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Grand opening 4/30!

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  1. Oh Yea! Now we won't have to trek up to Middleton from Melrose. Didn't I read that MB was opening a store on Rte.1 North, Saugus sometime soon??

    What I'm really waiting for is the new TJ's in Saugus.

    20 Replies
    1. re: Gio

      You *like* Market Basket? I've only been in the Woburn and Burlington stores, and find them so incredibly dirty and with such cramped aisles, I just can't shop there.

      1. re: LindaWhit

        I have only been to the Woburn store, and found it dirty, too. But some of my SIL's go to one somehwere on the North Shore and love it. Say the prices are great- There is one in N Andover, not far from my office, but I never feel like grocery shoppiong after work. I am going to try the one in Reading. I HATE shaws, and usually go to Johnnies in Melrose, Wilson Farms in Lexington, BJ's and TJ in Burlington .

        1. re: macca

          There's an MB in Rowley on Rte.1 North. Have not been there myself but some of my friends who have an antique store in town shop there regularly and like it.....

        2. re: LindaWhit

          The Middleton store is very clean. Crowded but clean. We've been going there for a few months now. There's an organic produce aisle and I can find meats that neither Tendercrop Farm nor Wilson's does not carry. Plus, the prices are the lowest in the area.

          1. re: Gio

            That is the store my SILs rave about. Hope the reading store is as good. They said even the prices on non food items are as good as BJ's or WalMart

            1. re: macca

              I think the reason the Middleton store is so much better than others I've read about is that there is an upscale condo development very near by on that same road. For the life of me I can't remember the name but it's the same development co. as Parker Ridge in Newburyport.

              The prices are phenominal. And the selection of ethinc foods is vast.

          2. re: LindaWhit

            The Woburn store has been remodeled and is very clean now - VERY crowded but the aisles are much bigger. Hoping Reading will alleviate that situation!

            1. re: LindaWhit

              The Market Basket in Tewksbury is pretty good - large selection, clean store - better than the one in Andover, which unfortunately is not able to remodel due to leasing issues.

              1. re: Jeanne1116

                Thanks for all the replies, everyone! I will have to check out the Reading store as well. I have read that their ethnic food section is a lot better than Roche Bros., Stop & Shop and Shaws, so that'll be a bonus. Plus, since it's a new building, I'm hoping the crowded aisles won't occur.

                I forgot I also go into the Andover/Shawsheen Plaza MB, but only to pick up lottery tickets and English muffins for work, as well as the occasional frozen entree if I don't have anything for work lunch. :-)

              2. re: LindaWhit

                We were in the Burlington Market Basket just Friday evening and found it not at all dirty nor particularly cramped. It's certainly a more old-fashioned store than I usually shop in, but dirty and cramped? Less so than the average Stop and Shop, on both counts.

                Sure you're not thinking of the Somerville location? Because that one's definitely cramped and certainly on the dingy side.

                1. re: BarmyFotheringayPhipps

                  I think Linda was referring to the Woburn store- I was there a few years ago, and found it cramped and dirty, too. Never returned, as a matter of fact! Another posted let us know the store has been remodeled, so it may be better now.

                  1. re: macca

                    I was referring to both - last time I was in either store was at least 6-8 years ago. I knew the Woburn store had been remodeled; lived with the traffic anytime I wanted to go down Commerce Road or into the Woburn Mall for anything; hadn't realized the Burlington store may have also been remodeled. Either way - the experience was such I doubt I'll have a need to go there - but I will check out the new MB in Reading after the initial rush has died down.

                    1. re: LindaWhit

                      Never been to burlington- and only to woburn once! I may take a ride to the new reading store this weekend. still can't figure out why there would be a stop and shop and market basket right next to each other.

                  2. re: BarmyFotheringayPhipps

                    I like the Burlington store, too. It's a bit run-down, and is certainly cramped and crowded, but I like the old-fashioned feel. The staff have a great attitude and every cash register is staffed by an actual human being! In addition, the prices are unbeatable.

                  3. re: LindaWhit

                    I like the Market Basket in Woburn & Tewksbury. I have also been to MB in Burlington, Wilmington, Middleton, Danvers & Salem. I don't like the MB in Chelsea and Somerville. I'm sure that the Reading MB will be crowded because it's brand new.

                    1. re: LindaWhit

                      The Woburn store has wider aisles than most, and is very clean most of the time.

                      The prices are hard to beat, and the quality and choice of the meats beats their competition hands down.

                      What you need tor realize with MB is that the store is actively stocked during shopping hours. That's what creates the more crowded feeling - there are clerks in every aisle with carts and pallets, stocking the shelves.

                      That is much more cost effective to do that relying on the off-hours for stocking. So that's part of the reason why MB has better cost control and can pass those savings onto customers.

