Our family gets most of our groceries from Stop and Shop with Peadpod deliveries. We used to go to Stop and Shop on Central Ave but getting it delivered saves time and they often come after kids are in bed.

I'm glad I have a car ( and a primary residence ) in Central Jersey where I do 90% of our shopping at Wegmans. I find Shop Rite perfectly fine for simple meals and TJ's of course for our favorite coffee and cereal ( favorite cereal brand packaged in larger size at better cost exclusively for TJ's ).

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If you have sweet tooth and want to treat yourself get a slice of the Green Tea cake at Lady M Confections it's pricy but worth it. You have to pass it on your way to Eataly.

https://www.westfield.com/westfieldwor ... /lady-m-confections/58576

If you can get to the West Side of JC, off 440 - Big Lots & the Asian Market serve about 80% of my needs. Big lots has a lot of non-perishables and household goods super cheap. The Asian Market has incredible produce, as well as a butcher and fish stand, among other nice things.

07310 / MikeyTBC - I defer to you guys, you're both correct. I had some time and spent about an hour in Eataly. I'm sure people spend lots more time browsing. This is not a place to go for anything but unusual or unique items. Prices are crazy not to mention there is no prepped fish. I could only find 1 item.

Although I've passed through the oculus dozens of time, today was the first time I took a look around at the stores. Nice stores, but the layout is crazy. I also stopped at Daniel Bouloud's Epicere, the cafe just after you exit the PATH. Pretentious and a ripoff. $4.54 for a small hot chocolate! I guess Westfield knows what they are doing, but it seems to me their target customer would be the commuter, not the tourist. Frankly, I take the old PATH hodgepodge of stores over this. I miss Sbarro! But I digress.

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The prices at WTC Eataly are sky high I found Lydia's pasta sauce at WTC Eataly, it was $7-8 at Shoprite it was $3-4.
It's only worth shopping at Eataly for unique items that cannot be purchased elsewhere.

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dude, would you buy truffles from a bodega? Why are you looking at bananas at Eataly?

I would probably be better off hiring a concierge to do my shopping considering the amount of time and money I spend. But then again, I'm beginning to think this is one of my sick joys in life.

I forgot to address jet.com. I ordered from them once. They screwed up my order like no one else has screwed up an order. I got part of my order and someone else's order. When I called, their customer service reps simply read from a script. They were unhelpful though polite. They further screwed up my order when they tried to fix it and did exactly the same thing again... sent part of my order and someone else's order. In the end, I got everything I ordered plus duplicates and triplicates (at no cost). I dread the thought of dealing with them again.

I'm surprised no one mentioned Eataly since they're now conveniently located in the WTC. I've only been there once (the Flatiron store) and they didn't pass my banana test, a very scientific barometer of prices, haha. They had the highest prices I've encountered anywhere for bananas $1.29/lb or about 79 cents for a medium banana. I'm going to be at WTC today and will check out their fish.

I am pretty much a Fresh Direct user .... after my initial $0.01 delivery pass ran out I would just wait for a free delivery coupon to come (usually every other week or so after you miss 2-3 weeks) but then they ran some 50% off deal and I renewed it so I have it for 6 more months or so. I really like their fish and meat... veggies less so since I have had a few issues (soft/rotten cucumbers usually are the main culprit) - I find that while yes individual items are priced higher than shoprite it is definitely a higher quality (ie no hormones/natural/organic etc) and there is more customization available (steak thickness cut to order etc) - also because I have to actually search for each item there is less of a chance of me getting 4 bags of old halloween candy "cause they were on sale" or something like that which is good for my wallet and my waist line

which brings in stop #2 for me (summer time) which is the farmers at grove - usually I will go at least one of the days and if I forget something I will hit up either van vorst on sat or hamilton park on wed (since I am usually there to go to the gym wed evenings).... I try to take my bike but often I have to drive it since I have issues with nerve pain in my hands and I can't manage carrying bags full of lbs of tomatoes, onion, etc the half mile back to my house. During the winter, this type of stuff I mainly get at FD but in limited amounts since I don't eat a lot of veggies when they are not in season (instead do things like mushrooms or broccoli where it doesn't matter to much)

then I still hit up shoprite every 6 weeks or so (or if I am having a party) to get things like paper goods, random ethnic items they don't carry on FD, the coffee creamer my husband likes etc

and finally there is always the oh #$)% trips to key food to get limes in the middle of making guac or a bit of milk etc

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Nah, dude! No embarrassment at all. We all have our shopping quirks. I swing by Costco almost weekly to pick up one or two things (and, to fill up the gas tank) on my way back from CT, which is a weekly trip to go see a client.

BTW, what you mentioned about PATH issues after shopping is particularly annoying during the Summer months if you have picked up frozen items at TJs. Normally, during the Summer months, I will kindly remind the cashier to please keep all the cold and frozen stuff together (even if the bags end up being "unbalanced") so the stuff will make it back home without becoming too much of a mess.

As for WFs, if you check their weekly circular (more like the weekly single sheet of sales) you will find that they often run really good deals on fish. It is not at all uncommon to find (mostly during the Summer months) weekly discounts on one or two types of fish, and the savings can be substantial.

Of course, with a car, a few other options open up: WF, TJs, and Target all within a half mile of each other in Vauxhall/Millburn, and Corrado's Market for EXCELLENT prices on produce, spices, cheese, and international staples. I normally patronize the location in Clifton, but just recently learned there is a new location in North Arlington, which is much closer to JC.

