Sweetbay strategy story has grocery shoppers talking

Supermarket talk gets people talking, as we saw again this week with a Tribune story by Richard Mullins about Sweetbay's new strategy for challenging market leader Publix.

You can click here to read the story and click here to see the many comments it drew, many of them testifying to the strong loyalty people feel to the place they spend a big chunk of their paychecks each week.

Here's a little of what online commenters had to say.

From sheelf1:

I like Wal-Mart for paper products, and cleaning supplies. Sweet bay for the rest. They are less expensive than Publix, i am on a limited budget. Usually I go to the veggie stand, by Walmarts, I save money on veggies, but Sweetbay is closer, so I go there alot. I like Publix deli.

From LowFlo:

Publix: Bakery, meat, seafood, great private label goods, BOGO, cleanliness, employees, deli etc, etc, etc. Worth every penny extra!

Click here to see the two stores compared on our standard Market Basket surveys of 30 grocery items. The totals this week: Sweetbay $71.38, Publix 75.59.

Here are more highlights from our visits this week to the five major local supermarkets.

Publix

Publix is having a meat party when it comes to sale prices.

Publix cut the price of London broil by $1.50 to $3.99 per pound. Porterhouse steaks are almost half off at $6.99 per pound. Chuck roast is $2.99 per pound, save $1.30, and eye round steaks are $3.59 per pound, save $1.70.

Ribeye steaks continue their rollercoaster price swing this summer, now $4 off at $7.29 per pound.

Richard Mullins

Target

Target has put some of its best-sellers right up front where they're easy to reach.

At the entrance to the chain's Wesley Chapel supercenter, a display marked "Brand Faves, Big Saves" pitches deals on popular items.

The list includes a 96-count pack of Huggies diapers for $19.79, complete with a $5 gift card, Mott's applesauce six-packs for $1.50, and eight-packs of Juicy Juice for $2.29.

Kevin Wiatrowski

Winn-Dixie

If you want to refresh your spirits in these languid days of summer, break out your Winn-Dixie store card because the supermarket has good deals on all kinds of fruit.

Large seedless watermelons are $3.99, a savings of $3; seedless green grapes are 99 cents a pound, $1.50 off the regular price; nectarines are 99 cents a pound, a savings of $2; and bing cherries are $2 a pound, a savings of $2.

Blueberries, raspberries, blackberries and strawberries are all $2.50 a container, an especially good deal for blueberries that normally cost $4.99 a pint.

Jeff Scullin

Walmart

Some new products and rollbacks are featured at Walmart Neighborhood Markets this week.

In the frozen food section there are make-your-own-smoothie kits from famous names Yoplait and Jamba Juice. The 8-ounce pouches make two servings and retail at $2.98 and $2.22 respectively.

Flavors include Triple Berry, Strawberry Mango Pineapple and Strawberry Banana.

Also in the frozen food section are Lean Cuisine Market Creations Steamfresh entrees. The 10½ ounce bags were $5.78, now marked down to $2.98.

Choices include Shanghai style shrimp, garlic chicken, asiago cheese tortelloni, chicken margharita and mushroom tortelloni, among others.

Janine Dorsey

Sweetbay

Signs aimed at large-scale carnivores are popping up at more and more Sweetbay stores: "Whole roasting pig $1.69 a pound."

Some stores even display a roasting box you can buy to cook it in, at a cost somewhere north of $120.

If you like your ham already suitable for slapping between two slices of bread, the Hormel cooked variety is on sale in the deli at $3.99 a pound.

Dennis Joyce