u/Livid_Debate_591

A couple months ago I posted here about how much grocery prices can vary even within one NYC neighborhood, and the comments made me realize the bigger question is how people actually deal with it.

Grocery shopping here feels weirdly strategic. Some people do one big shop, some bounce between 2–3 stores, some use delivery for basics and local stores for produce, some go out of their neighborhood for certain things, and some just wing it based on what’s nearby.

Curious what people actually do.

Do you plan around specific stores/items, check prices beforehand, keep a list, shop sales, or just go wherever is convenient?

Mostly asking because I’m trying to get better at shopping in the city without constantly feeling like I overpaid somewhere...

I’m trying to map out Long Island City grocery knowledge in a more useful way than generic store ratings.

For LIC, what’s actually worth buying where?

Like:

• best produce
• cheapest basics
• pantry staples
• meat/dairy/seafood
• specialty items
• places that are weirdly overpriced
• random good deals people know about

I’m putting this together as part of a free NYC grocery price map called Eggy, going neighborhood by neighborhood. The goal is to show what things actually cost and what each store is good for, based on what people notice while shopping.

LIC seems especially interesting because grocery shopping here looks pretty split between a few local supermarkets, Trader Joe’s/Target-type runs, delivery, Costco/bulk shopping, and sometimes going into Astoria or elsewhere.

Early page if anyone wants to follow along: https://www.eggynyc.com/

Would love to hear people’s LIC grocery strategies.

I’m trying to map out Greenpoint grocery knowledge in a more useful way than generic store ratings.

For Greenpoint specifically, what’s actually worth buying at each grocery store?

Like:

• best produce
• cheapest basics
• pantry staples
• decent meat/dairy
• places that are weirdly overpriced
• random good deals people know about

I’m putting this together as a free grocery price map for NYC, starting neighborhood by neighborhood. The idea is to show what things actually cost and what each store is good for, based on what people notice while shopping.

Early page is here if anyone wants to follow along / join the pilot: https://www.eggynyc.com/

I’m putting together a free grocery price map for NYC and trying to start with real neighborhood knowledge instead of generic store ratings.

For Williamsburg, what’s actually worth buying at each grocery store?

Like:

• best produce
• cheapest basics
• decent meat/dairy
• pantry staples
• weirdly overpriced stores
• random good deals people know about

The idea is to map what people already notice while shopping, so neighbors can see what stores are actually good for.

Early page is here if anyone wants to follow along / join the pilot: https://www.eggynyc.com/

I spent some time pricing out the same staples across stores in different neighborhoods. The gaps are genuinely wild, but not in the way you'd expect.

Here's what a dozen eggs costs right now:

- H-Mart (Amsterdam Ave): $9.99

- Pioneer Supermarket (Columbus Ave): $9.99

- Whole Foods (UWS): $7.99

- Key Food (Amsterdam): $6.79

- Fairway (UWS): $5.89

- Trader Joe's (UWS): $3.49

It's not always the fancy stores ripping you off. A Vital City reporter found kiwis at their local C-Town going for $9.99 while the same item was $6.99 at Whole Foods. Gothamist tracked prices across 20 stores for six months and found regional chains like C-Town and Foodtown were consistently more expensive than Trader Joe's and Aldi.

So the neighborhood bodega or local chain that feels like it should be cheaper than Whole Foods sometimes isn't.

Curious about a few things:

Do you already shop around, or do you just go to whatever's closest? Are there stores or neighborhoods you've figured out are consistently cheaper? And is a subway trip worth it if you'd save $15-20 on a weekly shop?

Would love to know how people actually handle this. Feels like information that should be a lot easier to find.