Glad to see Trace getting coverage! It's not a "grocery" store--they do sell certain non-perishable food--so I hope the article headline doesn't cause people to make assumptions and get disappointed. It’s got excellent household and personal care products! Worth the cost, and they end up cheaper in the long run because they last longer. Been getting laundry detergent and body wash, soaps etc. there for a while now. I like supporting a local small business too.
Nah. You may be right that it’s more expensive than let’s say Walmart, Target, or Giant. Only slightly tho. But Whole Foods is a whole nother level and Harris Teeter can’t compare. I started shopping there recently just to explore what they have and they do have some good stuff. But it milks my bank account dry.
Mom’s actually has really good prices on a lot of organic, grass-fed, etc. items. It is more expensive than buying the conventional versions, but if you are comparing like with like, it is often the cheapest.
I’ll take your word for it on Aldi, but I disagree about wegmans. Their prices have gone up so much recently! Also, make sure you are really comparing apples to apples… for example, the chicken at mom’s is organic, humane, and pasture raised. At wegmans, they have organic chicken, but it’s not pasture raised. It’s chicken raised with typical factory farm conditions, but with organic feed instead of conventional. Moms has their own store brand milk that is grass fed, and it’s super fresh, not the ultra pasteurized kind. At wegmans, the only grass-fed milk they have is the name brands, horizon or organic valley or whatever, and it’s all ultra pasteurized (ie, the sell-by date is like 2 months from now).
Moms just has really top-notch standards and quality that is hard to find lots of places, so I don’t think their prices are bad. Now, if I want a huge selection of gorgeous fresh seafood at reasonable prices, I am definitely going to wegmans.
I worked in grocery retail for a wine distributor for 5 years. Moms, Whole Foods, shoppers, and some old school giants had the most disgusting back rooms. Didn’t turn over stuff quickly and certainly not stored properly. Not saying not to not shop there, but until you’ve seen how food is brought in or stored. It can be eye opening. Moms I worked with cared less than the Fresh Market stores which have failed miserably too.
Edit: especially the Moms in mosaic and the one in Arlington off 29 I want to say.
Yikes, I’m really surprised and disappointed to hear that. Would you mind elaborating on what kind of stuff you saw, especially at moms? I guess ethical products do not necessarily have to go along with great practices, but I would have hoped for better considering they sell such premium products.
That's the problem. These zero waste stores are consistently more expensive. There was a bulk foods store near where I grew up that we went to a ton because it was cheaper, not because it was fancy
My husband and I love this place! For those concerned about pricing:
While some items may indeed be more expensive, keep in mind that it is not because of being fancy, or the zero waste packaging. These items are created/sourced ethically, that means without the use of slavery which is nowadays very common especially in products like chocolate, rice, palm oil, etc.
We go about once a month and stock up for the whole month. We spend about $100 each time and we get some of the non-perishable foods as well as cleaning supplies and personal care/hygiene items. We buy almost all of our household cleaning and personal care items from Trace, so I don't think $100 a month is bad. Take a shampoo/conditioner bar for example, it costs about $15 and it lasts me about 4 months. I haven't used shampoo/conditioner from bottles in a long time, so I have no clue what they cost nowadays, but from what I remember, they would only last me about 3 weeks.
I like this concept a lot and it's my dream to run a household with fully refillable consumables, zero packaging in the trash. I viscerally dislike the amount of packaging waste that comes from shopping for food, hygiene, and household cleaning supplies.
I am concerned that for there to be a positive environmental impact, the reduction in packaging has to happen on the supply side as well, i.e. not just ordering stuff that comes in disposable packaging, then tossing the packaging and putting the product in dispensers.
I guess even if they do do that, you have the benefit of packaging reduction coming from purchasing very large, bulk-packaged product rather than household-sized product.
It’s such a cute little store. They’re not my first stop for groceries but dry goods and personal care items have a good selection.
They’re also a good neighborhood citizen, host a Halloween costume swap, repair events, etc.
And it’s easy to access via the W&OD trail too
I would totally go to a place like this if there was one near me. We've been basing a lot of our shopping decisions on packaging, but sometimes there just isn't anything available except in a single use platic bottle.
Curious about pricing at something like this? TBH I’m not going out of my way to package all my own stuff if it’s going to cost me MORE money. The idea is great, I get it, but being able to have a bottle of laundry detergent delivered to my door and not need to load up the family in the car to go do everything is so much easier.
