Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market Review
Why am I blogging about a grocery store chain? The obvious answer is that grocery prices are always rising, and I like to save money on everyday items like groceries. Although I have traditionally shopped at large grocery store chains such as Safeway, I have recently become impressed with Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market. Fresh & Easy is a simple, affordable alternative to the busyness and costliness of bigger-box supermarkets.
I visited Fresh & Easy for the first time this week, at the Saratoga & Payne location in San Jose, CA. I decided to visit Fresh & Easy, knowing that Fresh & Easy has a reputation for affordable groceries and a minimalist shopping experience. The mainstream grocery stores here in San Jose are overcrowded and chaotic, to say the least, and the quality of shopping experience is at least as important to us as the price of the groceries.
Fresh & Easy maintains its low prices by offering a stripped-down shopping experience, by offering a large percentage of its own Fresh & Easy generic brand food items, and by utilizing what are claimed to be environmentally-friendly, more-sustainable stores and warehouses. Self-checkout stations and facilities that are easier to clean (such as concrete floors) also help reduce costs, and these features add to the minimalist impression you receive upon entering a Fresh & Easy store.
The prices at Fresh & Easy are quite good, as long as you stick to the Fresh & Easy branded items. In addition, I noticed that a great many items were close to (but not beyond) the sell-by date on the packaging. This tells me that the company is not wasteful with their food items, although it may give some customers reason to question the term "fresh" in "Fresh & Easy."
At my first visit to Fresh & Easy, I spent just over $100 for groceries. It is safe to say that my $100 went much further at Fresh & Easy than it usually does at Safeway or other mainstream grocery stores (almost double the amount of food!). The minimalist approach certainly appeared to translate into genuine savings on ordinary food-staple items. The lack of fancy advertising and store displays, along with reduced labor costs, allows Fresh & Easy to offer significantly lower prices. I would estimate that Fresh & Easy has prices approximately 50% to 60% of mainstream grocery prices, on most of their store-brand items.
Fresh & Easy carries a limited number of brands in order to keep costs low. Unlike a supermarket, in which you will find 15 brands of ranch salad dressing, Fresh & Easy tends to carry two to three brands of any given item, at most, including its own brand. Although this does not give you much option in terms of new varieties or brands, the reduction in brand selection is perfectly fine for my shopping habits and for food staples.
Although I have characterized Fresh & Easy as a minimalist experience, I was pleasantly surprised to discover a number of interesting, unique items that I decided to try. Interesting flavor varieties, tempting and healthy prepackaged meals, an interesting selection of international food items (particularly British foods), and a gluten-free section for people who have special dietary requirements.
If you are used to shopping in more traditional grocery stores, then you may be disappointed by Fresh & Easy. But if you are nostalgic for a smaller-town, almost vintage, 1970s but with a modern twist, quieter grocery store experience, then you will almost certainly enjoy your visit to Fresh & Easy. And, besides, who doesn't like to save money on groceries? Keep your expectations in check, and you will love Fresh & Easy. Fresh & Easy is not Trader Joe's, it is not Safeway, it is not Whole Foods; Fresh & Easy is its own category with its own reason for being. I already love Fresh & Easy for what it is, and my wallet agrees.
Visit the Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market website here: http://www.freshandeasy.com/ (Archived Version)
