Lucky's, Albertsons, and Safeway move over for: RALEYS, SPROUTS & WHOLE FOODS

Ok.. i was going to go on a tirade about Sanders and Trump but I'll save that for tomorrow.  There are other just as urgent issues to gripe about -- namely grocery shopping.  No food - no live.  Yeah, it's important.

This may come across as a post from a bored mom on Prozac, but if the shoe fits I will wear it.  I've been a Safeway shopper for about 25 years.  Prior to shopping at Safeway I shopped at Yucky Lucky on the boulevard in Petaluma when I lived in a condo behind the police station, and then shopped the new Lucky (yes, I still refer to it as the new Lucky despite that it was built in 1989) off of Lakeville. 

Well, fate moved me to Santa Rosa in the early 1990's and I became a religious Safeway shopper at the Marlow location.  Many a Sunday I would have two *very* small children in tow going up and down the aisles.  It was a weekly ritual.  I got to know all the employees at the Marlow Safeway and they got to know me.  I thought more than once I should just have my paychecks directly deposited to Safeway. 

I was happy.  I loved Safeway.  Alberson's/Lucky/whatever they are this week I thought sucked with their unhelpful, surly employees and low-quality meat and produce.  Albertson's bought out Lucky and vice versa over the next 20 years.  It was hard to tell which was which but came to the conclusion they were, in reality, one of the same.  Yes, Alberson's/Lucky were less expensive, but you got what you paid for.  I would only go into Lucky if no other option was available.  I avoided that place like the plague.

One day my beloved Safeway decided to sell out to Lucky/Alberson's.  Granted, the *name* Safeway still hangs above the door but the place has changed -- for the worse.  My online shopping orders are always wrong upon delivery (never a problem when Safeway was the real owner), the meat is lower quality as well as the produce.  Today I bought jicama and threw it away when I got home to cut it up.  How can jicama get screwed up? 

I do get a lot of  fresh produce from a local farm share which helps.  Sometimes I need things that the farm share just does not have and I need to visit a supermarket to obtain it.  Truth be told I have much better freshness luck at Raley's, Sprouts and Whole Foods. 

Whuuud about Trader Joe's, you ask?  Well, they are OK for some items I like.  Most of their stuff is frozen, packaged entrees and the like.  Glorified processed TV dinners for yuppies.  Open package and dump in pan.  Done.  Not that great.  Plus, their produce REALLY sucks and god help you if you buy meat there that is something other than a little package of sliced turkey lunch meat.  Trader Joe's is the WalMart for broke yuppies.