now Publix prices are quite expensive... here in Miami, I like Restaurent supply depot, Martinez distributing, Fresco y mas etc Publix in Doral downtown just few blocks from me & I shop there mostly for wines...meat, seafood prices were high, I talked with the manager & he said yes... check them out if you live in neighborhood & have those stores.....
@@rubensanchez1797 Yes, Publix is a retiree rip-off service. Notice the location of most of the Publix stores. Do yourself a favor and do some comparison shopping. You will be surprised. Costco is better quality and lower prices.
A long time ago I joined Sam's Club. I was curious more than anything. I was very pleased with te quality and taste of their meats, pork, beef, chicken and sausages. I still go there and have never been disappointed.
I think when we moved away from individual stores and markets to the large corporate all in one supermarkets quality suffered. Going to a bakery, butcher, a green grocer, a farmer’s market, or produce market yielded the best foods.
I work in the meat department of jewel(which is under safeway) I can absolutely say that we have the best quality meat of any other store that I have visited
Really, I've heard that so many times before! tell me what is the proper procedure to prep a prime rib for sale? And no it's not take it out of the box and put some strings on it. What do you do to make it a quality cut of meat? Give me some details. Because you get your stock from the same place every one else does. What makes yours stand out?? Reply and I will give you an answer.
@ant-1 I don't know what to tell you. I've made steaks from all kinds of stores. Costco, mariano's, Walmart, Amazon, and others. I can't explain the science, but jewel has always had the better quality from what I've bought. The prep of a prime rib is exactly as you said it. But the bones off and tie them back on. Maybe trim them a bit if they're not on sale
Totally in agreement with target, Trader Joe’s and Walmart having terrible meat quality, but I have to disagree with Safeway. I’ve never had issues finding good quality cuts at my local store. Safeway should not be anywhere near the same category as those other ‘worst’ stores
Do you still feel the same? I've always gotten my meat at Safeway too but recently I've been noticing something's off. My steaks are not tasting right at all! I was very disappointed at least the last 2x I've gotten steak at Safeway, maybe 3. The 2nd (or 3rd, I don't eat meat every day & I might splurge on a filet mignon once a week or 2) time was today. Sure didn't seem like top loin newYork! Steak, bone-in (they were out of FM)!
I've had good experiences buying from Safeway pre pandemic, but as of 2024 the prices are just better at Costco and the meat tastes about the same. Often the Safeway meat has been oxidized and appears brown, it doesn't look as fresh and isn't as thick as cuts from Costco. Costco has some fat juicy ribeye, just made one a few days ago and man was that ribeye marbled and juicy.
As a lifelong Floridian, i not only worked for Publix for 15 yrs, i still shop almost exclusively with them. Prices may be a bit higher than other stores, but cleanliness & customer service is worth the higher price for me! Sprouts is also a favorite mainly because of their organic meats.
Thanks for leaving off H-E-B. We Texans want to keep this outstanding grocery store to ourselves here in Texas. The meat section and selection is numero uno to any grocery store chain in the nation. Customer service is remarkable as well as the H-E-B experience and no two stores are the same since they are based on neighborhood location. H-E-B keeps getting recognized as the number one grocery chain in the nation and Texas proud. Thanks again for keeping the number grocery and meat market off your radar!
We lived in San Antonio for 12 years while I was in the service and later practicing law there. H-E-B was our go to store, Its competition was Albertsons which had good groceries but was higher priced than H-E-B. The workers there were also very helpful if you could not find something you needed or wondered if they carried a certain item.
H-E-B is privately owned by the H E Butts family and it carries NO debt. Every store is bought and paid for from the chain's earnings. I lived in Corpus Christi for 8 years and it was a great place to shop.
Depends on the individual store. I gotten bad meat way too many times at the HEB in Woodway (Waco) Also dairy and other cold items are left out on floor for hours untill somebody can get it stocked. Store managers rarely come out of offices to supervise. The other locations are pretty good.
