Two ShopRites have the same owner, but are far different for shoppers

On Tuesday at the ShopRite in Englewood, five 1-liter bottles of Adirondack Seltzer (Original and flavored) were on sale for $2 during the Can Can Sale, above. But 12-can packages of the same seltzer, below, had a missing price sign and didn't appear to be part of the promotion, as they were at the Paramus ShopRite.

I stopped buying liter bottles of Adirondack Seltzer after I found they can lose their fizz even if unopened.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

When I had an appointment in Englewood on Tuesday, I stopped at the ShopRite to take advantage of the second week of the 2017 Can Can Sale.

I not only found the store is one huge construction site, but that one of my favorite items -- 12-can packs of Adirondack Lemon Lime Seltzer -- weren't part of the promotion, as they are at the Paramus ShopRite I usually patronize.

But I bought a non-Can Can Sale item, a 3-pound bag of Organic Sweet Potatoes ($3.99), for 50 cents less than at Trader Joe's in Paramus.

ShopRites in Englewood, Paramus and Rochelle Park are owned and operated by Glass Gardens Inc., one of the 50 retailers in a cooperative that includes Wakefern Food Corp., the stores' merchandising and distribution arm.

Glass Gardens Inc. owns a total of 11 ShopRites, most of them in the Garden State.

ShopRites are considered the low-price leaders among supermarkets in New Jersey, but they only occasionally undercut Costco Wholesale, which offers far less selection. 

For example, at the Paramus ShopRite on Thursday, KIND fruit-and-nut snack bars were $1 each if you bought 10, compared to about $1.06 each for a box of 18 at Costco.

Organic Sweet Potatoes at the Englewood ShopRite are a better buy than at Trader Joe's in Paramus.

Season-brand Sardines in Pure Olive Oil are on sale at both the Englewood and Parmaus ShopRites for 99 cents a can with a store card. 

ShopRite's Luigi Vitelli-brand Organic Whole Wheat Pasta from Italy no longer holds a price advantage over Organic Whole Wheat Pastas sold by Trader Joe's and Whole Foods Market. At ShopRite, the price went up to $1.50 from $1.29 for a 1-pound package. 

At Whole Foods Market, 1-pound boxes of Organic Whole Wheat Pasta from Italy in a variety of shapes are $1.49 each. Whole wheat pastas, brown rice and quinoa contain heart-healthy whole grains.

I was tempted by this jar of Puttanesca Sauce, imported from Italy by ShopRite, until I saw that it contains added sugar. Trader Joe's sells a Puttanesca Sauce without added sugar for $2.99 (25 ounces), a dollar less than ShopRite's version.

A new aisle, complete with new refrigerated cases like the ones installed in the Paramus store, at the Englewood ShopRite. An employee said the Englewood expansion and renovation still is a year away from completion.

Part of the Englewood store's produce section.

Three new aisles at the ShopRite in Englewood opened about a month ago, above, but work continues, below.

Pearls-brand pitted California olives are a better buy during the Can Can Sale than ShopRite's own pitted black olives.

At ShopRite, Goya-brand Mango Nectar contains a maximum of 35% mango juice, plus added sugar, above and below.

Whole Foods Market carries Ceres-brand 100% Juice -- from pears and mangoes grown in South Africa -- without added sugar, and I was able to find a liter container on sale for $2.50 at the Closter Whole Foods.

ShopRite in Englewood pulls a fast one during sale on live lobsters

The ShopRite flier doesn't say anything about a limit on live lobsters, which are on sale for $6.99 a pound with a store card.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

Live lobsters for Father's Day sounded like a great idea, especially when ShopRite supermarkets in North Jersey put them on sale for $6.99 a pound.

My wife went to ShopRite in Englewood, where we once lived, and purchased four small lobsters (1 pound to 1.25 pounds) for $8.99 a pound.

Their total weight was 6.73 pounds, and the total price was $60.50.

But when I looked at the receipt she brought home, I saw the store gave her a total discount of $8 or $2 on only 4 pounds of the 6.73 pounds of lobster.

She went back on Monday, but was told there is a 4-pound limit on the sale lobsters.

Of course, no such limit is mentioned in the ShopRite flier you can see online or the one that came with the Sunday paper.

The sale on live lobsters continues through Saturday.

I've e-mailed Wakefern Food Corp., the retailer cooperative that oversees ShopRite supermarkets, which are independently owned.

The Englewood store is operated by Glass Gardens Inc., a second-generation company that owns nine ShopRites, all but one of them in New Jersey.

ShopRite customer told to can complaints

Image via Wikipedia

A company called Glass Gardens owns and operates nine ShopRite supermarkets.

