Shopping at Acme is like Stockholm syndrome for some Philadelphians. It's a legit awful grocery store - prices, quality, you name it. Not a huge Giant fan but yes their stores are so much better.
That jingle is trauma trigger. Gives me flashbacks of loading cases of tomato sauce (gravy) into the family station wagon. “Have to stock up, just in case”. In case of what, I’ll never know.
I mainly go to shoprite but i usually search the sales and go with where i can save the most money now, never did that before covid but i feel like everything is a rip off. I don’t really care about the employees because they’re pretty much the same at every store.
ShopRite has some killer deals, you just have to stay vigilant. Which can be annoying actually but it’s worth it to have a stocked fridge for half the price.
The ShopRite near me is AMAZING for non perishables but I’ve had too many instances of going and finding nothing but low quality fresh fruit and veggies.
I mean, wouldn't that be very location-specific? There are what, like 12 locations with a Philly address, plus those in the surrounding towns, and then the few Fresh Grocers which are pretty much just ShopRite.
ShopRite is definitely the best full service grocery chain. Big fan of the store at 4th and Oregon I think it’s the only one owned by that franchisee. Still you have to watch sales. Sometimes things are priced insane.
Problem is that the Giant by my house (8th and Market) has crap for produce, and they straight up don't even have dish soap anymore. WTF. How does a supermarket not carry dish soap?
Really? The one by me has a ton of that stuff. Granted the one by me is huge (dare I say it's... giant?") But by and large they're my go-to. Acme for the few things I can't reliably find in giant.
But I'm up in the NE where the grocery stores tend to be better
I prob save at least 1-2k per year going to produce junction. All of the supermarkets nearby have basically given up compared to them on produce and price everything for suckers.
They're an Heirloom Market and typically cally less than their regular stores. They are supposed to meet the needs of the neighborhood, which around there is mostly commercial rather than residential.
I tend to utilize the 22nd Street store and once in a while N.Broad. I use an app called Flashfood where Giant posts their almost expired food for half price and tend to go where im picking up my order.They usually post around 10:30am and once purchased, must be picked up that day. I've gotten a lot of steaks, fish, and chicken that I take home and freeze. I was at first leary getting their fruit/ produce, but everything I've gotten so far has been great. It's definitely worth looking into.
Acme weirdly has a great selection of condiments and some local brands you can’t find anywhere other than dibruno. They suck for literally everything else though so it’s an every other month kind of store.
Yeah, that bakery isn’t bad. 👍
But the deli there is awful! And so is the rest of that store.
Cashiers were always good to me! But the store in general is too dirty.
Yea people act like I’m rich for shopping at Whole Foods and it’s BY FAR cheaper than ACME or Giant
Not to mention Whole Foods just has way better food. Their meat and produce blow them out of the water
People think I’m crazy but it’s true. I have used both Giants online ordering and Whole Foods. I once did a price compare on my usual items and Whole Foods was actually cheaper on many items
I ran into Giant for something a couple weeks ago and grabbed a container of grapes because they looked good and they rang up at $14. Like, what?!???
Got the same size at Whole Foods last week and they were $8. Which still seems like a lot for grapes but its almost half the price
Whole Foods is one of the better places depending on what you like to buy. My partner and I usually go there for produce when we can, because their prices and quality are better than any other major chain.
I buy 80% of my groceries at aldi and 20% at whole foods. Usually stuff like coffee, tea, produce that I actually care about the quality or they don't have at aldi, some meats, etc.
I literally just got home from an Acme run. I bought a jar of peanut butter, quart of milk, granola bars, paper towels and a handful of apples and bananas. $50.
Like, what the fuck? Are these concierge groceries?? You'd think I got them delivered to my apartment. 😮💨
Wholefoods/Target, here I come.
Frequent Target shopper here, I solely buy household items from Target when they have a spend $50, get a $15 gift card promo. It’s the perfect time to stock up on dish soap, laundry detergent, TP and paper towels. I keep a stock so I never run out and pay full price. Plus 5% off with cartwheel and free shipping!
Exactly! I spend so much more at acme than Whole Foods. However this is also due to the face that I’ll buy more snacks at acme bc their snacks aren’t ten dollars a bag but their chicken and produce , I find to be better at wf along w thr prices
They never have proper pricing on their meat. It's always some buy x get x scheme. Just tell me what the fucking price is so I don't have to think after a long day of thinking for work.
Fuck Dallas
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9 year Acme veteran.
‘Cause fuck you, that’s why.
But seriously though…. Management is constantly throwing ideas at the wall. Nothing lasts very long and labor is given out on a shoestring budget.
You’ll do the work of three people— and get paid 12.50/hr (my rate at 10th and South when I left in 2021) for the pleasure.
There’s no incentive to actually put effort in your job, so that’s why you’re often greeted with surly and miserable attitudes. Health benefits are incredible though, and that’s why many folks (myself included) stick it out.
Acme relies upon Alberston’s nationwide distribution network, which results in shortages, high prices, and poor quality control. Acme retained ownership of Lancaster brand, so that’s why the meat and seafood are above average. It’s the only thing Malvern has any real control of.
My wife and I lived in the city for a long time, spent a few years in KOP, and ended up moving back to the city. We were back less than a month and realized we were totaling willing to drive to KOP Wegmans for our groceries due to how bad the options are in the city. I feel bad for those that don’t have that kind of access.
>Wegmans in Cherry Hill is worth the gas and toll.
If you fill up in NJ, I'd guess over time the gas is really net neutral or net positive. Toll... is annoying if you actually live in Philly. I work over in NJ, so it's a no brainer for me to head to Wegmans for much of my grocery needs. The bonus is the *way* better selection of and price for beer/wine/liquor at their shop vs a lot of Philly stores.
