Molly McVety,Brandon HolveckDelaware News Journal
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The opening of Delaware's first Wegmans offers another option for shoppers in northern Delaware.
The new specialty store joins Delaware's standard, discount and wholesale grocery stores we rely on for our everyday shopping needs.
So, we've broken down Delaware's offerings to help you chart your grocery store plan of attack, whether you're looking for something nearby, or specialty foods.
Acme/Safeway
Locations:
- 146 Fox Hunt Drive, Bear
- 1 University Drive, Christiana
- 128 Lantana Drive, Hockessin*
- 460 E. Main St., Middletown*
- 100 College Square, Newark
- 100 Suburban Drive, Newark*
- 2400 Peoples Plaza, Glasgow (Safeway)
- 1308 Centerville Road, Prices Corner*
- 1812 Marsh Road, Brandywine Hundred*
- 2098 Naamans Road, Brandywine Hundred*
- 4720 Limestone Road, Pike Creek*
- 1401 N. Dupont St., Wilmington
- 1901 Concord Pike, Fairfax
- 4365 Kirkwood Highway, Milltown
Hours: 6 a.m.-10 p.m. (Seven stores above are open until 11 p.m. and marked with an asterisk).
Market presence: Albertsons, the parent company of Acme and Safeway, has the largest presence in Delaware’s grocery market. Their stores contributed a combined $479.1 million in sales in Delaware in 2022. Albertsons dominates the grocery market in New Castle County especially, holding nearly 20% of the market share.
Sales and delivery options: Albertsons stores are often pricier than competitors. A Consumers’ Checkbook study found in 2018 that Acme had the second-highest prices in the Delaware Valley, behind Whole Foods. Weekly ad coupons provide customers with discounts on certain items.Acme offers online ordering, curbside pickup and home delivery.
Food Lion
Locations:
- 1607 Pulaski Highway, Bear
- 3609 Philadelphia Pike, Claymont
- 1200 Beaver Brook Place, New Castle
- 401 New London Road, Newark
- 907 S. Chapel St., Newark
- 4401 Governor Printz Blvd., Fox Point
- 501 W. Main St., Middletown
Hours: 7 a.m.-11 p.m. daily
Market presence: Food Lion is another of the most abundant grocery stores in Delaware with sales reaching $235 million in the past year.
Sales and delivery options: Food Lion offers weekly specials and a variety of private-label alternatives. The store’s MVP Loyalty Program offers customers certain rewards, digital coupons and exclusive pricing on certain products.All locations offer grocery pickup services if ordered through the store’s website.
Giant
Locations:
- 300 Eden Square, Bear
- 200 Dove Run Drive, Middletown
- 4301 Concord Pike, Talleyville
Hours: 6 a.m.-midnight. Pharmacy closes at 9 p.m.
Market presence: Giant’s six grocery stores in Delaware (three in Sussex County) have earned $279.5 million in sales within the past year.
What's unique: Giant isn’t necessarily known for its low prices or special product options, but it does provide a wide variety of products — not just food. Certain locations also partner with gas station Shell, which can make for a convenient one-stop shop when needed.
Sales and delivery options: In addition to the weekly ads, Giant offers flexible rewards, which can be used to save on groceries and gas. For every 100 points accumulated, customers can save $1 on groceries and 10 cents off every gallon of gas at participating Giant and Shell locations. Giant offers online ordering, curbside pickup and home delivery.
ShopRite
Locations:
- 1101 Governors Place, Bear
- 700 Plaza Drive, Glasgow
- 19 Chestnut Hill Plaza, Ogletown
- 1600 W. Newport Pike, near Newport
- 1300 Rocky Run Parkway, Brandywine Hundred
- 501 S. Walnut St., Wilmington
Hours: 6 a.m.-9 p.m. daily (Governors Place and Walnut Street close at midnight.)
Market presence: Despite its smaller presence, ShopRite is just behind Albertsons with a 15.64% market share of Delaware. Sales reached $326.2 million in the past year.
What's unique: Shoprite is most likely the cheapest option out of the standard grocery stores listed. There have been recent complaints about the self-checkout-only policy, but there is usually a more diverse selection of food and products for special diets or cuisine types to choose from.
Sales and delivery options: They also provide promotions every day on certain items that customers can use to their advantage. ShopRite offers online ordering and delivery through Instacart.
Zingo's
Location: 1 Polly Drummond Shopping Center, Pike Creek
Hours: 7 a.m.-9 p.m. daily
What's unique: Zingo's has been a Pike Creek fixture for more than 30 years. The store is a value option compared with nearby competitors such as Acme. It also carries some local items.
Delivery options and sales: Zingo's doesn't offer online ordering, curbside pickup or home delivery. A weekly ad can be found on its website.
Aldi
Locations:
- 323 W. Main St., Christiana
- 1002 Bunker Hill Road, Middletown
- 2205 Farrand Drive, Stanton
Hours: 9 a.m.-8 p.m. daily. (Stanton opens at 8:30 a.m.)
What's unique: Aldi is known for stocking its limited selection of cheap, private-label products in shipping boxes arranged around its store. After using a quarter to get a shopping cart, customers can stock up on produce, gourmet cheeses and more, all priced at a reasonable level.Aldi has a surprisingly good refund policy as well. When you return a product, you get a refund from the store and get a replacement item.It’s been said that shopping at Aldi mid-week is the best choice because that is when new products are released and customers can get the best deals on produce.
Sales and delivery options: Weekly specials can be viewed on Aldi's website. Aldi offers online ordering, curbside pickup and home delivery.
