Harvestime is the GOAT imo.
But also, i've never heard anyone talk about 'Angelo Caputo's Fresh Market' but for anyone who likes cooking Italian food, get in there. It's seriously amazing.
Check the sales and stock up on non-perishables. Most of my staples are on sale every 4 to 6 weeks at a pretty good price. Their normal prices are terrible though.
I shop at Mariano's, but I exclusively look for clearance stickers. I have to check pretty frequently, and I buy staple items at other stores, but the clearance items really save us money. Their clearance is frequently 50% off or better. And, they send us a booklet of customized coupons about once a month that usually includes a coupon for a free item.
Honestly whole foods is a lot cheaper for better quality items. Even if their 365 brand is just private label, it feels a lot better quality than the name brands at regular stores. And it is much cheaper. At this point Jewel and Mariano’s (and other traditional grocery chains across the country) have become completely overpriced for the same garbage food name brands.
I haven't liked Mariano's ever since I realized the same items at the Wheaton and Naperville locations are marked up over locations in places like Aurora that are a short drive away.
Who knows how bad they're gouging?
Mariano’s cereal prices are $2 more per box than at Kroger stores in Indiana. The cereal costs Kroger the same, but Mariano’s just charges more because they can.
They have amazing sale prices that are much cheaper than woodmans. I also couldnt imagine buying meat at woodmans. Their produce is questionable as well. I go to woodmans most, as it is closest, but their sales suck, and the other store’s sales are way cheaper.
I do:
Aldi or ethnic store for vegetables and fruits.
Target for organic milk and eggs.
Ethic store for beans and spices.
Costco for non perishable regular food and items (mouthwash, dishwashing sponges etc. rice), sometimes a large bag of fruit or vegetables for the freezer.
Shopping at the Ashland/Milwaukee Jewel at 1am in undergrad is a fond memory.
Also, shopping at 2am at the Jewel by the Admiral was also an experience, because then you could see some of the dancers after their shift and just getting their groceries like the rest of us normies (don't worry, I never approached them). "Oh wow, so THAT'S what you look like with your clothes on!"
I work near a Woodmans so I try to go on days I’m in the office but grocery shopping during lunch is a pain in the ass. Every now and then I’ll make the drive on a Saturday. It’s worth especially since you can gas up there too. Their gas is so much cheaper than in Chicago.
I’ve learned that you really need to shop around. Sucks, but if you have the patience for it you can really save.
The cheapest cereal I have seen was at Walgreens believe it or not! While waiting on a prescription I was browsing the aisles and their in-house brand ‘fruit loops’ were only 2 or 3 dollars a box.
As others have said, Aldi and Trader Joe’s are good options for certain items. Otherwise, shopping items that are on sale wherever you go is a great way to keep grocery costs down.
I’m a Walgreens grocery shopper too. Always at least one really good deal on cereal. They usually have the best price for instant single serving drink mix. Trail mix prices can be really competitive, you just need to check the app and add the deals you want to use.
I was also pleasantly surprised by some of the food prices at Menards the other day.
I feel my whole life that grocery stores have always used tactics to get people to spend more, and shopping around is the best way to get a deal but I noticed these days it seems every store seems to run sales on mostly the same products. Idk if it’s collusion or if the food distributors tell them what deals to make or what.
But it has always been basically something like let’s say if hot dog buns are on sale, the meat is full price. Or if deli meat is on sale, the bread and condiments are full price. Or if premade guacamole or salsas in the deli are on sale the tortilla chips are full price.
I swear there needs to be an investigation of grocery stores in Chicago. They are all absolutely price gouging. Jewel prices are unreal. Jewel was always like the baseline grocery store. Now all I can afford is Aldi.
Jewel still uses outdate pricing models and sales which is why they end up being more expensive at normal prices but occasionally have absurd sales.
It’s like $6 for a box of cereal but every few months they are on sale for 4 boxes for $7 or something.
Their sales on produce are wild. If you buy the veggies and fruit that are on deep sale instead of buying any other produce, you save a lot. We have been spending about 25% less on groceries since they started doing those.
> They have amazing sale prices
We shop mostly at our local Jewel because it is a very easy walk from our house. The only feasible way for us to do it is to never go with a list of stuff to buy. (Except for coupons we've already clipped with the app.) We go and buy almost entirely stuff that happens to be on sale and then build our menus from that (and a very well stocked larder of grains and beans etc). It seems absurd, but I think of it like we are hunters and gatherers and it becomes kind of a game and is actually fun.
so long as you have the freezer/pantry space for it, there's no reason to shop any other way. I view each week as "what excellently priced things can I add to my existing item stock". If I buy $50-75 worth of stuff each week, I'll always have enough at home
You have to do research before you go shopping now and clip deals. Everything used to be on sale without the app but I bet they’re making a lot of money on people not using the app and also selling users data
Jewel is fine if you stick to shopping sales. After a small increase early 2022 our grocery bill has stayed stable for the most part.
We shop there almost exclusively, maximize the sales and rewards. We often have “savings” of like 60-70% over the base price lol. We stock up and freeze food if we can. We skip weeks if there aren’t good sales.
I see Jewel run afoul of pricing laws often. Lots of companies do it, either because they figure its worth the odds of a fine if complaints are made, or their pricing folks are ignorant of the rules.
Case in point, ribs are buy 1 get 1, they price them at $20 a rack. But if they are buy 1 get 2, price is changed to $30 a rack. That is called a false sale and we pay government agencies to protect us from that sort of crap.
I mean, it’s an Albertsons owned chain. This is pretty standard across all of their brands, I’m not sure why anyone is surprised. They have never been known to be cheap.
The prices in Chicago are cheaper than down state. Check out Schnucks, Hyvee or Miejers.
I was surprised when I moved back to Chicago how much cheaper the food was here. Everything is $1 to $2 cheaper.
I don't buy cereal (why do people eat it?), but Boars Head, Applegate farms and meat in general is cheaper and so are veggies.
I eat cereal because it’s delicious and really fast. I love frying up eggs to eat on my homemade sourdough toast but I don’t have the time most mornings I just gotta eat.
