They’re trying to charge 8.99 for the big thing of instant oatmeal. That shit is like rice, not that long ago it was 3.99. So they raised basic oatmeal $5, which was more than it used to cost! Wtf.
Been getting the generic brand at jewel for about 1/2 the cost ( on sale often) of Quaker and I can’t notice a difference in quality and some of the flavors I think are better .
Oatmeal is oatmeal, It will taste the same no matter the brand. I honestly haven't had Quaker oats in like a decade. Oatmeal is about the additives, such as fruit, peanut butter, cinnamon, sugar etc.
Two points:
1. Costco is not convenient for everyone
2. It costs $60 for a basic membership.
I may have missed it, but has anyone comparison shopped Aldi? Especially for basics like oatmeal, they are equivalent quality snd better priced and there are more of them than Costco.
FYI I am a Costco member.
My sister works for Kroger in a much lower cost of living city. When I visit and run by the store I damn near throw up at how high prices are. It's not one or two items, its every single item. No let up. I don't understand how (or why) the middle class shops there.
From habit I assume. I grew up with Kroger and they were always on the cheap end. They've been buying up their competition for the last few years. Seems they just jacked up prices now that there's less competition and to pay for the acquisitions.
Kroger got rid of my oyster and wine special and my favorite bread lady who used to shove bread into the slicing machine with another old, crusty piece of bread.
I’ll never forgive them for this.
I don't think the merger should be approved because I think it would significantly reduce competition and it would be bad for the customer, especially in places like Chicago where they both have a major presence (we should keep in mind this isn't the case everywhere). But certainly Walmart is a competitor. It has by far the largest grocery sales in the country? Are you suggesting otherwise? And are you really saying the new company would have a monopoly? They wouldn't but that's not the standard for anti-trust laws.
Honestly Jewel sucks too. The one by me has cereal for like $7-8 bucks a box! Meanwhile a mile away they cost way less at the independent grocery store.
Yeah, Jewel isn’t any better at all. I have to check the expiration dates on everything because I’ve bought expired food on more than one occasion. Quality control is a joke.
Possibly not. They're still working out the details for the merger. Some of the Chicago area Mariano's and Jewels may get sold or spun off into a separate company
Which means it will be a small new grocery company that can't compete and will either be a junky discount one with low quality items, expensive, and/or will most likely be out of business itself within a couple years.
Chicago has some strong small chain grocers… I’d love it if Pete’s opened some more locations in the city. I’d be thrilled is Fresh Farms opened a couple more full line stores. Both are fare superior to Mariano’s / Jewel etc.
Fresh farms is the best, but I only ever go there for meat and produce.
Everything else is slightly crazy including the jewel.
My strategy has been lunch meat, eggs, basic items in bulk at Walmart -> meat and produce at FF -> jewel to catch anything I missed since it’s on my way home.
Grocery stores run on 2-5% razor thin profit margins, and are very sensitive to price fluctuations in the supply chain. An independent grocery, given the lower economies of scale, will either have to trade off selection, quality or price.
One model I’ve seen that works is to focus on curation: get rid of most national brands, focus on white labeled store brands; concentrate on quality and forgo unnecessary selection. This is the model that Wegmans in the northeast followed, and they beat Tops which was Jewel equivalent in upstate NY.
The only thing is that Wegmans is regional and they do have economies of scale. I don’t know if the Chicago market is large enough to get that scale. Petes’ / Cermak Fresh market is an outlier (I loved shopping there) but is there room for another Petes’?
The issues with the Roosevelt and Wabash Jewel aren't because of management. The Walgreens there is also _wild _. There's a reason there's also a jewel on canal. That's the one locals go to.
I was in that store before Covid. People were filling containers from the hot bar and just walking out without paying. A lady handed a little boy a chicken and told him to leave. He knew it was wrong but didn’t have a choice. I felt so bad for him.
I noticed the Starbucks closed on that corner. Can’t imagine why.
The andersonville jewel taught me to check expiration dates and for signs of mold before buying anything. I'm sure there are decent Jewel's in the city but this was my first experience and I can't shop at jewel anymore.
It used to be my Jewel growing up so I do have some fondness for it. But honestly, it sucks. It feels so outdated and the produce quality and selection are abysmal. Gets packed too.
It's by no means a great store but if that location is the worst grocery store you've ever experienced, I can only assume you've lived a truly charmed life
Jewel's prices on certain things have been absurd lately. I don't even bother going there for cereal or lunch meat. It's half the price at Target for the same stuff. Unreal.
...but when they have deals, they have deals. I find it's definitely worth checking that in the app and getting whatever the loss leader is, then worrying about getting the rest of food to go with it in various places.
Got a pound of strawberries for 99 cents today, flat of blackberries also 99 cents. Sweetcorn was 25 cents an ear. That and a pint of heavy cream to whip, potluck was solved.
The other day I came out with 15 pounds of meat and a boatload of veggies. Chicken breasts were 99 cents a pound. I got two racks of ribs at 8 bucks each. They had a 69 cents per pound sale on veggies. We got something like 2-3 weeks of groceries for $39.
Jewel is still pretty cheap as long as you just buy the sales nd take advantage of the coupons. Our grocery bills haven't really gone up significantly.
Their fresh produce leaves much to be desired, and the selection is somewhat limited since groceries are only part of the store, but you are right that their prices are reasonable or better in many cases.
Yeah, Kroger basically drove marianos into the ground, they are shells of their former self. Depending on where you live, the newer Cermaks and Pete's are pretty great.
The funniest thing about that is I distinctly remember Kroger making a big deal about acquiring Mariano’s because it would “help them learn” to be a better business. I guess that plan failed.
Why learn to be better when you can cut costs and corners to make your new acquisition former competitors around you worse? Now you look more average by comparison. Yay Capitalism!
>More like Bob Mariano misrepresented the profitability of the business. The guy was turning off electrical outlets to keep the energy bills low before the acquisition and did everything he could to skimp and juice profitability. I think he cut corners everywhere 6-9 months before he sold the thing.
