A small, sweet victory in the battle of 'us' against 'them'

A 3-pound bag of New Jersey sweet potatoes was $2.69, according to a sign at the ShopRite in Hackensack, but during checkout, it rang up at $2.99.

By Victor E. Sasson
Editor

Why does food shopping often feel like it's a battle of "us" against "them"?

I don't include Costco Wholesale or Trader Joe's in that assessment, but even a great store like Whole Foods Market disappoints every once in a while.

The other day, I saw a sign at the Paramus Whole Foods offering local, bi-color sweet corn, but when I got the 4 ears home and shucked them, they weren't bi-color and, when I steamed them, they weren't sweet.

What should I have done? Dropped dinner preparations, jumped in the car and returned them? Take the cooked ears back the next day?

On Sunday, only one employee was working at the Courtesy Counter of the Hackensack ShopRite on South River Street. Shoppers buy cigarettes and lottery tickets there, as well.

One of shoppers' biggest pet peeves is when stores don't update their computers to accurately reflect price signs on shelves and in the produce section.

At the Hackensack ShopRite, if you have such a problem at check-out and notice it in the store, the cashier can't make an adjustment.

You have to go to the Courtesy Counter, as I found out on Sunday, when 3 pounds of Top Crop Sweet Potatoes rang up at $2.99, not the $2.69 on the sign.

There were three or four other people in front of me at the Courtesy Counter and the employee had to call produce to confirm the price, but I got my $2.99 back, meaning the sweet potatoes were free.

My only other purchases were 2 jumbo cantaloupes on sale for 99 cents each.

Warning: These colors run

Image via Wikipedia

The color-fastness of Fairway Market's plastic bags is nothing to celebrate.

A River Edge woman complains the black color on the plastic bags used by Fairway Market in Paramus runs, if the bag touches any moisture, such as a wet counter top or a snow bank.

She said she called the Paramus store, as well as calling and e-mailing executives in New York, but no one responded. Some of the black color stained her counter and she had to use bleach to remove it.

To avoid the plastic bags, bring re-usable bags. Unfortunately, Fairway is one of the few stores that doesn't reward customers who bring their own bags.

Sliced and diced

This same shopper noticed the low-calorie rye bread she buys at ShopRite isn't so low-calorie anymore.

Without notice, a slice went from 50 calories to 60 calories, and from 3 grams of fiber to 2 grams. She tracked down the bakery that makes the bread for ShopRite, Weight Watchers and Manischewitz and was told the changes made the bread taste better.

Only the low-calorie rye made for Stop & Shop wasn't altered, she said.

For meat lovers

On Tuesday, I bought four organic Pinata apples that were on sale for 99 cents a pound at Whole Food Markets in Paramus, compared to $1.29 a pound for conventional apples at ShopRite in Rochelle Park.

At checkout, I received a $5-off coupon on a purchase of $20 through Feb. 14. It's labeled "Cook for Your Valentine," but it's good only on meat purchases.

Why no coupon for non-meat eaters? 

Image via Wikipedia

Sardines in the Sahara

Sahara Fine Food in Hackensack continues to offer Al Shark-brand Moroccan sardines for 99 cents a can (not skinless and boneless). Each can contains four and three-eighths ounces. 

I bought 18 cans with spicy oil, and plan to eat them in canned-fish salads, with rice and pasta, or over salad greens. The sardines also come in non-spicy oil. Sahara is at 242 S. Summit Ave. (201-487-7222.)

No rhyme or reason

I found another item on sale at ShopRite that wasn't discounted during the recent 40th anniversary Can Can Sale. The 100% sparkling juice from Spain is $1.99 a bottle, compared to $2.49, with a limit of four.

Last week, my wife bought four, one-pound boxes of Barilla pasta for 77 cents each. They weren't on sale during the Can Can sale, either.

Non-meat chili

Among the lobster bisque and king crab soup at Costco in Hackensack, I found a Stockpot-brand four-bean, organic, vegetarian chili. The chili is fully cooked. For $9.99, you get two 24-ounce tubs and each is enough to serve three as a first course.

Now you see it, now you don't

Wouldn't it be great if there was one supermarket with low prices all the time and healthy food, too? Unfortunately, I don't think that will happen in my lifetime, so I have to make the rounds of a half-dozen markets.

Wasn't it only Monday that ShopRite in Rochelle Park had Michigan blueberries for $3.99 a pint and Whole Foods Market in Paramus was selling two pints of Michigan berries for $5 or $2.50 each? (See earlier post, "Which supermarket am I in?")

Today, on the way to the dentist, I returned one and a half pints of the berries to Whole Foods, because they were just too tart to eat, and got a full refund. I walked over to the blueberry display, where the sign now said $3.99 a pint and the fruit was from Nova Scotia (though Michigan still was listed as the origin).

On the way home from the dentist, I stopped at the Rochelle Park ShopRite, where Michigan berries now were $2.50 a pint. I picked up two, telling the woman next to me that they were $3.99 each just two days before, then realized she was a former co-worker whose job was eliminated after 38 years with the company. We did a lot of catching up.