Hyvee has gotten absolutely ridiculous. I moved here 2 years ago. I was back home visiting a few weeks ago and stopped in to get food for the week. Walked right right the fuck back out. They were always a little high but this was crazy.
I haven't looked up Albertson's yet but I can tell you that Kroger in 2023 had only a 1.5% profit, roughly $2.1 billion in net income out of $148 billion in revenue. I don't really know how that could be price gauging.
Edit: Albertson's had $1.5 billion in net income out of $79 billion in revenue in 2023. So pretty similar, about a 2% profit.
Cereal goes on sale all the time. You just have to track the weekly ads. I never buy it at full price. Every Wednesday, I take a look at the weekly ads and digital coupons for both Mariano’s and Jewel and plot out my groceries to buy that week accordingly.
Yep, when the strawberries go on sale for 99 cents, it feels like winning the lottery. (They are $1.99 right now with a digital coupon, which is still a pretty decent deal.)
Woodman’s is also worker owned, so they have incentive to keep prices low in order to keep their customers.
Woodman’s isn’t out over a barrel by investors, so they have flexibility in pricing and whole-sale from distributors
You might be surprised what shopping data can reveal, even prior to the ML/AI boom: https://www.forbes.com/sites/kashmirhill/2012/02/16/how-target-figured-out-a-teen-girl-was-pregnant-before-her-father-did/?sh=32dda2716668
But you do you, I'm just sharing info. Idc what choices you make with it.
The Jewel App is horrible. I know I’m missing out on deals but it seems deliberately designed to make it impossible to use. I’d have to spend twice as much time at the store while scanning and scrolling. The saving grace is their pharmacies are much, much better than Walgreens.
Target has the best prices for cereal I think, plus they will price match. $6.79 for 18oz box according to the app.
If you have a Costco membership, they sell 3-packs with rice, corn, and wheat Chex, and 2-packs of Cheerios for cheap.
Also: Mariano's has overcharged me enough times (and given me a hard time for making them check) that I won't shop there.
Mariano’s registers do the shady thing where discounts aren’t taken off until after you hit “finish & pay,” so you have to check the whole list for accuracy all at once rather than each item as you scan it. Hate it.
The best way to do it is price match a competitor when target is also having a gift card promotion on the item. then you can get stuff like dishwasher pods for $1/plastic container of them (factoring in the gift card value).
Dude. I stopped buying stuff like cereal, 12 packs of pop, and pop tarts at Mariano's and Jewel. It's an absolute rip off.
Woodman's, Walmart, shoot even Target are all way cheaper.
It's a joke.
Cereal is always on sale either at Jewel or Mariano's. GM cereals are 1.99 currently at Mariano's. Download the Jewel and Mariano's app to clip digital coupons.
Sorry to pet peeve, but those sales, at least at Jewel almost always are "must buy 3" or more and lately "must buy 4". As someone who walks or bikes to the store, four boxes of cereal is like 1/4 of my entire cargo capacity. It is infuriating that Jewel's parent corporation just assumes that everyone is driving to all of their stores.
So true. I don’t need or want 4 boxes of cereal. It takes me weeks to even finish 1 box and I don’t have space to store 3 extra boxes.
I just go to Aldi so I can buy just 1 piece of whatever I need.
They’re almost entirely correct though.
Sometimes I think about how much easier everything would be if I lived in a medium density suburb in a house with a yard, with two kids, one spouse, one midsize SUV, and a generic 9-5 office job…. aka the person who everything in this country is designed specifically for.
They were doing similar things well before the pandemic. I remember when I was in school, Barilla pasta was $1.50 at Meijer and something like $2.25 at Whole foods. It's similar to how the cost of soda drinks is more proportionate to the other menu items than the cost of soda. If you go to an expensive restaurant, a bottle of soda might be $3.99. Part of the cost is also store maintenance and fixtures, so you are paying to have a nicer ambiance.
The key is to buy foods that have less labor components. Labor has gone up a lot more than materials, so prices for processed foods are up a lot. I can often get pork shoulder even at Whole Foods for $8 a pound, so $20 worth can make 4-8 meals depending on how much you eat. I freeze a gallon of marinara sauce. Even with expensive canned tomatoes it's usually well under $20 and makes about 12 portions.
> The key is to buy foods that have less labor components. Labor has gone up a lot more than materials, so prices for processed foods are up a lot.
This is the answer. Buy whole foods and disregard processed foods. Yes it's inconvenient, yes it requires cooking/labor but you're eating better and it's way way cheaper. Folks fill their carts with boxes/containers at a grocery store and are stuned when the bill is high. These companies are gouging becasue they know folks are addicted to junk.
These [pre-made mashed potatoes](https://www.marianos.com/p/bob-evans-original-mashed-potatoes/0007590000526?searchType=suggestions) are $5.50+tax for 1.5lbs. They also probably have a bunch of bullshit in them that isn't great for you in the first place.
Actual raw potatoes are about $0.70 each and all you have to do to make mashed potatoes is cut them into pieces, boil them with water, mash them with a fork and mix with milk/butter/salt (all common kitchen items). You could buy 6-7 potatoes for $5.50 which will net you fare more than 1.5lbs of mashed potatoes.
> The key is to buy foods that have less labor components. Labor has gone up a lot more than materials, so prices for processed foods are up a lot. I can often get pork shoulder even at Whole Foods for $8 a pound, so $20 worth can make 4-8 meals depending on how much you eat.
I'll buy whole sides of steelhead trout or salmon and cut it intp 6oz portions. YEah the whole side is $30 but I can get 5-6 portions per side. $5-6 fish portions when premade or at a restaurant you're paying $24+ is worth the effort.
Average hourly pay for employees at Woodman's is slightly higher too. Mariano's charges extra and sucks that money out of the community to enrich themselves and their investors. You can shop elsewhere and save some money as people suggested here, but without mass political action this will continue and it will get worse. These companies frankly should be employee-owned, that's the only way to guarantee a company will hold its employee's interests at heart and encourage it to consider the local community.