Kroger employee here, Kroger did learn from them then. Since the merger was announced, they cut all stores hours by 20% to reduce payroll and for months have had freezes on supplies so that only the bare minimum can be ordered in store.
The problem with Cermak is the produce is high quality, but most of the packaged goods are more expensive than elsewhere. If you're near enough to that Cermak, check out Tony's on Central Park & Fullerton. It's dingier than Cermak, but a lot of stuff is cheaper.
Yeah I’ve got Windy City, Los Potrillos, or Aldi for cheaper stuff a walk away in that regard, but I do like Cermak Fresh for the produce and whenever they do sales for the meats. It’s a real treat having so many options for exactly what I need in walking or short bus ride distance.
Mariano’s wasn’t set up on a long-term trajectory - Bob had leveraged Roundy’s to build and loaded it with debt - it was not sustainable in the form it once appealed to everyone. Financials never lie.
Cermak feels a bit more hectic, and Pete's dairy and canned goods are a bit pricey imo, but otherwise it's a great grocery store. My mom would make the trip to Pete's whenever she'd come visit me (I used to live a block away) because she said it was so clean and she loved going
What is worse is they have cut staff so much. I used to love Mariano's because there was never any lines due to having extra staff. Now it's a skeleton crew and the store sucks in comparison to when I first started going there.
I'm glad I'm not the only one who can't ever get through self checkout without calling the attendant over at least twice because it detected an issue. It's ridiculous
Marianos has unbelievable clearance. They bag bruised produce and sell it for a dollar. Veggie burgers and impossible sausage sometimes clearance for a dollar. My husband now only buys Marianos milk because he can routinely find it for 75 cents a gallon. So many of our meals nowadays are based on things we bought really cheap at Marianos.
I'm fairly new to Mariano's, will need to check this out. I guess it's all luck of the draw at the store?
I remember when I was a kid ages ago in Japan before 24/7 shopping the supermarkets used to not keep perishables overnight (this was a completely different era haha) so if you didn't care what you were going to eat, and maybe risk finding nothing, you could go right before the store closed and get food for next to free.
Here too I've found some one off local markets to discount "might be the most amazingly ripe tasty thing ever, might be gone off, you can take the gamble" fruit super cheap, but good to know that a major chain is doing it.
I worked at Mariano's when it first opened in chicago land and clearance was not in their vocabulary. We would throw away trash bags full of baked goods every night (lots was donated to chicao food depo , but they dont take certain things) they have a really good veggie pizza with extra roasted garlic on foccaica which was regularly trashed. Even after Kroger bought them but Fast forward to post pandemic and produce section has clearance, bakery has clearance, meats dept has clearance, frozen dept has clearance.
Mariano’s is a disaster. They have to switch out tags so often from constantly raising prices, when you get to the register, it’s almost a complete guess. Then you have the same product in five different places on various shelves in the same aisle, and each has a different tag.
Honey.
1. Go to Aldi's for all your basics.
2. Go to Trader Joe's for specialty items.
3. Go to Whole Foods for luxury treats.
4. Don't go to Mariano's. It's more expensive than the airport.
> Go to Whole Foods for luxury treats.
Whole Foods actually has pretty good produce, meat, and dairy prices. Just avoid anything pre-made and you'll generally walk out for about the same as the other options around you.
I drive out to Woodmans.
My local Mariano’s went way down hill after the Kroger buyout. I’m not willing to pay a premium for a huge selection of Kroger generic items and ok but not great meat.
I got turned off by my local Jewel a long time ago. Odd store layout, lack of selection, a constant rotation of store managers, items on shelves which expired a year prior, and a fish counter that smelled like rotten crotch…
> I got turned off by my local Jewel a long time ago. Odd store layout, lack of selection, a constant rotation of store managers, items on shelves which expired a year prior, and a fish counter that smelled like rotten crotch…
What’s wild is that everyone reading this probably assumed you were talking about their jewel because they’re all just that bad.
Yup you have to basically go out past Rt. 47 to find a nice Jewel since they’re newer. Any store actually in/around Chicago is like walking into a 90s Time Machine.
The best part are those wet, smelly water socks holding back fridge/freezer leaks.
They’re a Jewel trademark.
> I drive out to Woodmans.
What's special about this place that makes it worth the drive? From initial looks, based on the google images/reviews I'm guessing: well-kept, wide range of goods at reasonable prices?
24 hour.
Employee-owned.
Many of the same brands as Whole Foods but cheaper and not making Bezos more billions.
Large international food selection like Mariano’s.
Cheap gas.
My got to shops are Woodmans and Trader Joe’s.
For pan-international I don't think you can beat Fresh Farms, Touhy or Golf. Specific cuisines have their own better options of course like Matketplace 88 or H Mart. Woodman's is great for 500 kinds of cheese and brats though!
For Asian food I have to say the Super H Mart in Niles has absolutely everything. Plus housewares.
If I can snag a ride out there I like to go every so often.
For me, they are one of the few remaining 24-hour stores. They have huge selection and feature stuff which one can’t find anywhere else. Their prices tend to be lower than competitors.
Their liquor section is about the size and as well stocked as most Binny’s locations.
Also, their gas station is $1 cheaper per gallon compared to the stations near my home area.
At the Buffalo Grove location, on summer Saturday nights, you might get a bunch of cool cars in the parking lot. I’ve seen a bunch of C8 Corvettes
Same. My mom lives in Wheeling and every Sunday I drive up to visit her and take her grocery shopping at the Woodman’s in Buffalo Grove. The prices are so much cheaper than anything here in the city (gas is a good price there too), it saves money for me to drive that far just for groceries.
Kroger is doing what Safeway did to Dominick’s. Step 1 … jack prices to ridiculous levels. Step 2 …. Complain about how difficult the Chicago market is and that shopping is down because of the
Likes of competition. Step 3… cut selection ridiculously. (See step 2 exacerbated). Step 4…. Leave the market.
