As a military family it can be daunting to learn a new city (or region of the United States) every 2-3 years. One aspect to a PCS we haven’t addressed is grocery stores. While most military bases offer a commissary, they all can’t be treated equal. And even if you split your shopping between stores, it’s good to familarize yourself with what’s out in town.
When you get to a new duty station you might find yourself asking: who is Fred Meyer or Harris Teether? What is a Big Y or Food Lion?
We asked fellow submarine spouses about their favorite/least favorite grocery stores. Here’s what they had to say:
Bangor
- WinCo Foods – West Coast, no-frills warehouse-style grocery store with an extensive bulk food section (debit card or cash only)
- Affordable and great quality
- Affordable and great quality
- Town & Country Market – Formally known as Central Market in Poulsbo
- Expensive but great for their fresh market deli, produce and meats, beer and wine selection
- Expensive but great for their fresh market deli, produce and meats, beer and wine selection
- Fred Meyer – Pacific Northwest retail chain (Kroger family) for groceries, apparel and furniture, plus toys, electronics, housewares and more.
- One-stop shop for groceries and house needs
- Not the cheapest, but love the gas rewards
“I don’t need to discuss any other stores… Love of my life, Central Market. Winner takes all!!”
Honorable mentions: Sprouts, Walmart, Trader Joe’s, Costco
Stores to avoid: Safeway
Charleston
- Publix – Florida-based supermarket chain
- Good produce and regular staples
- Great for produce, but groceries over all are expensive
- Lowes Foods – North Carolina-based supermarket chain
- Serves local beer while you shop which is awesome!
Honorable mentions: Harris Teether
Groton
- Big Y – a family-owned supermarket chain in Connecticut and Massachusetts.
- Expensive AF, good produce
- Nice but pricey
- Bougie and expensive but gets the job done
- Stop & Shop – popular northeastern grocery chain, sister to Food Lion in the mid-Atlantic.
- Good, but confusing and changing store layout
- Convenient scan and bag as you shop
- Great prices and great quality, good experience with pick up and delivery
“Groton, nothing but saddness here.”
“Listen, Big Y is expensive. We don’t make Big Y dollars, we make Aldi dollars.”
Honorable mentions – Costco, Walmart Super Center (Waterford) and Aldi
Guam
- Pay-Less Market
- Mixed reviews on this, but alternative to the commissary
“Favorites in Guam???? Grocery shopping was often a fruitless pursuit (literally and figuratively).”
Kings Bay
- Publix – Florida-based supermarket chain
- Good produce and regular staples
- Great for produce, but groceries over all are expensive
- Harris Teether – North Carolina-based supermarket chain
“Publix and nowhere else.”
“Don’t go to Winn-Dixie unless you want to constantly worry you will be stabbed.”
Stores to avoid: Winn-Dixie
Norfolk/Hampton Roads
- Wegmans – New York state-based supermarket chain
- The holy grail, reminded me of Whole Foods but better
- Simply the best! It’s the Disney world of grocery stores!
- Our favorite place to grab-and-go or their deli, hot bar, bakery, Burger Bar, sushi, etc.
- Kroger – American retail company with nearly 3,000 locations
- I mean, the one in Chesapeake has a bar inside of it!
- Love the gas rewards and easy pick-up option
- Harris Teether – North Carolina-based supermarket chain
“Wegmans!!! Simply the best. It’s the Disney World of grocery stores!”
Honorable mentions: Aldi, Publix (coming soon), Trader Joe’s , Walmart Neighborhood Market
Stores to avoid: Food Lion, Costco (not in a great Norfolk area)
Pearl Harbor
- Foodland – Honolulu-based supermarket chain
- Great for ready-to-eat meals, bentos, poke bowls, bakery
- Great for ready-to-eat meals, bentos, poke bowls, bakery
- Costco – Washington-state based warehouse-style retail chain (membership required)
- Great for bulk purchases
- More unique items than on mainland, such as surfboards, ukuleles and Hawaiian foods
Honorable mentions: Target, Whole Foods (if you have amazing Prime for extra deals), Hickham Commissary (if you’re overwhelmed by Pearl)
Stores to avoid: Safeway, Pearl Harbor Commissary (only dry goods, say no to produce), Don Quijote
Portsmouth, NH
- Hannaford – Maine-based grocery store chain
- Best selection of produce
- Use My Hannaford Rewards to save
- Hot tip: you can ask them to steam your lobsters while you wait for free
- Market Basket – New England-based grocery store chain
- Best for low prices
Honorable mentions: Kroger, Beach Peas (for breads, baked goods) , Golden Harvest Produce Market
San Diego
- Sprouts – Arizona- based supermarket known for natural and organic foods
- Great for produce!
- Great for produce!
- Ralphs – Southern California-based supermarket, owned by Kroger
- Good alternative if you don’t like the commissary
Honorable mentions: Barons, Safeway
What stores did we miss? Comment below! Regretfully we did not include all duty stations, only those we received comments on.