When Buy for Less moved across the street and took over Albertson's, I didn't go in there for a few years because I thought they only offered off-brand items. My husband stopped in there a few times and told me about good deals he received, so I thought I would give it a try. Their name is deceiving.
They offer not only name brand groceries, but they also carry many organics and vegetarian and vegan options and they also have several items for those who follow the non-glucose fad.
When I've requested something special such as water cress, broccoli raab, non-dairy yogurt, or egg replacer, they have gone out of their way to order the item for their store. The staff is very helpful in trying to ensure that they carry what I need so that I don't have to make the trip to Whole Foods, which is a 40 minute drive.
However, I believe that not enough people are aware of the options that Buy for Less now carries because a lot of the organic items and produce are either expired or bad. I tried to find granola with fruit and every bag expired in December, 2013. It's now March, 2014. I brought home some egg roll wrappers and took them out to make egg rolls but they had expired months earlier. Also, my daughter and I got sick from the shiitake mushrooms and from the bean sprouts, even though we washed them and cooked them before using.
Perhaps if more vegetarians like myself or people with dairy and soy allergies like my daughter were to start shopping at the store, they would be able to keep up to date on their products and only offer items that are fresh.
For now, we avoid the produce area unless it's something generic like apples and I look at the dates on everything that I pick up to make sure that it's not already expired. Because of the helpfulness of the staff and their desire to supply what the public needs, I would like to see more people shopping organic at the store so that I can feel secure that their products are being rotated.
I also think that they should consider changing their name. They're not a discount type store because the prices are almost the same as Whole Foods. I'm confused about the identity they are trying to achieve. read more
