One of the things I did on my recent research trip to Saint Simons and Jekyll Islands was visit local grocery stores. Yes, we needed groceries for our camper, but those trips were also pure research. After all, my characters will need groceries and if I write a scene set in a grocery store, I’ll need to know what store that would be on this island in the South, what that store looks like on the inside, how the checkout system works, etc. If I were to put my character in an H.E.B. store, it would call my research into question since there is no such store on the island!
So, in the name of research, we shopped at…
Winn-Dixie…
Harris Teeter…
Publix…
and Piggly Wiggly.
Not only did I learn a lot about each of those local stores, but it’s fun to shop in new stores with different brands that we’ve never tried. We found a delicious maple granola and bought some local coffee. Even the store-brand tissue boxes have unique, pretty designs that are different than what we can buy in our stores.
But this isn’t just about groceries. Grocery stores are social places where people interact with each other, friends or strangers. My characters just might have a significant meeting in a grocery store.
Speaking of grocery stores, Piggly Wiggly has a special place in my heart. In fact, my first published piece (cowritten with my three sisters and our brother) mentions Piggly Wiggly. My sisters came across this newspaper clipping going through some boxes at my Dad’s place. Don’t judge…we were young. 😉 Also, please forgive the typos in my grandparents’ small-town newspaper.
I still feel the same about “home, sweet home” and it’s great to be back from our research trip.
What local grocery chains are in your area? Do you have a favorite? Why?
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Our local grocery stores are Harris Teeter and Food Lion and then Walmart. I am partial to Harris Teeter, they have good sales and their store brands are top notch.
Harris Teeter was our favorite of the four we shopped at, but then, my maiden name was Teeter, so I might be prejudiced! 😉
I remember the first time I heard the store name Piggly Wiggly. How my sister and I giggled. There were none in rural Michigan. But your poem sounds just like our childhood vacations in our “station wagon car”. What a delightful research post.
Awww, thanks, Susan! It was a fun one to write! 🙂
We have Super 1 Foods, Mac’s Fresh Market, and Walmart. The next town over (which is just across the river) has those three plus Kroger. I’m partial to whoever is cheaper, which right now is usually Walmart.
Yep, that’s where we usually shop for the same reason. And Walmart really does do a good job of keeping things in stock, keeping the store clean, etc. And we like the Great Value brand too.
We have Pick ‘n Save (now switching to Metro Mart) and Piggly Wiggly, which I remember from my earliest days.
My mother-in-law used to shop at Pick ‘n’ Save and brought us the BEST stuff from there (from California). I’d almost forgotten about that store! Alas, we don’t have it in Missouri (at least not where we live).
Our major stores are Harris Teeter, Kroger, and Food Lion. I usually shop at Harris Teeter as it is five minutes from my house, they have great discounts with their VIC card, and I like the layout. Our first Publix opened about six months ago, and I’ll have to say it is an amazing store. Staff were extra friendly and helpful.
From a literary standpoint, I would be remiss not to mention Winn Dixie. When I was teaching elementary school, I read the book Because of Winn Dixie by Kate Dicamillo to my class. It was a hit as was the movie made from it – great insight and lessons – to be enjoyed by all ages.
I really liked that movie too, Betty. And it will probably be Winn-Dixie that appears in my novel because it’s more convenient to my characters. 🙂
Our grocery stores are Meijer, County Market, Schnucks, Harvest Market, Aldi, and WalMart. We shop at Meijer- good prices and we have a relationship with a particular checker named Kia who I even text sometimes and we pray for her Mom and her. We will wait in her long line to get her and share a hug. I have a forever memory of Piggly Wiggly in MO because my mom- in-law wanted to stop there and there was a bump near the door. She had a walker and started to fall and I leaned over to catch her. She fell anyway( not hurt) but I fell too beneath her and broke my hip. The local clinic couldn’t do surgery so I had an ambulance ride to KC an hour away. The good part was our son and family lived there so he found me a great rehab place , hubby had a place to sleep and family visited often during the two weeks I was there!
Oh, my goodness! What a memory! (And I didn’t know there were any Piggly Wiggly stores in MO! Glad you’re okay!
Piggly Wiggly was where we shopped most when I was growing up. HEB, the central TX chain, is now building in our area. I can’t wait for it to be finished because I do love that store! Of course I often tend toward smaller these days–Sprouts, Aldi, and even Braums (yes, the Texas ice cream store that also carries grocery staples!). The ease of getting in and out quickly is a huge plus for me!
We shopped an HEB store on a different trip and really liked it. And I love Aldi too!
Our store that is so popular is Meijer.
We were in a Meijer store somewhere on our travels and were impressed with how nice it was!
Your collaborative poem made me smile. Very clever. I would love to see a video of all of you “young ‘un’s” trying to come up with those rhymes.
Truth be told, I hate grocery shopping and avoid it as much as I can. Thankfully, I have a husband who doesn’t mind doing it. I can’t imagine going to grocery stores on vacation!!! (I know…research calls.) Our local store is a Super Valu in ND and Super One in MN.
Oh, I wish I had that video too! I do remember going through the alphabet on each rhyming word: are, bar, car, dar, far, gar, har-har, etc. Haha!
If I’m allowed a second comment…maybe there is a reason for my dislike of grocery stores…when I was about two, I was grocery shopping with my mom. (Of course, this is all family legend. I don’t remember it.) Back in those days they used to line the aisles with those large-size, glass pop (soda) bottles, with metal caps. I was running. Fell and cut my tongue on one! I needed several STITCHES in my tongue!!! I still have the scar to prove it. So…there is probably a deep, psychological, reason for my aversion to grocery stores. Haha.
You’re allowed as many comments as you want, dear Roxy, but OUCH! That made MY tongue hurt just reading about it! I’d say you have a good reason! I witnessed a murder in a grocery store (no, really! as you know) but I STILL love grocery shopping! (Maybe I need to tell THAT story in my next blog post.)
Publix is my favorite!! Of course, I also have a Winn Dixie, though I never go there. Publix has the BEST subs!!! I don’t have a Piggly Wiggly, though I’ve been to one near my aunt’s old house in GA.
You must be a true Southerner, Trudy! We heard lots of rave reviews about Publix and did really like the one we shopped in.
I’m a huge Trader Joes fan! It’s small (so I can quickly get in and out), the food there is delicious, it’s very reasonably priced, and the employees are very friendly.
Oh, I love Trader Joes too, Becky! Our closest one is in Saint Louis, so I rarely get there unless we come upon one traveling. I was not very happy that they opened a Trader Joes in Wichita not long after we moved from there!!