Lidl
Location: 359 Auto Park Drive, Middletown
Hours: 8 a.m.-9 p.m. daily
What's unique: Lidl sells their low-priced, private-label products out of shipping boxes. Sound familiar?Both Lidl and Aldi have a lot of similarities in terms of the low prices they offer, how they run their stores and even their refund policy. Very few employees are seen on the floor of either store. This combined with the use of shipping boxes allows both companies to cut costs and sell their products at lower prices. Lidl is, however, known for its bakery, offering loaves of bread, apple turnovers and other items baked in-store.
Another Lidl has been in the works of opening in Bear for around two years but has repeatedly been slowed down by the pandemic.
Sales and delivery options: Lidl also offers shopLidl, a home delivery service where customers’ groceries can be delivered to them. With a myLidl membership, customers receive 3% off every delivery order.
Janssen's Market
Location: 3801 Kennett Pike, Greenville
Hours: Monday-Saturday 7 a.m.-7 p.m., Sunday 8 a.m.-6 p.m.
What's unique: A Greenville landmark for more than 50 years, Janssen's is well known for its cheese counter — its fromagerie features more than 200 varieties — as well as its in-house butchers, seafood department and on-staff florist. It has been run by three generations of Janssen family members.
Delivery options and sales: Online ordering and curbside pickup are available through Janssen's website. Some products can be delivered through Choice Doorstep. Sales can be found on their website.
Produce Junction
Location: 2012 W. Newport Pike, near Newport
Hours: Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-6 p.m., Saturday 8 a.m.-5:30 p.m., Sunday 8 a.m.-4 p.m.
What's unique: Produce Junction storesfeaturethree sections — fruits, vegetables and flowers. Within those departments, the companyis known for stocking items not typically seen in the area, including dragon fruit, rambutan and cactus leaves.
Delivery options and sales: Products are sold in store only. Daily specials are posted on the Produce Junction website.
Sprouts
Location: 4801 Concord Pike, Brandywine Hundred
Hours: 7 a.m.-10 p.m. daily
What's unique: The Arizona-based natural foods chain considers itself a "starter" store for those looking to adapt healthy eating habits with highly trained staff able to direct customers to specific products, said spokesperson Diego Romero. Sprouts shies away from selling top-selling snack and drink brands and instead offers unique organic options and many products from its own brand. It's larger than Trader Joe's, but smaller than traditional supermarkets.
Jeff Campbell, a former Whole Foods Market manager who runs the blog "The Grocery Store Guy," considers Sprouts an option for certain products, but not full grocery loads. "Sprouts often has a few rock-bottom deals they feature prominently, but on average, Trader Joe’s is almost always less expensive than Sprouts across the entire store," he wrote.
Delivery options and sales: Sprouts offers online ordering, curbside pickup and home delivery. Its mobile app lists monthly and weekly deals and offers digital coupons.
Dive deeper: Take a look inside Delaware's first Sprouts with our tour.
Trader Joe's
Locations:
- 2500 Fashion Center Blvd., Christiana
- 5605 Concord Pike, Brandywine Hundred
Hours: 8 a.m.-9 a.m. daily
What's unique: You won't find many national brands at Trader Joe's. The stores are stocked with "unconventional and interesting products" from the company's own line. Some products are in limited seasonal supply, while others are always in stock and become cult favorites like many of the frozen food items, the "unexpected cheddar," and the dark chocolate peanut butter cups.
Delivery options and sales: Products are sold only in Trader Joe's stores, which are about a tenth the size of traditional supermarkets. There are no sales, coupons or membership cards.
Dive deeper: Take a look inside the Trader Joe's at Christiana Fashion Center with our tour.
Wegmans
Location: 371 Buckley Mill Road, Greenville
Hours: 6 a.m.-midnight daily
What's unique: Among Wegmans' calling cards is its prepared foods section, which features sushi, poke bowls, pizza, burgers, desserts and baked goods. A small seating area accompanies the prepared foods. Artisan cheeses — showcased in their own section — are aged in Wegmans' New York cheese caves. "The employees are helpful, they're nice, and the selection is great," said Bear resident Kelley Zugger. Delaware's first Wegmans is larger than Trader Joe's and Sprouts, but smaller than its earlier stores.
Delivery options and sales: A free Shoppers Club membership provides access to digital coupons and personalized recommendations. Wegmans offers online and mobile app ordering, curbside pickup and home delivery.
Dive deeper: Take a sneak peek inside Delaware's first Wegmans as we explain the layout.
BJ's
Locations:
- 124 Sunset Blvd., New Castle
- 100 Pencader Plaza, near Newark
- 2131 Kirkwood Highway, near Elsmere
Hours: Monday-Saturday 8 a.m.-10 p.m., Sunday 8 a.m.-8 p.m. (open until 9 p.m. in New Castle)
Membership details: The wholesale club's basic membership is $55 per year. The "perks rewards" membership for $110 per year offers 2% cash back on most purchases, exclusive events and BJ's travel benefits.
Delivery options and sales: BJs offers online ordering, curbside pickup and home delivery.
Costco
Location: 900 Center Blvd. S, Christiana
Hours: Monday-Friday 10 a.m.-8:30 p.m., Saturday 9:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
Membership details: The Gold Star "everyday value" membership is $60 per year. The "executive" membership, which comes with service discounts and a 2% annual reward, is $120 per year.
Delivery options and sales: Through its online service CostcoGrocery, Costco offers online ordering and home delivery. Costco posts monthly deals on its website. The prices of closeout products end in 97 cents.
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Contact Molly McVety atmmcvety@delawareonline.com. Contact Brandon Holveck atbholveck@delawareonline.com. Follow him on Twitter@holveck_brandon.