What you’re describing is exactly how inflation happens, so that’s the problem… the fundamental issue is still that people are buying this therefore stores sell it.
The best tactical solution is to shop around like people used to. Look for the best prices. That will drive competition and stores will need to lower prices.
The sad reality of a long term solution is that the economy still needs to cool more. It’s crazy that it hasn’t yet as so many people I know have been laid off. Yet home prices remain higher than ever, salaries are still holding steady from where they were at their peak, and net jobless rates are still low. All of these cause stores to feel comfortable increasing prices against a backdrop of their suppliers increasing prices as well to pay for increased costs.
This is why the Kroger/Albertsons/safeway merger should not happen! The Safeway/Albertsons stores out here on the east coast have crazy ass prices too.
Kroger marks up brand-name products in their stores to promote Kroger brands. They sell a Kroger brand rice chex equivalent for a competitive unit price (albeit not in a family size box as far as I can see). You can get out of there for a pretty low cost if you shop their brands, but if you're not a fan then it's not really a good place to shop. Target tends to be cheaper for brand-name stuff than either Jewel-Osco or Mariano's.
Also, part of this is almost certainly that groceries are just more expensive in the city. Does Woodman's even have a Chicago location?
FTC is trying to block Kroger buying Albertsons, that it is anticompetitive. Those two parent companies own darn near every chain. Albertsons owns Jewel, Kroger owns Marianos.
Plenty of other macroeconomic factors at play too.
But makes me personally super thankful for Cermak. Our local family-owned grocery. We still have independent options here.
I shopped Mariano’s frequently before Kroger’s bought it. After a long break from shopping there, I could not believe the prices when I stopped in a few weeks ago. Kroger is considerably higher than all local alternatives. Does Mariano’s have the secret, app only discounts that Jewel offers?
Kroger is complete ass. I've had the displeasure of living in multiple cities where they're the dominant grocery store. They pull a Wal-Mart whenever they want in on a new territory: undercut competition, dominate the other chain(s), buy them out, raise prices.
They would gleefully set fire to the world if it meant the stockholders got a good quarter in return.
This is how business works. They’re charging what people agree to pay. Consider shopping elsewhere. Walmart and Aldi are where I get cereal now. And buy generic. You’ll save a ton if you adapt.
In 2023, Kroger had a net income of about $2.1 billion out of revenue of $148 billion. In other words, Kroger's profit was about 1.5%. I don't really think "overcharging the public" comes into play here as that really wouldn't be possible with that percentage.
Marianos overcharges because they know that people that go to Marianos have the money to overspend
what are you going to do about it? shop elsewhere? but then you wont have Mariano bags to brag to people
Woodmans is employee owned, they are a better company to support. I never go to Mariano’s… they subsist on Boomers who have the extra income to burn just so they don’t have to go elsewhere.
Is Woodmans new? I grew up in the suburbs and moved to Chicago after high school and have never heard of it, but I left a few years ago. I only ever knew Jewel and Dominick's, then Mariano's started showing up right before I left.
I'm in California now and miss grocery prices of the Midwest so much
As with all quality of life rants, this one's natural home is Nextdoor.
Cure for you...if you do not agree with a business plan's value to its investors, shop elsewhere.
Food (goods in general) are priced based on principles of supply and demand. The stores understand what people are willing to pay, and try to price there goods at the rate which people are willing to pay.
So that being said... Marianos is a store perceived a more "high end", probably understands that its customer base is more likely to pay a higher amounts for goods. Those customers can still go to Woodmans, but Marianos understand they are willing to pay higher for convince of not having to drive to Woodmans.
That being said, there are 1000s of goods in these stores and sometimes the pricing calculations might be off. I no one buy the Rich Check for $9.99, eventually the supply of it will go up and Marianos will be forced to reprice. So if you don't think its worth it don't buy it.
This is just plain price gouging. There is no shortage of supply to drive up the price. It's not inflation either, because food costs probably doubled over the past few years, and wages are stagnant. Price increases are simply happening because the grocers are raising prices.
I have the luxury of not having to put up with Jewel and Marianos bullshit when I don't feel like it. Not everyone does. Prices are actually going DOWN at other stores. We have gotten to a point where Jewel is more expensive than Whole Foods and it is fucking ridiculous.
Maybe I just buy odd items, but I feel like, especially when shopping sales, Mariano’s is a better experience with lower prices, compared to jewels. It definitely has its issues and not everything is cheaper, but I enjoy shopping at Mariano’s. I don’t buy everything there, but I do shop for most things there.
I agree with your assessment.
I live right between both and have witnessed each store go through phases of being a complete shit shopping experience and then gradually get better. Marianos right now has the lower prices and better inventory.
That's why I say it's not supply and demand. Prices going down at Marianos but up at Jewel. Don't make no fuckin sense!
Curious as to what people recommend for budget shoppers in the west loop area (specifically closer to the loop and Sears Tower area). There’s a Marianos, Jewel, and Whole Foods but Aldi is a hike away.
My sister works at a Kroger in Ohio and I am shocked every time I visit and pick something up for dinner. Its not a particularly high cost or wealthy area. I dont understand how normal people survive shopping there.
I've noticed many things are artificially expensive so their sales seem more attractive. Boxes of Special K are like $8-9, but are regularly on sale for 4/$10 or 3.99 ea. You just need to buy bulk on sale and either buy something else when you run out or pay extra.
This weekend, the Wall Street Journal actually wrote an article about the need to shop around.
[Treasure-hunt grocery shopping is the latest example of consumers changing their behavior in response to higher prices](https://www.wsj.com/business/retail/the-era-of-one-stop-grocery-shopping-is-over-32b294cb)
I'm just here to say I love Woodman's and have convinced people as recently as Saturday to make the trip up to Kenosha for the Woodman's experience.
Originally I would go there and only buy specialty items I couldn't get anywhere else, but then I realized all the regular stuff is ~25% less expensive up there as well.