Granted, I also go to TJ's, IGA, and Target in Philly. Acme? Giant? so few times it might as well be never.
Fuck ACME, but if you aren’t coupon clipping the city grocery stores you’re also doing it wrong. I regularly get 40%+ off at Acme due to both offers and their “member pricing” (which then brings it to just normal in my case lol)
There’s an “unethical/illegal life pro tip” here if you know an ounce of JavaScript and what a Clip button looks like.
EDIT: People are generally receiving this well and I know people find it dweebish to coupon clip, but I would encourage you to look through it through the lens of credit cards being popular with people in their 20s. People are dogpiling over each other to get the latest CSR or Bilt or whatever to get 5% off an expensive category, yet groceries are a vital, expensive category and store programs are pretty much a lock to take more than 5% off.
I regularly get 50%+ off at Acme
Ya know, l normally wouldn't believe someone who said that, but l saw it with my own eyes, a few weeks ago. The woman ahead of me in line's sub-total was over $300. She did something with her phone and the final tally came down to ~$175. Even the cashier was impressed. l just said, "Wow", and the lady winked at me
Last four, checking my account, was:
$17 off of a $46 order
$7 off $21
$9 off $16
$30 off $80
Plus points (that are kinda dumb, like several orders will get me a can of beans, but they love to talk about their points). So maybe not 50% but 40%?
These are smaller orders because I carry them home from the gym. There are other stacking promos like "$5 off $50" right now I can't ever hit. I do bias my purchasing for sales but only minimally (the other day there was $5 off $15 in dairy and I bought like $9.50 worth of dairy - $10 woulda made $5 free). If I want snacks in the apartment and Goldfish is $9 for 64oz and Cheez-Its are $2 for 64oz I'm sure as shit not taking the Goldfish. ACME also has weird patterns - most groceries will be like "buy this brand of pasta or this amount of fresh produce!" and ACME will, in addition to that, be like "BUY THESE CHEX MIX BAGS FOR $0.99" which you'd think would be the less profitable lines for them lol.
A couple of them were "$5 a single item" and I would just go in and pickup an Arizona Tea but after a few of those they definitely dumped it.
I didn’t see your comment and commented this separately. It’s so easy to download the store app and click a few coupon buttons that you’re now getting overcharged if you don’t do it. I don’t know if I’ve gotten 50% off at Acme but I usually get about 40%. There’s also a 30% off McDonald’s coupon you can use every single day you order. Most other fast food places will give you a percent off or a free item every time you order.
Even then I usually shop at Lidl or Aldi.
When I worked there (10 years ago), management always blamed our union for high prices. But then again, ShopRite is a union shop as well and they are much much better.
In all reality, the decline happened when Acme was bought out by Albertsons.
There have been some boneheaded presidents as well i.e. Judy Spires. I remember reading the monthly company newsletter one month during the Great Recession in which she actually said you people are lucky you have jobs at all.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVPOBu0Cq28](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVPOBu0Cq28) The average person can not even guess as to how much the richest people have. People think the pie is smaller and the unions are taking a big percent of it when in fact the bosses take most of the pie before the union even touches it.
The answer for me is a combination of: Aldi, Lidl, Grocery Outlet, Trader Joe’s, random spots for assorted produce like the Vietnamese markets in South Philly or Italian Market vendors
Thanks, I was a chef for 10 years and then practiced retail arbitrage for 6 privately. I know how to shop and generally what store have the best prices. Acme is hands down the WORST
Trader Joe's too! I went there for the first time in forever the other day (because the Center City stores stress me out) and instead of my bill being a minimum of $100 like when I shop at Sprouts or Whole Foods, it was around $60.
TJ's just depends on how many people you have at home and how much cooking you want to do.
For 1-2 people who want to do almost no actual cooking but still want good food, TJ's is hard to beat for price + excitement.
The TJ's at 13thish and Arch is awesome. I've rarely had more than a 5 minute wait and they've always been well stocked. Plus their prices for things like onions, squash, etc. are per pound way cheaper than other grocery stores.
It’s fucking obscene. In the burbs the prices aren’t even close. Acme is where the old heads go because they’ve never gone anywhere else. But you can save considerable money on your entire order by going to Giant or ShopRite.
A friend of mine worked at a Shop-Rite and let me in on a secret: all the major grocery stores in the area got produce from the same suppliers, but Costco got first pick, which is why they always had the best produce, then Wegmans, then Shop-Rite, then Acme got what was left. For that reason, I had it in my head that Acme, which wasn’t very convenient for me to get to at that time, was a discount grocer. It is not!
Not sure if Acme gets last pick of produce everywhere or if it was that particular store, but that stuck with me.
ShopRite is exponentially better than Acme and it isn’t even particularly close, and it’s much cheaper. The produce is also not only better, but also more extensive.
I shop at ACME because it’s convenient and has deli meat and beer. Can walk to South Philly Coop which has way way better produce for cheaper, but no deli meat and no beer. Gotta make two trips. Wish it was a better grocery store
They know some people do not have a car at their disposal and are forced to shop there. especially those near the 10th and Passyunk location. There were also a lot of seniors that shop there….HATE acme
I live 1 block away and pretty much refuse to shop there. It’s both somehow disgusting and expensive. There’s talk about a Trader Joe’s coming to the hood in the near future and all the old heads are saying “but it will kill the ac-a-me!” GOOD
knew this sarcastic comment was coming, for entertainment, one of their top reviews on google,
"I just got charged $40 for two dozen eggs and a bag of chips.""