@@ArnCital Wegmans is a family owned business out of Rochester, NY in Western NY that started in 1916 - Danny and Colleen Wegman are the third generation running the show
Before their Amazon merger, a Whole Foods butcher told me that their 365 chicken was the same chicken used by Mary’s (a great quality), just rebranded. I’m not sure if that’s changed. Also, none of Costco’s meats are grass-fed, organic or otherwise. A Costco butcher told me it was because it just wasn’t selling as fast as the normal meat. Bummer.
All Costcos' will cater the the clientele for the area. I have shopped in many, many Costcos all over the US and in every one they have had organic ground beef, organic ground turkey and organic chicken. Look closer at the organic meat in Costco.
We used to love Sam’s Club. In the past few years they have discontinued so many of the products we bought from them that we go there less and buy less. Just downgraded from plus membership to regular. They seem to have become the world’s largest sell of junk food. I bought steaks; when the package was opened a piece of far LARGER THAN THE STEAK was hidden beneath. No more meat from Sam’s. Taking out the photo department was a killer. Pharmacy is still superb.
Ever take a good look at BJ's, sams, etc. Everything has high sugar, salt, fat, etc.. They must cut a deal with great kick backs from big pharma to make everybody sick to bring in more business
I live in South NJ and Wegman's, while not the cheapest, always has excellent steaks. Splurge and treat yourself, you will be happy!!! You get what you pay for
@@avagosiewski2018 Walmart provides value for people who may not have the means to shop at more upscale stores. I have the means, but I don't like paying $8.49 for the product Walmart sells for $6.99.
Sorry but I disagree. Walmart meat is not cheap. I have a Publix, Food Lion, Aldi, Lidl, and Walmart near me. And the cheapest meat is at Food Lion. And even cheaper if it's marked down for a sale or whatever. And the quality is excellent. Milk is cheapest at Aldi. Their eggs are cheaper too. Some things in the grocery aisles at Walmart are cheaper. Like store brand items. I like fresh spinach and it is the cheapest at Aldi. I can buy two packages and it costs me less than buying one at the other stores.
I used to work at Target and I had absolutely no faith in the grocery team. If it wasn’t a pantry item (and I ALWAYS checked the expiration date), I wasn’t buying it.
Wegmans meat is delicious. I especially love their center cut pork chops cooked on the grill. One of my favorite meals. Their chicken breast and hamburger is also very good. It is by far my favorite store to buy meat.
We just bought a roast at Tops & I cut it into steaks. It didn't have much fat & it was delicious. I chopped some leftover steak in my food processor, added chopped onion, sweet relish & mayonnaise for sandwiches. With a cup of coffee the sandwiches made a great supper with fried potatoes. I still have plenty left for vegetable beef soup.
Worked in meat for 40 yrs till l retired this was New York area mostly Italian butchers Grand union Daitch Shipwell that became Food Emporium we always had beautiful meat case and personal counter service meat has to be cut properly and give a decent trim also we had a 3 day case life always busy 10 butchers 4 meat wrappers l loved my job and my customers Only thing l don’t miss was the cold temperature in the meat room when shopping l look for properly cut meat and we can still get personal service at the counter now l shop in shoprite l have a favorite butcher also I’m very fussy about the chop meat make sure you get fresh ground not prepacked and shipped into store
Costco definitely has the best, freshest and least expensive meat in the city I live in. We have Publix and they are not bad, they are much more expensive though. Costco has their on butchers and the meat is always fresh. I buy it in larger amounts and freeze it as soon as I get it home. The only problem is that some cuts of meat just aren’t available there. As with everything at Costco, selections are limited.
My first instinct for worst didn't show up--Food Lion--at least in the 90s, they were so bad, they completely shut down in Central FLA. Maybe in 25 years they got their act together...
Too bad Iowa based Fareway wasn’t mentioned on this list…quite surprised, actually. Everyone over 50 in Iowa absolutely loves the meat counter! I’m more of a seafood and poultry guy, so I go to Hy-Vee or Whole Foods more.
When I spent time with family in Iowa I always found the meat especially pork chops were spectacular compared to the stuff we get in CT. Pork is tasty and has some fat for flavor. Pork is the king.
