Poll: Where do you shop for groceries?

We may not have a full grocery store in town, but that doesn’t mean options for filling our refrigerators here in Southborough are scarce. In fact, the choices are only getting more plentiful.

Surely you’ve heard that Wegmans will open their first New England location in Northborough this fall. A developer recently announced Price Chopper will anchor a new development just off Route 495 in Hopkinton. The newcomers will join an already crowded field.

With grocery stories in all of our neighboring towns, I thought it would be interesting to do a survey of where Southborough shoppers like to fill up their pantries. Where do you do your grocery shopping? What makes you choose one store over all the others? Convenience? Price? Quality? Are you loyal to your store, or are you just waiting to jump ship when one of the newcomers opens?

Answer the poll below and then share your thoughts in the comments. (If you’re reading this via the My Southborough daily email, you’ll need to visit the blog to vote or see the results.)

We all know Mauro’s Market isn’t a full grocery store, but I’ve included them in the list anyway since they’re the closest thing Southborough has to a grocery store.


(Photo posted to Flicker by fazen)

23 Comments
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Marthab
12 years ago

Though we do have plenty of choices, I can’t wait for Wegman’s

I'm just sayin'....
12 years ago

Susan! I thought you were on blogcation!!!!!

A. D. Miller
12 years ago

For my wife and I, who moved here from upstate NY 3 years ago, we can not wait for Wegman’s to open. Once it opens, it will be the only place we shop. It will put all the other grocery stores to shame. Their own line of foods is excellent and they typically have an amazing selection of different choices. Since moving here, we have been universally disappointed by all the major grocery stores. Stop and Shop has a poor selection is is overpriced; Roche brothers is ridiculously overprices; Price Chopper has a poor selection and the produce is rarely fresh; Whole Foods is far too expensive and no better than any other choice. Trader Joe’s is at least a viable alternative, but they don’t have a lot of groceries.

Minimom
12 years ago
Reply to  A. D. Miller

My husband and I spent 2 years in Rochester and we loved Wegmans. I will definitely check it out – but not sure I’ll want to trek that far for my weekly shopping. Wegman’s was THE place to shop in upstate NY, though.

Yiwei
12 years ago
Reply to  A. D. Miller

Hi A.D., I normally only shop at WholdFoods because of the organic produce line and special vegan foods. Half of our family are vegan. WholeFoods’ vegan cupcakes are really good. Yes they are very pricy too. I have never been to Wegman’s. Your comments have made me wonder…do they have enough vegan and organic foods? I might make the switch! many thanks!

AD Miller
12 years ago
Reply to  Yiwei

Much like De below, my wife and I travel back to our alma mater in Ithaca several times a year with a cooler in tow. We eat primarily organic foods, although we do not eat vegan. The Wegmans that we are shopped at in NYS had a good selection of organic foods and an excellent fresh produce vegetable area with a lot of organic choice. The store that we frequent in Ithaca has a lot of vegan food as well. I assume that the one in Northborough will be the same or maybe even better since the socioeconomic status of this area is a little different than upstate NY.

I will admit that the vegan brownies that I have had occasionally at Whole Foods are pretty darn good, so I am not surprised to hear the cupcakes are good as well. Whole Foods also sells a lot of local produce when it is available so I have to give them that!

Yiwei
12 years ago
Reply to  AD Miller

Thank you AD!

Greg
12 years ago

After trying most of the grocery stores listed, my family now shops at Market Basket in Ashland. It isn’t convenient for every part of Southborough, but for those who can get there easily, it is *significantly* cheaper than most of the other options around, and has a great selection.

Linda
12 years ago
Reply to  Greg

I have shopped at Market Basket for the last 20 years that I have lived in Metrowest. The parking is ample, the staff are helpful and courteous and it is quite clean. Their prices are the best around, but their produce and meats are not always the “best” quality. Through the years, we have been to the Rochester Wegmans and have always loved it. You do have to have a frequent shopper card to get the sale prices.

De
12 years ago

I also am looking forward to shopping at Wegman’s. The announcement was made over 2 years ago so the wait has been too long! I first discovered Wegman’s when I was a college student in Ithaca, NY. Believe it or not, I always make it a priority to stop at the grocery store when I have the opportunity to visit my alma mater :)

Kathryn Marous
12 years ago

Clearly, the baby in that picture has more shopping options than we do bc the prices are in euros! :)

peter
12 years ago

Learn The Inside Story about Wegmans Tuesday, Aug 23 7PM hosted at the Town’s Library. Kevin Russell, Wegman’s General Manager will be giving a talk on the company’s move to this area. Arrive early seats are limited. This speaker series is supported by the Economic Development Committee, Rotary Club and the Corridor Nine Chamber of Commerce.

I have heard Kevin before and he gave a teriffic talk on how they provide fabulous customer service and what to expect when they open in Oct.

djd66
12 years ago

I do most of my shopping at S&S Westboro + Roche Bros (if the traffic isn’t too bad) I would love to shop and support the local economy here in Sobro, but the options are limited. I hope the owners of the 3 markets here in town read this as I would welcome a change:

Mauros Market:
Pros- very convenient, I do enjoy the fact that I am supporting a family owned business + they sell “brown water”
Cons: where do I start,… in the interest of constructive criticism I won’t say what is wrong with the place,… bottom line if they were to clean the place up a bit and sell more fresh produce and meats– I would shop there a lot more.

