how to survive the grocery store

and have a little fun (maybe)

I love the grocery store. I could write something about how they are a microcosm of culture, a way to understand the neighborhood, or my creative inspiration. I could also write about their history as a pro capitalist propaganda tool or a driver of many of the issues with our food system. But, in reality, I love them because they are filled with interesting things to look at. And I love shopping.

If you, however, hate going to the grocery store, here’s my attempt to explain what’s going at grocery stores and a few ways to make it suck less.

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The tl;dr

Lately, even I will admit, going to the grocery has not been great. Many major grocery stores raised prices over the rate of inflation, there are serious challenges to the supply chains of staple goods.¹ On the other hand, total expenses (e.g., labor, healthcare) for grocery stores continue to increase, and their typically thin (1-3%) profit margins have fallen to 1.6% in 2024.² In response, grocers have been investing in promotional pricing and private label goods.³ This explains why, on a recent trip to Whole Foods, there was a quantity limit on eggs, half of the olive oil aisle was on sale (but still expensive), and the entire sugar selection was the house brand.

The Map

Grocery stores are all designed for the same purpose: to maximize your grocery bill. Highly priced and brightly colored items (berries, orchids) greet you, then you must wade through as many aisles as possible to find milk (placed in the far corner of the store), for your coffee (placed in an aisle on the opposite end), and become so deliriously hungry at the scent of the bakery that you cannot escape without picking up a sweet treat.

The Process

“Shop the perimeter” is a common refrain among dietitians, guiding you to focus on produce, meats, and unprocessed foods. This is good advice for anyone who can be trusted to go to the grocery store without a list (no one). There are three core strategies:

• Offense (the Big Week Shop): create a list organized by the section of the store (e.g., fruit, veg, seafood, grains). Typically, select 3 recipes for dinner (including one big enough for leftovers), 1-2 for lunch prep, and the basics for breakfast. (I can do a whole series on this)

• Defense (the Mad Dash): put the blinders on and head straight to the aisle you need. This is an acceptable use case for grocery delivery.

• The wildcard (the Creative Inspiration): high-risk, high-reward play for a single spontaneous meal. Proceed with caution.

How to Make the Grocery Store Suck Less

I’ve spent many of the last 500 words explaining why the grocery store sucks, but here’s how you can make it fun:

• 🍫 Bundle it with a temptation: pair the errand with something you like to do — or reward yourself with a treat.

• 👯‍♂️ Bring a buddy: the bonus is that then you can justify the value pack of mozzarella balls.

• 🌈 Make it a scavenger hunt: make a rainbow with food, find the milk with the latest expiration date, or finally track down the thing you’ve been trying to find but never ask (tahini is by the peanut butter in the bakery section).

FAQs

• What time should you go to the grocery store?

  • If you have a WFH day, Tuesday to Saturday mornings are ideal. Sunday is a zoo, Monday is dedicated to restocking the weekend rush.

• Should you go to multiple grocery stores?

  • Spreading out your shopping can help you save, but will take more time. For example, in an five-block radius, I can buy a single organic lemon for $1.19 or $1.99, but if I walk three more blocks, I can get one for $0.59.

• Does brand matter?

  • For the most part, no. Private label (store brand) isn’t just for your parents.⁴ Read the fine print — San Marzano tomatoes should be from San Marzano — but you don’t need anything more expensive than Cento.

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Other Stuff & Things

• Serial CPG founders are betting big on bar brands for the trendiest ingredients of the year: David (founded by the founder of RXBAR) and Floura (founded by the founder of Jeni’s Ice Creams). I’m particularly interested in Floura’s up-cycled value proposition.

• Are pickles the Gen Z avocado? Avocado toast with pickled onions (or even a radish) may be the best intergenerational snack.

• Have you been “glutened”? Current labeling laws require manufacturers to disclose wheat, not barley and rye.

• My fascination with food art continues, from the insufferably basic, to the questionably permanent, to the chaotic luxury, to the actually cool. You decide.

  

  

  Kathrin Marchenko; beanies; West Elm; Uncommon Goods; idk; Gamma-Rapho via Getty

Happy hunting,

Sophia

P.S. A Live Stream of My Experience at the Grocery Store

Why do they always put orchids at the front? If I put it in my basket now, I will crush it.

Berries are too expensive.

It’s way too early for asparagus. Who took all of the leeks?

Thank God someone finally separated the cilantro and parsley.

Wow that mom is getting a lot of berries. When I have children, I need to keep them away from berries as long as possible.

ooo a little sample of cheese!

Guess I’m getting chicken thighs again.

Did I forget yogurt by accident, or did I just want another bite of cheese?

There are so many kinds of bubbly water. Has anyone done a test to figure out the best one? Should I pitch that to Wirecutter? Would they pay for it to be delivered?

Who is that tiny influencer in the checkout line? Is that all she eats for the week? Why is she taking a picture? Am I in the picture? I should have showered.

I should have brought more tote bags. Scratch that — I cannot carry more tote bags. This is the right amount of tote bags, the wrong amount of groceries.

1. NPR.

2. Grocery Dive.

3. Efforts to set prices of groceries dynamically, unfortunately branded “surge pricing,” have largely stalled for fear of price gouging and data privacy. There is evidence, however, that dynamic pricing — for instance, gradually decreasing the price of an avocado during its shelf life — could significantly help grocers cut food waste. (Eater).

4. Grocery Dive.