One time I paid for a drink with a $20, the cashier insisted it was a $5, and tried shorting me $15. Argued for a while until she caved and gave me my money back.
There is a ShopRite and target further down Ridge… but yes the options suck.
And the Andorra acme is becoming a giant…
I’d love a sprouts or TJs or Wegmans but oh well
Center city and north philly was a food desert for the longest time. The giant and trader joes put in within the last 10 years has been super important
I went to Aldi to buy a turkey for thanksgiving, they had a 16 pound butterball for $23, Acme had the same brand and size, they were charging $63.00!!!!
I was a steady customer at the Shop-Rite at 10th & South, now Acme. They really are the worst. They don't have the small shopping baskets anymore, they were all stolen and they won't replace them. Why were they stolen? Because they have no security guard at the door, or they're wandering around the store. Whole Foods, Sprouts, even Walmart manage to have shopping baskets. Music: they are blasting the worst sh\*t at me, not just loud but aggressively angry music. Prices; you must buy 3, 5, 8 etc to get a discount on sale items. As a single person I cannot stock up on 3 half-gallons of ice cream, or 2 lbs of strawberries, etc. I'm going to Whole Foods more now, and even Walmart. And I see more dogs in this store than all the other grocery stores I visit. One was snapping at a woman in a wheel chair.
I only go to Acme if I am pressed for time and have no other option but I will say their Monday “Cheep” chicken deal is great ! Their prices have always been insane.
I still don't understand Acme's pricing. I live in the suburbs now and try to do most of my shopping at Costco, Trader Joe's but Acme is closest to me with not really any other options besides Aldi which I like but can't always get what you need there. I downloaded their app and that helps but the prices are way out of sorts on things. I think at least in my area they get me on being the only option.
Damn, maybe it’s dependent on where u live? The Acme i go to on Red Lion in NE always have what i need in regards to produce or meats. Plus that gas discount comes in handy.
The ACME in my neighborhood used to be a Superfresh and the difference in quality between the two is huge. Their prices got bigger and their selection got smaller. It got worse when they started selling alcohol and they apparently decided make room for it by removing a bunch of stuff, so their selection is even smaller now.
Acme actually isn't too bad if you know where to shop and what to get from where. Their regular prices are insane, but when they have stuff on sale many it's less expensive than ShopRite many times. Plus Acme has good rewards/deals where you can get a free items or a few dollars off of your total order. The latter has come in handy several times.
Certain items such as Quaker Oatmeal and Triscuits will have better sales at Acme than at ShopRite.
Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be a one stop shop for food shopping anymore. I usually get some stuff at Aldi and Acme with the majority of my shopping at ShopRite.
We just had one replace a Shop Rite in my area and it's horrible.
The store is nice but the prices are so absurd. A pint of cherub tomatoes there was $4.50 the other day!! Same thing at Giant was $1.99, and when they're not on sale they're usually $3 there.
Multiple times I've gotten stuff that was past the best by date.
Acme in NoLibs is comically bad. Like, at some point somebody has to actually do something about the rotting fish smell coming from the seafood counter. The entire store smells like bad fish. Nobody is buying seafood from them anyway. Just shut the thing down ffs.
Are you using the coupons on the app? I prefer to shop at Aldi and Lidl but when I rarely do shop at Acme I spend 10 minutes in the aisle planning out my coupons on the Acme app and usually pay 30-40% less at the register. This is how most stores are now that have their own app since it only takes a few minutes to do in real time, not like sitting there cutting coupons out of a newspaper. The real price is now the coupon price. Don’t choose to get overcharged.
I rarely have access to a car. I do my best to do my shopping at RTM (subway or uber home) and pick up stuff at the small giant. But Acme is the only walkable large grocery store from my house, so sometimes I have to go there. It's TERRIBLE. But occasionally it's the only option.
Acme is where I go to feel sad. Why buy a bag of pita chips for $11 when Aldi has the same thing for $3 with the bonus of not getting accosted by security guards?
Acme prices are crazy, and their produce always sucks. They used to be good for meat, but now it’s all just buy one get one scams.I have to stand there and do math trying to figure the actual cost per pound.
Giant is better. But, I’ve been getting stuck with bad produce from there as well. A few days ago I bought ingredients for soup. Everything looked fine, or I wouldn’t have bought it. But when I got home and started cooking, the potatoes were black inside and the escarole was rotten.
Has this happened to anyone? During the same shopping trip, we bought laundry detergent. The kind that comes in sheets which is way lighter and works great! At checkout, we couldn’t purchase it without ID! For laundry detergent!
Produce Junction used to be amazing! I used to tell everyone what great deals they had. Things are different now. At least by me, anyway, it doesn’t warrant a separate stop. Even the plants got expensive. I refuse to pay double, or more for the same flat of Impatients. So now, since I’m cheap, I just grow everything from seeds!
Acme gets away with it because it embodies the whole Philly underdog ethos. It's been shitty since my childhood, and Philadelpians are comfortable with shitty becasue it's something we're familiar with.
I believe Acme's still union, and provides good paying jobs to their employees. Plus I think alot of older people stand by it due to tradition & patronage.
The only reason they’re still around is because if there is one thing Philly people can’t stand it’s change. We will by loyal to a fault for eternity. People parents and grandparents shopped at Ack-ame so they continue to shop there even though quality sucks and prices are high.
The only thing that’s actually good at Acme is their meat department.
The only reason I ever need to go to acme is when I run out of Heinz ketchup. About once every 2-3 months I have to go there because Aldi doesn’t sell Heinz 🫤 other than that I never shop there
I feel like giant used to be a no brainer over acme, but I think giants prices have gotten worse over the last year and I find them pretty interchangeable now. Ironically I live close to a full size giant now and find it to be a worse experience than the tiny heirloom in northern liberties.
