Ozzie's is Closing, Whole Foods is Opening

 I just got back from Mexico and before I even got to my apartment building, I saw the new Whole Foods on the corner is almost open. Based on the shelves, it looks bigger than I expected. Maybe smaller than the usual Whole Foods I go to, but I think it will hold a lot of stuff. I only buy 2 or 3 things from Whole Foods, so if it carries those, I'll be happy.

Later I went to Ozzie's and saw 20% off everything signs on the windows. That reminded me it's closing for a new building. The store is only 1 story tall, so we definitely need the housing. Because of the 20% off, it didn't seem to have the usual weekly sales so there weren't actually good prices. The shelves are emptier though.

New grocery stores coming to Grand St!

 Lidl is going to open where Key Foods used to be. That will be exciting. I've never been to one, but I know it's like Aldi.

And a mini Whole Foods is opening on Grand and Humboldt where Liberty Department Store used to be. As long as it has flowers, olive oil, and butter, I'll be happy. That's all I go to the regular one for. They don't even have sherry vinegar there anymore.

Olive oil got really expensive.

 For a long time, a 3 liter can of olive oil at Whole Foods was around $20. Then it went up to about $25-26, which I didn't like. But I just was at Whole Foods and saw that it's $35 now. That was really fast.

Here's a chart about the price of olive oil.

Why Olive Oil Got So Expensive

 It's not just Whole Foods scamming me. It's climate change.

Grocery Inflation Part 2: Whole Foods

 Whole Foods has been the worst for grocery inflation because they don't update the prices on their shelves. They just charge you more. First I got charged $1.99 for my $1.79 tofu. This week, I went back to get 3 liters of olive oil before the quarter ended and my credit card quit giving me 5% on groceries. My $19.99 olive oil rang up as $21.99.

I had happened to take a picture of the shelf of the olive oil so I had the price. So I decided to complain. First I was going to complain to NYC to get them arrested, but there was a line on the form that said "did you try resolving this with the company first?" So I emailed Whole Foods.

Whole Foods ended up refunding me the entire $21.99. Which was a lot more than I would have expected ($2 would have been fair!) but they didn't say "and we will tell the manager to make the prices on the shelves right" so I still don't want to risk shopping there any time soon. But because I have so much olive oil, their plants aren't as good as they were in mid-March, and I got a rosemary at Trader Joe's, and their tofu isn't cheaper anymore, I don't think I need to shop there.

Whole Foods Update

 I previously wrote a guide to shopping at Whole Foods because it's cheap for some things. Later, I bought a big basil plant. Here is an updated guide.

I went to Whole Foods today because Chase Freedom's 5% back on groceries quarter ends next week and I wanted to buy 3 liters of olive oil. I got both extra firm and silken tofu because it's $1.79 for organic (they don't have non-organic). Tofu is at minimum $2.50 everywhere else. I got frozen spinach for $1.79 because it's usually $2 elsewhere. Food Bazaar was supposed to have 2 lbs for $2.50 this week but they were out of everything. I also got arborio rice for $3. I don't know if that is a good price.

The other stuff is from Mr. Piña, which I should write about more often. The pineapple was $1.49, the zucchini was $0.50, the peppers were 2/$1 and the bag of lemons, which contains 3, was $1.

Strange Bacon in Prospect Lefferts Gardens

 I was visiting Lewis on Saturday and I wanted to go to the Associated on Flatbush because I always like it there. He doesn't and he prefers Lincoln Market, but we went.

The only interesting thing I found was a pack of the Whole Foods store brand (365) bacon for $1.67. That is very cheap. And it is also not Whole Foods.

We both got a pack. I also got onions and rice. He got stuff for nachos, but not cheese or sour cream, so I ended up having to go to Lincoln Market myself later. That place is expensive.

The best way to buy basil

For a few very specific things, Whole Foods is amazingly cheap. You can buy a little plastic container of basil for $3 everywhere or you can buy a whole pot of living basil for $2. pic.twitter.com/if1yoGF1bh

— Mike Cherepko (@mikecherepko) July 3, 2021

I learned the technology of just imbedding all my grocery tweets. 

Guide to Shopping at Whole Foods

Last month a dimwitted anti-housing activist popped up in my mentions on Twitter to imply that I'm rich and talked about Whole Foods.

So I decided to write about how to shop at Whole Foods to get the good deals, which it has. On about 4 things.

Olive Oil

You can buy a 3 liter can of the store brand olive oil for $19.99. That's less than $7 a liter, and it's a better quality than Filippo Berio or those other brands (except Colavita). Trader Joe's has a fine store brand too, but this is cheaper. It also lasts a long time, which is ideal since there's not a good reason to go to Whole Foods all that often.

Fresh Herbs

No, not fresh like other stores sell fresh, which are always too expensive. Buy a whole dang plant for $2. That's cheaper than the little plastic containers of fresh herbs. It's cheaper than a jar of dried herbs. Use what you want and try your luck planting the rest.

I bought this parsley last fall. I should use it more often. It is still alive.

The basil is from this week. I hope it starts to thrive. The rosemary is hanging on from last fall. Thyme has 2 green shoots but it otherwise not doing great.

Anyway, fresh herb plants.

Frozen Vegetables

Frozen peas are $1.79/lb and Brussels sprouts were about $1.50. That's cheaper than Krasdale/Urban Meadow frozen vegetables. And look how small they are.