We shop certain stores for certain things. I stopped buying meat and most produce from Walmart years ago. We buy canned, boxed, and some dairy due to its usually a lot cheaper than the local groceries that we get meat and produce from. Love Costco, but unfortunately, none close where we live now. We have never bought meat from Aldi they don't have a good selection, but they do have great deals on a lot of other products. We love shopping at Super 1 & Rouse's here in Louisiana they have pretty good meat prices and the quality is great. Super 1 being the cheaper of the two a lot of the time. Rouses has great speciality meats & local seafood.
In Minnesota we have High end “Lunds & Byerlys”. “Hi Vee” “Cub”. We have “Fresh and Thyme” a sister store to “Sprouts”. We have “Aldi” and other stores you mentioned. Target and Walmart. I buy all my meat from Fresh and Thyme. Trader Joe’s. I love their Vanilla Ice cream. And vegetables. Including frozen. Cub. I don’t like their meat. Aldi. I don’t buy meet there. Lunds has great meat. Very Spendy store. Their stores are around the high end districts. Wayzata and Edina. We have Organic stores. Lake Winds. Harvest Moon. Whole Foods. And etc around the Twin Cities.
Stater Bros. Is #1 in Inland Empire, I wish it would spread out to more of So Cal . It has a full meat dept. with plenty of Butchers not like Safeway or Vons which doesn’t have full depts. with many Butchers available.
I'm in Oregon and generally get my meat at Safeway but lately it's been off! I don't feel like I'm getting what I'm supposed to be paying for. I usually get filet mignon, they were out last 2x so I got rib eye and a top loin New York It just doesn't taste right at all and I'm wondering if it's just me or if anyone else has noticed this as well.
I'll give you a hack for really tender steaks, and they don't have to be the best steaks either. Take a fork and stab it all over the steak on each side. I usually stab it about 50 times on each side. It will make the meat really tender. You can do it with other meats too.
When I was a kid, the "Egg Man" man and his son came door-to-door peddling eggs, beef and pork. Eggs were delivered fresh and immediately. Halves and quarters of beef were ordered in advance, sent to the local butcher for cutting and wrapping to order, and then we took it to the public meat locker downtown. (It was frozen storage unit.) It was an efficient farm-to-table operation before such things existed.
I buy the choice meat at Walmart. The Angus hamburger meat is great. The choice steaks and chuck roasts are wonderful. My son is extremely picky about his steaks. The first time I fixed WM steaks I didn't tell him. He kept saying how good it was. After we were done, I told him. He couldn't believe it. I've used the hamburger, roasts, and steaks from there and have been very happy with them. I always get compliments on the meats when I have guests over. The choice meat is in the black trays.
I’ve been complaining about the quality of meat in almost every market steak and pork chops cut so thin you can see through it. Almost every cut is sold boneless with all the fat cut off. That’s where all the flavor comes from. The meat is most often so tough it’s hard to chew. I know there are quality meat markets that sell good cuts of meat but their prices don’t fit my budget. I’m about ready to become a vegetarian.
Oh I love and always have loved Wegmans. Even my mom who was super tight with her money did too. Here in Syracuse we have quite a few Wegmans stores. They are based in Rochester. They carry quality food, vegetables, and fruit. Fantastic bakery. Prepared meals. If you want it they have it. Carry a lot of high quality regional products. Their store brands are exceptional in every department. Stores super clean and stocked. Personnel very knowledgeable and professional. Checkout organized and efficient. Fantastic grocery store. Fantastic food etc.
My biggest complaint about most stores that sell meat, is that they don't really give you a good enough description of what you are buying to know if its what you are looking for. I get that at my age, I should probably know this..but it would still be nice if each shelf cubby of meat had a label making suggestions of that that meat is best used for.
I frequently shop at Wegmans. They have an excellent meat and fish department. However, I stay away from their prepared food . They seem to de-emphasize it more and more each year.
Wegmans goes by what customers want whether they downsize a dept or not, that's what I was told when I asked why they discontinued having deli organic ham where I shop- there wasn't enough demand and the product only lasts 5 days before the opened ham has to be thrown away, if more than half the ham is discarded every week, it's not profitable. It's the same for prepared food, what is selling, what isn't -at every store the demands are different (rural or city) and a store has to bend to that demand and offer what's known to sell.