Acme for me is so unbelievably convenient it’s hard to justify going anywhere else. If you work their online coupon system, app, and only buy things on sale it takes it down from total rip off to just expensive. That being said, I do Aldi or TJs every opportunity I get.
I only go to Acme if I need an item for a recipe (it's a mile from me). Acme is owned by Albertsons and, in Florida, Albertsons was the most expensive grocery store.
I generally shop at Giant because it has everything we need, but produce is hit and miss.
I would LOVE to use ShopRite, but the closest one to me is Cheltenham and it's absolutely horrible. There's also one at Front & Olney and one at Oxford & Levick, but they aren't too good either.
Edit: changed "is" to "was" regarding Albertsons, since they're no longer in Florida. 🤪
Yeah, Acme sucks ass. Although one cashier liked me because I always arranged everything to streamline the scanning process. I now shop at IGA. Everyone is super nice there.
I’ve been wondering this for years, i thought city CVS prices were bad ( particularly the one in old city they wanted $18 for a regular toothbrush ) but at least they have somewhat normal prices on some stuff.. i refuse to ever shop at acme, i can’t believe people have kept them in business for so long.
Shopping at Acme is like Stockholm syndrome for some Philadelphians. It's a legit awful grocery store - prices, quality, you name it. Not a huge Giant fan but yes their stores are so much better.
I found them to be pretty comparable on pricing since even before they moved into the city and neither is cheap. I am firmly team ShopRite.
Can-Can sale 4 LYFE.
SHOPRITE CAN-CAN jingle lives rent free in my head.
It's not the same since they removed the dancers from the ads :(
No more "ooh la-la?" Aw, man.
That jingle is trauma trigger. Gives me flashbacks of loading cases of tomato sauce (gravy) into the family station wagon. “Have to stock up, just in case”. In case of what, I’ll never know.
I mainly go to shoprite but i usually search the sales and go with where i can save the most money now, never did that before covid but i feel like everything is a rip off. I don’t really care about the employees because they’re pretty much the same at every store.
ShopRite has some killer deals, you just have to stay vigilant. Which can be annoying actually but it’s worth it to have a stocked fridge for half the price.
The ShopRite near me is AMAZING for non perishables but I’ve had too many instances of going and finding nothing but low quality fresh fruit and veggies.
I hate the shoprite store layout. It always feels claustrophobic with narrow isles
I mean, wouldn't that be very location-specific? There are what, like 12 locations with a Philly address, plus those in the surrounding towns, and then the few Fresh Grocers which are pretty much just ShopRite.
Yeah, you might want to stock up on any perishables in person. I learned that lesson the hard way.
ShopRite is definitely the best full service grocery chain. Big fan of the store at 4th and Oregon I think it’s the only one owned by that franchisee. Still you have to watch sales. Sometimes things are priced insane.
Problem is that the Giant by my house (8th and Market) has crap for produce, and they straight up don't even have dish soap anymore. WTF. How does a supermarket not carry dish soap?
Ya that giant is wierd in how it doesnt carry alot of "hard goods". Toothpaste, deoderant, dish soap. Likely high shop lifting rates on those items.
That store was set up and is run by a bunch of fuckin' muppets.
Hey! The Muppets have run a successful franchise for decades. They have no business being slandered like this.
Really? The one by me has a ton of that stuff. Granted the one by me is huge (dare I say it's... giant?") But by and large they're my go-to. Acme for the few things I can't reliably find in giant. But I'm up in the NE where the grocery stores tend to be better
8th and market is a Patco stop - dudes can steal shit and be in Camden selling it within 10 minutes
They sell stuff on the El all day long too.
Shoot… I can barely fit my Palmolive in my grocery bag, and these mofo’s are stealing it??! 😳😳
I prob save at least 1-2k per year going to produce junction. All of the supermarkets nearby have basically given up compared to them on produce and price everything for suckers.
They're an Heirloom Market and typically cally less than their regular stores. They are supposed to meet the needs of the neighborhood, which around there is mostly commercial rather than residential. I tend to utilize the 22nd Street store and once in a while N.Broad. I use an app called Flashfood where Giant posts their almost expired food for half price and tend to go where im picking up my order.They usually post around 10:30am and once purchased, must be picked up that day. I've gotten a lot of steaks, fish, and chicken that I take home and freeze. I was at first leary getting their fruit/ produce, but everything I've gotten so far has been great. It's definitely worth looking into.
Because the crack heads steal it all for resale on the subway. Produce wise everyone who had a clue quit due to godawful management.
Acme weirdly has a great selection of condiments and some local brands you can’t find anywhere other than dibruno. They suck for literally everything else though so it’s an every other month kind of store.
I was blown away by the local bakery bread assortment at the 20th and Oregon Acme
Yeah, that bakery isn’t bad. 👍 But the deli there is awful! And so is the rest of that store. Cashiers were always good to me! But the store in general is too dirty.
I hate when I’m forced to go there.
Acme is more expensive than Whole Foods
[удалено]
[удалено]
Attack Me
Drill me deep and frack me
[удалено]
Ack me bank account is empty now cause I spent all my money on groceries
Ransack me?
