How I wound up with a free avocado at Key Food

I went to Key Food for pop and provolone. Coke product pop sale was 4/$4 (must buy 4, with $10 purchase) and the 7up products were 4/$5 (must buy 4).

I got provolone ($5/lb) and a half pound of salami ($6/lb) and wound up with a bit over a pound of provolone. I also had an avocado in my basket. I got out my calculator, since math in my head is too hard, and found I had $9.81. So I got an overpriced lime for $0.25, picked my 4 pops, and went to check out.

The pops rang up at $1.89 each, not the sale price. I questioned it, and the cashier told me it was from the bottle deposit and tax. I questioned that, so she asked her manager. The manager added stuff up in her head and said I was short of the $10. I thought I had double checked, but I could be wrong, so I said I'd grab one more thing to put me over. They said I was about an avocado short. I like avocados enough, so I got another one, and the price came down, and I left.

Then I looked at my receipt and saw only 1 avocado on it!

What's on Sale this week?

I hope I find vegetables so I can start eating better.

Key Food: A jar of peppers fried with onions is $2.49. That's kinda a vegetable.

C-Town: Tonic water is $0.69.

Bravo: Still no ad.

Food Bazaar: A pound of butter is $3. A pack of corn tortillas is $1. The brand that used to be down the street from me but moved to New Jersey. I bought a 16 piece bucket of fried chicken there for $10 on Wednesday.

Western Beef: They have 16 pieces of fried chicken on sale for $0.99/lb. I don't know if that is more or less than Food Bazaar, but I'd still consider that a good price.

Green Corner: no circular yet

Ozzie's: they don't even have a website anymore

Memorial Day sales during coronavirus time

Food Bazaar's ad is back! It's only 4 pages (used to be 6) but it's back. Jumbo shrimp are $9/lb. Hamburger and hot dog buns are $0.79. 4 lbs of frozen hamburgers are $8 and hot dogs are $1. Celery is $1. I haven't been to Food Bazaar since this started, but I'm happy about this.

C-Town has been back for 2-3 weeks, but with only one page of sales. I haven't been there in forever.

Key Food has been publishing its sales and has been good at actually having the things on sale in the store. I'll look at that circular now. Peaches are $1/lb. A peach in May though? (I usually make them into salads, so it would work. It makes use of its firmness and tartness.) Cracker barrel cheese are $2. (I doubt those will actually be on sale.)  Hot dog and hamburger buns are $1.25. Coke products are $4/4. Hellman's mayo is $3.49.

A trip to Whole Foods under Covid-19

I just got back from Whole Foods. I wanted a 3 liter can of olive oil, like I usually get, and some herbs for my window. For 3 liters, it's worth the trip, and the herbs are $2/plant.

They didn't have the oil. I had to get 1 liter for $7 instead of 3 for $20. I did get 2 parsley plants and 1 thyme. I was hoping for rosemary. I had basil on my list, but the basil I bought in February is thriving in my window and I don't use it enough to want more.

I had to wait in line to get in. I was the only person in line for a while. While I was waiting, about 6 delivery people came. They can go directly in, but they need to have their temperatures taken and wear gloves. Customers only need to wear masks.

The store was laid out with signs for 1 way shopping to reduce people squeezing past each other in aisles. Some guy still went backward, which was annoying.

I did not find clothespins or course sea salt or harissa. I didn't look very hard because it was annoying to be there.

I liked that I can pay with Apple Pay. I liked that before, but now I like it more because I am sick of touching things.

My trip to Key Food yesterday

Sales are starting to come back. I got 4 bottles of pop for $5. I got 4 cans of crushed tomatoes for $5. I got a lot of twine for $4 (so I can hang up clothes after I wash them in a bucket). A bag of limes was on sale for $2.50, but I was packing up my own groceries and didn't notice that they rang up as a bag of lemons for $5. Oh well. I got an avocado for $1 and a bunch of cilantro for $0.75.

They didn't have the olive oil though.

What might be on sale at Key Food this week? Corona uncertainty

Key Food is the only store that still publishes a circular. Once I'm in the store, some of the sales show up on price tags. Usually produce is good. But I still read the circular and think about all the things I can buy. I'm going to go there shortly after I write this.