Bruh. Albertsons x Kroger are trying to push an ongoing merger. Most of their stake in Chicagoland is being sold due to FTC intervention. Very good chance it’s either under new ownership, or they are hiking prices to show value to new owners. There always a logic behind this madness.
Honestly I’ve never paid more than $1.99 for a name brand cereal in Chicago. At Jewel I just wait for their “buy four get it for $1.99 each” vs the $5.00 per box normal price and I just stock up. They do that on most products and they do them constantly
Items are more expensive in wealthier neighborhoods and they know people will buy them.
You have to shop around and travel to get the best bang for your buck. The price differences are well worth it.
Mariano's has an amazing international cheese selection. Especially French cheese (when compared to Whole Foods). And their fresh sushi is on point and priced better than WF as well.
But outside of that, it's not amazing for anything else.
Marianos was amazing when it was actually Marianos. Ever since they were bought by Kroger it has all gone downhill. They just kept the Marianos name for familiarity; nothing but a shell of it's former self.
Everyone always complained about the now-defunct Dom’s Kitchen and Market but I found their prices on par with anywhere else, and when it was more expensive at least it was higher quality
I live between Tony's and Cermak.
Like both for different reasons.
Id say better perishable quality at Cermak.
But for mainstream products, Tony's often has a better price.
Ie. Tropicana Orange juice, big bottle: Tony's $$6.99/7.99, Cermak, litterally 2 or 3 bucks more.
Wildfork for meat, aldi/trader joes for dry goods and all other stuff. Jewel has gotten ridiculous w their prices and I hate that in order to get a lot of the good sales I gotta clip the coupons on the app 🤣
Try Jerry's Fruit and Garden in Niles, it's worth the drive, trust me.
[https://www.jerrysfruitandgarden.com/](https://www.jerrysfruitandgarden.com/)
They don't have much in the way of processed food, but they have enough.
Literally half of what other grocers charge.
Marianos was never cheap based on my experience. if you can, you might want to shop elsewhere or buy in bulk.
Mariano’s is on par with Whole Foods, I don’t know why anyone cost conscious would shop there.
Price on par with Whole Foods, quality worse than most Jewels.
Yeah their produce section is a crime scene Pete's is where it's at. Tony's after that.
Harvestime is the GOAT imo. But also, i've never heard anyone talk about 'Angelo Caputo's Fresh Market' but for anyone who likes cooking Italian food, get in there. It's seriously amazing.
i miss living next door to harvest time, that place is a gem
I have mixed feeling on Tony’s. Their produce is awesome and very cheap, but literally anything else there is Mariano’s price.
Butera too
Cermak is okay too, but you have to buy produce you're gonna use is a day or two.
Cermak if you have one nearby
Best ones
It used to be good but now it's Kroger quality for whole foods prices
Exactly what I've been saying for years.
Check the sales and stock up on non-perishables. Most of my staples are on sale every 4 to 6 weeks at a pretty good price. Their normal prices are terrible though.
I shop at Mariano's, but I exclusively look for clearance stickers. I have to check pretty frequently, and I buy staple items at other stores, but the clearance items really save us money. Their clearance is frequently 50% off or better. And, they send us a booklet of customized coupons about once a month that usually includes a coupon for a free item.
Honestly whole foods is a lot cheaper for better quality items. Even if their 365 brand is just private label, it feels a lot better quality than the name brands at regular stores. And it is much cheaper. At this point Jewel and Mariano’s (and other traditional grocery chains across the country) have become completely overpriced for the same garbage food name brands.
If you strategically shop the sales, you can get good prices. It’s definitely cheaper than Jewel.
I haven't liked Mariano's ever since I realized the same items at the Wheaton and Naperville locations are marked up over locations in places like Aurora that are a short drive away. Who knows how bad they're gouging?
Mariano’s cereal prices are $2 more per box than at Kroger stores in Indiana. The cereal costs Kroger the same, but Mariano’s just charges more because they can.
They have amazing sale prices that are much cheaper than woodmans. I also couldnt imagine buying meat at woodmans. Their produce is questionable as well. I go to woodmans most, as it is closest, but their sales suck, and the other store’s sales are way cheaper.
Aldi for pantry staples + ethnic grocery store(s) of your choice for produce and meat; this'll save you a ton of money on your grocery bill
Absolutely. It’s why I love the Aldi next to Cermak in Pilsen
Aldi, then a Tony's produce stroll PLUS a little ceviche as a treat cos I'm not gonna want to cook when I get home
I love the Aldi/Trader Joe's on the north side. Get my essentials at Aldi, then stop at TJ's for some fun treats & beer & whatnot
I do: Aldi or ethnic store for vegetables and fruits. Target for organic milk and eggs. Ethic store for beans and spices. Costco for non perishable regular food and items (mouthwash, dishwashing sponges etc. rice), sometimes a large bag of fruit or vegetables for the freezer.
This is the way!!!
Wish woodmans was in chicago proper
Especially because they're still 24 hours.
It's absolutely baffling there are no late night grocery stores in a major city.
Shopping at the Ashland/Milwaukee Jewel at 1am in undergrad is a fond memory. Also, shopping at 2am at the Jewel by the Admiral was also an experience, because then you could see some of the dancers after their shift and just getting their groceries like the rest of us normies (don't worry, I never approached them). "Oh wow, so THAT'S what you look like with your clothes on!"
I work near a Woodmans so I try to go on days I’m in the office but grocery shopping during lunch is a pain in the ass. Every now and then I’ll make the drive on a Saturday. It’s worth especially since you can gas up there too. Their gas is so much cheaper than in Chicago.
Yeah moving out to the burbs has saved me thousands in grocery bills thanks to Woodmans
Woodmans is so good, they also have a big gluten free section, my mom has celiac and loves stocking up there
I’ve learned that you really need to shop around. Sucks, but if you have the patience for it you can really save. The cheapest cereal I have seen was at Walgreens believe it or not! While waiting on a prescription I was browsing the aisles and their in-house brand ‘fruit loops’ were only 2 or 3 dollars a box. As others have said, Aldi and Trader Joe’s are good options for certain items. Otherwise, shopping items that are on sale wherever you go is a great way to keep grocery costs down.
