I keep leaving Bravo with nothing

I even put things in my basket, then walk around more, put everything back, and leave empty-handed.  This is frustrating for me, but it also has to upset Bravo, who is losing sales.

I keep doing it because they are out of stock of something I went there specifically for. And because their credit card minimum is $7, which is too high when I just want a bag of sugar and some onions, or whatever.

Today, I wanted onions, sugar, flour, and milk. The big empty space is the sugar that was $1.99 for 4 lbs. I put the onions and milk back and left.

Bye, Associated

I walked to Key Food last night to buy mushrooms ($3 for 1 pound) and mozzarella ($2 for 1 pound), but they were out of mushrooms. On the way back, I saw that the "Associated" sign had been removed from the store that was once called Associated. I don't know what it will be called now. I don't like it. And now I don't have an Associated in my neighborhood.

WTF is going on with Associated?

I am quite cross. Associated seems to be trying to become Key Food.

Not all Associateds, of course. This blog is about the 5-6 stores closest to my apartment. And for a long time, there has been an Associated on Grand between Manhattan and Leonard. But Key Food branded products have started showing up. And I went there after perusing the online Associated circular (which still lists it) and found all the sales wrong. I thought I was out of my gourd (was a gourd on special? who knows!) but I found a different circular for only "Ozzie's Fresh Market" without mention of Associated or Key Food.

Also they are requiring an Ozzie's loyalty card to get some deals now.

I don't like any of this. I don't like another Key Food that is worse than the original. I don't like needing another card. I don't like the circular not being online. I don't like their stupid music that is always interrupted by announcements about what is on sale that repeats the prices so many times. I hope it goes out of business. I hope it becomes Aldi.

I'm fed up.

Also, the prices are worse.

I bet pork is going to get expensive after Hurricane Florence

Just need to sit with this for a minute: "North Carolina has 9.7 million pigs, producing almost 10 billion gallons of manure annually." Florence’s Path Is Strewn With Toxic Hazards https://t.co/VVQya8FYMP

— Joy Wang (@joyywang) September 14, 2018

Why I Never Shop at Western Beef Anymore

Western Beef used to be far away (1.3 miles) but cheap. Now it is only 1.3 miles away.

I was perusing the weekly circular because it's Labor Day and maybe it would have some deals. I found this abomination:

Contrast that with what I saw earlier today when reading the Bravo circular. (Bravo is close and cheap.)

That's $7 more dollars for the same amount of cheese!

More produce shopping

I went shopping with Lewis. We went to Kings Market and Green Corner.

I got romaine lettuce for $0.50 and the Kumato tomatoes for $1 at Kings Market. At Green Corner, tomatoes and peaches were $0.79/lb, plums were $0.99/lb, and serrano peppers were $1.99.

Summer Produce

It's so cheap I don't know what to do with it. I just keep buying it.

The end of the selling period

I was just at Bravo to buy some heavy cream to make an icebox cake. I don't know why they always have the cheapest heavy cream, but they do. While I was there, employees started going around taking down all the sale tags for the deals that end 8/9. That really stressed me out! Even someone who writes a grocery blog and looked at the circular 10 times this week doesn't have all the deals memorized. I got as little as possible to meet the credit card minimum ($7... another thing that stresses me out) and left.

Besides the heavy cream (1 pint for $2.50), I got Krasdale mayo ($1.99 for 30 oz), frozen corn ($1.25), and Sprite Zero ($1.34).

Cheap Chicken!

I mentioned in a phone interview for a job I'd be great at that I update this blog because no one wants to hear about all the grocery things that excite me. Tonight I was tempted to text someone who was having a hard time about this chicken on sale this week at Associated that is $0.39/lb. But that is insensitive. So here I am!

That is one of the all-time lowest prices I've seen though. I didn't even get through the rest of the circular. There seem to be a lot of buy one get one free deals. I never see those. I wonder if they mean it's half price or if I have to actually buy 2.

Velveeta Thoughts

Velveeta is kinda expensive. It's not real "cheese." But it is good, so I guess it's worth it. Things can be valuable even if they are not cheese.

(I do not know the price off the top of my head because I cannot afford it. I think it's like $10/lb.)

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.

The Wall Street Journal has such good grocery news

I read about Smuckers having/trying to raise its prices (which would explain why I can't get Jif on sale or $2 for 15 oz anymore). About which parts of the grocery store aren't doing well (packaged/processed foods) but what is (fresh, and also frozen). What brands are doing to make appealing frozen foods.

I won't link because it's behind a paywall anyway. But it's interesting!