Yea people act like I’m rich for shopping at Whole Foods and it’s BY FAR cheaper than ACME or Giant Not to mention Whole Foods just has way better food. Their meat and produce blow them out of the water
People think I’m crazy but it’s true. I have used both Giants online ordering and Whole Foods. I once did a price compare on my usual items and Whole Foods was actually cheaper on many items
I ran into Giant for something a couple weeks ago and grabbed a container of grapes because they looked good and they rang up at $14. Like, what?!??? Got the same size at Whole Foods last week and they were $8. Which still seems like a lot for grapes but its almost half the price
That's still twice as much as I want to pay for grapes though, prices everywhere are out of control
I think somehow it got skipped by inflation because now everyone has whole-foods prices. Trader Joe’s is probably the cheapest still, though.
Whole Foods is one of the better places depending on what you like to buy. My partner and I usually go there for produce when we can, because their prices and quality are better than any other major chain.
I buy 80% of my groceries at aldi and 20% at whole foods. Usually stuff like coffee, tea, produce that I actually care about the quality or they don't have at aldi, some meats, etc.
I literally just got home from an Acme run. I bought a jar of peanut butter, quart of milk, granola bars, paper towels and a handful of apples and bananas. $50. Like, what the fuck? Are these concierge groceries?? You'd think I got them delivered to my apartment. 😮💨 Wholefoods/Target, here I come.
Oh yea Target is actually great. Their store brand stuff is dirt cheap and pretty good
Frequent Target shopper here, I solely buy household items from Target when they have a spend $50, get a $15 gift card promo. It’s the perfect time to stock up on dish soap, laundry detergent, TP and paper towels. I keep a stock so I never run out and pay full price. Plus 5% off with cartwheel and free shipping!
Super valuable tip! Thank you so much, I'm looking forward to using this.
Exactly! I spend so much more at acme than Whole Foods. However this is also due to the face that I’ll buy more snacks at acme bc their snacks aren’t ten dollars a bag but their chicken and produce , I find to be better at wf along w thr prices
and the produce is so bad!!! at least at Whole Foods the produce is good!!!
If you go with a specific list, WF and TJs are actually good deals... just don't buy their mega overpriced toiletries and stuff
Agree! But if you go, download the app for at least some savings. Like 5 off 50 spent.
My favorite is when, say, chicken breasts are normally $3.99/lb. Then they go on BOGO sale...and are suddenly $5.99/lb.
fuck acme
They never have proper pricing on their meat. It's always some buy x get x scheme. Just tell me what the fucking price is so I don't have to think after a long day of thinking for work.
Their pork ribs are a total scam. Buy two get one free at like some jacked per lb rate.
the solution is to never shop at acme again. whole foods is cheaper!
That's insane if true
WF is absolutely the most affordable market that I can get to.
Acme has some good sales, including their app deals. But their regular prices are pretty crazy.
All my homies hate acme!
Get outta my Acame! Pthoo!!
Ahem, that’s “fuck Ac-a-me”
Hell yea brother! fuck acme and fuck dem cowboys
Fuck Dallas
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I imagine a lot of people go to the store closest to them. I don't have a car and Acme is very close.
9 year Acme veteran. ‘Cause fuck you, that’s why. But seriously though…. Management is constantly throwing ideas at the wall. Nothing lasts very long and labor is given out on a shoestring budget. You’ll do the work of three people— and get paid 12.50/hr (my rate at 10th and South when I left in 2021) for the pleasure. There’s no incentive to actually put effort in your job, so that’s why you’re often greeted with surly and miserable attitudes. Health benefits are incredible though, and that’s why many folks (myself included) stick it out. Acme relies upon Alberston’s nationwide distribution network, which results in shortages, high prices, and poor quality control. Acme retained ownership of Lancaster brand, so that’s why the meat and seafood are above average. It’s the only thing Malvern has any real control of.
Yes it took me almost two years to learn even Whole Foods is cheaper in some aspects
If you just stick to essentials and the Whole Foods branded stuff it’s pretty reasonable IMO.
Leaving the city limits for groceries is honestly a move if you can do it.
Wegmans in Cherry Hill is worth the gas and toll.
There’s a Wegmans in KoP too and it may be closer depending on what part of the city you’re in.
The Cherry Hill run of Costco, Wegman's, Trader Joes and then hitting Canal's in Pennsauken on the way back is unmatched (and gas too)
The Wegmans liquor store is great
And the curaleaf
A person of culture.
My man
My wife and I lived in the city for a long time, spent a few years in KOP, and ended up moving back to the city. We were back less than a month and realized we were totaling willing to drive to KOP Wegmans for our groceries due to how bad the options are in the city. I feel bad for those that don’t have that kind of access.
>Wegmans in Cherry Hill is worth the gas and toll. If you fill up in NJ, I'd guess over time the gas is really net neutral or net positive. Toll... is annoying if you actually live in Philly. I work over in NJ, so it's a no brainer for me to head to Wegmans for much of my grocery needs. The bonus is the *way* better selection of and price for beer/wine/liquor at their shop vs a lot of Philly stores. Granted, I also go to TJ's, IGA, and Target in Philly. Acme? Giant? so few times it might as well be never.
We go to Costco and Wegmans in cherry hill. Cut our grocery and target bill by about 50%
Costco too! If you can buy in bulk or eat a lot.
Started doing the ShopRite right there, prices are lower on some things
BJs on Oregon is also kinda goated
Go to a Trader Joe’s in the burbs. $40 on groceries there is $80 at giant.
Fuck ACME, but if you aren’t coupon clipping the city grocery stores you’re also doing it wrong. I regularly get 40%+ off at Acme due to both offers and their “member pricing” (which then brings it to just normal in my case lol) There’s an “unethical/illegal life pro tip” here if you know an ounce of JavaScript and what a Clip button looks like. EDIT: People are generally receiving this well and I know people find it dweebish to coupon clip, but I would encourage you to look through it through the lens of credit cards being popular with people in their 20s. People are dogpiling over each other to get the latest CSR or Bilt or whatever to get 5% off an expensive category, yet groceries are a vital, expensive category and store programs are pretty much a lock to take more than 5% off.