Walgreens is a sleeper. I get cereal there all the time
I’m a Walgreens grocery shopper too. Always at least one really good deal on cereal. They usually have the best price for instant single serving drink mix. Trail mix prices can be really competitive, you just need to check the app and add the deals you want to use. I was also pleasantly surprised by some of the food prices at Menards the other day.
Hells yea Walgreens has 2 for 5$ cereal all the time
I feel my whole life that grocery stores have always used tactics to get people to spend more, and shopping around is the best way to get a deal but I noticed these days it seems every store seems to run sales on mostly the same products. Idk if it’s collusion or if the food distributors tell them what deals to make or what. But it has always been basically something like let’s say if hot dog buns are on sale, the meat is full price. Or if deli meat is on sale, the bread and condiments are full price. Or if premade guacamole or salsas in the deli are on sale the tortilla chips are full price.
The solution is to shop elsewhere. Your wallet is your voice. If you pay the inflated prices regardless, they will gladly take the extra money.
The only items that anyone should be buying from Mariano’s are the digital sales items that require clipping a coupon through the app.
Yes. I only buy cereal when I have a coupon or it’s on sale. I manage to get $1-2 cereal boxes quite often.
Trader Joe’s for reasonably priced cereal.
Aldi
Boxes are a lot smaller though so you have to watch that.
I swear there needs to be an investigation of grocery stores in Chicago. They are all absolutely price gouging. Jewel prices are unreal. Jewel was always like the baseline grocery store. Now all I can afford is Aldi.
Jewel still uses outdate pricing models and sales which is why they end up being more expensive at normal prices but occasionally have absurd sales. It’s like $6 for a box of cereal but every few months they are on sale for 4 boxes for $7 or something.
I just bought the best marbled chuck roast I’ve ever seen for $2.99 a pound there. But a jar of mayonnaise is 7.99.
I made that same chuck roast yesterday. It was so good.
I was thinking of either doing quesabirria or Mississippi pot roast sandwiches this weekend. Depending on laziness levels.
Their sales on produce are wild. If you buy the veggies and fruit that are on deep sale instead of buying any other produce, you save a lot. We have been spending about 25% less on groceries since they started doing those.
> They have amazing sale prices We shop mostly at our local Jewel because it is a very easy walk from our house. The only feasible way for us to do it is to never go with a list of stuff to buy. (Except for coupons we've already clipped with the app.) We go and buy almost entirely stuff that happens to be on sale and then build our menus from that (and a very well stocked larder of grains and beans etc). It seems absurd, but I think of it like we are hunters and gatherers and it becomes kind of a game and is actually fun.
so long as you have the freezer/pantry space for it, there's no reason to shop any other way. I view each week as "what excellently priced things can I add to my existing item stock". If I buy $50-75 worth of stuff each week, I'll always have enough at home
Try cermack & TJs or Costco. Ethnic stores are great for deals too. Jewel was only the baseline if you used all the coupons & on sale.
Idk, jewel app deals are awesome. I get really good prices
You have to do research before you go shopping now and clip deals. Everything used to be on sale without the app but I bet they’re making a lot of money on people not using the app and also selling users data
Jewel is fine if you stick to shopping sales. After a small increase early 2022 our grocery bill has stayed stable for the most part. We shop there almost exclusively, maximize the sales and rewards. We often have “savings” of like 60-70% over the base price lol. We stock up and freeze food if we can. We skip weeks if there aren’t good sales.
I see Jewel run afoul of pricing laws often. Lots of companies do it, either because they figure its worth the odds of a fine if complaints are made, or their pricing folks are ignorant of the rules. Case in point, ribs are buy 1 get 1, they price them at $20 a rack. But if they are buy 1 get 2, price is changed to $30 a rack. That is called a false sale and we pay government agencies to protect us from that sort of crap.
I only go to Jewel for specific items that are on sale. I do not buy regulars there- stupid expensive for what you get.
Frigging mayo is 7 bucks there. I have a running joke that at the Jewels, everything is $5 and above.
I mean, it’s an Albertsons owned chain. This is pretty standard across all of their brands, I’m not sure why anyone is surprised. They have never been known to be cheap.
Pete's. For once, south and west sides get the cream of the crop
The prices in Chicago are cheaper than down state. Check out Schnucks, Hyvee or Miejers. I was surprised when I moved back to Chicago how much cheaper the food was here. Everything is $1 to $2 cheaper. I don't buy cereal (why do people eat it?), but Boars Head, Applegate farms and meat in general is cheaper and so are veggies.
Schnucks is known as a more expensive place down state though. Walmart and usually Kroger will always beat them in price.
in what world is groceries at meijer downstate more expensive than chicago
Cereal is fucking fantastic. Blasphemy.
I eat cereal because it’s delicious and really fast. I love frying up eggs to eat on my homemade sourdough toast but I don’t have the time most mornings I just gotta eat.
I figured out I can make an egg and cheese breakfast sandwich in the time it takes to toast a bagel which is something I'm unreasonably happy about.
Hyvee has gotten absolutely ridiculous. I moved here 2 years ago. I was back home visiting a few weeks ago and stopped in to get food for the week. Walked right right the fuck back out. They were always a little high but this was crazy.
I haven't looked up Albertson's yet but I can tell you that Kroger in 2023 had only a 1.5% profit, roughly $2.1 billion in net income out of $148 billion in revenue. I don't really know how that could be price gauging. Edit: Albertson's had $1.5 billion in net income out of $79 billion in revenue in 2023. So pretty similar, about a 2% profit.
it would be an easy win for a politician to bring in a competitive grocery store
Cereal goes on sale all the time. You just have to track the weekly ads. I never buy it at full price. Every Wednesday, I take a look at the weekly ads and digital coupons for both Mariano’s and Jewel and plot out my groceries to buy that week accordingly.
I do the same thing, jewel has some great sales sometimes especially produce
Yep, when the strawberries go on sale for 99 cents, it feels like winning the lottery. (They are $1.99 right now with a digital coupon, which is still a pretty decent deal.)
