How do you take your Kroger - Ghetto or Yuppie?

[MRice]

ERD all the way.  I've had too many unpleasant experiences at the Skyhaven one.  It's a stretch to get me to grocery shop happily to begin with.  Probably one of the biggest shocks moving to the south was the general atmosphere in grocery stores.

What kind of unpleasant experiences?

Food stamp day.  I nearly got into fistacuffs after rolling my eyes too obtrusively at a woman who had five separate transactions for one cart full of groceries.  Asking for tilapia and being told they only carry Whiting.  Trying to find ingredients and having people look at me like I'm from Mars.  Granted this was pretty much in the early days after they just opened.  It may be different having grown up somewhere entirely not the south, but grocery shopping in California is such a different experience that I am still somewhat shocked - even if some of this stuff has gotten much better.

One of the most shocking things was the total lack of eye contact from checkers, the idea that you do not exist right there in front of them.  I will never forget going to the Kroger in Ansley and being thrilled to have a checker talk to me, make eye contact, be friendly, etc.  I finally said, "Are you from Atlanta?"  She answered, "Oh no, I'm from Moreno Valley in California."  (basically 20  miles from where I grew up).  Surreal.

I blame Food Stamp Day. It's been quite a while since I've been stuck trying to do big groceries then; makes me all stabby in general to shop on Food Stamp Day.

The staff at GK is pretty friendly to me. I almost always have at least meaningless pleasant banter with the cashiers, and there are probably four or five floor staff people who know me well enough to always say hi. More than anything, I think they get shit on by bad customers - being nice to them and treating them like actual human beings seems to get good results.

I think that's another Southern thing - we don't wait for the other person to be the one who acts nice and friendly.

I don't get this idea of grocery shopping just being different in California. Maybe things were generally different when you were there or in the kind of community you lived in, but I think you find Community A in Georgia that's a lot like Community B in California (or wherever) and the experience will be pretty similar. No?

In California grocery stores sell booze.  Sometimes it's nice, high-end booze behind a locked window.  I used to see Peter Boyle at my neighborhood Pavillions before he was super TV famous.

Tom Landry shopped at my Safeway in Texas, where I also had a husband named Tom. One time I found myself yelling for my Tom to come back down the aisle and instead I got Landry.

[Cap'n Ken]

I'm sure the neighborhoods where Peter Boyle and Tom Landry shopped were very comparable to ours.

[Dave2PVD]

Why the hell do they call ERD "Racial Tension Kroger"? The only tension I ever notice is from the Inman Park yuppies looking down on the Candler Park yuppies.

It's changed. When it first opened, the RTK moniker was very apt. Hairy eyeballs in abundance. Now, notsomuch.

FormerRacialTensionKroger.

[ManBearPig]

ERD, but then again, its 3 blocks from our house, and the property manager is a hottie. 

[enduser]

Yuppie. I go in the Hardee way and have few problems. I like the drive, and the Murrays cheese bar.

The drive and the Murrays cheese bar? Murrays cheese bar I get - you're a Yankee Fancy Boy. What's so enthralling about the drive?

Any excuse to drive on a road called Whitefoord.

Spotted Trotter is on the way, I like that. And my first apartment in Atlanta was a few doors down from what is now ERD Kroger. The EAV to Kirkwood to Edgewood drive is just a longstanding habit. Hosea and Whitefoord are like two oddly named old friends.

[MRice]

I'm sure the neighborhoods where Peter Boyle and Tom Landry shopped were very comparable to ours.

Well, they have been home to several of the same residents. ;-)

[Cap'n Ken]

Yuppie. I go in the Hardee way and have few problems. I like the drive, and the Murrays cheese bar.

The drive and the Murrays cheese bar? Murrays cheese bar I get - you're a Yankee Fancy Boy. What's so enthralling about the drive?

Any excuse to drive on a road called Whitefoord.

Spotted Trotter is on the way, I like that. And my first apartment in Atlanta was a few doors down from what is now ERD Kroger. The EAV to Kirkwood to Edgewood drive is just a longstanding habit. Hosea and Whitefoord are like two oddly named old friends.

Fair enough. I can't say I'm so enchanted with Edgewood, but I kind of feel that way about routes that take me past some of the cool houses in Kirkwood, East Lake, etc.

[Cap'n Ken]

I'm sure the neighborhoods where Peter Boyle and Tom Landry shopped were very comparable to ours.

Well, they have been home to several of the same residents. ;-)

Sure, and I used to live in Alpharetta and shopped with Deion Sanders.

[lorelei]

If I just want frozen/canned/staples stuff or cat food, Skyhaven, because it's so much easier to deal with parking wise.  If I want produce or decent meat, or "sushi", it's ERD.

(but normally I go to Publix or YDKFM)

[bestPBRever]

skyhaven kroger. some of the people there go out of their way to say hi to me since i'm there so much.

i once tried to push a shopping cart around erd and it was a complete fail because there were so many people in there oblivious to others shopping around them.

[ohmylorelei]

Yuppie.

But this comes up maybe 3 times a year. I'm a devoted Publix shopper.  I just go to Kroger if I'm needing an item or two, and I'm at ERD.

[Bird]

I frequent Kroghetto more often than not, simply because I live between in Eastland/Skyhaven.  It's pretty decent since the remodel of a couple of years ago.  Still smells a little funny sometimes.

I buy all of my produce and regular groceries, if possible, from Sevananda.  I mostly buy almond milk, diapers, and bread at Kroghetto.

[Flower Lady]

The conversation about shoppers at each Kroger is curious to me. I find the shoppers to be pretty equal at both. The weirdest day was when some very suburbany looking white lady left her purse and all her belongings in her cart by the registers and took an elevator (entered it at least) somewhere (offices I presume). I didn't realize that was were she went. I just saw a purse in an empty cart and was like "OH MY!!!" two male employees came and watched the cart from a few feet away, lady returned and everything was fine. Ghetto Kroger!! I would expect to have the purse swiped at ERD Kroger in a minit. Personally, I find the clientele creepier there.

[mbmcloughlin]

I prefer Publix. However, if I am home, I will usually go to the "Ghetto" Kroger.  Closer, parking is easier and it is less crowded.  The ERD Kroger physically s a nicer store, but is it hard to get around/find things and the parking is awful.

[lorelei]

I will say I also think the staff and clientele at Skyhaven Kroger is somewhat nicer/more real than the ERD. I remember about a year ago slipping on a puddle of some unknown clear substance in the floor of the ERD kroger and completely, totally busting my ass. Basket and contents flew everywhere, I hit my head on the floor and knocked the wind out of myself. I laid there for several minutes because I simply could not breathe, and customers and employees both just walked right by like I was a pile of tomatoes until one sweet as hell hippie lady finally came over to me to ask if I was ok and helped me pick up my basket and track down the groceries. I didn't go back for a long time after that because seriously, when someone is very clearly hurt, who just walks by like they don't exist?
I think that's why I like Publix so much, all the people there are just so damned nice. The employees always say hello, most of the checkers ask about my cats, they never card me anymore, the one produce stocker guy will even go to the back to find fresher stuff if he knows they have it and it just isn't out yet. The cashiers at the Skyhaven Kroger are far closer to the Publix experience than the ERD are.