@@carolecoffman4276 Even their name brand shit is pretty expensive, but it's good. I was in there tonight because there is a few things I get in there I can't get at the others and just can't see where the savings are in that place for the most part. I saved a little on a pizza because it was buy one get on free, but if it wasn't on sale the price is too high compared to other places. I never get a full cart of anything when I go. I'll get a small basket. I pass up so many items because I know it's cheaper at Food Lion.
Generally, you cannot pay more than Publix prices if you try. I love having moved from New Jersey to Florida. My only regret is having left Wegmans behind.
One thing that you didn't mention in this script is the customer service at Publix, or the lack of it at Costco and Aldi. I always go to Publix first, then supplement with cheaper stuff at the other two. You will pay more for everything at Publix, but shopping there is really "a pleasure." Missing from the list of stores is Winn-Dixie, "The Beef People."
@@kevinjohnson3521 , you're right. We don't have Publix in IL, but when I was traveling south, it was in many states. I don't know what selection criteria mashed used.
@@avagosiewski2018 Winn-Dixie, also known as "Kwik-Chek" is older and was bigger than Publix, and is regional. "The Beef People" was their advertising tagline, their ever-present slogan. I'd never heard of Wegman's or Meijer's before.
Sam’s Club used to be my first choice. However, they have changed their approach. Now they sell mostly snacks and junk food. We’ve downgraded our membership from prime to regular. Recently I risked and bought steaks. Conveniently tucked under and out is sight was a separate piece of fat that weighed more than the steak. Yikes! The store is close to other places we go. Gas is cheaper, of course. The pharmacy is excellent. Unfortunately almost every time I go there they have discontinued something else on my list. Then the send me a survey which they don’t seem to take seriously. Hi, Sam’s, are you listening?
I have same problem with Sam's club. 50% of what I regularly bought is now only mail order and I don't have premium membership so I have to pay shipping which really cuts into savings.
I’ve never heard of several of these places. We have a 70 mile drive to Walmart and there is only one other grocery store in the city. We don’t have a huge choice and have always had good luck at Walmart. We have a 3 hour drive to Sam’s and Costco, so we don’t go often.
The key to any store or shop is smell, to determine both freshness and cleanliness. Sometimes hard to sniff out, as most meat departments sell pre-cut shrink-wrapped meat (often processed off-site) and have cutting rooms sealed off from the public. If everything is wrapped, the cutting room is sealed off, and it still smells bad, RUN! The best deal is, if you can, to buy a half- or quarter-beef (or lamb, or hog) from a local producer. (Interned search local sources-- they're everywhere.) Have it cut and wrapped to order, and stick it in the freezer. (Those who are hunters can do everyone a favor and take out a couple of wild boars, and have a sausage-making party.)
Our Publix here in Florida is good, but I have found that our Sam's club has the best meat dept at the best prices. I like the spicy-hot Italian sausages & steaks from Sam's. A friend got me to try Aldi's and I have found mainly German foods that I like to buy from them. They have a excellent "Gluten" free selection as well. One not listed in your video which is excellent is Fresh Market. They are higher priced like Trader Joe's, but I love their meat dept. At Thanksgiving to Christmas I go their for speciality items. Such as Beef Wellington. I have made these from scratch, but it is nice to get them premade for a large family get together. Shalom
The meat at Costco "Can" be of great quality. However, they mechanically tenderize their steaks and sometimes also their beef roasts. This means that the meat has holes punched into by a machine. This exposes the interior of the meat to the air and means that the meat must be cooked to at least "medium". Forget rare or medium rare steaks without taking a chance on E-coli infection. I never buy steaks at Costco for this very reason.
Where I live in Pennsylvania has 2 Wegman’s within easy driving distance and another about 12-15 miles away. Wegman’s meat comes from the farms they use in upper N.Y. State so it’s always fresh and lasts longer, whereas the Giant Food Stores (not to be confused with Giant-Eagle in western Pennsylvania) gets trucked in from Mississippi. To me Wegman’s meat is like farmers market meat for quality.