Panzano Market
Pros: Great sandwiches, great selection of wine, very nice selection of prepared foods
Cons: Extremely expensive (too much for my blood) Do people actually pay $25/lb for a steak?

Colony Market:
Pros: Love the new look, it’s great that it does not smell anymore, convenient and like the new friendly staff.
Cons: Not enough selection of what I need. Looks like they went heavy on soda + energy drinks – I wish they would sell less of the drinks + more high quality produce + meats – if they did I would shop there more.

If anyone is listening – do you see the theme here? We need a market here in town that would sell high quality produce + meats (without charging an arm + a leg) If there was such a place, I would go out of my way to support it,… and I think a lot of people here in town would also.

Resident
12 years ago
Reply to  djd66

Here, here! Although I think a real market is out of the question in this town :(, I think what we have could do better. I do wish Mauros would clean up a bit, I would shop there more if they did and had prices that were a little more reasonable on the necessities.

Mom of two
12 years ago
Reply to  Resident

Oh, how I wish Capasso was still in business! It was perfect for my mid-week produce restock. If I had the means I would reopen the place myself.

I am from Western NY and I CANNOT WAIT for Wegmans. It’ll be the only place I go. Currently I go to Hannaford and I do like it. Their natural/organic selection is much better than S&S, but their fresh organic is lacking, which bothers me.

Anyway, Wegmans will be more convenient for me as I’ll be out that way more often in the fall. And really, nothing compares to Wegmans.

Beth Thomas
12 years ago

I personally CANNOT wait for Wegmans. As I told the manager of Trader Joe’s, it’s Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods and SnS rolled into one. At the locations I have visited, in VA and NY, the prices are reasonable. They have a FANTASTIC beverage selection, and their produce is amazing. I cannot say enough good things about them. I will be traveling to N’boro weekly!

Rachel
12 years ago

I’m excited to try Wegmans from reading everyone’s posts! I do shopping here and there. I buy certain items at BJs, Target, S&S, and Roche Brothers. I’m from the south and we had a wonderful grocery train and Super Wal-Marts. Obviously, I would want the grocery store, but Wal-Mart was always a great alternative and I was excited to learn that the Wal-Mart in Hudson is currently under reconstruction and will turn into a Super Wal-Mart along with a grocery section by the end of the month.

Deb Moore
12 years ago

I do most of my shopping at the Westborough S&S, but I’ve noticed the Hudson S&S is much cheaper. I like Hannaford a lot, especially their store-brand products, but the last time I was there last week, an assistant manager bagged my groceries, refused to use the bags I brought, I guess because they were from another store, and then threw them away without talking to me. I’ve never had a bad experience there before, but that was just lousy.

Martha
12 years ago

Great question and I like reading the responses.

I am a loyal fan of Roche Bros. in Westborough. I shop there several times a week for my family as well as my clients. The customer service is the best around, whether you need help from the butcher, fish monger, produce people or any other employee there.

Roche Bros. also has a wide variety of hormone-free meats and poultry, which is important, as well as a decent (could be better) selection of organic products.

I am willing to pay slightly higher prices on some items at Roche Bros. because of the great service as well as the absolute freshness and high quality of the merchandise. I have had less than stellar experiences at Whole Foods regarding them being out of certain products or selling me something of inferior quality. For the prices WF charges, I expect the best and I don’t feel like I always receive it. In addition, the Framingham WF can be very crowded (with people and merchandise displays) and is laid out poorly, so it’s really not a pleasure to shop there at busy times of the day.

I’m quite familiar with Wegmans, having grown up in upstate NY, and welcome them to the area. I’m not sure if I’ll be willing to travel to Northborough every time I need groceries, but time will tell.

Ann
12 years ago

Good eye, Kathryn Marous

jo
12 years ago

i would love it if their was a farmers’s market in town. it seems like it is growing in the local towns, and i can’t think of a better way to get fresh local produce and build community.
we do have such a lovely down town for such a thing.
at this time of year what we can’t get from our garden we get from bebarian’s in northborough. their corn has been excellent the past few weeks.

I'm just sayin'....
12 years ago

I also really miss Capasso’s…the best corn and fresh veggies ever…they did “import” most of their fruit, but it was always of the best quality. I sure do wish someone would open another market just like it there!! So much more convenient than Berberians…

Villager
12 years ago

It’s too bad that the Country Gourmet wasn’t a better market. I had high hopes when he first opened, then it went downhill fast, and he tried to be all things to all people. But it would be great to have a small market in Southborough where you could get the basics, along with a selection of prepared foods (not pizza!) that was really good and resonably priced.Yes, Mauro’s or Colony could step up and fill that niche, though I don’t see that happening. I sure don’t see myself driving to Wegman’s all the time either.

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