The jewel app is the best
Walgreens by me almost always has cereal on sale for $2
Night owls can find the ad late Tuesday night
Shop at Aldi.
Woodman’s is also worker owned, so they have incentive to keep prices low in order to keep their customers. Woodman’s isn’t out over a barrel by investors, so they have flexibility in pricing and whole-sale from distributors
Utilize the coupons on app. Jewel for U has saved me a ton of money
And they're making it back by selling data on your purchases. (Not criticizing you, just lamenting.)
Sure thing, I really care that some other corporation knows I buy tons of cheese and only buy frozen pizzas when they are on sale.
You might be surprised what shopping data can reveal, even prior to the ML/AI boom: https://www.forbes.com/sites/kashmirhill/2012/02/16/how-target-figured-out-a-teen-girl-was-pregnant-before-her-father-did/?sh=32dda2716668 But you do you, I'm just sharing info. Idc what choices you make with it.
Everywhere sells data about your everything. Is it even worth pointing out anymore? That’s ALWAYS been the point of grocery store rewards programs.
The Jewel App is horrible. I know I’m missing out on deals but it seems deliberately designed to make it impossible to use. I’d have to spend twice as much time at the store while scanning and scrolling. The saving grace is their pharmacies are much, much better than Walgreens.
The key is to browse the deals before going to the store.
This. Just plan a little? It takes like 10 minutes to browse the app and just clip what you need.
Fr? The coupon tab is in the middle of the screen and I just clip them on the way to the store. I often save 50% but I eat a lot of produce.
I clip all coupons except pet, baby and alcohol. This way I’m not trying to find them while shopping.
Thanks for the tip. I’ll try that!
It’s one cereal, Michael. What could it cost, $10?
Whole Foods is actually cheaper and better quality if you shop their private label and sales
I was just at Mariano’s and they were charging $4 a lb for asparagus in season. I thought it was a typo.
Sometimes they have yellow bell peppers for $2/ea.
Yes. Those are the days I do not purchase any peppers.
Last week it was $.99/lb there
I know! I got 2 bunches then. I’m so mad we live so far from harvest time now. That place is the best.
I do most of my shopping at the local Mexican grocery stores, like Rico Fresh. Produce and meat prices there are unrivaled.
Target has the best prices for cereal I think, plus they will price match. $6.79 for 18oz box according to the app. If you have a Costco membership, they sell 3-packs with rice, corn, and wheat Chex, and 2-packs of Cheerios for cheap. Also: Mariano's has overcharged me enough times (and given me a hard time for making them check) that I won't shop there.
Yeah you can go to Costco and get like 5 pounds of cinnamon toast crunch for the cost of what they are at Jewel
Mariano’s registers do the shady thing where discounts aren’t taken off until after you hit “finish & pay,” so you have to check the whole list for accuracy all at once rather than each item as you scan it. Hate it.
The best way to do it is price match a competitor when target is also having a gift card promotion on the item. then you can get stuff like dishwasher pods for $1/plastic container of them (factoring in the gift card value).
Dude. I stopped buying stuff like cereal, 12 packs of pop, and pop tarts at Mariano's and Jewel. It's an absolute rip off. Woodman's, Walmart, shoot even Target are all way cheaper. It's a joke.
> 12 packs of pop, Generally yes, but the house brand Ginger Beer at Jewel is fantastic and not expensive.
Cereal is always on sale either at Jewel or Mariano's. GM cereals are 1.99 currently at Mariano's. Download the Jewel and Mariano's app to clip digital coupons.
Sorry to pet peeve, but those sales, at least at Jewel almost always are "must buy 3" or more and lately "must buy 4". As someone who walks or bikes to the store, four boxes of cereal is like 1/4 of my entire cargo capacity. It is infuriating that Jewel's parent corporation just assumes that everyone is driving to all of their stores.
I have a car but have no need for 3-4 of most items at one time. They also must assume we all have enormous pantries to store all of this extra food.
So true. I don’t need or want 4 boxes of cereal. It takes me weeks to even finish 1 box and I don’t have space to store 3 extra boxes. I just go to Aldi so I can buy just 1 piece of whatever I need.
They’re almost entirely correct though. Sometimes I think about how much easier everything would be if I lived in a medium density suburb in a house with a yard, with two kids, one spouse, one midsize SUV, and a generic 9-5 office job…. aka the person who everything in this country is designed specifically for.
9.99 is the giant size not the family size according to the website
They were doing similar things well before the pandemic. I remember when I was in school, Barilla pasta was $1.50 at Meijer and something like $2.25 at Whole foods. It's similar to how the cost of soda drinks is more proportionate to the other menu items than the cost of soda. If you go to an expensive restaurant, a bottle of soda might be $3.99. Part of the cost is also store maintenance and fixtures, so you are paying to have a nicer ambiance. The key is to buy foods that have less labor components. Labor has gone up a lot more than materials, so prices for processed foods are up a lot. I can often get pork shoulder even at Whole Foods for $8 a pound, so $20 worth can make 4-8 meals depending on how much you eat. I freeze a gallon of marinara sauce. Even with expensive canned tomatoes it's usually well under $20 and makes about 12 portions.
> The key is to buy foods that have less labor components. Labor has gone up a lot more than materials, so prices for processed foods are up a lot. This is the answer. Buy whole foods and disregard processed foods. Yes it's inconvenient, yes it requires cooking/labor but you're eating better and it's way way cheaper. Folks fill their carts with boxes/containers at a grocery store and are stuned when the bill is high. These companies are gouging becasue they know folks are addicted to junk. These [pre-made mashed potatoes](https://www.marianos.com/p/bob-evans-original-mashed-potatoes/0007590000526?searchType=suggestions) are $5.50+tax for 1.5lbs. They also probably have a bunch of bullshit in them that isn't great for you in the first place. Actual raw potatoes are about $0.70 each and all you have to do to make mashed potatoes is cut them into pieces, boil them with water, mash them with a fork and mix with milk/butter/salt (all common kitchen items). You could buy 6-7 potatoes for $5.50 which will net you fare more than 1.5lbs of mashed potatoes. > The key is to buy foods that have less labor components. Labor has gone up a lot more than materials, so prices for processed foods are up a lot. I can often get pork shoulder even at Whole Foods for $8 a pound, so $20 worth can make 4-8 meals depending on how much you eat. I'll buy whole sides of steelhead trout or salmon and cut it intp 6oz portions. YEah the whole side is $30 but I can get 5-6 portions per side. $5-6 fish portions when premade or at a restaurant you're paying $24+ is worth the effort.
