Take a Hannafords, remove 3/4 of the aisles, boost the prices, and you get a Jimmy's Shop n Save.
I occasionally stop here even though I am unimpressed with Jimmy's, as the closest normal sized grocery store is 22 miles south. I am generally unwilling to drive 44 miles for a gallon or milk or box of Ritz, so I have had my share of experiences at this place.
The groceries available are predominantly junk food, with little availability of healthy alternatives. Fresh produce is relegated to a 1/4 of an aisle and is "slim pickings" yet overpriced. There's few meats available at the meat counter, and even less seafood to choose from.
The meat and deli items are questionable, too. When I bought sliced turkey for sandwiches, I found it to be wet, almost saturated, which not only affects how appetizing it appears, but also causes it to go bad extremely quickly despite being refrigerated. Want something sliced thin? Sorry, they don't do that - thinnest I have been able to get cheese is 1/16 inch slabs. Pay attention to the time, as they close the meat and deli counter at a different time each day of the week.
The food from the tiny restaurant-esque food corner tastes anywhere from amazing to poor, depending on which employee is working it at the time. Make sure you have nowhere to go, as they never seem to have a sense of how long they're taking to prepare an order - 20 minutes or more to make a cheeseburger is common. Oh, and watch the prices carefully - what is on the menu for $6.29 will be charged $7.49 at the register.
The bread and baked items have proven to be a disappointment, too. Is not uncommon for me to buy a loaf of bread, and two to three days later, find mold growing on it. The "sell by" date is often within a day or two of when I actually bought it, which I interpret as being relatively old in comparison (to bread bought from Hannafords or Wal-Mart in Skow).
Finally, the cashiers. Seems the younger ones are quite friendly, but the older ones can be considerably crabby. Consistently. Not sure if there is a logical reason for this or just coincidence.
I have not forgotten that Jimmy's is the only grocery store within 20 miles, and that small town economics plays a heavy role in their policies and pricing. However, I believe that there are many opportunities for improvement that don't necessarily affect Jimmy's profit margin. Perhaps it's small town oversight, or the apathy that comes from knowing you're the only grocery store in town. read more