I walked through the doors around 7:15. It was surprisingly crowded. I think the "opening" had something to do with it. The store had some giveaways - I scored a free tote - and a ribbon cutting.
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| I always wonder what they do with giant scissors after the ribbon cutting. Does one pair travel through a company to all locations? Do they just use it to cut really big pieces of paper? |
I also think it's a testament to how much the area was missing its anchor grocery outlet. There were definitely people doing real shopping there.
I snapped a few pictures.
Some initial thoughts? For those of you who shopped in the Elkridge SuperFresh, the layout is actually very much the same. The interior looks newer, though.
The bakery still looks excellent. I picked up some croissants for our "breakfast nook" at work (this would be funnier if I had a picture... but I don't.). A sample bite of a brownie with walnuts and PB icing was very tasty. Free samples... breakfast of champions. In checkout, the women behind me had gotten cupcakes that looked awesome - one topped with fruit, the other with a cannoli, each in a little domed cupcake box.
And there was this cute cake.
The seafood and produce looked fresh.
In my first post, I mentioned that my biggest concern was prices. One nice thing is no value card is needed for this shop. I shop for certain items fairly consistently so I was able to do a walk-through price check. There were fewer sales than at my local giant, but many prices were close, particularly when I looked at value-pack meat and such. Some were pricier. I'll have to do comparisons in the coming weeks - yes, I'm that person.. aka, the poor student, remember? - but they do have a paper circular which will be really helpful.
While the circular isn't online, I'm a big fan of the fact that the store has both a facebook and twitter presence. FB seems more updated at this point - I'm looking forward to seeing how they put social media to use once things really get running.
Have you been to Green Valley Marketplace yet? Are you a Elkridger who's looking forward to having a very close-by grocery store again? (hocoblogs@@@)
As always, please leave your thoughts in the comments below!
Edit to update (11/29): Recently noticed that the circular (or a portion of it) is in fact available on the GVM website.
I am so excited for this opening, but my wishes are wholly prosaic: a convenient place to stop for milk on the way home, and a quick trip for forgotten ingredients. Maybe fresh produce, as my CSA ends this week. Bakeries, low prices, hard-to-find specialty items; this Elkridgean wishes not for these things. If they do have them, though, huzzah! Fewer trips to Upper Elkridge, what with their fancy Giants, high-end SUVs, and pandering attitudes. (Joke.)
ReplyDeleteElkridgeans! That's the word! ;)
ReplyDeleteThe big scissors are usually rented or borrowed. Many PR own a pair. Thanks for this "first look." You saved me a trip!
ReplyDelete-wb
Thanks for checking it out! I assume the store is open more than 3 hours a day, though? The sign is ambiguous.
ReplyDeleteWB - aw... I was really enjoying the idea of using giant scissors to cut paper. :)
ReplyDeleteKat - lol, I hadn't noticed that. They opened at 7am.
I went and bought salmon, canoli, deli Munster and deli buffalo chicken as a test... All great :) SO very glad a store reopened at this location. I am glad one is going into Arbutus as well (Feb I believe).
ReplyDeleteWith "Green" in their name - are they featuring organics or natural products of some sort, healthier meats, etc.?
ReplyDeleteWent here last night with the family. They had fried chicken on sale, we were craving it, so we figured we'd give the new guys a shot. The deli counter is definitely slow, but I feel that will speed up. We didnt find much in the way of organics, so don't let the name draw you in for that. The management was EVERYWHERE making sure staff were doing things correctly and customers were satisfied. They have some good sales this week. The sale on Kashi (2/$5) is the best around.
ReplyDeleteJust like TeeJay, we're looking for a "dang I ran out of sour cream and I need it now" kinda store. We typically shop at Trader Joe's or Costco. If the management maintains a good staff and clean store, we may shop here more often. It looks like they hired a lot of young kids, which I appreciate.
And btw, the fried chicken was purty tasty.
Thanks for the quick heads up. Good info. I'm happy for the locals.
ReplyDelete