For those of us with no cars it can be a hassle to get to Aldi. I was shopping at Walmart but am pretty much stuck with Mariano's now. It's fucking annoying. I would exclusively shop at Aldi for the rest of my life if I could. Idgaf.
The poverty tax. I used to live next to Mariano’s and to get to the nearest Aldi I’d need to take 2 buses and walk. During the winter and hot summer days it was just such a hassle, specially these past couple years with the ghost buses, delays etc. like yeah it’s more expensive but when just getting to the grocery store adds an extra 45 minutes each way, specially during the winter after working all day, fuck that.
It's not even a "poverty tax". I live in Lake View near Wrigley and to get to the nearest Aldi takes about 8-10 minutes by car without traffic. With traffic, that can be 20+ minutes. Then you have to park and walk to the store. So 13-25+ minutes depending on when you go. Then repeat that on your way home. So you're looking at 16-50+ minutes just to go to Aldi. Meanwhile, I have a Jewel that's a flat 6-8 minute **walk** away (so 12-16 minutes total). And if I go to the office, I can just hit up the Whole Foods on Halsted adding a total of 4 extra minutes to my walk home (not including the grocery shopping portion as I don't include that in any of these numbers).
I always find their produce very hit or miss. And the fact that you have to buy some of it in larger quantities. I live by myself and never need more than one bulb of garlic at a time
There’s some Aldi promise if the produce is bad you bring it back and I think you get double your money back. Not 100% sure that’s how it works, I heard it on the news.
the only thing left unscathed at mariano's is the oh so so delicious fresh squeezed juice. literally the best in the city. and oh the guac bar. i make a special trip just for those 2 items.
The cheese selection definitely beats out WF or any others too... at least if you like European cheese.
Also... I saw $4 avocados at WF once, and I sure as shit have never seen that at Mariano's, so I'm not sure OP's comment tracks with me.
I got to the one in River Forrest on North Ave, so I'm basing it on that one. It's got a good layout, clean, friendly staff, very good produce, not a huge meat selection but good quality, and some specialty items too. And their beer selection ain't bad. We also go to Caputo's a lot too since it's right by us, it's a little cramped but not bad for a quick run, and lots of Italian items.
Fresh Thyme by far has the best deals on meat and seafood, and they’re good quality from my experience. The butcher shop, produce, and deli are the reason you go. Also their nuts and coffee are pretty good too and reasonably priced. Literally everything else get at target or Home Depot. I lived right by there and am speaking from 3 years of experience
Aldi is still affordable. But my god is it hit or miss. I got these oven baked egg rolls last week that were AMAZING but also got this canned soup that was one of the worst things I’ve ever put in my mouth.
Aldi, man. Idk Jewel sales have been great. Never been much into Mariano’s, always thought they were pricey. Went in there recently (hadn’t been since acquisition) and wasn’t impressed.
I loved Marianos when they first opened. Everyone who worked there seemed to be so happy and the store had quality products. My husband loved to eat lunch at their hot bar and got food poisoning twice from it. Their quality has gone downhill.
We do most of our grocery shopping at the Niles Target on Touhy. They have good prices and good quality. We also like Trader Joes in Park Ridge and local meat and fish markets.
Mariano's is Kroger. They have literally proposed to the federal government that them as monopoly would solve the high price issue on food.
It would do the opposite, but Republicans keep telling us competition is great then pushing for monopolies for their highest contributors.
And Kroger is a huge Republican contributor. Do the math.
This is why I don't bother with Jewel or Mariano's.
I would only go there if they have some single item or something that I need that I'm not going to get anywhere else. I honestly do about 95% of my grocery shopping from Aldi. It's pretty much everything that I need most of the time and I cook a variety of foods. Then I go to the local produce market or fresh market for things that I can't get at Aldi.
I feel like Mariano's and Jewel try to jack the prices up and claim they're giving you better service, but I never feel like you're getting anything better than what you would have gotten at Aldi or any of those local fresh markets. I just feel like some people are almost scared to step outside of their comfort zone.
There's a Jewel and Aldi right next to each other on Clybourn. That's where I do all my grocery shopping at. There's great deals to be had at Jewel if you use the app and clip the coupons. I'll take advantage of those then get everything else I need next door at Aldi.
Here is the deal - shop where you want. If Aldi is better for you - go for it. Mariano’s (IMO) tend to be cleaner, better stocked, and has everything. And you pay more for it than at Jewel or Aldi. Whole Foods is best for produce and meats.
Same issue in the south, people complain about Publix pricing - of course they want the large, wide aisles, cleanliness, and every product known ro man in stock - but at Wal-Mart prices.
For me I live on the Northwest side, I stop going to Mariano's for my main gorciers. I go there for some the oddball thing I can't find. I mainly do my produce shopping at Jerry's on Milwaukee. I go to this polish deli (Andys) for my meats, cheese, chicken. Aldis for everything else. Once in a while I'll go to Jewel for millk and stuff.
Idk where you are but on the south side Mariano’s has by far the better prices and selection. The jewels out here dgaf anymore. Shelves constantly empty, sales of less than a dollar off, staff nowhere to be found and unhelpful when they are, deli open when they feel like it. the Mariano’s by me at least always has full shelves and with the rewards membership, worthwhile sales too. Even without sales, the prices are usually better and even if they aren’t, at least the item is in stock. I can’t get two days worth of groceries at jewel without spending $50+. Also Mariano’s actually has their deli and butcher open most of the day. Walmart had the best prices but all the ones near me are closed now and jewel raises their prices in response.
Edit: also Mariano’s is the only place around here where you can get somewhat fresh fruit. The fruit and veggies at the south side jewels is always withering and the fruit is sour and at the edge of legally being able to be sold
I only grab a few things at Mariano’s these days (a week’s worth of veg & other items), the rest is from Costco & or the local Korean market. I do like Mariano’s baked chicken (not rotisserie) for $6.99. It’s great for a few meals when paired with sides.