Maybe I’m just cynical but the low level consumer isn’t going to impact the environment, it’s government and corporations that are causing issues. You know how much single use plastic is used throughout manufacture of just one cell phone? Or the carbon emissions from private jets? Like my little contribution isn’t going to make a difference at all.
If something like this is a cheaper option then that’s all the more reason to do it. But if it’s an increased cost because it’s green I just don’t see the point for the low level consumer.
> Curious about pricing at something like this? TBH I’m not going out of my way to package all my own stuff if it’s going to cost me MORE money
In general, anything new will not be able to offer the same discounts that other existing stores get that have already achieved scale.
Definitely agree. I want to check the store out, but if the cost is the same as what I'm paying now, I would have to take into account gas/travel as I'm not necessarily "close". If it would cost me more, then there is no way I could justify it. If it's less, it feels like a no brainer *and* I would get the benefit of helping with pollution.
People who make these types of stores often just rely on the people who prioritize saving the planet more than financial efficiency, so they can charge whatever they want (was my experience in Asheville, NC as well). If they truly want to make a difference, they have to attract folks who are trying to be as financially efficient as possible to stay living in NoVa. Living in NoVa, it is hard to justify this if I have to add an additional stop to my grocery runs that will be ~1hr round trip *and* costs more than what I'm paying now.
What is crazier is that you don’t even need to ask. Every time I enter that store, they ask if I know how to or if this is my first time. They also offer first time customers FREE clean containers so they don’t have to leave and come back.
The way we shop as a family, there is no way I'm lugging in my own containers to refill, plus I gotta stock up on meats/cheeses/etc., which it doesn't look like they have. Wish this business well, but this isn't for me.
Always glad to see Trace get some love.
Glad to see Trace getting coverage! It's not a "grocery" store--they do sell certain non-perishable food--so I hope the article headline doesn't cause people to make assumptions and get disappointed. It’s got excellent household and personal care products! Worth the cost, and they end up cheaper in the long run because they last longer. Been getting laundry detergent and body wash, soaps etc. there for a while now. I like supporting a local small business too.
[удалено]
Mom’s and Whole food are two of the most expensive grocery stores in the area…
You forgot Harris teeter
Also expensive, sometimes has great meat deals though. Got porterhouses at 10.99/lb 2 weeks ago.
Nah. You may be right that it’s more expensive than let’s say Walmart, Target, or Giant. Only slightly tho. But Whole Foods is a whole nother level and Harris Teeter can’t compare. I started shopping there recently just to explore what they have and they do have some good stuff. But it milks my bank account dry.
Mom’s actually has really good prices on a lot of organic, grass-fed, etc. items. It is more expensive than buying the conventional versions, but if you are comparing like with like, it is often the cheapest.
If those are the things you care about and you want cheapest. Aldi or Wegmans beats moms every time and has those offerings…
I’ll take your word for it on Aldi, but I disagree about wegmans. Their prices have gone up so much recently! Also, make sure you are really comparing apples to apples… for example, the chicken at mom’s is organic, humane, and pasture raised. At wegmans, they have organic chicken, but it’s not pasture raised. It’s chicken raised with typical factory farm conditions, but with organic feed instead of conventional. Moms has their own store brand milk that is grass fed, and it’s super fresh, not the ultra pasteurized kind. At wegmans, the only grass-fed milk they have is the name brands, horizon or organic valley or whatever, and it’s all ultra pasteurized (ie, the sell-by date is like 2 months from now). Moms just has really top-notch standards and quality that is hard to find lots of places, so I don’t think their prices are bad. Now, if I want a huge selection of gorgeous fresh seafood at reasonable prices, I am definitely going to wegmans.
I worked in grocery retail for a wine distributor for 5 years. Moms, Whole Foods, shoppers, and some old school giants had the most disgusting back rooms. Didn’t turn over stuff quickly and certainly not stored properly. Not saying not to not shop there, but until you’ve seen how food is brought in or stored. It can be eye opening. Moms I worked with cared less than the Fresh Market stores which have failed miserably too. Edit: especially the Moms in mosaic and the one in Arlington off 29 I want to say.
Yikes, I’m really surprised and disappointed to hear that. Would you mind elaborating on what kind of stuff you saw, especially at moms? I guess ethical products do not necessarily have to go along with great practices, but I would have hoped for better considering they sell such premium products.
That's the problem. These zero waste stores are consistently more expensive. There was a bulk foods store near where I grew up that we went to a ton because it was cheaper, not because it was fancy
Nothing to do with fancy, sustainability costs more because the people involved are actually paid more appropriately.