Editor's note: ShopRite's Can Can Sale can be a challenge, to put it mildly. Today, I also discuss inflexible "shock" prices at Fairway Market in Paramus; a quick meal of fresh fish, brown rice and Chinese broccoli; and ways to cut down on your salt intake.

--HACKENSACK, N.J.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

A Bergen County woman who complained about how ShopRite is conducting its Can Can Sale was told by a store owner that if she didn't like it, she should shop elsewhere.

The woman said she went to the Paramus ShopRite for Tetley Tea and swordfish, two items featured in the Can Can sales flier, but was told the store didn't have any.

She also wanted to use a Super Coupon from the flier for 10 cans of Progresso Soup for $10.88. She bought less and was told she must buy all 10 cans to get the discount. 

She pointed out there was no mention of that on the coupon.

She called consumer affairs, and a Bergen County official visited the Paramus store twice, eventually imposing a fine. 

A new sales flier with the Super Coupon specified that 10 cans of Progresso Soup must be purchased to get the lower price of about $1.09 each.

On one of her visits, she was told by Irv Glass of Glass Gardens Inc. that if she didn't like the policies of the Paramus ShopRite, she should go elsewhere.

Irv and Terry Glass of Glass Gardens own and operate nine ShopRites, including stores in Paramus, Rochelle Park and Englewood.

The company Web site has this to say:

"SERVICE: To provide a level of customer-driven service that exceeds the customer’s expectations and helps to take the worry out of shopping."

 'Shock' prices at Fairway

Fairway Market sometimes seems desperate to lure shoppers to its odd location in the Fashion Center, which is one of the poorest performing malls in Paramus.

At least that's how I interpret recent sales fliers heralding "shock" prices. I received two fliers with my local newspaper, one for Jan. 6-12, 2012, and another for Jan. 13-19.

Image via Wikipedia

The real shock isn't the prices, but that different items are on sale each week.

On Thursday, the last day of the first "shock price" week, I went to Fairway for freshly ground coffee and other items.

I bought a 5-pound box of clementines from Spain for $5.99, but today, in the second week of the sale, the price was lowered to $4.99. A also picked up Fuji apples for 75 cents a pound.

I took three 1-pound containers of Campari tomatoes to the check-out counter and asked if I could have the "shock" price of $5 for the trio, but was told I couldn't get that until today. 

On Thursday, the price was two 1-pound containers for $5, more than I would pay at Costco Wholesale, where I spend most of my food dollars.

One "shock" price I saw in the store was $6.99 for a pound of Colombia Supremo coffee beans, so I bought two bags, and asked for a Turkish grind.

Fairway is the only supermarket I know with coffees from around the world that are roasted and custom-ground in the store -- the only reason I continue to go there.

I also picked up another item I see nowhere else, Spanish Pajero Fig Cake with almonds, hazelnuts and walnuts at $9.99 a pound. My wedge cost $6.99.

Quick dinner

My wife picked up about 2.2 pounds of fresh, wild-caught haddock fillets from Iceland at Costco Wholesale on Wednesday ($7.99 a pound).

We had a bottle of Goya Salsa Verde, a mildly spicy Mexican sauce that is handy for preparing a one-pot entree, plus organic brown rice from Costco and fresh Chinese broccoli from H Mart.

The brown rice went into an electric rice cooker along with Organic Sprouted Bean Trio (lentil, adzuki and mung beans), also from Costco.

I cut up the fish and placed it on top of the green salsa, which I had poured into a large skillet. Covered, the fillets took about 10 to 15 minutes to cook through on a medium flame, plumping up and turning white.

I blanched the leafy broccoli, along with thick, cut up stems, in boiling water for about 5 minutes, drained the water and added a little extra-virgin olive oil, salt and no-salt seasoning. 

We spooned the fish and sauce over the steamed brown rice and beans, and served the bright-green, al dente broccoli on the side. Wonderful.

No-salt zone

You need salt with potassium iodide for complete physical and mental development, but there are a few places you can cut down on sodium when preparing home-cooked meals.

There is really no need to salt water for boiling pasta, because there is plenty of sodium in bottled sauces and the grated cheese you'll eat with it. And pasta boils just as well in a minimum amount of water as it does in gallons of the stuff.

When we cooked the haddock fillets, I used no-salt seasoning, knowing the green salsa had plenty of sodium in it. Fresh lemon juice also is considered a salt substitute.

I once bought jars of roasted and salted almonds from Costco, but now I buy a 3-pound bag of Kirkland Signature raw and unsalted almonds ($9.49), and roast them in the oven at 275 degrees for 1 hour and 20 minutes, then dust them with plenty of cinnamon.