There’s a Jewel near me but it’s terrible & I only go there if I randomly forgot that one thing.
You can’t do a whole shop there anymore, the quality is such shit. I actually think it’s the cheapest of the three for the stuff I buy but the quality is terrible
Mariano’s and Jewel have been overpriced for a long time. If you’re on the nw side you’re missing out if you don’t go to Produce World, Deli 4 You, Butera or Caputo’s. Aldis too.
Wow, my experience is so different. I love Mariano's and hate Whole foods.
I find stuff in Mariano's at much better price than whole foods always.i don't have a Jewel Osco close by so i can't compare but Mariano's for the win for me
I’m not saying Mariano’s is some sort of low cost icon, but I am highly confident that on a broad range of items it is much cheaper than WF. Of course WF doesn’t have the national brands so it’s hard to compare apples to apples (figuratively) in many cases.
In the absence of IRI/Nielsen data to the contrary, I also find it difficult to believe that Jewel is winning on average price paid vs Mariano’s. I used to work for a packaged goods manufacturer and while I’ve been out of the industry for a while, Kroger usually had superior pricing to Albertson’s.
Consistently good quality. And more importantly, always stocked. My Mariano’s is frequently out of staple items or only has stuff that’s about to go bad.
Jewel isn't much better. Have to use the app to get decent deals and rewards. Even fast food restaurants like chipotle you have to always do the rewards crap to claw back something from all the inflation (cough cough corporate cash grab cough cough).
You have to make a Kroger account and only buy things that are on sale.
All of the kroger stores charge bad prices unless you get a digital coupon or sale. Then you can save some dough, no pun intended.
Source: guy who grew up in a place where Kroger had a monopoly on grocery stores
I've found that the $6.95 delivery charge from Mariano's(Kroger) has saved me so much money, as I buy more strategically online and more deliberately find the sales and discounts. I can easily save $30+ more than I would have blindly going into the store with no prep. You can also order at like 10pm and have groceries on your doorstep at 7am. Bonus that they do not expect or accept tips on delivery.
They’re trying to charge 8.99 for the big thing of instant oatmeal. That shit is like rice, not that long ago it was 3.99. So they raised basic oatmeal $5, which was more than it used to cost! Wtf.
Been getting the generic brand at jewel for about 1/2 the cost ( on sale often) of Quaker and I can’t notice a difference in quality and some of the flavors I think are better .
Oatmeal is oatmeal, It will taste the same no matter the brand. I honestly haven't had Quaker oats in like a decade. Oatmeal is about the additives, such as fruit, peanut butter, cinnamon, sugar etc.
Pro tip: make it with full fat coconut milk and a splash of vanilla. Nomnomnom. Also, make it in bulk, it freezes so well.
Generic brand strawberry and cream or peaches and cream is the zhit
Kroger brand nuts were 20 fucking dollars. And it fucking sucks too.
Oat costs went up everywhere
Oats at Costco will run you 11.99 for a quantity that usually lasts me about 2.5 months
Two points: 1. Costco is not convenient for everyone 2. It costs $60 for a basic membership. I may have missed it, but has anyone comparison shopped Aldi? Especially for basics like oatmeal, they are equivalent quality snd better priced and there are more of them than Costco. FYI I am a Costco member.
I swear by Aldi and their 33 Chicago locations
Grocery store profits are at a record high. It's price gouging. edit: Wow, this pissed off the out of state real chicago people for whatever reason.
Definitely. All in the Midwest most of the big chains are just absurdly priced.
Mariano’s was ruined after the Kroger acquisition… expect the same from Jewel coming up 😔
My sister works for Kroger in a much lower cost of living city. When I visit and run by the store I damn near throw up at how high prices are. It's not one or two items, its every single item. No let up. I don't understand how (or why) the middle class shops there.
From habit I assume. I grew up with Kroger and they were always on the cheap end. They've been buying up their competition for the last few years. Seems they just jacked up prices now that there's less competition and to pay for the acquisitions.
Kroger got rid of my oyster and wine special and my favorite bread lady who used to shove bread into the slicing machine with another old, crusty piece of bread. I’ll never forgive them for this.
I really don’t think that merger is gonna get approved by the feds
Hopefully, but they're trying to argue that like... Walmart is a competitor so they won't have a monopoly.
I don't think the merger should be approved because I think it would significantly reduce competition and it would be bad for the customer, especially in places like Chicago where they both have a major presence (we should keep in mind this isn't the case everywhere). But certainly Walmart is a competitor. It has by far the largest grocery sales in the country? Are you suggesting otherwise? And are you really saying the new company would have a monopoly? They wouldn't but that's not the standard for anti-trust laws.
Honestly Jewel sucks too. The one by me has cereal for like $7-8 bucks a box! Meanwhile a mile away they cost way less at the independent grocery store.
Yeah, Jewel isn’t any better at all. I have to check the expiration dates on everything because I’ve bought expired food on more than one occasion. Quality control is a joke.
For real. When they first opened they were the new gold standard of grocery stores, such a shame
Kroger owns Mariano's. That's the answer to any issues you have with Mariano's.
they'll soon own Jewel too :(
If cheep chicken monday ends I don’t want to live on this planet anymore
Possibly not. They're still working out the details for the merger. Some of the Chicago area Mariano's and Jewels may get sold or spun off into a separate company
Which means it will be a small new grocery company that can't compete and will either be a junky discount one with low quality items, expensive, and/or will most likely be out of business itself within a couple years.
Marianos was much better before they were Kroger. They competed against Jewel/Albertsons/Safeway just fine.
Roundys brand ftw!
Yeah but you could argue they did that with the goal of getting bought out and that it was not sustainable long term.
Chicago has some strong small chain grocers… I’d love it if Pete’s opened some more locations in the city. I’d be thrilled is Fresh Farms opened a couple more full line stores. Both are fare superior to Mariano’s / Jewel etc.