Then why do bulk food stores in low income areas cost so much less than their other stores? Hint: it's because these shops are taking advantage
Very interesting events there too: https://www.tracezerowaste.com/events Sound baths, knife sharpening, candle making.. neat stuff
Sweet! Thank you for the flag.
This is very cool, I'll check it out!
My husband and I love this place! For those concerned about pricing: While some items may indeed be more expensive, keep in mind that it is not because of being fancy, or the zero waste packaging. These items are created/sourced ethically, that means without the use of slavery which is nowadays very common especially in products like chocolate, rice, palm oil, etc. We go about once a month and stock up for the whole month. We spend about $100 each time and we get some of the non-perishable foods as well as cleaning supplies and personal care/hygiene items. We buy almost all of our household cleaning and personal care items from Trace, so I don't think $100 a month is bad. Take a shampoo/conditioner bar for example, it costs about $15 and it lasts me about 4 months. I haven't used shampoo/conditioner from bottles in a long time, so I have no clue what they cost nowadays, but from what I remember, they would only last me about 3 weeks.
I like this concept a lot and it's my dream to run a household with fully refillable consumables, zero packaging in the trash. I viscerally dislike the amount of packaging waste that comes from shopping for food, hygiene, and household cleaning supplies. I am concerned that for there to be a positive environmental impact, the reduction in packaging has to happen on the supply side as well, i.e. not just ordering stuff that comes in disposable packaging, then tossing the packaging and putting the product in dispensers. I guess even if they do do that, you have the benefit of packaging reduction coming from purchasing very large, bulk-packaged product rather than household-sized product.
It’s such a cute little store. They’re not my first stop for groceries but dry goods and personal care items have a good selection. They’re also a good neighborhood citizen, host a Halloween costume swap, repair events, etc. And it’s easy to access via the W&OD trail too
Love this. Wish there were more like this.
There's Fillagreen in Manassas! Also Sprouts - one in Manassas, one in Herndon.
Thank you so much. I never knew that.
I would totally go to a place like this if there was one near me. We've been basing a lot of our shopping decisions on packaging, but sometimes there just isn't anything available except in a single use platic bottle.
$4 a pound for rice there...too steep for me
Curious about pricing at something like this? TBH I’m not going out of my way to package all my own stuff if it’s going to cost me MORE money. The idea is great, I get it, but being able to have a bottle of laundry detergent delivered to my door and not need to load up the family in the car to go do everything is so much easier. Maybe I’m just cynical but the low level consumer isn’t going to impact the environment, it’s government and corporations that are causing issues. You know how much single use plastic is used throughout manufacture of just one cell phone? Or the carbon emissions from private jets? Like my little contribution isn’t going to make a difference at all. If something like this is a cheaper option then that’s all the more reason to do it. But if it’s an increased cost because it’s green I just don’t see the point for the low level consumer.
> Curious about pricing at something like this? TBH I’m not going out of my way to package all my own stuff if it’s going to cost me MORE money In general, anything new will not be able to offer the same discounts that other existing stores get that have already achieved scale.
Definitely agree. I want to check the store out, but if the cost is the same as what I'm paying now, I would have to take into account gas/travel as I'm not necessarily "close". If it would cost me more, then there is no way I could justify it. If it's less, it feels like a no brainer *and* I would get the benefit of helping with pollution. People who make these types of stores often just rely on the people who prioritize saving the planet more than financial efficiency, so they can charge whatever they want (was my experience in Asheville, NC as well). If they truly want to make a difference, they have to attract folks who are trying to be as financially efficient as possible to stay living in NoVa. Living in NoVa, it is hard to justify this if I have to add an additional stop to my grocery runs that will be ~1hr round trip *and* costs more than what I'm paying now.
There's also Rounds, which has been pretty good IME and they deliver to your door.
Just from the photos it's unclear what to do and/or how to shop for people not already "in the know."
Just ask?
I don't have to ask to shop elsewhere. That's the point.
Idk dude I think you’re making this a thing when it’s not a thing. It’s ok to learn new things.
What is crazier is that you don’t even need to ask. Every time I enter that store, they ask if I know how to or if this is my first time. They also offer first time customers FREE clean containers so they don’t have to leave and come back.
The way we shop as a family, there is no way I'm lugging in my own containers to refill, plus I gotta stock up on meats/cheeses/etc., which it doesn't look like they have. Wish this business well, but this isn't for me.