I did a poll in my Instagram Stories last week about which grocery store chain to do next... I'm not doing a store featured in the poll this week! (Food Lion or Giant will be next, I promise!) Time to talk about the LARGEST grocery chain in the country, Kroger:
Kroger - Fast Facts
*History and Locations: Founded in 1883 in Cincinnati, OH. Currently operating over 2,800 stores (!!!) in 35 states under two dozen banner names. (Stores with Kroger name located in Alabama, Arkansas, California, Delaware, Georgia, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia)
*Known for: Being the largest supermarket chain in the United States! And having a variety of different store options: in addition to regular Kroger grocery stores and banner grocery stores, they also operate some superstores and jewelry stores in other states. They also have an extensive gas rewards program.
*Rewards program: Kroger Plus Card program. Signing up includes your access into their fuel perks gas program. Kroger Plus Card accepted at most Kroger banner stores, however Harris Teeter has their own rewards card program.
*My prior knowledge: I first visited Kroger a few months ago- on my winter trips to Kentucky and Indiana! Before that, I'd never been before. In researching this post, I learned that both NC and SC have Kroger stores, however I never personally was in a part of either of these states that have Kroger. (The Charlotte area is dominated by Harris Teeter.) The Indiana Kroger that I went to this winter was one of their superstores- it was HUGE! It seemed like a cool grocery store so I was excited to learn Charlottesville had a few Krogers.
*Word on the street: Friends that I have in other states where Kroger is very popular are VERY loyal to Kroger! I'd heard only good things about it in past years. In Charlottesville specifically, I haven't met too many people that shop here exclusively (a lot of Wegman's and Harris Teeter fans here in Cville), but I have met a couple people here that prefer Kroger.
Kroger - My Shopping Experience
I had run into Kroger to pick up one or two items during the week a few times since moving here, but I actually did my full groceries for the week at Kroger only once- for writing this blog post! I've been into two out of the three Krogers in Charlottesville. I found both stores to be larger than they looked from the outside, and pretty well stocked. I was also impressed by the prices on everyday items that I purchase on most of my weekly grocery trips.
Here's a look at the produce department! As I've shared... I'm trying to buy more and eat more fruits and vegetables each week, but this definitely isn't something that I eat a ton of right now (I have a picky eater diet much of the time), but I will say that I found the produce prices to be quite affordable from my limited knowledge of buying this. Cilantro bundles (this is an herb that I buy frequently for cooking) were just 50 cents the day that I shopped for this blog post- that's a pretty good deal! Super Walmart for example can have really cheap produce, but often it's not in the best shape. I'm happy to report that most items in the Kroger produce department seemed to be in great shape, and were affordable.
Now let's talk about the cheese department- something that I of course find very crucial in a grocery store. Kroger's wasn't bad!! In one of the Charlottesville stores, it was located near the bakery and wine section. It wasn't as extensive as other cheese departments that I've seen, but they still had a nice variety of gourmet cheeses to choose from. Their lower cost cheese section (in the dairy department) wasn't bad either, and I purchased a couple bags of shredded cheeses for making quesadillas and pizzas at home this week.
This Kroger had a well stocked wine aisle, and a neighboring aisle for beer. I noticed many of the wines were marked down and on special!
The store itself was very clean, well lit, and well stocked!! And pretty big! The Charlottesville Kroger stores are just regular grocery stores, not superstores, but I was still pretty impressed.
I tried a few things from the Kroger store brand during my shopping trip- one favorite thing that I picked up was Kroger brand ice cream! It was delicious, and extremely affordable compared to the name brand ice creams. Kroger also had a decently sized section with a couple aisles and a freezer section for organic and natural foods, which was good to see!
Kroger - Final Thoughts
I really liked Kroger. I think this might become my regular "everyday" grocery store. I love the fact that they have such an extensive gas rewards program! I have a weird obsession with tracking down the lowest possible gas prices where I live, so if a grocery store offers some sort of a gas rewards program I'm much more likely to shop there! Anyways, I was impressed with Kroger's selection and prices. They don't offer as many speciality items or prepared items as Wegmans (or as fancy of a bakery), but I know that stores like Wegmans, or places like Whole Foods/Trader Joe's are there for those specific grocery needs when I have them! I also like the fact that Kroger is in so many states in the country- if I travel to other places that have them, I'll already be familiar with the store and their products!
Check out past Grocery Wars posts:
Do you have Kroger (or one of their banner stores) near where you live? Have you shopped here before? And last question: for the next Grocery Wars post: do you want to see Giant or Food Lion?? Last time I'll ask, I promise!
God Bless,
xoxo Annaliese