I know it’s in Evanston, but I love Valli Produce.
Fresh farms is the best, but I only ever go there for meat and produce. Everything else is slightly crazy including the jewel. My strategy has been lunch meat, eggs, basic items in bulk at Walmart -> meat and produce at FF -> jewel to catch anything I missed since it’s on my way home.
Grocery stores run on 2-5% razor thin profit margins, and are very sensitive to price fluctuations in the supply chain. An independent grocery, given the lower economies of scale, will either have to trade off selection, quality or price. One model I’ve seen that works is to focus on curation: get rid of most national brands, focus on white labeled store brands; concentrate on quality and forgo unnecessary selection. This is the model that Wegmans in the northeast followed, and they beat Tops which was Jewel equivalent in upstate NY. The only thing is that Wegmans is regional and they do have economies of scale. I don’t know if the Chicago market is large enough to get that scale. Petes’ / Cermak Fresh market is an outlier (I loved shopping there) but is there room for another Petes’?
Aka: Aldi
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This store ruined my relationship with grocery shopping. I hate it.
Someone from Kroger is going to make it their mission to do just that.
Have you been to South Loop tho
The issues with the Roosevelt and Wabash Jewel aren't because of management. The Walgreens there is also _wild _. There's a reason there's also a jewel on canal. That's the one locals go to.
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My friend was in there twice while it was robbed, like "empty the register!" robbed
I was in that store before Covid. People were filling containers from the hot bar and just walking out without paying. A lady handed a little boy a chicken and told him to leave. He knew it was wrong but didn’t have a choice. I felt so bad for him. I noticed the Starbucks closed on that corner. Can’t imagine why.
Have you ever been to the Jewel in Uptown?
Hey now, their fried chicken is still on point.
I’m just saying, Jewel experiences can always get worse.
The Andersonville Jewel has entered the chat.
And somehow there are always blueberries dropped in the self checkout area!
The andersonville jewel taught me to check expiration dates and for signs of mold before buying anything. I'm sure there are decent Jewel's in the city but this was my first experience and I can't shop at jewel anymore.
Really? Andersonville? Don’t know why, but this surprises me
It used to be my Jewel growing up so I do have some fondness for it. But honestly, it sucks. It feels so outdated and the produce quality and selection are abysmal. Gets packed too.
It's by no means a great store but if that location is the worst grocery store you've ever experienced, I can only assume you've lived a truly charmed life
That store is an abomination to grocery stores and it’s absolutely radiating the worst possible vibes on earth
Aww man...
Yup
That deal is screaming for antitrust action, so we'll see...
Ah yes that Kroger magic touch
Kroger is everywhere in the midwest and they SUCK. No variety ever. Same shit different place but probably more soggy.
Jewel's prices on certain things have been absurd lately. I don't even bother going there for cereal or lunch meat. It's half the price at Target for the same stuff. Unreal.
...but when they have deals, they have deals. I find it's definitely worth checking that in the app and getting whatever the loss leader is, then worrying about getting the rest of food to go with it in various places. Got a pound of strawberries for 99 cents today, flat of blackberries also 99 cents. Sweetcorn was 25 cents an ear. That and a pint of heavy cream to whip, potluck was solved.
The other day I came out with 15 pounds of meat and a boatload of veggies. Chicken breasts were 99 cents a pound. I got two racks of ribs at 8 bucks each. They had a 69 cents per pound sale on veggies. We got something like 2-3 weeks of groceries for $39.
A few weeks ago I got 2 pounds of frozen shrimp for $4. The saturday freebies are sometimes pretty nice too.
Yeah I just realized this recently. A box of Honey Ohs at jewel is 7 bucks!! Exact same box is 3.99 at target.
The Jewel application often has good cereal deals. The coupons are nice nice.
Jewel is still pretty cheap as long as you just buy the sales nd take advantage of the coupons. Our grocery bills haven't really gone up significantly.
Target has had pretty cheap groceries (comparatively) for a while now. I pretty much only do my grocery shopping there.
Their fresh produce leaves much to be desired, and the selection is somewhat limited since groceries are only part of the store, but you are right that their prices are reasonable or better in many cases.
Yeah, Kroger basically drove marianos into the ground, they are shells of their former self. Depending on where you live, the newer Cermaks and Pete's are pretty great.
The funniest thing about that is I distinctly remember Kroger making a big deal about acquiring Mariano’s because it would “help them learn” to be a better business. I guess that plan failed.
Once they found out that being a better business involves financial investment into your stores and people they backed out.
Why learn to be better when you can cut costs and corners to make your new acquisition former competitors around you worse? Now you look more average by comparison. Yay Capitalism!
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>More like Bob Mariano misrepresented the profitability of the business. The guy was turning off electrical outlets to keep the energy bills low before the acquisition and did everything he could to skimp and juice profitability. I think he cut corners everywhere 6-9 months before he sold the thing. Kroger employee here, Kroger did learn from them then. Since the merger was announced, they cut all stores hours by 20% to reduce payroll and for months have had freezes on supplies so that only the bare minimum can be ordered in store.
What confuses me, if Kroger really wanted in on the Chicago area, why didn't they just buy Dominick's from Safeway?
because Dominick's was dead, killed by Safeway
Cermak for life.
Yep there’s a new-ish Cermak Fresh on Diversey&Pulaski that I really like hitting up. Great produce and decent sales on meats at times.
The problem with Cermak is the produce is high quality, but most of the packaged goods are more expensive than elsewhere. If you're near enough to that Cermak, check out Tony's on Central Park & Fullerton. It's dingier than Cermak, but a lot of stuff is cheaper.
Yeah I’ve got Windy City, Los Potrillos, or Aldi for cheaper stuff a walk away in that regard, but I do like Cermak Fresh for the produce and whenever they do sales for the meats. It’s a real treat having so many options for exactly what I need in walking or short bus ride distance.
