Frustrated, one grocery chain closes and 10 grocery stores do not carry products I used

[Panina]

I have so many grocery stores near me, Harris Teeter, Publix, Food Lion, Aldi, Lidl, Sprouts, Trader Joes, Whole Foods, Walmart and Target.

My favorite grocery Earthfare recently went out of business so I have been on a quest to find the products I purchased there.

To my amazement there are products that none of the stores carry, my favorites brands and flavors for gluten free bagels and bread, chocolate truffles, corn bread mix, frozen egg rolls, pulpusas, tofu, ravioli and the list goes on and on.

Some of these items I can order online but that saddens me as I would have liked to keep my purchases local. Frustrated that some products I won’t be able to get at all.

 

[geekette]

Talk to store manager, they will sometimes try new products. If others want those products, You Win!

Especially since you want to shop local. Can't imagine any grocer thinking, I'm not doing it, let her order online... they know the online threat yet here you are, in person.

 

[RonB]

Walmart carries a ton of stuff online that's not available in store. You can order and pick up at your local Walmart with no shipping charge.

 

[goaliedave]

I have so many grocery stores near me, Harris Teeter, Publix, Food Lion, Aldi, Lidl, Sprouts, Trader Joes, Whole Foods, Walmart and Target.

My favorite grocery Earthfare recently went out of business so I have been on a quest to find the products I purchased there.

To my amazement there are products that none of the stores carry, my favorites brands and flavors for gluten free bagels and bread, chocolate truffles, corn bread mix, frozen egg rolls, pulpusas, tofu, ravioli and the list goes on and on.

Some of these items I can order online but that saddens me as I would have liked to keep my purchases local. Frustrated that some products I won’t be able to get at all.

Unfortunately local healthy grocery stores get pushed out by the big chains because most people prefer cheap mass produced crap and dont care that the profits leave their community instead of creating local jobs.

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[Panina]

Unfortunately local healthy grocery stores get pushed out by the big chains because most people prefer cheap mass produced crap and dont care that the profits leave their community instead of creating local jobs.

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You are right. Most of what I buy is healthy or gluten free. Where most groceries have many gluten free products mostly the unhealthy ones are the ones carried. There are so many delicious healthy gluten free products that many who need them never get a chance to buy.

 

[goaliedave]

You are right. Most of what I buy is healthy or gluten free. Where most groceries have many gluten free products mostly the unhealthy ones are the ones carried. There are so many delicious healthy gluten free products that many who need them never get a chance to buy.

Healthy real food is important to me where I live and travel. We have a big healthy lical community. Currently i'm vacationing in jauai which has lots of local healthy food. Like you I'm big on local not a Costco sheep.

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[Fredflintstone]

Healthy real food is important to me where I live and travel. We have a big healthy lical community. Currently i'm vacationing in jauai which has lots of local healthy food. Like you I'm big on local not a Costco sheep.

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I’m the same way. What always surprises me is healthy, delicious, organic food is much higher in price than junk food and crap. Why unprocessed, natural food is more is beyond me. One would think the governments would want the masses to choose healthy over garbage by making prices of those products the same or less.

Also, locally grown food in the stores can be higher than mass produced stuff from abroad. Huh?


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[goaliedave]

I’m the same way. What always surprises me is healthy, delicious, organic food is much higher in price than junk food and crap. Why unprocessed, natural food is more is beyond me. One would think the governments would want the masses to choose healthy over garbage by making prices of those products the same or less.

Also, locally grown food in the stores can be higher than mass produced stuff from abroad. Huh?


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You know why. You are just too nice to say. Suck in the masses with advertising, create huge food retailers and proccessors, buy most stuff overseas, bribe politicians to get locations, lower prices to drive out competition, use profits to bribe politicians, repeat. Consumerism, it's the Boomers' American Dream!

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[clifffaith]

When Von's stopped carrying Skinner's Raisin Bran, they'd order for us but apologetically said we'd have to buy a whole case. No problem. This went on for a couple years before they gave us the direct contact info for the mill. Then the mill closed and someone else picked the line up, and eventually we morphed into buying it by the case on Amazon. We look for it anytime/anywhere we are in a different grocery store but haven't seen it in a store for years.

 

[goaliedave]

When Von's stopped carrying Skinner's Raisin Bran, they'd order for us but apologetically said we'd have to buy a whole case. No problem. This went on for a couple years before they gave us the direct contact info for the mill. Then the mill closed and someone else picked the line up, and eventually we morphed into buying it by the case on Amazon. We look for it anytime/anywhere we are in a different grocery store but haven't seen it in a store for years.

Are you offering a prize for the tug member who finds Skinner's Raisin Bran? I'll keep my eyes open for you

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[WinniWoman]

This is par for the course with a lot of products- healthy or not. Then you throw in gluten free and it gets even harder.

I like to shop for a combination of things, so I will go to Hannafords or Shaws, or even Walmart, and I used to go to Sam's Club quarterly. I have had issues with things I liked and purchased on a regular basis being discontinued in the store. I would talk to the store manager and then sometimes the product would be put back on the shelves but sometimes not.