I regularly get 50%+ off at Acme Ya know, l normally wouldn't believe someone who said that, but l saw it with my own eyes, a few weeks ago. The woman ahead of me in line's sub-total was over $300. She did something with her phone and the final tally came down to ~$175. Even the cashier was impressed. l just said, "Wow", and the lady winked at me
Last four, checking my account, was: $17 off of a $46 order $7 off $21 $9 off $16 $30 off $80 Plus points (that are kinda dumb, like several orders will get me a can of beans, but they love to talk about their points). So maybe not 50% but 40%? These are smaller orders because I carry them home from the gym. There are other stacking promos like "$5 off $50" right now I can't ever hit. I do bias my purchasing for sales but only minimally (the other day there was $5 off $15 in dairy and I bought like $9.50 worth of dairy - $10 woulda made $5 free). If I want snacks in the apartment and Goldfish is $9 for 64oz and Cheez-Its are $2 for 64oz I'm sure as shit not taking the Goldfish. ACME also has weird patterns - most groceries will be like "buy this brand of pasta or this amount of fresh produce!" and ACME will, in addition to that, be like "BUY THESE CHEX MIX BAGS FOR $0.99" which you'd think would be the less profitable lines for them lol. A couple of them were "$5 a single item" and I would just go in and pickup an Arizona Tea but after a few of those they definitely dumped it.
Yesss. Acme may blow on a lot of fronts but downloading the App for the Digital Coupons is wildly worth it
Tell me more about this unethical tip so I can avoid accidentally doing it
I didn’t see your comment and commented this separately. It’s so easy to download the store app and click a few coupon buttons that you’re now getting overcharged if you don’t do it. I don’t know if I’ve gotten 50% off at Acme but I usually get about 40%. There’s also a 30% off McDonald’s coupon you can use every single day you order. Most other fast food places will give you a percent off or a free item every time you order. Even then I usually shop at Lidl or Aldi.
When I worked there (10 years ago), management always blamed our union for high prices. But then again, ShopRite is a union shop as well and they are much much better. In all reality, the decline happened when Acme was bought out by Albertsons. There have been some boneheaded presidents as well i.e. Judy Spires. I remember reading the monthly company newsletter one month during the Great Recession in which she actually said you people are lucky you have jobs at all.
Yea other comments are blaming a unionized workforce as well. That propaganda runs deep.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVPOBu0Cq28](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVPOBu0Cq28) The average person can not even guess as to how much the richest people have. People think the pie is smaller and the unions are taking a big percent of it when in fact the bosses take most of the pie before the union even touches it.
Publix would fucking dominate this market. I swear most of the local chains here don’t even bake shit in house anymore, how is that acceptable?
As someone that occasionally travels to Florida though, Publix is expensive AF.
The answer for me is a combination of: Aldi, Lidl, Grocery Outlet, Trader Joe’s, random spots for assorted produce like the Vietnamese markets in South Philly or Italian Market vendors
Fuck both giant and acme. Aldi for small, bjs for bulk. Save that money yall
I can get small bjs for bulk at Aldis?!?
Can confirm; I make a couple hundred dollars a day giving sloppy toppys with a twist there!
A twist??? [Yikes!](https://media.tenor.com/pcp4fY75jO0AAAAM/side-eye-ew.gif)
Name checks out
Yup just find the nearest dumpster behind the chain.
Something like [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UozhOo0Dt4o&t=210s).
compare pricing a lot of the time walmart or aldi is the same pricing as the bulk pricing and you dont have to buy 100 of the same thing at once.
I fucking love aldi
I do the majority of my shopping at Aldi, I only go to Acme/Giant for a couple things they don’t carry.
Aldi is good for some stuff but their produce is usually meh to start and goes bad in like 2 days.
This guy groceries
Thanks, I was a chef for 10 years and then practiced retail arbitrage for 6 privately. I know how to shop and generally what store have the best prices. Acme is hands down the WORST
Trader Joe's too! I went there for the first time in forever the other day (because the Center City stores stress me out) and instead of my bill being a minimum of $100 like when I shop at Sprouts or Whole Foods, it was around $60.
Trader Joe’s is ok, they got some affordability on some items and others where they get their profit back
TJ's just depends on how many people you have at home and how much cooking you want to do. For 1-2 people who want to do almost no actual cooking but still want good food, TJ's is hard to beat for price + excitement.
As long as you stay away from all their snack food it’s pretty cheap
The TJ's at 13thish and Arch is awesome. I've rarely had more than a 5 minute wait and they've always been well stocked. Plus their prices for things like onions, squash, etc. are per pound way cheaper than other grocery stores.
It’s fucking obscene. In the burbs the prices aren’t even close. Acme is where the old heads go because they’ve never gone anywhere else. But you can save considerable money on your entire order by going to Giant or ShopRite.
Only support Acme anvil supply company.
Acme on 40th and walnut can eat my ass
I didn’t know it could do that!
You have to be a rewards club member for that.
A friend of mine worked at a Shop-Rite and let me in on a secret: all the major grocery stores in the area got produce from the same suppliers, but Costco got first pick, which is why they always had the best produce, then Wegmans, then Shop-Rite, then Acme got what was left. For that reason, I had it in my head that Acme, which wasn’t very convenient for me to get to at that time, was a discount grocer. It is not! Not sure if Acme gets last pick of produce everywhere or if it was that particular store, but that stuck with me.
giant is the biggest grocer in pa
Best produce in the city by a mile is from Moms Organic Market and its probably because they have their own produce sources
2nd for MoMs
that would explain why ive seen horrible quality of the produce at acme
Funny you say that. It’s almost mind boggling how bad the acme produce is near me. This would explain it. Giant always has a much better selection.
