My Two New Favorite Stores
For years my favorite store has been Aldi. No competition. Absolutely the best thing going. I only go to Walmart to fill in any gaps in what Aldi is carrying.
While I’d still like to keep Aldi at the top of my list, I would like to add two new stores to my regular rounds.
First is the mexican grocery that opened down the road from us recently. The store is brightly lit, so very clean, full of beautiful packages, with Latino music playing over the loudspeaker, and best of all, superb tortillas in the refrigerated case. Every Wednesday we have burritos for supper, and it has become my habit to stop by the mexican grocery weekly to pick up fresh tortillas for our burritos. One week Isaac talked me into purchasing a package of large, crispy tostadas (like giant tortilla chips), even though we didn’t know exactly what we’d do with them. After the children gobbled up a whole bag plain, like chips, I decided to try them again with something on them. Turns out, the burrito filling is delicious when spread on a tostada and sprinkled with cheese. So now we have a new favorite thing to eat.
My most recent habit I’m forming at this store is to choose one of the unusual candies at the checkout isle every time I go. I only pick one, and then I share it with anyone who is shopping with me. Last time I chose a chunk of candied sweet potato. It was soft on the inside, and so sweet, and quite delicious. This time I chose a coconut candy, and again, it was scrumptious. I’m eager to go back and see what else is there to try.
My other new favorite store to peruse is the Dollar General. I’ve avoided “dollar stores” for years, simply because I didn’t have the time to waste in them. But some weeks back a friend reported finding dry-erase markers at the dollar store, and that got my attention. We have a variety of dry-erase boards here at our house, and the children love to color on them. That means that I’m forever losing my markers to some budding artist. I finally stopped by our closest Dollar General and took a look around. What a blast! Not only did I find dry-erase markers that were too good of a deal to pass up, but I found other treasures too. My recent purchases include batteries, pencils, and some beautiful soup bowls to replace the ones that keep getting broken by the dish crew. I figure that at a dollar a bowl, I can afford to replace them as they break.
So, there you have it. Not just one store report, but two.
I’d love to hear about your favorite places to shop.
Posted in Everyday | 
3 Comments »
January 28th, 2009 at 9:27 pm
I have always liked the Mexican grocery store on South Main Street. It is the only place I found where I can buy corn chips without salt…and they are so delicious! It is out of the way to go there, so when I do I get extra to put in the freezer.
I will have to try the store that opened near you.
Regarding the Dollar Stores, here is an interesting business report about how well they are doing during this recession compared to the fate of other stores.
Triangle Business Journal reported today that Family Dollar Stores, Inc. saw a
4% earnings increase for its first fiscal quarter that ended on November 29, 2008. According to the report, the chief executive, Howard Levine, attributes the profit boost to the current economic crisis, saying, “As more families face financial challenges in this environment, they are relying on Family Dollar for more of their everyday needs.” Over the past year in particular, the cost of grocery items has risen considerably. Consumers seeking to get the best value for their dollar are migrating to stores like Family Dollar to cut their grocery bills. In fact, food items were a large factor in the increase in earnings for Family Dollar.
Family Dollar not the only Dollar Store seeing an uptick in sales revenue
Family Dollar is in good company. Other dollar and discount stores are seeing an increase in revenue and are also attributing their increases to the economy. Dollar General is also benefiting from the downturn in the economy. According to the transcript, Dollar General’s year-to-date sales were up 9.1% from 2007. Again, consumables, such as food items, are driving the increase in sales.
Walmart released its 3rd quarter (ending October 31) earning figures on November 13, which showed a 6.6% increase over the 3rd quarter in 2007. In addition, the earnings year-to-date through October 31 show a 7.1% increase over the previous year. Internationally, Walmart is doing extremely well, posting double digit earnings increases. Similar to the rest, Dollar Tree also posted excellent sales for the 3rd quarter of 2008, showing an increase in sales of 11.6%. With earning reports like these, it is very clear that a bad economy translates into good news for discount stores.
January 29th, 2009 at 6:10 am
Your right on with your picks. My favorite is also Aldi and Dollar General. I have shopped both for many years and have always felt I am using my money wisely. Let’s just say my budget loves it. We too have been in to the Mexican store and enjoy it. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys Mexican food.
Elaine
January 29th, 2009 at 8:08 am
Sunday I talked Rick into stopping at the La Bamba store also. I got corn husks and some corn flour to make my own tamales. Silly me – I turned the bag over to see the english instructions – and I am in a mexican store??? I did find one bag that had english, so I am set. At the check out – the cashier said “are you going to try and make tamales?” Right there she almost talked me out of it! She said her grandmother makes them every week. I was disappointed that they did not have my favorite chip there. They are corn chips, but shaped like french fries and only salted. They have them in salsa and jalepeno flavors at all the mexican groceries here, but not the plain ones. We used to eat those in Mexico all the time and they remind me of my dear friend Patty, who introduced me to them. She did a few months ago of a very aggressive cancer.