 |
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 |