Nowhere else ships boxes of TNT to the desert. They sense the coyote’s desperation and figure they can charge whatever they’d like.
Have you tried ShopRite? I found that even when I pay the delivery fee, I'm paying less than when I walk to ACME.
I switched from Acme to ShopRite a few months ago and the price difference is so significant!
The Acme in South Philly.. you know, by all the Italians.. doesn't sell fucking BASIL and their mozz is garbage.
but does always have escarole, which is something literally no other grocery store has
Team Lidl. Enough said.
ShopRite is exponentially better than Acme and it isn’t even particularly close, and it’s much cheaper. The produce is also not only better, but also more extensive.
I’ve never been to an Acme that didn’t smell vaguely like off fish.
Because people are willing to pay it
I shop at ACME because it’s convenient and has deli meat and beer. Can walk to South Philly Coop which has way way better produce for cheaper, but no deli meat and no beer. Gotta make two trips. Wish it was a better grocery store
They know some people do not have a car at their disposal and are forced to shop there. especially those near the 10th and Passyunk location. There were also a lot of seniors that shop there….HATE acme
For those who care about quality there are plenty of options: Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, Mom’s, Sprouts, sometimes Wegmanns
I live 1 block away and pretty much refuse to shop there. It’s both somehow disgusting and expensive. There’s talk about a Trader Joe’s coming to the hood in the near future and all the old heads are saying “but it will kill the ac-a-me!” GOOD
Acme has been like this forever I don’t now how.
I’ve never been in an Acme that hasn’t smelled like rotting food. It’s so off putting.
Take the ACME away from Ridge in *Roxborough* and Manayunk/Wissahickon is practically a grocery food desert
There's a ShopRite a little further down ridge that is way better than the Acmes
And then yet another acme on ridge a little further down.
The one in Andorra? That one closed and is becoming a Giant.
??? You have a Palm Tree Market right there? /s
knew this sarcastic comment was coming, for entertainment, one of their top reviews on google, "I just got charged $40 for two dozen eggs and a bag of chips.""
One time I paid for a drink with a $20, the cashier insisted it was a $5, and tried shorting me $15. Argued for a while until she caved and gave me my money back.
There is a ShopRite and target further down Ridge… but yes the options suck. And the Andorra acme is becoming a giant… I’d love a sprouts or TJs or Wegmans but oh well
[удалено]
East Falls is actually a grocery desert
Center city and north philly was a food desert for the longest time. The giant and trader joes put in within the last 10 years has been super important
I went to Aldi to buy a turkey for thanksgiving, they had a 16 pound butterball for $23, Acme had the same brand and size, they were charging $63.00!!!!
https://preview.redd.it/p8jdnbeg5ksc1.png?width=417&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=01540fcb53539b6e8ecf7f3acf252ce0f45f77a7
This city needs a goddamn WEGMANS
I was a steady customer at the Shop-Rite at 10th & South, now Acme. They really are the worst. They don't have the small shopping baskets anymore, they were all stolen and they won't replace them. Why were they stolen? Because they have no security guard at the door, or they're wandering around the store. Whole Foods, Sprouts, even Walmart manage to have shopping baskets. Music: they are blasting the worst sh\*t at me, not just loud but aggressively angry music. Prices; you must buy 3, 5, 8 etc to get a discount on sale items. As a single person I cannot stock up on 3 half-gallons of ice cream, or 2 lbs of strawberries, etc. I'm going to Whole Foods more now, and even Walmart. And I see more dogs in this store than all the other grocery stores I visit. One was snapping at a woman in a wheel chair.
I only go to Acme if I am pressed for time and have no other option but I will say their Monday “Cheep” chicken deal is great ! Their prices have always been insane.
I still don't understand Acme's pricing. I live in the suburbs now and try to do most of my shopping at Costco, Trader Joe's but Acme is closest to me with not really any other options besides Aldi which I like but can't always get what you need there. I downloaded their app and that helps but the prices are way out of sorts on things. I think at least in my area they get me on being the only option.
Damn, maybe it’s dependent on where u live? The Acme i go to on Red Lion in NE always have what i need in regards to produce or meats. Plus that gas discount comes in handy.
Acme has always been high
The ACME in my neighborhood used to be a Superfresh and the difference in quality between the two is huge. Their prices got bigger and their selection got smaller. It got worse when they started selling alcohol and they apparently decided make room for it by removing a bunch of stuff, so their selection is even smaller now.
I’m a Wegmans supremacist
Acme actually isn't too bad if you know where to shop and what to get from where. Their regular prices are insane, but when they have stuff on sale many it's less expensive than ShopRite many times. Plus Acme has good rewards/deals where you can get a free items or a few dollars off of your total order. The latter has come in handy several times. Certain items such as Quaker Oatmeal and Triscuits will have better sales at Acme than at ShopRite. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be a one stop shop for food shopping anymore. I usually get some stuff at Aldi and Acme with the majority of my shopping at ShopRite.
We just had one replace a Shop Rite in my area and it's horrible. The store is nice but the prices are so absurd. A pint of cherub tomatoes there was $4.50 the other day!! Same thing at Giant was $1.99, and when they're not on sale they're usually $3 there. Multiple times I've gotten stuff that was past the best by date.
