Just curious to see where everyone goes for their fruit and veges - I find it's often a mixed bag for me in terms of price and quality, so tend to mix it up a bit between supermarkets and the local grocer, but it seems to me that people are crowding out the local grocers, despite some of their produce being of really poor quality.
Fruit and Veg - Supermarket or Grocer?
Comments
I don't have a choice - I only have supermarkets in my area.
Other - Farmers market. Much better quality, fresher and a fraction of the price.
Only if it is a genuine Farmers Market a lot of so called Farmers Markets have the same product from the same farm/packing shed on several stalls making them a grocers market to me…"Best practice farmers’ markets are food markets where the stallholders are the farmers, their families or farm staff. Resellers are not permitted".. The following link may help people find a genuine Farmers Market. https://farmersmarkets.org.au/find-a-market/
BIG WATERMELON BUSHY PARK!!!!!
Quality is so good compared to the junk at the supermarket.
my backyard :)
My friend works as a buyer for supermarkets and he warned me never to buy "That over priced crap". He reckons it's their biggest profit maker as well.
Maybe put an option for growing your own veggies, farmhouse direct and other online stores.
I often go to the grocer to get my veg and the stop at coles on the way home to get other stuff. The price diff on some of the items is astronomical. EG Corn on the cob might be 50c each at the grocer but Coles have it for $2 each or something insane. Same goes for most stuff. Ive been buying a lot of blueberries lately and they are almost always double at Coles, even marked as "specials".
pffft amateurs I grow my own vegetables
sometimes convenience plays a big factor in choice, also ethnic background.
a lot fruit and vegetables just aren't available at the supermarkets and if they were the lack of choice and price will be a deterrent. but that also goes for other items for the pantry as well.
I wouldn't buy soy sauce from Coles and at the same time I wont be buying cereal from my Asian supermarket,
cant find jackfruit at Coles nor can I find fresh almonds.
coming from a ethnic background the choice for grocery shopping is much more diverse than Coles, woollies, Aldi and Costco.
living close to an ethnic centre also helps not only in grocery shopping but restaurants and cafes too.
Rothwell fruitbarn
Convenience makes me buy everything from the supermarket. Only buy things that are on special.
Nearly all the independent grocers in my area sell fruit and veg you would never, ever see in a supermarket. It makes Harris Farm's "Imperfect Picks" look like fruit with Body Dysmorphic Disorder (though frankly, the obsession with symmetrical fruit is stupid to begin with). I like ripe bananas (and love that others don't, saving me money) but I don't know how grocers have the nerve to sell boxes of inedible rotten fruit with such insignificant discounts (apt with the peach season upon us…).
But I never buy greens from the big supermarkets, even though the quality is better. Asian supermarkets don't let cruciferous vegetables cost over $3. They know bros gotta get their phytochemicals. And a lot of my leafy greens have organic, bug-generated breathing holes.
If it wasn't for independent grocers I would probably have never splurged on Kale.
Depends on a few factors:
Convenience = supermarket (IGA), but the quality is below par regularly.
Quality = local produce retailer; source produce from local suppliers, weekends only, fresh as, very seasonal (obviously). Can be pricey, plus it is further away.
Specific = if we are looking for a specific slightly exotic item, we visit markets with that particular clientele. E.g. Dandenong / Springvale in Melbourne are great when you really need a key ingredient.
I do a combination of both. I find that supermarkets and the grocers would always have some things (normally different things) on special to draw you in.
Also when I have time I try to hit up the markets like paddy’s market
I travel a lot and where you are seems to matter more than whether it is a supermarket or grocer.
A few weeks ago I called at a roadside grocers on the Sunny Coast as I was up there and it was astounding. The fields were right behind it so everything was fresh. However he also sold Russian garlic. The bulbs were bigger than my fist and the taste is amazing.We are really lucky as we have a fantastic grocer about a 10 minute drive away. For years now we've done a separate shopping trip there on the weekends just to do the fruit and veg shopping so I've had the luxury of refusing to buy from Coles or Woolies.
More recently I've started getting them delivered through a local service that provides a set box (you can't choose what goes in it) for a fixed price. I order one each fortnight or so and they've been great. I've moved to that as I would like us to eat more seasonally and I find that difficult when shopping at the grocer as I don't know what is in season.
Not all indie grocers are good — it would have to depend on which suburb you live
For e.g where I live (western sydney) the local grocer in my shopping centre sells a lot of sad-looking veg (as their stock doesn't move and they cheap out on produce) so I'm still forced to go visit Aldi and Woolworths for fresher produce.