In Anchorage, I found myself revolving around three of the top grocery supermarkets.
Carrs/Safeway --Fred Meyer --and of course Wal-Mart.
Here is the breakdown.
Carrs/Safeway
I will go out on a limb and say instantly that Carrs has lousy prices, and if you shop there, you will most likely have higher grocery bills than Wal-Mart or Freddie's. The only reason I ever shopped at Carrs was for the wifi at the Carrs/Safeway on Debarr Rd. However, not all Carrs have Wifi such as "Huffman Business Park," as far as I know that is the newest. On Fridays Carrs has a special called "Five Dollar Fridays" where you can buy large amounts popcorn chicken and similar boneless strips and wings for $5. That is a reasonable price, but it isn't worth an entire trip for that one single item.
Wifi YES!
Wal-Mart
When I lived walking distance from Wal-Mart, I had created a Wal-Mart Budget specifically for the store.
1. Great Value Instant 12 Packages $2.25.
2. 8 Pack of Burritos $4.15
3. Equate Nutrition/Weight Loss Shakes $5.11
4. 7 1 Dollar Banquet Brand Microwave Dinners $7.00
And that's it. Weekly Food Bill of $18.51.
WIFI? NO!
As far as I know, Wal-Mart does not have wifi in any of the Anchorage locations. Even at the Wal-Mart MacDonalds on Old Seward Highway, there is no wifi, which is a setback.
Fred Meyer:
I used the Wal-Mart and the Wal-Mart Budget for convenience. Fred Meyer was a store I had never used before my time in Anchorage, and as I shopped there I learned it is owned by Kroger...one of the best low-priced grocery companies on Earth.
Fred Meyer is awesome, and yes, I mean that honestly.
WIFI? OH YES.
When I lived without home internet, I went to Fred Meyer almost every day. The cafe in Fred Meyer Muldoon has multiple plugs along the wall, and the Fred Meyer on Northern Lights has one plug that is located right next to their vending machine, and it is accessible from the nearest table.
Since by rule, you can pretty much stay as long as you like, here were some of my top inexpensive items.
4.Hot BBQ Sandwich $2.50
3.Peanut Butter and Jelly Deli Sandwich $0.99
2.Jumbo Bakery Muffin $0.69 (And yes, they're huge)
Lastly,
1. Markdown Yogurt $0.50
Water from the Fred Meyer cafe is free, so when they have plugs for computers in their wifi areas, they have to deal with people like me that buy a 50 cent yogurt and a free cup of water with endless refills and stay there for hours.
It's probably only a matter of time before they're removed.
Wal-Mart for regular grocery shopping
Fred Meyer for random hunger/snack food/deli items.
More Coming Soon!
