Update, 04jun04: Originally, this page was called “The Top 10 Reasons I Love Busch's, a little rave about our local grocery store.” But somebody actually emailed me about this list, so I've added her reason, as well as two more of my own that I remembered. Hence, the new title, perfectly appropriate given the way I buy bread products, especially Elaine's heavy poppyseed bagels. Now if only Elaine's would open an outlet in the A2-Ypsi area....
Busch's is a little local chain of grocery stores, perhaps 7 or 8. We switched almost exclusively to them several years ago, after Kroger followed Farmer Jack requiring its patrons to present a free membership card in order to get the best price. Well, I hate those things. If you want to track my purchases you're just gonna have to do it via my credit card. Besides the invasion of privacy, all those idiot cards clutter up my wallet, and while I'll never reach my dad's ideal of just two cards—driver's license and one credit card, plus a $20—I'd just as soon reserve any extra real estate for my own business cards, thanks.
Busch's is more expensive than the chains, but it has better quality, and isn't outrageously bad—any time I shop in Whole Foods, I feel like I'm engaged in the purchase of real luxury goods, never mind Zingerman's or that chi-chi grocery shop in Kerrytown (they do have the most fabulous things though—definitely the place for serious foodies.) Busch's has enough of the fancy groceries, especially at the Green and Plymouth road location (by far our favorite) that we nicknamed the chain ‘Busch's Yuppie Land’, but neither do I feel I'm totally and completely violating those American ideals of comparitive pricing and business competition when I shop there. So, here they are, my top ten reasons for shopping at our local chain:
One. Good product at a fair price.
Hollywood (another small chain, based in Oakland county whose claim to fame is good meat and blindingly fast lines) has better meat (not that I buy much meat anyway) and Meijer's has somewhat better and certainly a wider selection of produce. But Busch's has the best all-around product line—good meat, nice produce, including many exotic types, a decent selection of ethnic foods (I love ethnic food, but of course for the really authentic stuff, you visit an Asian, Indian or Middle Eastern grocery), yummy breads—they carry both Zingermann's and Elaine's Bagels. And, as I said before, the prices are fair.
Two. No stupid card!
The reason we switched over. I hate those things, viscerally.
Three. Larger, stronger, better made plastic bags and handled paper bags.
This may sound like a dumb reason for preferring a grocery store, but we re-use grocery bags extensively in this household, and I like using good ones. Busch's has the best.
Four. Public restrooms.
Not a big deal when we drive the car, but when we're riding bikes, we quite often need access to one...so we use Busch's. Oh, and buy $20–30 worth of groceries while we're at it.
Five. Bike racks.
See Four, above. Nice that they try to cater to wide range of their customers. For those with young children they have these playful car-carts, too.
Six. Friendly sales clerks.
The people working there seem to be reasonably happy with their jobs. I suppose now that I've written this they'll be staging a strike next week, but...
Seven. Free coffee and Donuts.
Again, not something I care about unless it's 20 degrees outside and I've been riding a bike for the last two hours, but the pick-me-up is pleasant spur to get me back on the road. (Yes, I really have bicycled in those temperatures. My record is 10 degrees F; the wizard's is five.)
Eight. Hours.
Our fave location is 24 hours. I think this is no longer the case...oh well.
Nine. Attractive architecture.
Maybe this sounds like a totally stupid reason for liking a grocery store, and again, I don't think all of the locations (such the Dexter) have it. The A2 and Ypsi ones do, though, and while it's not superb or anything like that, the brick exterior with a little extra massing is definitely a step up from the ugly anonymous boxes that characterize 99% of commercial American architecture. I understand this country has the best price as its ultimate determining factor, and that functionality must rule, but just driving along Southfield road north of the freeway is soul-draining, all the little strip malls and small office buildings are so ugly.
Ten. Interior decorations.
They've taken the trouble to paint murals and things on the wall, and it really is welcoming. Again, it seems like all the shops geared to the average person are anonymous, ugly and depressing. Let's hear it for a little art.
And here are three more reasons, not necessarily in the order I'd’ve put ’em if I'd thought of ’em when I originally created this list:
Eleven. No music.
This was contributed by an alert reader. The blinking coupons are also blessedly absent, as I recall, from Busch's shelves. Thank you, management!
Twelve. Free samples.
Costco also has this policy. I never have any guilt wolfing those things down, cuz, yeah, usually, I'm just eating free food (I'm a terrible mooch) but hey...every once in awhile I actually start buying something new.
Thirteen. Free recipes.
Another clever way to get me to try new and different things. And Busch's recipes incorporate the sorts of adventurous healthy eating that makes such a nice change from the old-fashion “cook a pound of meat, add a pound of grated cheese and top with a cup of sour cream. Oh, and add a 6oz package of frozen vegetables.” No wonder Americans are fat!
There you have it, my top-ten (now baker's dozen) for liking Busch's. They're not the only place I shop—Meijer's reputation isn't great, but at least they don't seem to incite the hatred over employee treatment or buying practices that Wal-Mart does, and they certainly don't have Target's appalling record with regard to stealing artists’ designs (_Crafts Reports_ puts Target way ahead of everybody else, and I gather Target is just as evil to clothing designers.) I let my Costco membership lapse, as much because there isn't one conveniently located where I now live; and I'm slowly moving in the organic direction, that is, buying from a local farmer (during the growing season), local farmers’ markets and local co-ops—I keep reading about these studies in Science News and the like about pesticide levels being lower in organic-food consumers—but we really do purchase probably close 90% of our food from Busch's.
I'd say that's loyalty, and probably unusual in this day and age.
Unless otherwise noted, text, image and objects depicted therein copyright 1996--present sylvus tarn.
