First Impressions
Customer Profile
Jumbo Savings
Distinctive Offerings
Checkout Line Temptations
Red Delicious Apples
Safeway
1410 E John/Capitol Hill
empty acreage, Volkswagen-sized carts, clean floor, no Starbucks!
harried dads with small, runny-nosed kids
4-lb bag of navel oranges, $1 with Club Card
Wells Fargo Express (open Sundays!), video rental, wall o' doughnuts (38 cents apiece), huge public bathrooms, Tax One tax preparation area
candy, kids' toothbrushes
2 lbs, $1
Madison Market
600 E Madison/Capitol Hill
like being inside an earthenware pot, earnest and serene, at one with the universe
androgynous singles with bike helmets, hemp clothing, backpacks, piercings
annualized, co-op membership is just 6 cents a day!
"Demo Dude" cooking demonstration area; do-it-yourself bulk grains; customer service counter with plug-in fountain; espresso and deli; bottle-yourself herbal remedies; freedom to browse through latest Deepak Chopra books
incense, lip balm, Shambhala Sun, Vegetarian Times
$1.69/lb (organic)
Red Apple
2301 S Jackson/Central
in minimall with Army/Navy recruiter and temp agency, loud R&B
Rainbow Coalition, well-dressed seniors on their way home from church
green beans, 48-oz Crisco for $1.88
lottery tickets, bonsai sale display, pi� candy, wicker baskets of apples, deli with enticing macaroni and cheese, Mexican and Asian aisles, wide variety of greens
Little Tree car fresheners, Black Family, Tootsie Roll pops
99 cents/lb
Admiral Thriftway
2320 42nd SW/W. Seattle
sign advertising specials on Chateau Neuf de Pape and mussels
the cast of Frasier— in fleece
take-away Blue Plate Special (ham and biscuit dinner), $5.99
"The Kiosk" cooking demonstration area; chest-high produce; salad bar with fountain; truffles ($41.87/oz!); sushi bar; espresso-juice-tea-pastry bar; cigars
Fran's chocolates, breath mints, shortbread
88 cents/lb
Trader Joe's
100 W Galer/Queen Anne
small, crowded aisles; in-house brand reigns; shrink-wrapped produce
under-40 single male oenophiles in baseball caps
animal crackers, $1.99/454g
exotic frozen foods (sorbet-filled lemon and orange skins); half the store devoted to wine; comprehensive, J. Peterman-esque catalog to browse for specials
soy protein powder, zinc lozenges, bulbous soup cans
2lbs, $1.59
PCC
716 N 34th/Fremont
center of the natural-food universe; metal tubs of organic apples; politically correct
quietly intense bearded people, animists, Wicca priestesses
hard-boiled egg, 50 cents
sit-down area with espresso, newspapers, bus routes, bulletin board; fresh soups; beauty supplies; hemp clothing; vitamin alley; BBQ tofu; the reassurance that your shopping does not oppress the indigenous peoples of the Third World
Sea Kayaker, Fine Woodworking, Ricola lozenges, Odwalla bars
79 cents/lb (organic)
Fred Meyer
915 NW 45th/Ballard
airplane hangar; where's the food?; cartoon fruits and veggies
blue-collar families in parkas
10-lb bag of Russet potatoes, 58 cents
Washington Mutual branch, Starbucks, Vista Optical, stamps, ticket outlet, Western Union, 16 checkout lanes, demo area, sushi bar, individually lit shelves
52-piece First Aid Kit ($4.99), Easy Knitting, phone cards
89 cents/lb
Safeway
3920 Stone Wy N/W'ford
down-and-out; a relic of late-night beer runs past
older women, empty nesters, panhandlers (outside)
three large yellow onions, 72 cents with Club Card
Caffe D'Arte espresso cart outside, two parking lots, outside benches
The Star, The National Enquirer, gum
50 cents/lb
Albertsons
6900 E Green Lake Wy
Radio broadcast of Seahawks game blaring over PA system
friendly septuagenarian shoppers from nearby senior center
gallon of milk, $1.29
handsomely designed private label canned fruits and vegetables; whole, farm-raised steelhead; Quick-Fixin' Ideas take-away products; chocolate and real cigars
Family Circle, Children's Orthopedic Hospital calendars
79 cents/lb
Whole Foods
1026 NE 64th/Roosevelt
produce, produce, everywhere; the nagging suspicion that Martha Stewart would shop here
Volvo-driving, U-Dub professor couples with golden retrievers tied up out front
NOT!!!
espresso and juice bars, deluxe deli departments, bakery, gratuitous olive bar, spectacular cheese island, vast restrooms, overwhelming newness, permissive atmosphere for sampling
sensory overload makes it impossible to notice
$1.19/lb (organic)
Larry's Market
10008 Aurora N/n. end
giant corrugated tin shed—where's the entrance?
sweatsuits and cell phones; multiplex riffraff
four bags of Tim's Cascade chips, $5
orange juicer, Lotto, produce section the size of a minimall, immersion bath to chill wine, dozens of varieties of chutney
chocolates—Fran's, Godiva, Dilettante; caramel popcorn
$1.28/lb
QFC
University Village
the mecca; a pavilion of lights in a sea of SUVs
UW frat row meets apr賭ski Laurelhurst
eight rolls of Bounty paper towels, $5.99
pharmacy, H䡧en-Dazs, Cinnabon, Noah's New York Bagels, Juvenescence Juice, Starbucks, natural food section (wooden floors), Quality Fun Center (babysitting), Parent Information Exchange (bulletin board), Convenience Center (Lotto, cigars), Bank of America, floral section, fireplace seating area, cell phone kiosk
Women's World, Sunset, Cosmopolitan, candles, Pez
99 cents/lb
More:
• Grocery wars Besieged supermarkets battle obsolescence with brie. by Brian Miller
• Screen savings? Putting the dot-com grocers to the test. by Kathryn Robinson
• Tofu tussle Green grocers battle for greenbacks. by Bob Geballe