Back in 50's, 60's, 70's and early 80's Giant 'used' to have great meats...I know, my father was head meat buyer for Giant Food during the late 60's to early to mid 80's...until he retired! It was in the Cohen family...then when Ahault got hold of Giant, their meats went downhill...fast...and so did the stores!
@@marfa1861 You’re absolutely right! Before some of these boutique stores came in, you could get good meat from the Giant. I don’t ever remember their store brand meat not being good back then plus they had a store brand margarine I bought in the 80’s/early 90’s that was made from 100% corn oil like a lot of top brands were that hadn’t already moved to soybean and other oils. To be fair, when that margerine disappeared was the same time the government started requiring oil companies to make and sell gasohol (partly made from corn) so it probably drove the price of corn up. A lot of their store brand stuff is terrible too like their canned potatoes having a foul odor to them in the water. I brought a can of dry roasted peanuts back for a refund/exchange because they were very much sub-par. Plus, you’re right about the stores themselves going downhill-the Giant’s especially where I am are turning out to be no better than a big convenience store for me. I bought a pound of good lower fat preformed hamburger and what was a good size meat pattie became almost hockey puck size when it cooked down. I still go there though just for national brands and milk, H&H, etc. The best one I’ve seen is in Northampton, Pennsylvania where one night this summer I got their 8 piece broasted chicken pak that’s similar to KFC. Whereas the one I go to NEVER does it as good in the cooking. I think they also must have much better employees at the Northampton store who know what they’re doing. I never realized Ahold owns so many companies that they obviously care little or nothing about.
As head meat buyer back then, my dad told us and showed us that a LOT of the 'Choice' meat was actually 'Prime' meat. My dad was in the meat industry all his life...started out driving a truck in DC for Armour & Co. Then he worked his way up the ladder..and Owner/Founder of giant Neimiah(sp?)Cohen was the one who asked my father to join Giant. @@scotthutchens1203
I go out of my way to get meat at Aldi's, the one here has great meat compared to our Pick n Saves and Piggly but not as good as our Festival but I normally don't have the money for it.
Saw a roast at Walmart that looked old the blood around it had turned black and so I looked at the expiration date and it was old. I pointed it out to the guy that works in that dept. and he thanked me for pointing it out to him. Another time a half gallon of milk was 4 months past the expiration date, I showed the guy that worked there. I went to another Walmart in another city looking for swiss cheese . The cheese that I found was 1 year past the expiration date I kidd you not. It was not just 1 pack of it. The employee that my sister showed it to went through the rest of them and he found a lot of them that were that old and was not happy about it. Must be an ongoing thing with them now. The city that I live in is so small that Walmart is the only big supermarket to shop at.
I was a manager at both warehouse and store for walmart one of the biggest problem if being under staffed but thats no excuse the second problem is managers that dont care the third is lazy employees that is why i quit working for them
@@brandonbell5357 Sheeeeeeyit, I can'ts visit ya'lls foods places in the USA tah order a foods witout gettin' gawk at likes I's from da inner-city! It happen too!! And da Islam peoples is nuts too. I walk into YOUR shops to purchase bacon too but first I's gots ta know how to speak Islam too! - Da hell's wrong witchu people there? Imma slap you face wit wet spahetti. Mama Mia!!!
As tyo Sprouts...not only do they have butchers on staff, but they hand make all their sausages on-site, for the best freshness. And they sell said sausages at a fantastic price!
The best place to buy your meat is at a local butchershop, where you know the family or a farmers market. Second is probably a grocery store with in house butcher if you know them and buy there regularly.
Every time I have visited an ALDI I have seen molded citrus in the produce department, even on grand opening day for four new stores. If the food is spoiled on opening day, I see no point in shopping there for anything.