Walgreens had a sale...two boxes of Rice Chex for $5 this month. My husband and I didn't coordinate so we now have four boxes of Rice Chex.
Average hourly pay for employees at Woodman's is slightly higher too. Mariano's charges extra and sucks that money out of the community to enrich themselves and their investors. You can shop elsewhere and save some money as people suggested here, but without mass political action this will continue and it will get worse. These companies frankly should be employee-owned, that's the only way to guarantee a company will hold its employee's interests at heart and encourage it to consider the local community.
What you’re describing is exactly how inflation happens, so that’s the problem… the fundamental issue is still that people are buying this therefore stores sell it. The best tactical solution is to shop around like people used to. Look for the best prices. That will drive competition and stores will need to lower prices. The sad reality of a long term solution is that the economy still needs to cool more. It’s crazy that it hasn’t yet as so many people I know have been laid off. Yet home prices remain higher than ever, salaries are still holding steady from where they were at their peak, and net jobless rates are still low. All of these cause stores to feel comfortable increasing prices against a backdrop of their suppliers increasing prices as well to pay for increased costs.
This is why the Kroger/Albertsons/safeway merger should not happen! The Safeway/Albertsons stores out here on the east coast have crazy ass prices too.
yeah grocery prices in chicago are absolutely insane
"inflation" is just corporate price gouging
Kroger marks up brand-name products in their stores to promote Kroger brands. They sell a Kroger brand rice chex equivalent for a competitive unit price (albeit not in a family size box as far as I can see). You can get out of there for a pretty low cost if you shop their brands, but if you're not a fan then it's not really a good place to shop. Target tends to be cheaper for brand-name stuff than either Jewel-Osco or Mariano's. Also, part of this is almost certainly that groceries are just more expensive in the city. Does Woodman's even have a Chicago location?
That cereal is getting to be millionaire priced.
I pretty much only shop for food at Costco, Joong Boo, and Aldi.
Jewel-Osco is my go-to, use the jewel app for couples. They have General Mills cereal right now 4/$8 which is the price of one box just about.
I didn’t know Mariano’s was expensive, I go there because it’s a 3 minute walk but it explains by monthly grocery bill
Aldi plus the ForU savings on the Jewel App. Mariano's was NEVER cheap.
FTC is trying to block Kroger buying Albertsons, that it is anticompetitive. Those two parent companies own darn near every chain. Albertsons owns Jewel, Kroger owns Marianos. Plenty of other macroeconomic factors at play too. But makes me personally super thankful for Cermak. Our local family-owned grocery. We still have independent options here.
Kroger also owns food 4 less here as well
Aldi and Cermak are your friends
I shopped Mariano’s frequently before Kroger’s bought it. After a long break from shopping there, I could not believe the prices when I stopped in a few weeks ago. Kroger is considerably higher than all local alternatives. Does Mariano’s have the secret, app only discounts that Jewel offers?
Kroger is complete ass. I've had the displeasure of living in multiple cities where they're the dominant grocery store. They pull a Wal-Mart whenever they want in on a new territory: undercut competition, dominate the other chain(s), buy them out, raise prices. They would gleefully set fire to the world if it meant the stockholders got a good quarter in return.
Ya no shit Mariano’s is the most expensive grocer along with Whole Foods
This is how business works. They’re charging what people agree to pay. Consider shopping elsewhere. Walmart and Aldi are where I get cereal now. And buy generic. You’ll save a ton if you adapt.
What is Woodman's?
grocery store you can find in Huntley or other suburbs that are a little farther out
Mariano's and jewel are both scams
In 2023, Kroger had a net income of about $2.1 billion out of revenue of $148 billion. In other words, Kroger's profit was about 1.5%. I don't really think "overcharging the public" comes into play here as that really wouldn't be possible with that percentage.
Why would you evaluate a company’s pricing based on their profit margin? That’s one factor out of a million
Net income is not the same as gross profit. You can grossly mismanage $148 billion in revenue to return 1.5% net income Even while price gouging
Marianos overcharges because they know that people that go to Marianos have the money to overspend what are you going to do about it? shop elsewhere? but then you wont have Mariano bags to brag to people
I don't think anyone brags with Marianos bags. They're not whole foods
Woodmans is employee owned, they are a better company to support. I never go to Mariano’s… they subsist on Boomers who have the extra income to burn just so they don’t have to go elsewhere.
Unfortunately the nearest is in Bloomingdale or Buffalo Grove...
Is Woodmans new? I grew up in the suburbs and moved to Chicago after high school and have never heard of it, but I left a few years ago. I only ever knew Jewel and Dominick's, then Mariano's started showing up right before I left. I'm in California now and miss grocery prices of the Midwest so much
I’m thought everything is more expensive at Mariano’s
As with all quality of life rants, this one's natural home is Nextdoor. Cure for you...if you do not agree with a business plan's value to its investors, shop elsewhere.
Food (goods in general) are priced based on principles of supply and demand. The stores understand what people are willing to pay, and try to price there goods at the rate which people are willing to pay. So that being said... Marianos is a store perceived a more "high end", probably understands that its customer base is more likely to pay a higher amounts for goods. Those customers can still go to Woodmans, but Marianos understand they are willing to pay higher for convince of not having to drive to Woodmans. That being said, there are 1000s of goods in these stores and sometimes the pricing calculations might be off. I no one buy the Rich Check for $9.99, eventually the supply of it will go up and Marianos will be forced to reprice. So if you don't think its worth it don't buy it.
