slight rant...Key Foods

mancunian wrote: the beer selection is also pretty nice.

oh yeah, that's very true. only place close that's better that I've run across is bierkraft

I wish the produce at Key was as good as at Natural Land...I'd like to stop going to natural land. The more things I cost-compare, the more I find the prices there are a little insane.

Is the B63 the 5th Avenue bus? is that the one to take to Trader joe's?

The Bergen Street F stop is maybe a five minute walk from Trader Joe's.

LongTimeSloper wrote: Is the B63 the 5th Avenue bus? is that the one to take to Trader joe's?

Yes 63 and 61 stop across from TJ

There's always Union Market on Union St. Their produce and meat are quite a bit better than Key Foods.

True, wingedearth, but that's like saying don't bother with Holiday Inn, the Mercer Hotel is so much nicer. Not an option for a lot of people. Union Market's prices are redonculous.

snarkslope wrote: True, wingedearth, but that's like saying don't bother with Holiday Inn, the Mercer Hotel is so much nicer. Not an option for a lot of people. Union Market's prices are redonculous.

Yes, I realize that. And I've recently discovered the concept of saving money at Key Foods rather than looking for local and organic from Union Market. It usually has to be one of the two extremes, since there is no Whole Foods or Wegmans in Park Slope. So it's either genetically modified, hormone injected, cannibal-fed, tortured, chemically preserved, mutant, low-price beef from Key Foods, or high priced beef from Union Market (which may or may not be organic).

Wegmans! That's what we need. It's a much better chain than Whole Foods... just as good but much less expensive.

I go to Wegmans (and drive to the big, spacious, uncrowded TJs) when I visit my mom. Love Wegmans

wingedearth wrote: [quote=snarkslope]True, wingedearth, but that's like saying don't bother with Holiday Inn, the Mercer Hotel is so much nicer. Not an option for a lot of people. Union Market's prices are redonculous.

Yes, I realize that. And I've recently discovered the concept of saving money at Key Foods rather than looking for local and organic from Union Market. It usually has to be one of the two extremes, since there is no Whole Foods or Wegmans in Park Slope. So it's either genetically modified, hormone injected, cannibal-fed, tortured, chemically preserved, mutant, low-price beef from Key Foods, or high priced beef from Union Market (which may or may not be organic).

Or, you can buy meat from trader joe's

LongTimeSloper wrote: [quote=wingedearth][quote=snarkslope]True, wingedearth, but that's like saying don't bother with Holiday Inn, the Mercer Hotel is so much nicer. Not an option for a lot of people. Union Market's prices are redonculous.

Yes, I realize that. And I've recently discovered the concept of saving money at Key Foods rather than looking for local and organic from Union Market. It usually has to be one of the two extremes, since there is no Whole Foods or Wegmans in Park Slope. So it's either genetically modified, hormone injected, cannibal-fed, tortured, chemically preserved, mutant, low-price beef from Key Foods, or high priced beef from Union Market (which may or may not be organic).

Or, you can buy meat from trader joe's

Huh...wha...huh???? :scratch: Key Foods on 7th Avenue sells less fresh versions of the same food you can buy at Whole Foods and Trader Joe's and Fairway. I myself didn't think that Whole Foods would ever be less money than the Key Food on 7th Avenue, but Whole Foods IS LESS EXPENSIVE than Key Food. Strange, but true.

wingedearth wrote: genetically modified, hormone injected, cannibal-fed, tortured, chemically preserved, mutant, low-price beef from Key Foods

I haven't actually done like "background checks" on the suppliers of some of the Key Foods stuff I buy, but I suspect a lot of it is no less Evil than what I would get from Whole Foods. Like, maybe they whisper soothing words, light incense, and intone Buddhist chants to the cows as they slaughter them before they go to Whole Foods vs. just getting it done before they go to Key Foods, but I'm guessing they're similarly humane.

I am fine with being corrected, if anyone has better info.

(and I don't actually eat THAT MUCH cow, but I do like it. Yes I do).

booklaw wrote: Wegmans! That's what we need. It's a much better chain than Whole Foods... just as good but much less expensive.

Unfortunately for us, Wegmans' policy is to always buy and never rent property, and it's much easier for them to continue expanding in less expensive suburban areas than to buy a large piece of land in Brooklyn or Manhattan. But hopefully I'll be able to drive upstate to Rochester or Ithaca and do a big Wegmans run this weekend.

I have to admit that I kind of like Key Food on 7th ave. I don't buy much meat and am picky about what produce I get there, but for basic grocery stuff - cereal, paper towels etc. its fine and I don't think 5th Ave or Fairway are any cheaper, especially if you stock up when things are on sale. The lines aren't that bad and yes many of the cashiers and other staff are apathetic but some are ok and there is always self checkout. It does piss me off that the computer often charges the wrong price but I think I usually catch the higher prices and take advantage of the lower prices. What really bugs me is that when you tell them the computer is charging $5.99 for something that should be $2.99 they give you your $3 back but I don't think they ever update the system. I also kind of like doing a loop on that block and hitting the korean market across the street for produce and Back to the Land and Divine Taste for different things. I'd be thrilled if Trader Joes and Fairway were more convenient but I'll settle for Key Food.

Yeah, the Key Foods on 5th Ave was an angry revelation to me. I don't live in PS, but I was exploring the area and was taken aback by the size and cleanliness of that Key Foods. 95% of the Keys I've been to otherwise are absolute shit, including the one near me (Clinton Hill/Bedford). The difference is staggering.

Whenever I have access to a car, I actually like to shop at the Key Food on 5th ave (Fairway is too busy on weekends).

The Key Food here in Windsor Terrace is terrible. They are clean, never have to wait for a checkout, but they have nothing in stock. I have seen them run out of apples and bananas at times. And they are more expensive than Whole Foods except for the items on sale, which of course out of stock.

Sadarami wrote: I have to admit that I kind of like Key Food on 7th ave. I don't buy much meat and am picky about what produce I get there, but for basic grocery stuff - cereal, paper towels etc. its fine and I don't think 5th Ave or Fairway are any cheaper, especially if you stock up when things are on sale. The lines aren't that bad and yes many of the cashiers and other staff are apathetic but some are ok and there is always self checkout. It does piss me off that the computer often charges the wrong price but I think I usually catch the higher prices and take advantage of the lower prices. What really bugs me is that when you tell them the computer is charging $5.99 for something that should be $2.99 they give you your $3 back but I don't think they ever update the system. I also kind of like doing a loop on that block and hitting the korean market across the street for produce and Back to the Land and Divine Taste for different things. I'd be thrilled if Trader Joes and Fairway were more convenient but I'll settle for Key Food.

5th Avenue Key Food is definitely cheaper on everything than 7th Avenue key Food, the only thing they are the same on would be pre-priced items 9such as bread). I have comparison shopped at both and all 7th avenue items are anywhere from 10 to 40 cents more than the same thing at 5th avenue, it doesn't seem like much, but if you are doing a regular grocery shop, it adds up to dollars. Plus the store is overcrowded and the cashiers are rude. They count on the fact that they are the only supermarket there and people will drop in on the way home from the subway out of convenience and just put up with their crap.

I guess i would rather go a tad out of my way to save money, have a better selection and shop in a comfortable store, 5th avenue key food isn't that hard to get to and they deliver also.