As far as Aldi's is concerned I agree about the meat. It is hit and miss. I have gotten nice steaks one week and other weeks the meat was tough and full of gristle. But I disagree regarding the produce. One of the best buys at Aldi's are their berries that are offered all year. Blue berries, black berries, strawberries, and even raspberries are a wonderful addition to their produce line and much cheaper than offered in other stores. We buy them every week and mix them with yogurt for a healthful breakfast in the morning. We also like their small bell pepper mix, salad green mixes, small potatoes, and tomatoes
As a butcher for 35 years I find Costco's meat not that great. It's not the quality, or grade. But rather the preparation. Costco does not trim, or do any of the detailing that make a truly good cut. That's fine if your like me and can do that when you bring it home. And to be honest most people wouldn't even no the difference. I do buy chicken there but when I'm paying $50.00 kg. for rib eye it needs to be done right, just don't want to pay for all that waste. Just as a note most of the other stores aren't any better. Fully trained butchers just don't exist anymore!
I always believed Costco had good meat. But I wouldn't know exactly what good meat looked like if I stuck my head up a bulls ass. So, I'd better take the butchers word, instead.
Theirs nothing wrong with Costco meat in terms of grade and quality, it's just that they don't do the finishing that a real butcher would do to make it a #1 quality cut. It is cheap though beats the super markets hands down on price. And most of them don't do a much better job.@@illavila4477
I work at a Price Chopper meat dept. All Beef, Lamb, and Pork is hand cut… All 80-20% and (85-15% when on sale) is grinded in house… We don’t sell Prime but we sell Choice.
Aldi is actually where I can buy organic chicken at a good price, whole of course. I also buy my produce here, however, you need to use it or freeze it quickly.
In Texas HEB usually has a very good selection of meat and seafood as well. When they have sales it can be a very good value even on choice or prime cuts. I agree Costco has a good selection of meat.
Funny how the video tells about Costco selling a lot of prime beef yet the video shows choice. Whole Foods is definitely a great place to get meat. Walmart and target are obvious bad choices
Basha's (no idea what the 'parent' company is, if any) has very good meat, if a little pricey. Our local Fry's (Kroger) has begun carrying 'prime' rated beef at the butcher block, though I am pretty sure it BARELY qualifies to get a prime rating by the USDA. They also recently started carrying more grass fed varieties of beef, both at the butcher counter and pre packaged, yet I still find both Basha's (even though Choice is the highest rated they carry) and Sprouts both have overall better beef.
In June 2022, I saw a warning about Costco chicken “Costco chickens are bred to suffer, growing unnaturally large, unnaturally fast”. Since changing for the better would cost more, I don’t believe they have.
I live outside of Memphis, have both Sam’s Club and Costo memberships. Your description of both fairly accurate . I can tell you, hands down that Sam’s rotisserie chicken is WAY better than Costco’s. Both have comparable pricing on goods. Big drawback for Costco: they din’t have scan’n go and more importantly, charge shipping where Sam’s has free shipping on most items.
At 11 seconds when I heard, “Target is a quality store...” I was done. Of course this was before they began marketing their tuck bathing suits to kids... No Target, No Wal-Mart, No HEB, DONE WITH WOKE COMPANIES... Local slaughter house for meat; Brookshire Brothers or Aldi for the rest... I stopped shopping at HEB when they pulled “My Pillow” products; I decided to agree with their employee t-shirts “Be the change,” and changed where I shop.
I have both Costco and BJ's in my area and am a member of both stores. I buy all of my meats in BJ's, because I've had to return meat to Costco because it stunk. Never had that problem from BJ's. While the barbecued chickens are a great deal in Costco, nine out of ten times they are undercooked...so you need to finish cooking them at home...unless you like rare chicken. 🤣🤣
Stater Brother’s and Gelson’s in SoCal. Gelson’s you can buy Prime Rib already cooked and by the slice. They also have a roasted chicken that literally melts in your mouth.
