If you’re in need of some groceries, make your next food run less of a chore! These grocery stores are all looking to elevate your shopping experience, and bring more value to the inevitable task we all have to do at least once a week. Whether it’s fast check-out technology, zero waste, or having your vegetables pre-cut for you, these retailers are stepping up their game in more ways than one. Grab your cart, and get shopping because purchasing food has never been so cool or fun!
Take a look at 7 grocery stores with the best shopping experience below, and change the way you shop for food.
Walmart at Stockyards
With its state of the art technology, the Stockyards Walmart location in Toronto is really putting the super in Supercentre. Recently launched as a prototype for more innovative stores, this Walmart location is integrating e-commerce into the checkout process to bring you new fast lane technology. What this means is that customers simply download the app, scan items as they go, and then pay directly with their phone. No waiting in checkout lines! Literally just grab and go.
Nations Fresh Foods
We hear the words diversity and multicultural a lot these days, but they aren’t necessarily reflected in many grocery store offerings, that is until Nations grocery store opened. The grocery retailer focuses on offering multicultural produce and a wide assortment of prepared foods from all across the world. Whether it’s Eastern or Western, Nations’ focus is to bring you food that is diverse, fresh, and affordable.
Unboxed Market
As the name implies, Unboxed Market is Toronto’s first zero waste grocery store. You literally won’t find any single use plastic or plastic bags here, only recyclable paper packaging. Customers are encouraged to bring their own mugs and containers to put produce or other items in. Despite being waste free, there is no shortage of departments as this smaller-than-most grocery store is a one-stop-shop. Along with the usual produce, deli, and dry good offerings, you can even find lotion and shampoo in dispensers that are ready to be put into your own reusable containers.
Pusateri’s
Pusateri’s is calling all vegetarians and vegetable lovers! Not only is it one of the most beautiful grocery stores in Toronto, but the high-end food retailer also has its own vegetable butcher. Similar to a regular butcher, this person will chop and prep all of your vegetables right before your eyes or while you shop. Unlike packaged and chopped veggies, you know these will be incredibly fresh, not to mention how much of a time saver it is.
Lady York
If you’re looking for a specialty grocery store in the European-Italian sense, then Lady York has got you covered. Having opened in 1959, Lady York has a lot of experience in purveying specialty foods, gourmet items, and high quality produce & deli products. The family-owned business has been operating for 55 years so they must be doing something right because let’s be real: have you ever met a traditional Italian who made mundane food? Point taken.
Farm Boy
Farm Boy is the perfect grocery store for people who love markets! The folks behind this mega successful store have taken the fresh market approach and turned it into a retail chain. Everyday, buyers go out and source produce and meat from local markets, which they bring back to the stores. The end result are shelves filled with the freshest ingredients, all in one place!
Organic Garage
We’re pretty sure all of us would like to buy organic, the only problem being the cost. That’s where Organic Garage comes in, with its organic, low-cost model. Along with a fun and playful approach to grocery shopping, the stores are filled with murals and hopscotch and it even employs smart buying practices that allow for organic food to be priced for less. You won’t ever have to pay an arm and a leg to shop healthy again.
If one of your resolutions for 2019 was to be less wasteful, then this new grocery store on Dundas West needs to be on your radar.
Toronto’s first waste-free grocery store, Unboxed Market, is 100% just that and they want everyone to know it. From how they receive product, to how we (the customer) buy it, it’s all done with as little waste as possible. How does this work, you ask? Well it sounds complicated but it’s actually really easy being green!
Simply bring your empty containers/jars/whatever and weigh them, as this’ll come in handy at checkout (don’t worry if you forget containers at home—you can pay a deposit for theirs.) Then go ahead and peruse the aisles, shop the spice drawers, sample the deli meat at the back, and let your mouth water at the hot food table.
Once you’re all shopped out, the cashier will weigh your goodies and deduct what your container weighs and that’s it—easy grocery shopping all done without the shame of Mother Nature.
Whether you’re on the hunt for fresh and local produce, soft baguettes, fragrant spices, or specialty items like duck eggs or made in-store chorizo, Unboxed Market has it all and it’s all done with as little waste as possible.
Unboxed Market is everything we love about bulk stores mixed with the expertly curated selection you’d find at a higher up grocery store without the crazy jacked-up prices.
Unboxed Market is the brain child of Michelle Genttner and Luis Martins. It came to life after the two witnessed first-hand how much waste there is in the restaurant and hospitality industries.
Both Michelle and Luis were raised to appreciate food and be mindful of where it comes from and it was working in the restaurant industry where they saw the disconnect most people have with their food.
A really interesting fact we learnt from Michelle is that a grocery store’s largest profit loss is produce. This is because sometimes it goes bad before it’s purchased, and one thing they do to stop that loss from happening is they use it in dishes that they serve at the hot table and café. Brilliant, right?
Not only is everything available in the store done with as little packaging as possible but it doesn’t end there. When Unboxed Market receives shipments from suppliers, they ensure that where it comes from is mindful about waste as well. Plus, when products are shipped to the store, Unboxed Market sends the crates back to the suppliers so they can use it again—actual recycling is pretty genius, right?
At Unboxed, Michelle and Luis want to involve the community as much as possible and that involves hosting fun food events for everyone to enjoy. They recently hosted an olive oil tasting with olive oil brand, Olive Pressée and have many plans for in-store events in the future.
Not only does Unboxed supply gorgeous produce and ready-to-eat deliciousness right in the store but they also have a cafe. The cafe is right at the front of the store and it’s there that they serve coffee (duh!), their house-made pastries along with to-go lunches. Just remember to bring your own coffee mug or carafe!
Looking to use more non-toxic products? Well Unboxed Market has you covered because there is literally a wall of clean and non-toxic beauty and household products that you can dispense into your own bottles and take home!
Take a peek inside Unboxed Market below.
Featured Image: Instagram/@unboxedmarket
All other images by StyleDemocracy
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