I am starting to come across as a retail curmudgeon.
Now I have to dissent from the current opinion of the Great American Public regarding the No. 1 grocery retailer in the U.S., which, USA Today tells me, is the Fresh Market.
My experience with the Fresh Market is limited. I only went to the one in my area, in Glen Ellyn, IL, a couple of times to pick up a few things. The last time I went, an unfortunate lady knocked over a bottle of red wine next to me in the liquor section. Of course, that wasn’t the market’s fault, and the clerks came up immediately and cleaned it up.
Actually, the wine selection seemed pretty good. So did the cheese selection, although it seemed rather pricey (but then fancy cheese is always pricey).
The section that seemed the worst to me was the produce department. I was astonished at its small size and at the quality of the selections. It was the worst produce department I have seen for many years. (The photo accompanying this article in no way resembles the one in the store I visited.)
With its small floor size, the Fresh Market impressed me merely as a high-end convenience store.
The residents of comfortable Glen Ellyn appear to have agreed. At any rate, after a couple of years of what may not have been the most conscientious effort, the store is gone and the space vacant. The most likely explanation is simply that that particular store was poorly managed. But it will be a while before I visit another one to see if that was true.
I’m not doing too well with the others. Here’s the whole list:
1. The Fresh Market
2. Hy-Vee
3. Lidl
4. Market Basket
5. ALDI
6. Stew Leonard’s
7. Publix
8. Sprouts Farmers Market
9. Wegmans Food Markets
10. Trader Joe’s
Actually, I haven’t been to most of these. We have already reviewed my opinion of Aldi, which has always seemed to me like an American supermarket designed by someone who has never set foot in the United States.
I am fond of Trader Joe’s, that magnificent candy store for adults. My experience of Wegmans is very limited—a brief stop getting off the New York Thruway during a long drive. But it seemed excellent to me.
I guess I have to give up on expecting that my opinions will jibe with those of a cross-section of the American public. These days I watch the Academy Awards because my wife enjoys them. But before I got married, I didn’t bother. They never agreed with me in their choice of Best Picture. I mean—Forrest Gump?!
