chicagojlo

Depends what you are looking for I suppose. I go for the gourmet type stuff, if you like the microwave meal aspect of those places then yes Whole Foods will be disappointing.

Sally Redux

Whole Foods seem to vary in quality. The one where we used to live in LA was lovely, the local one here is not good at all.

SagenOnion

I used to love browsing the beers at the Trader Joes when I lived in So Cal but the closest one we have around these parts in down in MA and they don't carry any booze.

TruBrit

i'm not looking for microwave foods, just prepared veg/meats and variety of fresh organic foods.

TruBrit

think you've hit the nail on the head....the wholefoods here is ok and the best in houston but not a patch on the one in Fl we went to a couple of yrs back.

Chrissywissy100

yay! we wont have to risk my dubious inidian cooking after all... thank you thank you thank you!

lapin_windstar

I don't think Waitrose will never open in the US, there's no slot in the market for them: they can't be cheaper than anyone else, they can't be more prestigious than anyone else, they can't be more natural/healthy than anyone else.

Sally Redux

And they're run as a socialist partnership

Chrissywissy100

lol!

Belinda-wales

Tesco are here at least in AZ anyway called fresh and easy like a tesco mtero its weired it feels like tesco and they do british cut bacon and plenty of fresh ready meals- just like tescos - take a peak see what you think.

mayhemuk

I was a Waitrose fan in the UK. Especially my store where you could self scan as you went around.
I haven't found on that's quite the same but the 'upscale' as they'll be termed are Whole Foods and maybe Mollie Stones. Not had the pleasure of Trader Joes yet.
Having said that we do most of our shopping at Safeway which I wouldn't have entertained in the UK but here it's fine and a darn sight cheaper for relatively good goods! I'd rank them around Sainsburys/Tesco level rather than their lower status UK wise (not withstanding they're now Morrisons I think - has it made a difference)

geeandtee

World Market also has a selection of English goodies, including biscuits, chocolate, pataks sauces, poppodoms. I also got a little excited when I saw the title of this thread...I miss Waitrose, especially their ready-made curries.
We shop at Safeway, it's pretty good, and if you look really hard, there's the occasional English thing tucked away on the shelves. Oddly enough the little IGA, Mom and Pop type supermarket here in town sells Pataks Curry Paste, which surprised the heck out of me.

sime303

Oh man you can get pataks and sharwoods anywhere in this country it seems I get PG tips, colmans mustard and I could get marmite (if it wasn't the second worst thing on the planet after peanut butter) all in my local supermarket Hannafords. Go to Shaws in Auburn sometimes to get my very expensive Heinz salad cream and $3 tins of beans as I can't abide this American stuff with bloody molasses.

Chrissywissy100

I can't abide this American stuff with bloody molasses.

The tomato baked beans have got malasses in? Weird!

sime303

I don't think malasses exists. The beans they have in a tomato sauce around here are what they call vegetarian beans and the tomato sauce is very very runny. I got to have my Heinz fix