Grocery Stores in the South

[MarketStEl]

The demise of Winn Dixie has been long expected by those of us who avoided the place like the plague ...

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Any particular reason(s)?

I had thought that Winn-Dixie was one of those integral parts of the South, like Spanish moss, magnolias, fried chicken, hot sauce on everything, Miracle Whip and whatever that brand of mayonnaise is that all y'all swear by but we can't get up this way.

[joiei]

The demise of Winn Dixie has been long expected by those of us who avoided the place like the plague ...

←

Any particular reason(s)?

I had thought that Winn-Dixie was one of those integral parts of the South, like Spanish moss, magnolias, fried chicken, hot sauce on everything, Miracle Whip and whatever that brand of mayonnaise is that all y'all swear by but we can't get up this way.

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and here

Official notice here

And here

Edited July 28, 2005 by joiei (log)

[deibu]

Any particular reason(s)?

I had thought that Winn-Dixie was one of those integral parts of the South, like Spanish moss, magnolias, fried chicken, hot sauce on everything, Miracle Whip and whatever that brand of mayonnaise is that all y'all swear by but we can't get up this way.

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Winn-Dixie's Florida-based. In South Carolina it's always been all about Piggly Wiggly... Everybody just loves the name. And we call it "The Pig".

[Gifted Gourmet]

Any particular reason(s)?

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For me personally, the very last few times I set foot inside a Winn Dixie (and we're talking some 5 years ago now), the stores were not particularly clean, the produce was not well tended, meat looked below average, overall the canned/boxed choices were poor, and the entire experience screamed "we're not even trying now" ...

I have come to realize that the addition of Publix to the Atlanta region has forced other groceries to upgrade their looks, products, customer service, etc. The local Kroger near me (Orchard Park) has knocked themselves out to compete with Publix ... message is on the wall for everyone to see ... best can be better ...

[MarketStEl]

Any particular reason(s)?

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For me personally, the very last few times I set foot inside a Winn Dixie (and we're talking some 5 years ago now), the stores were not particularly clean, the produce was not well tended, meat looked below average, overall the canned/boxed choices were poor, and the entire experience screamed "we're not even trying now" ...

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Sounds like the Southern edition of "The Decline and Fall of the Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company" (that's "A&P" to you).

I was still living in Kansas City -- a market then served by A&P -- at the time A&P entered its near-death spiral. The company focused on low prices to the exclusion of just about everything else, and the customers fled in droves.

Today's A&P (dba "Super Fresh" in the Mid-Atlantic region) is a smaller but better company. The quality of their merchandise is very good, as is their customer service; the stores could be cleaner and the selection of products greater...

One difference: A&P, AFAIK, never filed Chapter 11. That one fact suggests to me that Winn-Dixie management has been seriously asleep at the wheel, and in the dog-eat-dog supermarket biz, this could prove fatal in the long run. Hope they get the wake-up call offered by Publix.

[chemprof]

Any particular reason(s)?

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For me personally, the very last few times I set foot inside a Winn Dixie (and we're talking some 5 years ago now), the stores were not particularly clean, the produce was not well tended, meat looked below average, overall the canned/boxed choices were poor, and the entire experience screamed "we're not even trying now" ...

I have come to realize that the addition of Publix to the Atlanta region has forced other groceries to upgrade their looks, products, customer service, etc. The local Kroger near me (Orchard Park) has knocked themselves out to compete with Publix ... message is on the wall for everyone to see ... best can be better ...

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I agree, in both cases. Here in Greensboro (NC) they build a HUGE new Winn-Dixie "Marketplace" about 6 years ago. It had a restaurant in it, all this stuff. But it was like this wierd meld of Food Lion meets Fresh Market. They had no idea what to do. The restaurant areal closed, and they just stacked Chek drinks around it to hide it. That was just the beginning of a slow decline (refrigerated cases that got turned off, and were used to hold non-perishables, etc) and they're closing this Wednesday. The good news is that I think that store got bought by Harris Teeter!

Topic? I'm sure there's a HT and a Freshmarket in Myrtle.

Anne

[BBQ Brian]

Resurfacing an old thread... looking for an update.

I am looking for three things in Nashville: exotic meat supplier (bison, elk, pheasant, kangaroo...), fresh seafood and a really, really good butcher (the usual meats - beef, pork, chicken).

Anyone KNOW Nashville?

Thanks

Brian

[Lan4Dawg]

I have no idea about Nashville (despite just returning fr/ there) but a suggestion: call a restaurant that features some of the things you want and ask them who supplies these items. Then contact the supplier and see if they also supply any retail outlets. I have done that a few times here in Atlanta area when looking for specific things. Some suppliers have no problem w/ answering your quesions and will go out of their way to assist you and others can be real snippy about it so good luck and sorry that is the best I can offer.

[pistolabella]

I think for chain groceries in the South (speaking from East TN here), Food City has the best options for meat & seafood. Its not outstanding by any means, but they do get good fresh things in, and individual butchers at different locations often choose some interesting good quality things, there's often local lamb or veal at one of the locations near me. Produce is a gamble in all of them. I advise looking online for local farms who sell meat- there are several near me who come into "town" once or twice a week and sell meat. finally, the large hispanic population in East TN has resulted in an abundance of excellent Hispanic grocery stores and farmer's markets.

[Jaymes]

Wonder how MicBacchus, the OP, is doing in Myrtle Beach.

One thing that nobody mentioned is that Myrtle Beach has a huge military presence. Any place where you find US soldiers, you also find a large number of Asian wives, many of whom have opened small markets, restaurants, gift shops, etc.

I know MicBacchus has been there a while and undoubtedly has found many options, but if he/she has not looked for good Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Filipino, Thai, etc., food, he/she should immediately begin a search.

[MicBacchus]

V E R Y late post - There are 2 Asian markets here which have both canned, frozen, and fresh foods so cooking any kind of Asian food is fairly easy. There are plenty of Hispanic stores also. Lowe's and Piggly Wiggly have the best variety of produce, and local farmers' markets often have organic veg and meat. We are lucky to have a great supply of fresh seafood from Murrells Inlet, the southern part of the Myrtle Beach area.

As for dining out -- I have yet to find any Asian restaurant that would come close to the DC/MD area where I lived. Chinese are buffets, Japanese are chain, and Thai are not exciting or varied. We do have, of all things, an awesome Lebanese market with a small dining area that serves a limited but good menu. There is a Lebanese/Italian restaurant whose owner is from the VA/DC metro area and has a . There are several chefs who buy locally and sustainably (sp?!). There is not a large military presence, but the cook at my school is Korean and I'm working on her to give us cooking lessons!!

[Jaymes]

There is not a large military presence, but the cook at my school is Korean and I'm working on her to give us cooking lessons!!

Was surprised to read this, so did a quick google. Seems the large air base there closed a while back. Ah well...never mind about those Asian markets and restaurants!