It's the best place in town to stock up on groceries…read more
I'll compare the other two grocery stores I like, but which aren't *the* place to stock up:
The Safeway on the other side of town is more convenient for me, and has a decent pharmacy built in. Like WinCo, everyone is friendly and helpful, but WinCo has significantly better prices, even considering Safeway's loyalty card.
The Moscow Food Co-op is also great, but somehow I spend a fair amount of money every time I go in there. I feel OK about that because I think they treat employees fairly and there is always a great selection of really good locally sourced foods. And although WinCo's deli is fine, the Deli/Coffee Bar at the Co-op is in a different league with amazing hot food, plus the cozy, welcoming seating area, and occasional live music.
At WinCo, I really like the bulk foods, especially the grind-it-on-the-spot almond butter and peanut butter. (The Moscow Food Co-op is the other place I know with fresh-ground peanut butter and bulk foods, but a bit more expensive.) The prices and selection are great, and I like not wasting or paying for a bunch of dumb packaging and marketing. They have bulk spices, all kinds of nuts, pastas, flours, dried fruit, candies, even dry dog food.
(Oh, WalMart groceries: Just Say No. Surprisingly, they're not the best prices, not the best quality, and WalMart is still kind of evil.)
As other reviewers have mentioned, the produce isn't always today's freshest, straight from the field, but it's the same as Safeway: It spent another day or two on a truck compared to a big city on the coast. But if you shop for seasonal produce, they're great, with the best prices. For example, last summer, I could afford all the avocados I could eat thanks to Winco, while they were really expensive elsewhere.
They have a good cheese and dairy selection and again, great prices, and the bakery seems fine (I don't buy much baked stuff). Oh, they had super cheap, really tasty pumpkin pies before Thanksgiving. My hungry teenagers loved them.
I'll keep going to the Moscow Food Co-op for local produce and a hot meal/coffee from their Deli, and Safeway for medicines and quick trips when I run out of milk or eggs, but to stock up for the month/week, WinCo is the place.