Esselunga

Perhaps some remember and dream of the days when Italy did not yet have gigantic supermarkets… but all I can think is that it was much less convenient then. With stores like this Esselunga, despite it’s size, we can get our shopping done in 20 minutes and then move on with our lives. On the other hand, we are eating relatively standardized foods, including the vegetables, in their little plastic trays, which last oddly longer than those purchased at the Coop.
All in all, while I prefer the Coop, the Esselunga is a good thing, and there are reasons to shop here. They have the best specials on packaged things and cleaning supplies. They have ample underground parking and big carts, so it is perfect for stocking up when you need to. Their stock is generally pretty consistent — they don’t run out of food at the end of the day, and you usually find what you came for.
For fish, see Coop S. Salvi Cristiani which I reviewed — the fish section here does not smell good :(

Oh Cara Esselunga, how much I love to hate you — but also love you, and hate you at the same time. This grocery store — supermarket in every sens
e of the word is an institution to those who actually live in Florence (south) and besides the big Coop in gavinana usually the store with the most selection
Pros:
–lots of choice, including American style bacon, coconut milk, cranberry juice and lots of goodies that us expats enjoy.
–good deals
–carta fidaty (loyalty card that is free to obtain and gets you more discounts)
–easy underground parking
Cons
–for some brilliant reason they often pick the busiest time of the store to restock goods which is just not smart
–for those who just have a basket, not a cart, Esselunga STILL hasn’t upgraded and gotten the carts with wheels like Coop, and the crappy yellow ones they do have are tiny and always broken/​dirty. They need to clean their baskets
–no self-​checkout
–no cheddar cheese (that is me being greedy but coop gavinana has it).
–the water section is really far from all of the other drinks and kind of hidden, why?
–often dirty
advice — NEVER EVER go on a Sunday unless you are masochistic and want to be around a bunch of middle-​aged women who will push you using their cart or leave their cart in front of whatever you are looking at.
All in all, I would recommend trying to go as local as you or get your veggies delivered from a local farm and just go to esselunga for the basics such as pasta, milk etc etc. They are way better than the thieves at Il Centro and Meta Market. enjoy!