mikelincs

current prices at Aldi, Lidl, Tesco and ASDA here, mailly due to Aldi and Lidl cropping their prices, but it will be interesting to see what happens now as a result of quotas being got rid of.

GeoffM

Not just that but often lower quality too. I love bell peppers. In the UK they'd mostly be firm and fresh, even though I think they're imported. Here in California where they can grow them, they're more often old and wrinkly. And quite a price variation too: we used to go to a farmers' market where we used to live and peppers used to be 2-5 for a dollar - yes, as low as 20c each. In the supermarket they could be as much as $2 each.

You must have heard about chocolate, and also Hershey's. Bread is not great, usually really sweet and brittle (not much good for your bacon sarnies). Oh, and bacon of course.

Ok, it's not all bad, far from it. There is some good stuff out there.

WJS

Yes but have you had southern food?!!! I'm the odd one out here I know but I prefer American bacon. Must admit French bread is pretty darn good though.

GeoffM

Southern as in... Mexican, Tex-Mex, Louisiana, Florida/Cuban... so many that could be called "southern". Having said that, those are the types of food I do like.

Sure you can get French bread here but it never seems fresh like in the UK/France.

christmasoompa

Really? It's less than £1 in any of the 3 supermarkets I tend to shop in. ASDA Groceries Online - From our store to your door

HTH.

andrewlohnes

It's £1 at Tesco as that's where I go. I was thinking of starting to shop in Asda more, not just to save 11p on milk it just seems cheaper all round.

christmasoompa

It should work out the same in Tesco's though, as they price match so you'll get a voucher for that 11p difference (and any other difference) for your next shop.

So I'm not sure it's worth switching supermarkets. I always get price match vouchers at Tesco, but with Clubcard points too which pay for our holidays - bonus.

GeoffM

Slightly biased here as Asda-Walmart was our closest supermarket, but I much preferred them to Tesco. Deli pizzas were great, I worked out what times the reductions occurred (once got a massive salmon longer than the inside of the trolley for £10 - nothing wrong with it), sold cheap clothes too, self serve checkouts too.

The local Tesco was always overcrowded and badly organised where, for example, the pasta sauce would be in one aisle and the pasta itself on the other side of the store. Mind you, that happens at Stater Bros too...

WEBlue

Cheapest milk for us is around $3.39 (mostly Walmart). We go through a gallon a week, so I do shop for the lowest price. What I really miss is milk delivered to the doorstep, but I suppose even that wonderful boon will eventually disappear in Blighty. (It was endangered in my area when I left a few years ago.)

Bread is easy. Way too expensive here, so I make my own in the breadmaker. Flour I buy in bulk when it's on sale--most expensive item is the yeast, $5 a jar (makes 20 loaves if I'm careful).
Yes, this!!

It takes time to learn the tricks to saving money on groceries. Took me 6 months to figure out the best places to buy, learn effective couponing, & to get my cupboard stocked efficiently. When you move, you have to re-learn which stores are best for which products. But eventually it all comes together.

We see them a fair amount here. Stop&Shop, Shaws, Shop-Rite. Most of the larger chains will do them now & again. You do have to keep an eye on the flyers....

I agree. The first place we lived in the US was in the NYC commuter belt in southwestern Connecticut. Lots of large & small supermarkets within easy reach kept prices of many food items competitive, and the sales were better and more frequent (IMO).

Now we're in a more rural yet touristy area "out in the sticks", and you have to drive a while to find a major supermarket, then drive another long way to find a second. So each big chain store has a captive audience, and some prices reflect that. It's really annoying.

Chrisdc

I was never able to conclude if groceries in the US really were more expensive because I found that I had a higher salary for the same job compared to London. Price of groceries may have gone up, but as a percentage of my income, they went down.

I found an interesting site that allows you do do comparisons on cost-of-living and prices of consumer goods, property etc... between different countries and cities. It even does a quality-of-life comparison. Apparently despite the pollution and traffic, my quality of life in LA is better than when I lived in London!

Quality of Life Comparison Between Los Angeles, CA, United States And London, United Kingdom

TopSec

You CANNOT get decent French Bread in Houston at all, various places purport to sell it but it is just not the same - don't know why

I prefer American bacon too

Sally Redux

I know! Waitrose prices are really good now.
You gotta have faith.

WJS

Ahh finally a kindred spirit with American bacon.

In regards to the French bread in Texas, it may not be that good but they don't have buttery biscuits, lovely yeast rolls, cornbread or Texas toast here!

jjmb

Poor customer service is not something my sister and I have experienced in our 2 wk stay in Brittany France. We have been very impressed with all the service we have received with our very poor French.
Unfortunately, my Dad had a stroke just over 2 wks ago so it was unplanned visit. From the doctors, nurses, shops and especially the bank we have outstanding service.
My Mum has been very ill for a long time with a progressive neurological illness with Dad as her sole carer. So we had a mountain to climb but because of the level customer care, it hasn't been as big a mountain as it could have been.

kins

We get loads of BOGOFs in Shaws but none in Hannaford.

There are always money off deals in Shaws and Hannaford, especially marked down stuff in the meat counter, but I've never seen any deals that I can recall in Trader Joes for example.

The fruit and veg here is much nicer and fresher than any I could buy in the UK, but that was a few years ago.

I can get nice French bread easily here but could never find any in Seattle.

You really can't generalise across the whole country...