@Mashed You have it wrong with Stater Brothers meats. A good 15 or so years ago Stater Bros changed much in the meat dept. They mostly sell/offer SELECT GRADE beef which very few stores stock. When you buy beef at Staters, you have to check the packaging or ask the "butcher" if that package is Select grade or Choice because they do offer small amount of Choice. When Stater Bros was saying "Our meat is what made us famous" that was long ago when they did offer nothing less than Choice grade. These days, they offer more Select grade than Choice plus the folks behind the meat case are not real trained butchers, they are assistants and know very little about a side of beef and their cuts. Also, you have it wrong about Walmart because Sam's Club is very similar to Costco in their beef suppliers and Sams beef is in the Walmart stores which is as good or better than the well known grocery store beef. The major problem these days is volume is taking the place of quality which means most of the big players are processing sides of beef before its delivered to the store. So, Stater Bros is not really a butcher dept as they take processed primals then cut them into steaks and roasts in the store. Same for a lot of the others, Vons, Albertsons, Walmart etc. they all have no real butchers so the packaging is pre processed and you can tell when just about every package of beef weighs the same as the other because they have machines passing out "portions" vs. the normal cut of beef yielded from a primal.
Kroger has a meat counter and a butchers, but almost all the meat is shipped in from the Kroger's warehouse. If you ask for anything you can't see, the meat department always says, "We didn't get that in our shipment from the warehouse." 🤷
We live 1 mile from a Costco. Only thing I buy there is gas. A Sam's Club is 9 miles from us. I go there. To me, they have superior fruits and veggies, along with meats, AND their Rotisserie chickens are also better, as they are generally larger in size, and are more well done. Too often, when I did shop at Costco, their chickens were not cooked through, and pink inside. And the people at Sam's are nicer! I have their premium membership, so I can also get in there between 8 and 10 am, before the store opens for regular members. AND their Rewards can be applied "when received". I was there yesterday, and had $18 in rewards that reduced the bill by that much. ONE thing I was surprised at on this review, was their negative review of Trader Joe's meats, although I do not shop meats there. I also go to Two Different Butcher Shops for special cuts on occasion or when needed. You wouldn't call a carpenter for fix a sink leak, would you? haha...
Here in Atlanta, I buy meat at either Publix or Kroger (which has a larger variety) and sometimes Sprouts, but which is higher priced. I like Costco but am not a member and they are located 1/2 hr-45 mins from me anyway.
Sorry, But While Costco is great the problem with almost all of their meats is that they are ALL tenderized mechanically and that does impact the quality overall
Agreed, but the downside to their 'mechanically tenderized' steak is it allows bacteria in to the meat- It's ridiculous to tenderize 'Prime' grade meat - best thing to buy is the strip and cut it yourself in to your size - and it's a better price per lb
Completely disagree with you with regards to Aldi produce - Aldi in New England provides great prices per pound as well as how long the produce lasts which is a calculus in the overall cost of product overall. Also, their salmon and beef roast are always well below Shaws, Stop n Shop and Walmart - sorry but Aldi is a great option in Rhode Island!
The produce at my local Safeway is very good, and the meat department seems good as well. I wonder if that has to do with department managers at individual stores..
Costco and Safeway still cut their meats in store. More and more stores are bringing their meat in precut, and prepackaged to safe money. I don’t care if it is choice, select or prime. Something cut fresh at the store is always better Than cryopacked/ precut and wrapped meat, then shipped out.
As much as I hate to, I do agree the most of Aldi's red meat is generally, eh... okay. The meat isn't terrible, but definitely is not worth the price they charge per lb. EXCEPT Aldi's sausages! They're some of the BEST sausages I've had and will always recommend them to those the like sausages.
We have a Walfart, Piggly Wiggly, Winn Dixie, and a Thrift Way... All are about the Same Prices. The Pig and Thrift Use to do Meat Deal in Boxes by the pound but don't anymore... Mostly of meat that didn't sell any other way.
I shop almost exclusively at Aldi, and have never had a problem with either their produce or meat. The prices are very competitive, and produce is fresh.
The best to place to buy meat is a local butcher shop, one that owns farms to raise the meat or the get their meat locally from other trusted farmers... when they have that close of a relationship with the meat on the hoof to putting it into the meat case, you get quality meat you cant buy in most grocery stores... the prices arent a lot different than the big box stores or grocery chains.
Winn Dixie has London Broil for $3.99 a pound. Their slogan used to be _The Beef People_ Walmart has chicken leg quarters for 59 cents a pound. Can't beat a 10 pound bag for only $6.