Red onions are $1.67 for a bag of 2 lbs. (So are yellow onions, but I have those.) An avocado is $1. That's the cinco de mayo sale. Tuna is $0.89/can. Canned salmon is $3 and I might get that. I made a good salmon dip not long ago. Cranberry juice is $2. Pepsi 2 liters are 4/$5 (must buy 4). I never do that because it's heavy, but I might make an exception today. A carton of orange juice is $2. Probably the diluted kind. Frozen raviolis are 50% off. (I am pretty good at speaking Italian, but I am still going to pluralize ravioli like that when I speak English.) A 3 liter can of Colavita pure olive oil is $16 and more than anything else, I hope this is actually a sale! Scalfani canned tomatoes are 4/$5. Various Old El Paso things are on sale for Cinco de Mayo.

That's a lot of food! I guess if some isn't on sale, I won't be too disappointed. If nothing is, or if the oil isn't, I will be very disappointed. I haven't been outside since Saturday.

By the way, I turned my bacon into carbonara last night and it was good.

Update: Nothing was on sale except the avocados. The onions said they were on sale but weren't on the shelf. I walked out with nothing. I would have gone to Ozzie's afterward but I didn't have my gloves with me.

Western Beef

I go to Western Beef a lot more these days. If I walk 1.3 miles east, I pass very few people and then am in a vast store. If I walk 4 blocks west, I pass way more people. Even if I walk 3.5 blocks west to Ozzie's I pass more people. So I go to Western Beef.

I went today because I thought pop would be cheaper than it is up here. It was not. But I did get 3 lbs of bacon for $10. When I got home I saw that it was weird pieces "Great for recipes."

I got a 24 oz jar of red peppers for $3. I found a dozen eggs for $1.19! I paid over $4 for eggs last Sunday. I got a loaf of bread for $1.29 I think. Three bags of pasta for $1 each. I got weird shapes: both ditali and ditalini. I also got 2 flavored seltzers. Then I walked home.

Shopping

I went to Key Food. Eggplant, zucchini, and plum tomatoes were on sale for $0.99/lb so I got them. Tonic was $0.67. That was in the circular, but labeled on the shelf. So I wonder if I should trust circular prices. They label the produce sales, but nothing else. I don't know why. Iceberg lettuce is also $0.99 so I might go back later this week.

I went to Ozzie's too and got white pepper and cranberry juice. They were both $2.99. I don't know what to do with white pepper.

My trip to Bravo

They have people wait in a line outside. You have to wear gloves (though not a mask). Inside, a lot of things didn't have prices, so I couldn't buy them. The cashier rang up both of my bags of beans as the more expensive chick peas. And rang up my can of crushed tomatoes twice. I didn't realize that until after I paid, so I offered to just grab another can of them.

I ended up with 2 cans of crushed tomatoes, 1 can of tomato puree, 1 liter of tonic, 1 lb of chick peas, and 1 lb of roman beans. Oh, and a jar of pickled peperoncini that I need to make bloody marys for Easter.

I went grocery shopping for the first time in over 2 weeks

Key Food still publishes a circular, but they don't abide by it in-store. So of all the things I was looking forward to, only mushrooms were a good price. I left without buying anything because the lines were also long.

Since I had empty bags, I went to Ozzie's Fresh Market. I got popcorn, milk, and white bread. The shelves were stocked a little better and there were no lines at all.

Then I went to Jesus and got celery ($2) and a bag of 3 romaine hearts ($1). The romaine was the only good deal all day.

Key Food is the only store that still publishes a circular

So I'm going to read it! I haven't been in a grocery store since March 21 :-(  But I think I will go sometime this week.

I wish I could go to Whole Foods and buy potted herbs to plant in my window too. Basil, parsley, rosemary, and thyme.

Anyway, Key Food: Ham is $1.29/lb because Easter is soon. I want one. 16 oz white mushrooms are $3.49, which isn't bad. 30 oz Hellman's mayo is $3.49. A pound of PollyO mozzarella is $2 and 2 lbs of ricotta are $3. I want both! Cracker barrel cheese is $2. Canned tomatoes are 4/$5 and you must buy 4. Usually that is too many for me, but in these Covid times, I can take 4. This says flour is on sale, but I doubt it's in stock. Pepsi and Schweppes 2 liters are also 4/$5 MB4 but I don't think I can carry 8 liters of pop in addition to everything else and I'd rather not make multiple trips. Tonic water is $0.60 per liter. Jarred fried peppers are $2.50. A pack of hot dogs is $1 and I'm tempted.

