To Market to Food Market

Here’s what’s cookin’ at Tucson grocery stores for Thanksgiving.

AJ’s Fine Foods
Serve a 16 to 18 pound turkey with all the trimmings plus crudite tray and dessert for $129.99. You must order by November 21.

Albertsons
Honeysuckle White frozen grade A turkey is available for 43 cents/pound, limit 1. Other turkey options are frozen Butterball premium turkey grade A for 99 cents/pound, fresh Jennie O all natural prime young turkey 99 cents/pound, fresh Butterball premium turkey $1.69/pound, and fresh Lil Butterball young turkey $1.99/pound. You can get order a dinner that serves 6 to 8 which includes all the fixings (but not dessert) for $39.99. Albertsons is open to 5 p.m. on Thanksgiving.
Food City
You can get Norbest 10 to 24 pound frozen turkeys with a minimum $25 purchase for 39 cents/pound. For 6 to 8 people, get a turkey with all the fixings including an apple or pumpkin pie for $39.99. Food City is open from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Thanksgiving.

Fry’s
If you don’t feel like cooking, get a complete turkey or ham dinner for $44.99 with VIP card ($49.99 without card). Dinner serves 6 to 8 people and includes dessert; 24 hour notice. Turkey runs the gamut in pricing — Jennie O or Honeysuckle turkey with bone in (frozen) is $1.99/pound with VIP card; a 10-20 pound fresh Jennie O turkey costs $1.29 pound with VIP card; and an 8 to 20 pound Jennie O frozen grade A turkey costs 37 cents/pound with VIP card (for the first one). Fry’s is open until 4 p.m. on Thanksgiving.

Safeway
At Safeway, if you spend at least $25, you can buy up to two 8 to 24 pound grade A frozen turkeys for 39 cents/pound. A fresh 8 to 24 pound turkey will cost 99 cents/pound while supplies last with a limit of two. Most Safeway stores are open until 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving.

Sunflower
Sunflower as all natural fresh turkeys for $1.27/pound. If you don’t feel like cooking, order the holiday meal for 2 at $24.99 or for 6 to 8 for $49.99. Sunflower is open from 7 a.m. to  4 p.m. on Thanksgiving.

Here are some safety tips for buying, thawing, and preparing your Thanksgiving turkey.

True story: The first time I made a turkey, I failed to remove the packaged giblets stuffed into the cavity. Nobody told me to do that and the recipe I was following failed to mention. It was gross.

It’s possible that Kroger’s Fry’s and Safeway will go on strike. Both chains have advertised for temporary workers to cross the picket lines and pick up the slack.

How do you feel about these two big box food stores striking in such a down economy when unemployment is double digit?

Is anyone who is reading this going to strike?

Is anyone who is reading this going to cross the picket line to shop if there is a strike?

I remember last year or the year before when Ralph’s Market (another Kroger market) in So. Cal. went on strike. It lasted months and in the end, I think the workers lost more then they gained.

The dissent lies with wages and healthcare costs. So what else is new?

good deals at Tucson super markets

Food City
–Good deals on Thursday in the produce aisle: 5 cukes for $1, 4 persimmons for $1, 3 pounds of Mexican grey squash for 99cents, and 3 pounds Mexican papaya for 99 cents (I love Mexican papaya.)

Fry’s
–Fry’s wants to save you money this week; you will need a VIP card which is always free to obtain. For you carnivores, buy one USDA roast and get the second one free, must be equal or less value. That sounds like a really good deal to actually get a roast free.
–To further get you into the store, Fry’s is accepting every kind of coupon from all its competitors. Who can resist that? Even from Wal-Mart grocery stores, Sunflower, Whole Foods.
–If that isn’t enough, all your coupons will be $1 off even if your coupon is for 10 cents or 25 cents. Geez!

Safeway
–Here you also get the $1 off coupon for any coupon up to $1.
Sunflower Farmers Market
–This week they have Haas avocados 2 for $1 (last week I paid 88cents/each). This week they also have 5 Rio Red Texas grapefruit for $1 (last week I paid 2 for $1 which at the time I thought was a good deal). –A bottle of Tejava unsweetened premium black tea is on sale for 99cents/litre. The glass bottle probably costs more than the tea. Trader Joe’s* sells the same bottle for $1.19. 
–It’s not too early to order your Thanksgiving dinner if you don’t want to cook. Here it starts at $24.99 for a half boneless turkey breast (serves 2) + the trimmings or the family meal day costs $49.99 and includes a 10-12 pound turkey with all the sides + an 8-inch pumpkin pie. You can taste before you buy at the Thanksgiving Tasting Fair on November 14 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

All the markets have other deals of course, but I just mention the ones that don’t seem too complicated or are especially enticing.

Speaking of Trader Joe’s they now have free wine tasting in all their stores. You (must be 21+) can taste up to three wines.

• So where do you do your grocery shopping?
• Do you use coupons?
• What persuades you to shop where?