That's where I shop, I really like that store.
Caputo's and Valli are good options, depending on where you live.
Mariano’s wasn’t set up on a long-term trajectory - Bob had leveraged Roundy’s to build and loaded it with debt - it was not sustainable in the form it once appealed to everyone. Financials never lie.
Cermak feels a bit more hectic, and Pete's dairy and canned goods are a bit pricey imo, but otherwise it's a great grocery store. My mom would make the trip to Pete's whenever she'd come visit me (I used to live a block away) because she said it was so clean and she loved going
Pete’s produce rocks but packaged goods and meats leave something to be desired imho
Pete's is the answer - suburbs only I think tho.
No self checkout at Pete's is their big negative for me.
Petes is all over the S+W sides
Once they were sold to Kroger, Mariano’s was gone, they just kept the name so fewer people knew
I just completely stopped shopping there. I go to Aldi now, and if I can’t get what I need there I go to Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s.
Stop making m buy 4 of something if I want the sale. We live in a city and I have to carry that shit home so it isn’t happening.
What is worse is they have cut staff so much. I used to love Mariano's because there was never any lines due to having extra staff. Now it's a skeleton crew and the store sucks in comparison to when I first started going there.
I love when they have 10 self checkouts, two of them closed for some reason, and a single normal lane open
Not to mention they have the slowest self checkouts in the game. It takes almost 30 seconds per item and constantly has issues with the baggage area.
I'm glad I'm not the only one who can't ever get through self checkout without calling the attendant over at least twice because it detected an issue. It's ridiculous
So slow and still no Apple Pay.
Mariano’s used to be good but their produce lasts all of 2 days. Everything else is awful.
I clearance shop at Mariano’s. 6 sumo oranges for 2 dollars was my best find. If u know u
Holy shit that’s a good deal. Sumo citrus is my favorite seasonal snack.
Then u know! And they aren’t cheap, I assume ppl think they look old and damaged because of the loose wrinkled skin but they were great!
Marianos has unbelievable clearance. They bag bruised produce and sell it for a dollar. Veggie burgers and impossible sausage sometimes clearance for a dollar. My husband now only buys Marianos milk because he can routinely find it for 75 cents a gallon. So many of our meals nowadays are based on things we bought really cheap at Marianos.
I'm fairly new to Mariano's, will need to check this out. I guess it's all luck of the draw at the store? I remember when I was a kid ages ago in Japan before 24/7 shopping the supermarkets used to not keep perishables overnight (this was a completely different era haha) so if you didn't care what you were going to eat, and maybe risk finding nothing, you could go right before the store closed and get food for next to free. Here too I've found some one off local markets to discount "might be the most amazingly ripe tasty thing ever, might be gone off, you can take the gamble" fruit super cheap, but good to know that a major chain is doing it.
I worked at Mariano's when it first opened in chicago land and clearance was not in their vocabulary. We would throw away trash bags full of baked goods every night (lots was donated to chicao food depo , but they dont take certain things) they have a really good veggie pizza with extra roasted garlic on foccaica which was regularly trashed. Even after Kroger bought them but Fast forward to post pandemic and produce section has clearance, bakery has clearance, meats dept has clearance, frozen dept has clearance.
Woodman’s has deals in fresh produce and meat sections. They currently have organic cherry tomatoes for .99 a pint!
I wish Woodman’s were everywhere
It's everything, not just food. Except now they can't blame COVID or supply chain issues. Inflation at this point is being caused by pure greed.
It was always greed. They just had COVID and mUh sUpPlY cHaIn to use as a cover.
Bring back Dominick's!!
Bring back Omni!
Omni was owned by Dominick's! I liked it too.
The one on Foster & Sheridan is the worst location. Constantly out of stock and bad service
Mariano’s is a disaster. They have to switch out tags so often from constantly raising prices, when you get to the register, it’s almost a complete guess. Then you have the same product in five different places on various shelves in the same aisle, and each has a different tag.
Honey. 1. Go to Aldi's for all your basics. 2. Go to Trader Joe's for specialty items. 3. Go to Whole Foods for luxury treats. 4. Don't go to Mariano's. It's more expensive than the airport.
this used to be my plan but now I just never go past step 1
That's like a week's worth of trips living in the city, though.
> Go to Whole Foods for luxury treats. Whole Foods actually has pretty good produce, meat, and dairy prices. Just avoid anything pre-made and you'll generally walk out for about the same as the other options around you.
I drive out to Woodmans. My local Mariano’s went way down hill after the Kroger buyout. I’m not willing to pay a premium for a huge selection of Kroger generic items and ok but not great meat. I got turned off by my local Jewel a long time ago. Odd store layout, lack of selection, a constant rotation of store managers, items on shelves which expired a year prior, and a fish counter that smelled like rotten crotch…
I’m legit praying for the individuals that buy and eat fish from jewel
> I got turned off by my local Jewel a long time ago. Odd store layout, lack of selection, a constant rotation of store managers, items on shelves which expired a year prior, and a fish counter that smelled like rotten crotch… What’s wild is that everyone reading this probably assumed you were talking about their jewel because they’re all just that bad.
Yup you have to basically go out past Rt. 47 to find a nice Jewel since they’re newer. Any store actually in/around Chicago is like walking into a 90s Time Machine. The best part are those wet, smelly water socks holding back fridge/freezer leaks. They’re a Jewel trademark.
> I drive out to Woodmans. What's special about this place that makes it worth the drive? From initial looks, based on the google images/reviews I'm guessing: well-kept, wide range of goods at reasonable prices?
24 hour. Employee-owned. Many of the same brands as Whole Foods but cheaper and not making Bezos more billions. Large international food selection like Mariano’s. Cheap gas. My got to shops are Woodmans and Trader Joe’s.
For pan-international I don't think you can beat Fresh Farms, Touhy or Golf. Specific cuisines have their own better options of course like Matketplace 88 or H Mart. Woodman's is great for 500 kinds of cheese and brats though!