What's on Sale This Week? Coronavirus Time

I never got to go to Key Food to buy beans because on Sunday I got symptoms of coronavirus so I haven't left my apartment since then. I feel better now. According to the CDC, I can rejoin what's left of society 7 days after my symptoms started. I forgot about new grocery circulars until now, but I will look to see if there's anything out there worth seeking.

Food Bazaar, Western Beef, and Green Corner still have no weekly specials.

Key Food: Store brand mayo is $2 for 30 oz. Hmm. A pound of Galbani mozzarella is $3.

Bravo: They quit their circular too.

C-Town: So did they.

What's on sale this week - Coronavirus Week 3

I saw "Week 3" because this is the 3rd week when it's been relevant to my grocery circular perusings and musings.

First, Food Bazaar:

I think the rest have circulars though. Whether I'll be able to find things when I go, who can say?

C-Town: Colavita pasta is $1. That's my preferred brand now. Coke products are 4/$5. Asparagus is $1.99/lb. Krasdale flour is $2 for 5 lbs. I have been on a focaccia kick. I can't spell it though. Maybe that's right.

Western Beef: 

Their sales always suck anyway. I do like their pickled things.

Green Corner: They also canceled their circular, but they put it on their website on a weird way so no picture.

Bravo: Cans of Luigi Vitelli tomatoes are only $1, but when I did a taste test with Scalfani, Luigi Vitelli lost by a lot so I don't know if I will bother.

Key Food: Asparagus is only $1.49/lb here. Gala apples are $0.99/lb. Flour is $2/lb. Powerade is $1. A pound of butter is $3. A half pound of luxury butter is also $3. Goy dry beans are mostly 3/$5. I want to get more cannellini. I might as well find out what fava are like too.

The groceries no one wants during cornavirus hoarding

I like this article a lot. I feel bad for Dasani.

Your sink is still going to work though. You don't need bottled water.

The reason to hoard food at all is that shopping might become very annoying and limited. For instance, only 10 people may be allowed in a store at one time. If that happens, it will be better to have enough things at home that you don't need to shop often.

What's on Sale This Week - St. Patrick's Day and Coronavirus

Last year Key Food has very cheap corned beef, so I ate it for the first time in my life. It was good, but it's not the same sale this year. Also, I wouldn't invite a lot of people over because of social distancing. My kitchen is pretty full with stuff, but I'm going to see what is on sale this week anyway.

Western Beef: nothing

Food Bazaar: A 44-pack of fish sticks is $6. I can't remember if that's a good price. Considering how many fish tacos I could make with 44 fish sticks (22), it's a pretty good price. That's the only good sale, so I won't go there.

Green Corner: Nothing really.

Key Food: (I hope I find good sales, even though I looked yesterday and know there aren't any as good as last week's.) Cabbage is $0.27/lb. (It also lasts a long time, perfect for a quarantine or even social distancing.)  Flour is $2 for 2 lbs. I have been making a lot of focaccia. The corned beef is $1.99/lb with a $25 purchase. Scalfani canned tomatoes are 3/$4 (must buy 3). Usually that would deter me, but in these times of hoarding I might do it.

C-Town: Nothing

Bravo: Luigi Vitelli pasta is $0.79. I am up to my gills in pasta though. Krasdale cheese hunks are $1.67 for 8 oz.

Shopping at Key Food while the feeling of Coronavirus sets in

I have still been going to grocery stores, and today it felt different. It was pretty crowded at 2:30pm. People were shopping with carts. I don't think Key Food even has carts most of the time. The shelves were mostly stocked, so it was interesting to notice what was out of stock: fancy rice, regular flavor Cholula hot sauce.

I went because this past week's sales are better than next weeks. I got more asparagus ($1.99/lb) and mushrooms ($2.99/lb). I got yeast ($3) and cornmeal ($2). I got 2 bottles of diet tonic water. The only part of this that could be considered hoarding/preparing for a quarantine is the 2nd bottle of tonic water.