Ex: I really love Cabot's low fat Greek vanilla yogurt in the large tub- but prefer the Triple Cream (to die for). A store has to carry at least one of them or I won't shop there. Unfortunately, no stores where I lived in NY or nearby here in NH carry the strawberry version and that is another one I absolutely love. I have only been able to purchase the starwberry in Vermont.

I also shop on Amazon for things I want that I can't find or that I want in larger packages for better value.

One thing, I don't like driving around to several stores to get my weekly groceries so I try to do everything possible to make one stop at one store once per week. You cannot do that with specialty stores when you also need other stuff. That is why I also have some items (like some toiletries) on Amazon subscribe and save.

So I mentioned on another thread I ordered a 4 pack of tri color pearl couscous on Amazon and they sent me a 4 pack of brown rice. They said to keep it free of charge and would send out the correct order. Now yesterday they sent me a 4 pack of regular couscous! They said to keep it and will send me the correct order by 3/8. At this rate I am stocked for years! LOL!

 

[Tacoma]

I am a fan of both costco and shopping smaller local specialty stores as they both have their place in my food preparation. I am recently diagnosed with kidney disease and I need to limit my sodium content. In pretty much every store and restaurant I can find information on gluten free and keto friendly products but I have to read EVERY label for sodium content. Realistically there is almost nothing that I can eat that is prepackaged or made in a restaurant. Everything contains way too much sodium. Lots of salads at restaurants (without dressing) are close to or over my daily limit. Tie that in with being a Canadian and I can't even order specialty products online for anywhere near affordable by the time they add shipping. I need a salt free baking powder and I have no hope of getting it. To live within my limits I have to make pretty much everything from scratch.

Pretty much anyone with heart problems, diabetes, kidney issues and many other health problems should be lowering their sodium and our food industry is doing very little to help us. Other than sodium reduced products (many of which still have a shocking amount of sodium) and cooking from scratch we are on our own to reduce sodium. I always cooked at home but took shortcuts like instant mashed potatoes on shepherd's pie, or the packaged taco kits. Not anymore. The only good news is being recently retired has given me more time for shopping and meal preparation but I would love to see sodium reduced sections at grocery stores like they have organic and gluten free sections.

 

[Panina]

I am a fan of both costco and shopping smaller local specialty stores as they both have their place in my food preparation. I am recently diagnosed with kidney disease and I need to limit my sodium content. In pretty much every store and restaurant I can find information on gluten free and keto friendly products but I have to read EVERY label for sodium content. Realistically there is almost nothing that I can eat that is prepackaged or made in a restaurant. Everything contains way too much sodium. Lots of salads at restaurants (without dressing) are close to or over my daily limit. Tie that in with being a Canadian and I can't even order specialty products online for anywhere near affordable by the time they add shipping. I need a salt free baking powder and I have no hope of getting it. To live within my limits I have to make pretty much everything from scratch.

Pretty much anyone with heart problems, diabetes, kidney issues and many other health problems should be lowering their sodium and our food industry is doing very little to help us. Other than sodium reduced products (many of which still have a shocking amount of sodium) and cooking from scratch we are on our own to reduce sodium. I always cooked at home but took shortcuts like instant mashed potatoes on shepherd's pie, or the packaged taco kits. Not anymore. The only good news is being recently retired has given me more time for shopping and meal preparation but I would love to see sodium reduced sections at grocery stores like they have organic and gluten free sections.

I am very sensitive to salt, my blood pressure goes high if I go over 1200 a day and it needs to be spread out.

With no sodium, I have found crushed and chopped tomatoes, garbanzo beans, vegetable broth, pecan and cashew butter. It makes it easier to make things.

There are many products with low sodium but they are not easily found in stores which is surprising. There is a big customer base for them.

I do most of my cooking now too.

 

[clifffaith]

Are you offering a prize for the tug member who finds Skinner's Raisin Bran? I'll keep my eyes open for you

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How about a hearty "Well done"?! BTW, since the mill change some years ago the words Uncle Sam are more prominent than Skinner's on the box, surprising because I see it is now also marked Product of Canada.

 

[Brett]

I’m the same way. What always surprises me is healthy, delicious, organic food is much higher in price than junk food and crap. Why unprocessed, natural food is more is beyond me. One would think the governments would want the masses to choose healthy over garbage by making prices of those products the same or less.

Also, locally grown food in the stores can be higher than mass produced stuff from abroad. Huh?


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I don't believe the government sets the price of food.
But yes, many people (including me) prefer 'all natural' organic food. But if hungry I've been known to eat the "unprocessed garbage"

 

[Talent312]

Often, the better something tastes, the worse it is for you.
I'm thinking Haagen Dazs ice cream, well-seasoned steaks, french fries...
A quote:
"There's nothing more depressing about eating healthy than snacking on rice cakes."
.

 

[Fredflintstone]

I don't believe the government sets the price of food.
But yes, many people (including me) prefer 'all natural' organic food. But if hungry I've been known to eat the "unprocessed garbage"

I suppose not. However, there are countries that tax “junk food” and subsidize healthy, organic food. The leader is Norway.

Eight countries that have declared war on junk food - The Economic Times

A leader in the war against junk food, Norway taxes sugary drinks, fast food and restricts its availability to children. The Scandinavian nation has been at this for much of the past decade as it has sought to keep widening waistlines in check and control the excessive consumption of sugar and...

economictimes.indiatimes.com

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