Food Basics

This little food store is the anti-​megastore. It is a great, basic local store which is clean, well-​stocked and reasonably priced, but where you can get in-​and-​out in less than a half-​an-​hour.
I have passed this supermarket for many years and from the looks of the place on the outside, I have never been compelled to go in. It looks dingy and outdated from the outside. Today, I just needed about 15 items, so I stopped in as I was in the neighborhood. I have to say that I was very impressed.
For one, the fruits and vegetable department was spotless. The floor and shelves looked like they had just been cleaned and they had a great selection of fresh greens, citrus and fresh herbs. The prices were, as I expected, extremely low. This chain is known for its low prices so I was expecting this – and I was not disappointed. Produce prices were about 25−40% lower than ShopRite.
There are no service departments – Appy, Meat and Bakery departments are all prepackaged… but again, this is expected. The place is called «Food Basics» and it is a very basic experience.
One thing that I did not like was that there was no customer service booth. This does not seem like an optional service, but the workers I did come in contact with were very friendly, so it was all good.
All-​in-​all, in these days of ridiculously-​sized markets, it reminded me of an old-​skool neighborhood market where you can basically find most items you need without a major time commitment. I will be back.

Food Basics has low everyday prices. You don’t have to wait for sales. They don’t have much of a selection; hence, the name. They don’t have features like a custom butcher shop, deli, or bakery like fancier supermarkets. I wish they had better meat prices.