Canned Tomatoes

You can get the store brand canned tomatoes for $1.39 for 28 oz. You can occasionally find canned tomatoes at other places for less than that, but they're quite often over $2 and Whole Foods has them consistently at this price. Also, they are good. Luigi Vitelli isn't good.

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.

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.

My Whole Foods cashier said "wow"

Because I only paid $0.53. Because I had a $10 off coupon for spending $10 3 times last month (which is when I got a frozen pizza).

Today I got dried shiitake mushrooms ($19.99/lb), dried woodland mix mushrooms (?), 3 cans of pumpkin ($1 each),  and a bag of arborio rice that I think is 16 oz and cost $3. That came to $10.53.

I haven't used my other dried mushrooms yet, but I'm getting ready. I will probably use some sort of mushrooms in risotto.

Apple Pay

Since my trip to Wegmans on Sunday, I have been hooked on Apple Pay. It is so much faster than waiting for a chip to process, hoping the card is in there right, then often signing my name. Somehow C-Town is the only store that reads chips quickly.

I used Apple Pay at Whole Foods on Monday. I tried to use it at Ozzie's on Wednesday. Despite the sign saying "we have Apple Pay" and the annoying announcements that often mention having Apple Pay, it wouldn't work. Last night, I used it at Lincoln Market in Prospect Lefferts Gardens.

I like it so much that I think I better get my phone battery replaced so I can be sure I have it. So I need $50. Click on my ads and buy stuff!

What do I do with dried porcini mushrooms?

I went to Whole Foods today to buy frozen pizzas because they were 50% off and because if I spent $10, they would give me a free $10 on my next visit. They were almost out of frozen pizzas, so I got fewer than I expected and did get a brand I didn't want at all–Amy's. Oh well. That was $4 so I still needed to spend at least $6 more. I got a can of pumpkin for $1. And I got dried porcini mushrooms. They were $49.99/lb and I got $6 worth. There were some other mushrooms too. I think morels were $249.99/lb. And dried shiitakes were about $15/lb. I almost got a mix of forest mushrooms or something like that, but they were also cheap and I couldn't find anything else in the store I wanted (even a second Amy's pizza) more than I wanted to upgrade to porcini mushrooms, so I got them. And I was happy I got to use Apple Pay again.

But I don't know what to do with them! I have used them to make a vegan gravy before. I know I could make risotto. What else? Make chicken marsala extra luxurious?

The Sales

Let's see what's on sale this week. Besides the parmesan from my last post. Today's also the day that Trump's tariffs go into effect. I might go stock up on liqueurs before that filters through the supply chain.

Ozzie's: They finally updated their online circular! So I will do them first. Several meats have ok prices: beef liver, london broil, chicken breasts, pork butt. All 3 types of pears are $0.99/lb. (Bosc, anjou, and bartlett. The 3 main types you ever see. I don't know the difference between any.) Green cabbage is 29¢/lb. Wow. Hellman's mayo is $4.50. Yesterday I saw that one of my roommates threw the nearly empty jar of mayo (there was still some left!) in the garbage (didn't even recycle it!) so now I'm on the hunt for more. $4.50 isn't good enough. Parmesan is on sale here too. I don't know if $12.99/lb is more or less than 30% off then 10% off at Whole Foods. I guess I'll go find out.

Food Bazaar: Red peppers are $1/lb. Mussels are $3 for 2 lbs. A 5 lb bag of grapefruit is $4.

Bravo: nothing good

C-Town: Yeast is on sale for $1.50. I have old yeast and tried making focaccia and it didn't rise at all. So maybe I will spend $1.50 so I only have new yeast around. Or maybe I'll try the less old yeast first.

Key Food: This circular isn't online. Maybe the sales are the same as at Ozzie's.

Green Corner: This isn't updated yet.

Western Beef: I looked at this, but there's nothing good.

A Parmesan sale post tariff? Whole Foods surprised me

I just got this in my Whole Foods email. The October 18 date stuck out to me, because I was planning to go buy parmesan before then because that's when Trump's tariffs on everything good kick in. Of course, I didn't know how long those prices would take to filter their way to the consumer. But now I am going to buy parmesan tomorrow after I get a flu shot. It's actually a bit more than 30% off for Prime members.

The Whole Foods in Williamsburg has self-checkouts now

I went at 8am because I was awake and it's going to rain today. It was nice and empty. I only bought a 3 liter can of olive oil. I was surprised by the self-checkout. There also are a lot more regular cash registers.

The oil cost me $19.89 after my discount for bringing my own bag.

I got a lot of anchovies for $2.89 at Whole Foods

 I went to Whole Foods with my friend. I wasn't going to buy anything, but I noticed this big jar of anchovies for only $12.99. A similar jar (different brand) is $15 at Key Food. That's been on my shopping list forever, so I got it. Then I noticed that Whole Foods was giving me $10 off for having Amazon Prime. The icing on the cake was saving $0.10 for not needing a bag. I haven't eaten them yet, but they look good.

Olive oil disaster

My 3 liter can of olive oil fell out of my Citibike's front rack onto the street and got run over. It was $19.87 and now I don't have oil or my money.

Colavita Extra Virgin Olive Oil's on Sale at Bravo

The 3 liter can (101 oz) is on sale for $23. That's a pretty good deal. Colavita has the best tasting olive oil. At C-Town, the 17 oz bottle is $7.50.

Whole Foods has the next best tasting olive oil, and it's usually about that price.

The sale's from September 8-15.

Salad avocados look to be on sale too, for $0.99 each. I guess I will get one or two to go with the rock hard peaches I got at Key Food today.