I moved and drive mostly now, but when I walked/biked more, I never bothered with delivery since I'd rather have saved the cost and gotten a good walk or ride. My usual stops were:

Trader Joe's in Chelsea - pack my rear panniers full and bike to WTC. Once I biked to TJ in Edgewater but that route should be thought of as a leisure trip, not a grocery trip.

ShopRite on Marin - bike or walk with a grocery cart for buying bulkier items. Target has lower prices on some things but costs more time.

Lee's grocery/convenience store on the way home from Grove PATH (and a meat market while it was still open) - for things I ran out of in between grocery trips.

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Wow, I had no idea! Thanks for that.

The farmers markets will end shortly - I did patronize them. 

I know my system is complicated but in the end, I guess I'm okay with it. I was frustrated today cuz I went to TJs and the JSQ PATH was suspended when I was ready to go home after my errands. In the end though, it's not such a big deal and am embarrassed to have revealed what a nut I am. ;)

I used to go to WF in Tribeca all the time. It's convenient and the nicest WF I've been to. [The worst is the one in Union Square.] But the prices at WF are too prohibitive, especially now that I have other options.

I buy whatever I can from Target because with the red card and cartwheel, they are almost always cheaper than purchasing those items elsewhere.

Acme has an app that gives you something free each week.

Amazon Prime Pantry when delivery is free (sometimes they have promotions based off your other orders or if you order a certain amount of goods. It is convenient to use 3camels to track item prices)

FD for their highest daily quality items.

Good summary, but perhaps a little complicated.

As others have mentioned, a walk to Shoprite (early on weekends, to avoid the crowds, or mid-day during the week when the time allows it) supplemented with the occasional trip to TJs (the 21st Street location is super convenient, as you have discovered) and online ordering from Jet.com, which only charges a $5.99 Fresh Packaging fee per order. The jet.com prices are really, really good (sometimes ridiculously so) and they have a great selection of meats and fish.

With regards to FD and AF, as I have mentioned in other similar threads, I feel the monthly fees are too high, but I guess it all depends on how much you order, and with what frequency. Since I only place a few online orders per year (say, once per month) I find that the fees are not at all palatable.

A TJs pro tip: if you are already in line, and you realize you have forgotten something, you can ask any employee and they will gladly go fetch it for you. In fact, it is not at all uncommon to have employees walking up and down the lines asking people if they have forgotten something. They are really customer-focused. If you are ever in need of alcohol (wine mostly) you should check out the TJ's location east of Union Square, which has an annex where alcohol is sold. Also convenient: the Tribeca location of Whole Foods, which has a very large selection of soups and other prepared foods. The 24th St (at 7th Avenue) location is good on a pinch, but it is small and cramped and the lines can be a drag. Either location is within a few minutes of a PATH station, so they are both convenient for JC shoppers.

I patronize the farmers market at Grove on occasion (in fact, usually once per week when in season) but I find that I tend to shy away from a lot of the produce because it is often ridiculously overpriced, choosing instead to buy non-farm items (fresh cakes, cookies, empanadas, etc)

Good luck with the shopping.

I just walk to Shoprite then farmers market at grove st or Van Vorst park.

Walk to shoprite and/or Key Foods.
Simple as that.

There?s been several discussions about grocery shopping in and around the area? hope this is not overly repetitive. I?ve been switching around stores quite a bit lately and am curious to see what others do in a similar situation to me. That is, I live alone and don?t have a car. I prepare most dinners from scratch and freeze them. I also buy 1 or 2 prepped fish meals per week. My experiences?

Shoprite Hoboken (delivery) ? I gave up a while ago after about 5 deliveries. Delivery charges are excessive and they were always out of something which I wasn?t informed about until just before delivery. Quality was good or what you would expect from a decent supermarket.

Whole Foods ? I mostly bought fruit, soups and prepped salads and prepped fish (for one person) and some miscellaneous stuff. I used to shop there weekly but now it?s rarely. I found their prices to be the most expensive, sometimes ridiculous. What I liked most about them was quality and choice of healthy and organic products. However, I?m limited to what I can fit in my backpack and carry on my bike since they don?t deliver here.

FreshDirect ? my main source for 3 years now. I find they are very similar to WF, at least for the stuff I buy. However, their prices seem to be about 20% less and they offer delivery. I have never had a problem with delivery. I opt for Delivery Pass which is a discounted price for unlimited delivery. It pays if one orders regularly. The prepped fish is somewhat expensive and limited in choice though. Fortunately, I?m in Grand Central often enough and have found a great bargain in shopping at Pescatore ? better quality, better prices.

AmazonFresh ? I just started using them and have used them 5 times. I wasn?t looking to get involved with a service I had to pay a fee for, but there was a 30-day trial which tempted fate. I'm a prime member so the cost is "only" $15.99/mo. One reason I decided to use them was to supplement FreshDirect when they were out of something or didn?t carry what I wanted. They do not compare to WF or FD as far as organic and healthy items or prepped meals. However, they?re much cheaper and delivery is sometimes same day. However, I don?t think it makes economic sense to use 2 delivery services due to delivery charges (or monthly fee in Amazon?s case), but it?s good to have a backup.

Trader Joe?s ? I must have been on Pluto and only started using them a few months ago. I?ve found some great products and great deals, but I also found some stuff on the opposite end of the spectrum. Like WF, I?m limited to what I can fit in my backpack. I shop at the store on 21st St. and 6th Ave. The first time I went in there, I walked out when I saw the line. However, the line is always ridiculous but it moves incredibly fast.

In summary, I currently shop weekly with FD, AF and TJ?s as well as fish purchases when I can at Pescatore. It seems a bit crazy to shop at so many places not to mention paying fees to both AF and FD. I?m curious what other people in similar situations do.