MISCmedia by Clark Humphrey » Blog Archive THINGS TO LOVE ABOUT THE NEW SODO GROCERY OUTLET STORE

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March 29th, 2010 by Clark Humphrey

There’s anotherÂ real supermarket in greater downtown!
It’s got quite decent, everyday low prices on the staples and the perishables. (As long as you’re willing to do without a really broad selection or the high-end artisanal varieties.)
But on packaged, canned, bottled, and frozen stuff, it really shines. That’s because the franchise chain (130 stores in six states) specializes in buying manufacturers’ surpluses, closeouts, and overstocks. This means the concept can’t spread too big. (As you may have read elsewhere, the U.S. food industry operates at sometimes brutal efficiencies. There’s only so muchÂ “remarketable” productÂ for the likes of Grocery Outlet to pick up.)
But on what Grocery Outlet does obtain, retail prices can be half of what regular stores charge, or even less.
And what stuff it is! It’s an ever-changing array of the familiar and the exotic. Store brands from stores that don’t exist in this region. (Acme! Jewel! Stop n’ Shop!) Boxes of Cap’n Crunch boldly labeled USA PRODUCT FOR EXPORT ONLY. (Nice to know there’s still some goods we can sell overseas.) Items that never gained great distribution here, such as Vienetta (a “frozen dairy dessert cake”).