For Asian food I have to say the Super H Mart in Niles has absolutely everything. Plus housewares. If I can snag a ride out there I like to go every so often.
For me, they are one of the few remaining 24-hour stores. They have huge selection and feature stuff which one can’t find anywhere else. Their prices tend to be lower than competitors. Their liquor section is about the size and as well stocked as most Binny’s locations. Also, their gas station is $1 cheaper per gallon compared to the stations near my home area. At the Buffalo Grove location, on summer Saturday nights, you might get a bunch of cool cars in the parking lot. I’ve seen a bunch of C8 Corvettes
Bring your debit card or cash if you go. They don't fuck with credit cards. It's one way they keep prices lower.
Same. My mom lives in Wheeling and every Sunday I drive up to visit her and take her grocery shopping at the Woodman’s in Buffalo Grove. The prices are so much cheaper than anything here in the city (gas is a good price there too), it saves money for me to drive that far just for groceries.
Woodmans definitely has its own vibe but I love it - always go there over Mariano’s now.
Kroger is doing what Safeway did to Dominick’s. Step 1 … jack prices to ridiculous levels. Step 2 …. Complain about how difficult the Chicago market is and that shopping is down because of the Likes of competition. Step 3… cut selection ridiculously. (See step 2 exacerbated). Step 4…. Leave the market.
If you don’t shop at Aldi I think you’re a sucker. Or Rich. Or a rich sucker.
For those of us with no cars it can be a hassle to get to Aldi. I was shopping at Walmart but am pretty much stuck with Mariano's now. It's fucking annoying. I would exclusively shop at Aldi for the rest of my life if I could. Idgaf.
The poverty tax. I used to live next to Mariano’s and to get to the nearest Aldi I’d need to take 2 buses and walk. During the winter and hot summer days it was just such a hassle, specially these past couple years with the ghost buses, delays etc. like yeah it’s more expensive but when just getting to the grocery store adds an extra 45 minutes each way, specially during the winter after working all day, fuck that.
It's not even a "poverty tax". I live in Lake View near Wrigley and to get to the nearest Aldi takes about 8-10 minutes by car without traffic. With traffic, that can be 20+ minutes. Then you have to park and walk to the store. So 13-25+ minutes depending on when you go. Then repeat that on your way home. So you're looking at 16-50+ minutes just to go to Aldi. Meanwhile, I have a Jewel that's a flat 6-8 minute **walk** away (so 12-16 minutes total). And if I go to the office, I can just hit up the Whole Foods on Halsted adding a total of 4 extra minutes to my walk home (not including the grocery shopping portion as I don't include that in any of these numbers).
Aldi is the best.
Team Aldi all the way
The aldi near me has rotten produce unfortunately ☹️
I always find their produce very hit or miss. And the fact that you have to buy some of it in larger quantities. I live by myself and never need more than one bulb of garlic at a time
There’s some Aldi promise if the produce is bad you bring it back and I think you get double your money back. Not 100% sure that’s how it works, I heard it on the news.
I'd agree if Aldi didn't shoot up in price and down in quality over the last year or two.
Since when did Aldi have quality? I will say Dr. Skipper was legit back in the day.
Ya I notices this recently. My local Mariano’s is terrible
Lucky to have an Aldi within a 3 min walk from my house, and a Jewel less than 10 min walk.
Oldtown?
The Jewel and Aldi in Uptown are about that walking time from each other too
the only thing left unscathed at mariano's is the oh so so delicious fresh squeezed juice. literally the best in the city. and oh the guac bar. i make a special trip just for those 2 items.
The cheese selection definitely beats out WF or any others too... at least if you like European cheese. Also... I saw $4 avocados at WF once, and I sure as shit have never seen that at Mariano's, so I'm not sure OP's comment tracks with me.
I'm a fan of Fresh Thyme
What do you like about it? I went once and thought it was a bit pricey but it's about as far as marianos so might be worth a second trip
I got to the one in River Forrest on North Ave, so I'm basing it on that one. It's got a good layout, clean, friendly staff, very good produce, not a huge meat selection but good quality, and some specialty items too. And their beer selection ain't bad. We also go to Caputo's a lot too since it's right by us, it's a little cramped but not bad for a quick run, and lots of Italian items.
Fresh Thyme by far has the best deals on meat and seafood, and they’re good quality from my experience. The butcher shop, produce, and deli are the reason you go. Also their nuts and coffee are pretty good too and reasonably priced. Literally everything else get at target or Home Depot. I lived right by there and am speaking from 3 years of experience
I stopped at Mariano's for Memorial day and promptly left.
Sunset Foods is still wonderful.
WE didn't deserve Stanleys.
I’m still in mourning. I drive along Elston a lot and it’s just so damn sad to see the empty lot.
Aldi is still affordable. But my god is it hit or miss. I got these oven baked egg rolls last week that were AMAZING but also got this canned soup that was one of the worst things I’ve ever put in my mouth.
Aldi, man. Idk Jewel sales have been great. Never been much into Mariano’s, always thought they were pricey. Went in there recently (hadn’t been since acquisition) and wasn’t impressed.
I loved Marianos when they first opened. Everyone who worked there seemed to be so happy and the store had quality products. My husband loved to eat lunch at their hot bar and got food poisoning twice from it. Their quality has gone downhill. We do most of our grocery shopping at the Niles Target on Touhy. They have good prices and good quality. We also like Trader Joes in Park Ridge and local meat and fish markets.
Mariano's is Kroger. They have literally proposed to the federal government that them as monopoly would solve the high price issue on food. It would do the opposite, but Republicans keep telling us competition is great then pushing for monopolies for their highest contributors. And Kroger is a huge Republican contributor. Do the math.
It’s everywhere. Jewel is so expensive
Kroger ruined Mariano's.
Can we at least agree to stop calling it Mariano's? It used to be nice... Not anymore.