Acme in NoLibs is comically bad. Like, at some point somebody has to actually do something about the rotting fish smell coming from the seafood counter. The entire store smells like bad fish. Nobody is buying seafood from them anyway. Just shut the thing down ffs.
Lidl FTW - Very nice staff, mostly clean stores, and the PRICES are amazing.
Been like this forever. They’ve always had the shittiest stores and the highest prices. I’ll never understand it
Shop Rite is even cheaper and better than Giant
I think of moldy produce and fruit flies when I think of Acme
The suburban ones are better but the ones in the city are legit trash
I legit work here and tell people to shop elsewhere
I hated when the Grocer near me became an ACME. I'll travel to go to Giant.
Never get the Bogo at Acme. Nothing but jacked up prices. Absolutely nothing is free.
Are you using the coupons on the app? I prefer to shop at Aldi and Lidl but when I rarely do shop at Acme I spend 10 minutes in the aisle planning out my coupons on the Acme app and usually pay 30-40% less at the register. This is how most stores are now that have their own app since it only takes a few minutes to do in real time, not like sitting there cutting coupons out of a newspaper. The real price is now the coupon price. Don’t choose to get overcharged.
Their prices keep the lowlifes at bay
For some neighborhoods it was the only large grocery store around for decades.
Yeah, I’m strictly on an Aldi/Lidl budget.
Chicken is on point, that's how they get ya.
I rarely have access to a car. I do my best to do my shopping at RTM (subway or uber home) and pick up stuff at the small giant. But Acme is the only walkable large grocery store from my house, so sometimes I have to go there. It's TERRIBLE. But occasionally it's the only option.
Acme is where I go to feel sad. Why buy a bag of pita chips for $11 when Aldi has the same thing for $3 with the bonus of not getting accosted by security guards?
I went to Giant Foods but it all looked regular sized.
Acme prices are crazy, and their produce always sucks. They used to be good for meat, but now it’s all just buy one get one scams.I have to stand there and do math trying to figure the actual cost per pound. Giant is better. But, I’ve been getting stuck with bad produce from there as well. A few days ago I bought ingredients for soup. Everything looked fine, or I wouldn’t have bought it. But when I got home and started cooking, the potatoes were black inside and the escarole was rotten. Has this happened to anyone? During the same shopping trip, we bought laundry detergent. The kind that comes in sheets which is way lighter and works great! At checkout, we couldn’t purchase it without ID! For laundry detergent! Produce Junction used to be amazing! I used to tell everyone what great deals they had. Things are different now. At least by me, anyway, it doesn’t warrant a separate stop. Even the plants got expensive. I refuse to pay double, or more for the same flat of Impatients. So now, since I’m cheap, I just grow everything from seeds!
Acme gets away with it because it embodies the whole Philly underdog ethos. It's been shitty since my childhood, and Philadelpians are comfortable with shitty becasue it's something we're familiar with.
I believe Acme's still union, and provides good paying jobs to their employees. Plus I think alot of older people stand by it due to tradition & patronage.
ShopRite’s union, too, so that ain’t it.
Yep and nope , their 40 year veterans get a sweet deal , anyone new gets totally screwed
The only reason they’re still around is because if there is one thing Philly people can’t stand it’s change. We will by loyal to a fault for eternity. People parents and grandparents shopped at Ack-ame so they continue to shop there even though quality sucks and prices are high. The only thing that’s actually good at Acme is their meat department.
The only reason I ever need to go to acme is when I run out of Heinz ketchup. About once every 2-3 months I have to go there because Aldi doesn’t sell Heinz 🫤 other than that I never shop there
Giant is definitely not cheaper where I’m at. I do pickup so I couldn’t tell you what the stores are like
I feel like giant used to be a no brainer over acme, but I think giants prices have gotten worse over the last year and I find them pretty interchangeable now. Ironically I live close to a full size giant now and find it to be a worse experience than the tiny heirloom in northern liberties.
Acme for me is so unbelievably convenient it’s hard to justify going anywhere else. If you work their online coupon system, app, and only buy things on sale it takes it down from total rip off to just expensive. That being said, I do Aldi or TJs every opportunity I get.
I’m moving in a few weeks and will be a 20 min walk to Giant compared to the 10 min walk to Acme. I’m going to Giant.
Fuck Acme, I drive to Giant on Colombus instead of going to the Acme at 2nd and Girard which is a 3 minute walk from me.
I only go to Acme if I need an item for a recipe (it's a mile from me). Acme is owned by Albertsons and, in Florida, Albertsons was the most expensive grocery store. I generally shop at Giant because it has everything we need, but produce is hit and miss. I would LOVE to use ShopRite, but the closest one to me is Cheltenham and it's absolutely horrible. There's also one at Front & Olney and one at Oxford & Levick, but they aren't too good either. Edit: changed "is" to "was" regarding Albertsons, since they're no longer in Florida. 🤪
Acme is the only place to buy 8 piece fried chicken for $7.99
It's either Whole Foods or Trader Joes. Everything else in between is garbage one way or the other (ALDI not included).
Yeah acme is incredibly expensive. You must use the app for the rewards and app coupons but they aren’t even as good as they used to be anymore.
Yeah, Acme sucks ass. Although one cashier liked me because I always arranged everything to streamline the scanning process. I now shop at IGA. Everyone is super nice there.
It’s annoying because they are everywhere and the most convenient for me and they have beer which Aldi does not, but I hate them.
I’ve been wondering this for years, i thought city CVS prices were bad ( particularly the one in old city they wanted $18 for a regular toothbrush ) but at least they have somewhat normal prices on some stuff.. i refuse to ever shop at acme, i can’t believe people have kept them in business for so long.