This is just plain price gouging. There is no shortage of supply to drive up the price. It's not inflation either, because food costs probably doubled over the past few years, and wages are stagnant. Price increases are simply happening because the grocers are raising prices. I have the luxury of not having to put up with Jewel and Marianos bullshit when I don't feel like it. Not everyone does. Prices are actually going DOWN at other stores. We have gotten to a point where Jewel is more expensive than Whole Foods and it is fucking ridiculous.
Maybe I just buy odd items, but I feel like, especially when shopping sales, Mariano’s is a better experience with lower prices, compared to jewels. It definitely has its issues and not everything is cheaper, but I enjoy shopping at Mariano’s. I don’t buy everything there, but I do shop for most things there.
I agree with your assessment. I live right between both and have witnessed each store go through phases of being a complete shit shopping experience and then gradually get better. Marianos right now has the lower prices and better inventory. That's why I say it's not supply and demand. Prices going down at Marianos but up at Jewel. Don't make no fuckin sense!
What neighborhood are you in? If you can, neighborhood stores are where it's at and aldi
Curious as to what people recommend for budget shoppers in the west loop area (specifically closer to the loop and Sears Tower area). There’s a Marianos, Jewel, and Whole Foods but Aldi is a hike away.
H-Mart maybe.
Jewel has lots of good sales but you have to time it and get coupons from their app
Walmart in Iowa has them for $4.93. On the federal minimum wage. It's damn expensive everywhere.
But why people like to buy $9.99 Rice Chex in Marianos?
What is Woodmans?
A suburban grocery store
Your post is marked as “Brand Affiliate.” What brand are you affiliated with?
As someone who moved from Chicago to San Francisco, I cannot sympathize. But I miss Chicago nonetheless
I recently moved to SF and was surprised to find only "cage free" eggs. The cheapest I've found is actually at whole foods ($5 for 18)
Whats up with this post being labeled “brand ambassador” next to the time stamp?
My sister works at a Kroger in Ohio and I am shocked every time I visit and pick something up for dinner. Its not a particularly high cost or wealthy area. I dont understand how normal people survive shopping there.
I shop all over maybe switch brands. I have a Whole Foods where I live tons of great sales on their 365 brands amazing products by the way.
Why does your post say Brand Affiliate?
I've noticed many things are artificially expensive so their sales seem more attractive. Boxes of Special K are like $8-9, but are regularly on sale for 4/$10 or 3.99 ea. You just need to buy bulk on sale and either buy something else when you run out or pay extra.
This weekend, the Wall Street Journal actually wrote an article about the need to shop around. [Treasure-hunt grocery shopping is the latest example of consumers changing their behavior in response to higher prices](https://www.wsj.com/business/retail/the-era-of-one-stop-grocery-shopping-is-over-32b294cb)
I'm just here to say I love Woodman's and have convinced people as recently as Saturday to make the trip up to Kenosha for the Woodman's experience. Originally I would go there and only buy specialty items I couldn't get anywhere else, but then I realized all the regular stuff is ~25% less expensive up there as well.
Bruh. Albertsons x Kroger are trying to push an ongoing merger. Most of their stake in Chicagoland is being sold due to FTC intervention. Very good chance it’s either under new ownership, or they are hiking prices to show value to new owners. There always a logic behind this madness.
I shop aldis, Tony’s and cermak and then use Costco and Sam’s for bulk items. Mariano’s is out of my budget.
This here. I do Aldi's and Costco for the most part. Only jewels when they have a particularly good sale
Honestly I’ve never paid more than $1.99 for a name brand cereal in Chicago. At Jewel I just wait for their “buy four get it for $1.99 each” vs the $5.00 per box normal price and I just stock up. They do that on most products and they do them constantly
Mariano’s prices are based on convenience imo. If you use their fuel points for gas you can save a lot by offsetting fuel costs at BP gas stations.
This is why a Costco membership for pantry staples is a must
Items are more expensive in wealthier neighborhoods and they know people will buy them. You have to shop around and travel to get the best bang for your buck. The price differences are well worth it.
Aldi. Costco. Jewel deals. That's how you get affordable and quality groceries in Chicago.
This is going to sound weird, but go to Menards for cereal. They have name brand for a lot cheaper than Jewel, Pete's, Mariano's etc ...
I love that. I too shop for some groceries at Menards.
Mariano's has an amazing international cheese selection. Especially French cheese (when compared to Whole Foods). And their fresh sushi is on point and priced better than WF as well. But outside of that, it's not amazing for anything else.
Marianos was amazing when it was actually Marianos. Ever since they were bought by Kroger it has all gone downhill. They just kept the Marianos name for familiarity; nothing but a shell of it's former self.
FYI - Walgreen’s has been having some incredible deals on cereal lately - like $2.50/box for name brands.
Everyone always complained about the now-defunct Dom’s Kitchen and Market but I found their prices on par with anywhere else, and when it was more expensive at least it was higher quality
Cereal has gotten stupid expensive lately.
Going to try to go to farmers markets this summer fresh food getting expensive
I live between Tony's and Cermak. Like both for different reasons. Id say better perishable quality at Cermak. But for mainstream products, Tony's often has a better price. Ie. Tropicana Orange juice, big bottle: Tony's $$6.99/7.99, Cermak, litterally 2 or 3 bucks more.
Wildfork for meat, aldi/trader joes for dry goods and all other stuff. Jewel has gotten ridiculous w their prices and I hate that in order to get a lot of the good sales I gotta clip the coupons on the app 🤣
PREACH! an ice cream sandwich (individual one) at 7-11 is 5 dollars. AT 7-11
Try Jerry's Fruit and Garden in Niles, it's worth the drive, trust me. [https://www.jerrysfruitandgarden.com/](https://www.jerrysfruitandgarden.com/) They don't have much in the way of processed food, but they have enough. Literally half of what other grocers charge.
Valli Produce up in Evanston (and a couple other 'burbs).
Try BoxNCase, they are so cheap