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I generally try to keep my money as local as possible, but I was near Mariano's at Halsted and Madison last Thursday evening around 9 and needed a few things, and would have not been able to get to any local stores in time.

I had already been impressed with the amount of bike parking they had installed, but otherwise didn't know anything about the place beyond a vague perception that they were probably on the pricey side. My initial perception after passing the sushi and expresso bars, and the deli/bakery/produce areas on the way in was that the store was very upscale, but when I got to the aisles I found the prices were pretty low, especially the house brand stuff (Roundy's) and there was kind of a suprising assortment of foreign food of various kinds.  I ended up almost enjoying shopping, which I've almost come to dread in recent years....

Anyone else shop here? What do you think? Is it a local company? Is it just a subsidiary of Wal-Mart and I'm easily fooled?

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On the other hand, it having perfect produce and spending extra time to make sure shelves are properly and fully stocked increases costs by a bit.  It's a tradeoff as to whether customers would be willing to accept a less than ideal shopping experience in order to get better prices.

Michelle Loomis said:

I shopped at Mariano's with a friend that worked for whole foods. I probably won't be going back to Mariano's as my friend pointed out every flaw in the store from the bruised/bad produce to the poorly stocked shelves. You will never have to reach to the back of the shelf to get products at whole foods. I guess that is the type of stuff you notice when you have worked in the industry and now that it has been pointed out to me, I will notice too.

That's good that you noticed that. Did you also notice the increased cost of your groceries that invariably accompanies 'mirrored'(*) shelves.

(*) In my teenage years I worked in a high-end grocery store. Mirroring is what we called the activity of pulling goods forward, placing them label forward, and placing newer merchandise in the back. Mindless work, but it paid for my weekend nights out.

Michelle Loomis said:

I shopped at Mariano's with a friend that worked for whole foods. I probably won't be going back to Mariano's as my friend pointed out every flaw in the store from the bruised/bad produce to the poorly stocked shelves. You will never have to reach to the back of the shelf to get products at whole foods. I guess that is the type of stuff you notice when you have worked in the industry and now that it has been pointed out to me, I will notice too.


Roundy's is their value brand for sure. They are also good at being enablers of alcoholics as I have witnessed some shoppers walking around with a glass of wine in one hand and groceries on the other.


Adam Herstein (5.5 mi) said:

Is their food called "Roundy's" because it will make you round if you eat too much of it? :-)

Oh, that is one of the few things I love about Whole Food in Lincoln Park. Grab a beer at the bar and then do your groceries! Awesome!

Of course, I don't like riding anywhere near North and Clybourn, so I rarely go there.

Juan 2-8 mi. said:


Roundy's is their value brand for sure. They are also good at being enablers of alcoholics as I have witnessed some shoppers walking around with a glass of wine in one hand and groceries on the other.


Adam Herstein (5.5 mi) said:

Is their food called "Roundy's" because it will make you round if you eat too much of it? :-)

This same story could be said for all "big" businesses. It's not hard to make statistics and selective data speak the way one wants them to.



Sarah D. 1-3.3 said:

I'm not too into Mariano's. Hate the fact that they bullied for TIF funding to go in at Ravenswood and Lawrence, when they quite obviously do not need it. (And: how long does it take to build a darn grocery store? That thing is taking forever.) Really dislike the fact that they say they're creating X # of local jobs but they then lay off 75% of X after the opening fades. Hate the piano at Western and Roscoe. Plus, I asked an employee on the opening week for the gluten-free section and he stared blankly at me for like 5 minutes. I left.

Waiting patiently for the Chicago Food Co-op, myself, and until then it's Whole Foods, TJs, Jewel, and Harvest Time, plus occasional trips to Fresh Farms in Niles. 

Hey, don't knock drunk grocery shopping until you try it. ;-) Whole Foods in Lincoln Park has a bar with a decent beer selection, and it's a fun place to blow your whole paycheck, if you so desire.

Juan 2-8 mi. said:


Roundy's is their value brand for sure. They are also good at being enablers of alcoholics as I have witnessed some shoppers walking around with a glass of wine in one hand and groceries on the other.


Adam Herstein (5.5 mi) said:

Is their food called "Roundy's" because it will make you round if you eat too much of it? :-)

An oldie but goodie: http://www.amazon.com/How-Lie-Statistics-Darrell-Huff/dp/0393310728

When in doubt, massage the data!

Tim said:

This same story could be said for all "big" businesses. It's not hard to make statistics and selective data speak the way one wants them to.



Sarah D. 1-3.3 said:

I'm not too into Mariano's. Hate the fact that they bullied for TIF funding to go in at Ravenswood and Lawrence, when they quite obviously do not need it. (And: how long does it take to build a darn grocery store? That thing is taking forever.) Really dislike the fact that they say they're creating X # of local jobs but they then lay off 75% of X after the opening fades. Hate the piano at Western and Roscoe. Plus, I asked an employee on the opening week for the gluten-free section and he stared blankly at me for like 5 minutes. I left.

Waiting patiently for the Chicago Food Co-op, myself, and until then it's Whole Foods, TJs, Jewel, and Harvest Time, plus occasional trips to Fresh Farms in Niles. 

Does that make it OK?

Not for me. 

**

And an even bigger grocery chain, Whole Foods, does not engage in that hire-then-fire practice - they use existing staff to open new stores in addition to a few new hires, thus not creating straw job numbers. Not saying WFM is perfect, but in this case I find it more ethical re: workers. 

Tim said:

This same story could be said for all "big" businesses. It's not hard to make statistics and selective data speak the way one wants them to.

I didn't put a judgement on it. Whole foods, as well as many other retailers in general do some questionable things as well. My main point is that it is virtually impossible to circumvent questionable business practices so it's basically purchasing products from a place that you thing is the less of two evils.   Obviously local is better for a lot of reasons,  but there are also really crappy small business owners in the world as well. 

Sarah D. 1-3.3 said:

Does that make it OK?

Not for me. 

**

And an even bigger grocery chain, Whole Foods, does not engage in that hire-then-fire practice - they use existing staff to open new stores in addition to a few new hires, thus not creating straw job numbers. Not saying WFM is perfect, but in this case I find it more ethical re: workers. 

Tim said:

This same story could be said for all "big" businesses. It's not hard to make statistics and selective data speak the way one wants them to.

I think it's been pretty well laid out that one does not shop at Mariano's for the produce.

After the initial negative comments about it I took another look, and it's definitely the weak spot.


Michelle Loomis said:

I shopped at Mariano's with a friend that worked for whole foods. I probably won't be going back to Mariano's as my friend pointed out every flaw in the store from the bruised/bad produce to the poorly stocked shelves. You will never have to reach to the back of the shelf to get products at whole foods. I guess that is the type of stuff you notice when you have worked in the industry and now that it has been pointed out to me, I will notice too.

No less of an authority than Lee Diamond insists that the best produce in the City of Chicago can only be obtained at A&G International Fresh Market, 5630 W. Belmont. I've been there and it is pretty good, though not conveniently located.

If I want good produce, I go to the Logan Square farmer's market. As far as I can tell, the produce sections in Chicago supermarkets just generally leave a lot to be desired. (I haven't been to A&G, but it's a solid 5 miles from my house.)



Kevin C said:

No less of an authority than Lee Diamond insists that the best produce in the City of Chicago can only be obtained at A&G International Fresh Market, 5630 W. Belmont. I've been there and it is pretty good, though not conveniently located.

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