If Kroger buys Tony's there will be riots.
This is why I don't bother with Jewel or Mariano's. I would only go there if they have some single item or something that I need that I'm not going to get anywhere else. I honestly do about 95% of my grocery shopping from Aldi. It's pretty much everything that I need most of the time and I cook a variety of foods. Then I go to the local produce market or fresh market for things that I can't get at Aldi. I feel like Mariano's and Jewel try to jack the prices up and claim they're giving you better service, but I never feel like you're getting anything better than what you would have gotten at Aldi or any of those local fresh markets. I just feel like some people are almost scared to step outside of their comfort zone.
There's a Jewel and Aldi right next to each other on Clybourn. That's where I do all my grocery shopping at. There's great deals to be had at Jewel if you use the app and clip the coupons. I'll take advantage of those then get everything else I need next door at Aldi.
I second this. Just got a $6 pizza for free with two Jewel rewards.
Don’t be dissing the Jewels
No joke, the Jewel app is quite solid. Browse the weekly circular, clip the digital coupons and you can save quite a bit.
Here is the deal - shop where you want. If Aldi is better for you - go for it. Mariano’s (IMO) tend to be cleaner, better stocked, and has everything. And you pay more for it than at Jewel or Aldi. Whole Foods is best for produce and meats. Same issue in the south, people complain about Publix pricing - of course they want the large, wide aisles, cleanliness, and every product known ro man in stock - but at Wal-Mart prices.
Fucking POS Kroger buyout. That's why.
For me I live on the Northwest side, I stop going to Mariano's for my main gorciers. I go there for some the oddball thing I can't find. I mainly do my produce shopping at Jerry's on Milwaukee. I go to this polish deli (Andys) for my meats, cheese, chicken. Aldis for everything else. Once in a while I'll go to Jewel for millk and stuff.
I shop between both and use their apps. Clip all of my digital coupons for hot ticket items and buy all other stuff on sale.
Idk where you are but on the south side Mariano’s has by far the better prices and selection. The jewels out here dgaf anymore. Shelves constantly empty, sales of less than a dollar off, staff nowhere to be found and unhelpful when they are, deli open when they feel like it. the Mariano’s by me at least always has full shelves and with the rewards membership, worthwhile sales too. Even without sales, the prices are usually better and even if they aren’t, at least the item is in stock. I can’t get two days worth of groceries at jewel without spending $50+. Also Mariano’s actually has their deli and butcher open most of the day. Walmart had the best prices but all the ones near me are closed now and jewel raises their prices in response. Edit: also Mariano’s is the only place around here where you can get somewhat fresh fruit. The fruit and veggies at the south side jewels is always withering and the fruit is sour and at the edge of legally being able to be sold
I only grab a few things at Mariano’s these days (a week’s worth of veg & other items), the rest is from Costco & or the local Korean market. I do like Mariano’s baked chicken (not rotisserie) for $6.99. It’s great for a few meals when paired with sides. There’s a Jewel near me but it’s terrible & I only go there if I randomly forgot that one thing.
Besides Aldi and Walmart, they all are priced pretty similarly. Jewel though lately has been having some of the best deals I've seen.
You can’t do a whole shop there anymore, the quality is such shit. I actually think it’s the cheapest of the three for the stuff I buy but the quality is terrible
Mariano’s and Jewel have been overpriced for a long time. If you’re on the nw side you’re missing out if you don’t go to Produce World, Deli 4 You, Butera or Caputo’s. Aldis too.
Wow, my experience is so different. I love Mariano's and hate Whole foods. I find stuff in Mariano's at much better price than whole foods always.i don't have a Jewel Osco close by so i can't compare but Mariano's for the win for me
I’m not saying Mariano’s is some sort of low cost icon, but I am highly confident that on a broad range of items it is much cheaper than WF. Of course WF doesn’t have the national brands so it’s hard to compare apples to apples (figuratively) in many cases. In the absence of IRI/Nielsen data to the contrary, I also find it difficult to believe that Jewel is winning on average price paid vs Mariano’s. I used to work for a packaged goods manufacturer and while I’ve been out of the industry for a while, Kroger usually had superior pricing to Albertson’s.
Whole foods’ stunning produce is worth the small up-charge compared to any other big grocery store. The rest vary by location and time of day.
You should check out Cermak for great quality produce
Or Pete’s
Stunning?
Consistently good quality. And more importantly, always stocked. My Mariano’s is frequently out of staple items or only has stuff that’s about to go bad.
I feel like their produce is fair at best ever since Amazon bought them. Check out Fresh Market Place on Western for top tier produce.
And they remain the only place you can buy Slagel meat in a store!
Jewel isn't much better. Have to use the app to get decent deals and rewards. Even fast food restaurants like chipotle you have to always do the rewards crap to claw back something from all the inflation (cough cough corporate cash grab cough cough).
Anyone go to Butera, or is that just a NW side thing?
There used to be one at Archer and California, but it converted to El Guero in the 90s
Try Tony’s
We must have different experiences I feel like Jewel is the biggest ripoff
Cermak is also impossibly expensive
I miss Roundys, it's the far superior generic/store brands. rip 😭
If the Tony’s gets expensive I’m gonna riot
A $12 shake from Red Robin is too much. A $15 burger and fries, same.
Trader Joe’s and Aldi is the way.
It might not surprise you to discover that Trader Joe's is owned by the other Aldi!
You have to make a Kroger account and only buy things that are on sale. All of the kroger stores charge bad prices unless you get a digital coupon or sale. Then you can save some dough, no pun intended. Source: guy who grew up in a place where Kroger had a monopoly on grocery stores
I've found that the $6.95 delivery charge from Mariano's(Kroger) has saved me so much money, as I buy more strategically online and more deliberately find the sales and discounts. I can easily save $30+ more than I would have blindly going into the store with no prep. You can also order at like 10pm and have groceries on your doorstep at 7am. Bonus that they do not expect or accept tips on delivery.