at home in the neighborhood: grocery shopping

I am sure you are all dying to know what it's like to grocery shop in Brooklyn, especially without a car. Well, today, then, is your lucky day. This morning Garrett and I went out to do our weekly stocking of the shelves, and I am now ready to let you in on the quirks and intricacies of city grocery shopping.

First of all, if you are on foot, you will need a folding cart because you won't be able to carry it all home in your arms. (And on days with a particularly long shopping list, the stroller won't even cut it. Two gallons of milk dangling from a lightweight stroller? I don't think so.) Garrett likes to ride in our cart while it's empty and he helps me push it when it's full. He's a good helper that way.

While Brooklyn is home to your typical supermarket, it is also home to smaller specialty markets. When I need fish, I usually stop by the fish market because it's fresher and sometimes cheaper. When I need produce, I often stop by the produce market. My favorite produce market is 3 Guys, but it's a good distance away, and I don't always have the time, energy, or cooperating weather forecast to go there. Luckily for me, a new fruit and vegetable stand just opened up in my neighborhood which, unlike some others nearby, is generally good about stocking decent-looking and well-priced produce. Plus, the owner, who himself is a proud family man, treats his customers well. He is always incredibly helpful when I'm struggling to get my cart and my toddler inside his store and today he gave Garrett a banana just for being a cute boy. Also, milk is often a better price here than it is at the supermarket. So the first stop on my grocery rounds is usually the Stop and Go.


Next up is the grocery aisle of our Rite Aid Pharmacy. Nearly every week, an item or two that I regularly purchase (such as raisins, creamed soups, or taco seasoning) goes on sale for a far better price than at the supermarket, so I stop in to stock up. I love our Rite Aid, and the people who work there, I've noticed, love me, either because I give them my business, or because I have a darling little boy they like to dote over. (I'm pretty sure it's the latter. Nora, my favorite cashier, is always cooing over Garrett in her thick Brooklyn accent, fondly remembering the days when he'd come in as an infant bundled up in his teddy bear coat.) While I'm here, I'll also stock up on any household and toiletry items that we need or which are on sale.


My third, and usually my final stop, is the supermarket. It is here where I purchase the bulk of my shopping list items. Sometimes, like this morning, I'll let Garrett help me push my little cart around the store. Other times I'll load him and my previous purchases inside a regular, albeit pint-sized, store cart, fold up my own cart and hang it upright from the hooks provided at the back. I'm a bulky, awkward load when I do this, and it's often pretty difficult to steer in and out of the teeny tiny aisles, but a few bumps never anyone, right? I'm just as recognized here as I am at the produce market and Rite Aid, and again, probably because of Garrett. (He may at times be a very awkward accessory, but he's proven himself to always be worth the extra weight.)

Before any of you walk away from this post with an image of your typical suburban supermarket in your head, let me just clear a few things up right now. Most Brooklyn grocery stores -- at least the several that I've been in -- consist of a small handful of narrow and tightly packed aisles with food items stacked almost higher than you can reach. And while every square inch of available space is stocked with products, the selection is not huge. You're lucky to find store brands, or even a wide variety of name brands. Consequently, it's a little harder to shop on a tight budget, which is why my meals often revolve around the weekly circular. It took me some time to get used to NYC grocery stores, but now that I have, I've discovered that I often feel lost and overwhelmed in their suburban counterparts.


All three of these Monday grocery shopping stops are within 5 quick blocks of home and three blocks of each other. It really is handy having so much so close (especially in the drizzly weather we dealt with this morning), and makes the on-foot routine a little less tedious. Now, if you want to talk tedious, I could tell you how I get all these purchases up the stairs to our apartment. I think, though, that I'll let your imaginations go creative with that one -- mine usually has to.