharged for Conad brand water and other items a few times before. I told the employee how much I have always been charged with my previous receipts-- she didn't care and I didn't want to be 'THAT tourist', so I let it go. But hey, there's also no price sign for individual bottles, nor 6 pack aqua either.
The best thing about this store is the Conad brand products. My favorites are the extra virgin olive oil, Valeriana greens/lettuce (in bag), Chianina beef, Santal ACE juice (Carrot, Orange Lemon) and Arancia Rossa (blood orange) juice in cartons, Gusto Paprika potato chips, fresh baked focaccia bread, and gourmet chocolatey sweets from the bakery.
Their fruits and veggies seem fresh and it's fairly easy to find a good one out of the bunch without having to search too long. I do wish they had more fresh vegetable options available; some of the vegetables I like are in plastic packages (spinach and parsley bunches would be nice but I'll leave that up to my local farmer's market).
I haven't tried the fresh sliced meat and cheese department but the attendants are pretty friendly and everything look fresh and nicely arranged.
They also have a few natural home cleaning products and laundry detergent, which I really appreciate.
This is the closest place to my apartment so I'm stuck with this place for a while. It does the job but I've had easier and more fulfilling shopping experiences when I lived on the other side of City Center! read more