With the recent addition of Fairway Market and another Whole Foods, Bergen County’s supermarkets have really grown. We now have 7 big supermarket chains and a few smaller stores too.
A&P, Shoprite and Pathmark have always competed for the top notch of everyday, non-specialized supermarket. Now, Stop & Shops have been added to the mix. Kings has 4 stores, but they are higher end and usually overpriced. To appeal to everyone, stores like C-Town and Food Basics have started creeping into the mix. Specializing in no-name-brands or store brands, these little stores are doing well.
And then a few years ago, A&P and Shoprite double and tripled in size to compete with newcomer, Whole Foods. I love Whole Foods, but yes, it’s expensive, but you can’t get most of the specific products at other stores that you can at Whole Foods until Fairway opened in the Fashion Center.
With so many supermarkets to choose from, I feel like Joe Strummer when he says “I can no longer shop happily.” What are your favorites? Where do you like to shop? Do you go out of your way to visit a different store because of the customer service or the lack of self-checkout?
I like Shoprite for the prices, but I find myself going back to A&P half the time too.