                      Hey, you tell me where else you can get milk at $2.69 a gallon and Cabot butter at $2.49 a pound. That's the kind of savings they offer. THere are some odd things they are more expensive for, but generally, MB is the deal. (Their chicken livers are large and immaculate compared to their competitions...they do very well with odd cuts and offal and the like, which have virtually disappeared elselwhere. And I can get good fresh kielbasa there with ease. et cet.)

                      MB is *not* Whole Foods. And that's a good thing.

                      I also love the fact that MB (like Roche Bros) hires the developmentally disabled as active workers.

                      1. re: Karl S

                        As I said in my reply to macca above, the last time I was in either the Woburn or Burlington MB stores was 6-8 years ago. And the issue with crowded aisles in both stores at the time was not clerks stocking the shelves - it was people with their carts, corralling their children, or people just walking away from their carts while they shopped in the next aisle without any consideration for anyone else who might need to get down that aisle where they left their cart. If it's changed in either store since then with the recently completed renovation - great.

                        I will definitely check out the new Reading store, as I'd assume they're not building new stores to the same size specs as the older stores were built. And I will definitely check out their different items, such as milk. If they carry Organic Cow 1% milk at a lower price than I pay at Stop & Shop or Roche Bros.? Bonus! However, I'll pass on the offal - I'm not a fan of liver. :-)

                        1. re: Karl S

                          i agree. the somerville market basket has some of the best deals around. Also, the produce and meat are of a much better quality than shaws and stop and shop. that said, the place is a zoo and you need to take some deep breaths before you go down any aisle. So as long as you're cool with not the most pleasant shopping experience you'll get some great stuff for really good prices.

                          1. re: cambridgeMike

                            Most definitely agree on the need to mentally prepare before shopping at the Somervillle MB. I shop there often, as their produce is excellent, but I make sure I'm in a very calm and zen mental space before entering the store. I know that it will take me longer to shop, as I'll have to often wait a few seconds in order to reach the produce bin I'm heading towards. But like cambridgeMike says, it's totally worth it.

                        2. re: LindaWhit

                          I shop the Ashland store which is not near where I live. But in the past few years they too have cleaned up their act and things are much better. I like the quality and variety of their foods, and the prices are the best around.

                        1. re: Chris VR

                          I googled it, and it says that is is right next to the new Stop & Shop.

                          I am thrilled if this is true, competition is good for the consumer!

                          1. re: mcel215

                            I bow to your superior Google skills- I couldn't find it anywhere!

                            NEXT to S&S? Innnnteresting.

                          2. re: Chris VR

                            I thnk it is near Jordons furniture.

                            1. re: macca

                              It's in the same parking lot of the K&G Fashion Superstore on Walkers Brook Drive. K&G is next to the former Frugal Fannies building. The new Stop&Shop is next to the new Market Basket.

                          3. I cannot find a weekly sales circular online for market basket.

                            Anyone have a link?


                            6 Replies
                            1. re: mcel215

                              Market Basket doesn't post a weekly sales circular online (at least not yet). I got the grand opening notice in the weekly flyer (mail)

                              1. re: mcel215

                                Market Basket is very low tech - no website, either.

                                1. re: Karl S

                                  Curiously enough, although the company doesn't have a web site, they have a Fan Club! LOL


                                  1. re: Karl S

                                    Yah, they're really in the dark ages, definately on purpose to get you there. I do get this thread, it's a MB so what!

                                    1. re: Karl S

                                      I live in Billerica; within a 5-mile radius there are 5 Market Baskets, yet their circular is not included in the weekly Globe Direct mailing (includes Roche Bros and Shaws, and until recently S&S, all of which are farther away). It took several months from the time I called their Tewksbury main offices (a human anwers the phone) to ask to be added to their mailing list for the circular to start arriving....wouldn't you know, they then started hanging them in baggies on mailboxes, so now I get 2. They had the non-postal delivery service some years back, then stopped. I found that if you shop on Saturday evening, the sale prices for the current AND next week are in effect.

                                    2. re: mcel215

                                      Their "website" is www.supportmarketbasket.org ; it is mostly about their proposed Gloucester store, but includes the weekly circulars in PDF format and a location list of all the stores (except Reading), All stores are open Mon-Sat 7am to 9pm; Sun 7am to 7pm (a few locations are open til 9 on sunday but only during the summer Tilton NH and Seabrook NH and maybe a few others) f.y.i. since all stocking as well as the changing of the shelf labels occurs while the store is open, both the current week and the next week sales will apply all day on saturday (bring both flyers as the shelf tags may have already changed)

                                    3. I had a very negative experience at one of the Billerica stores and called corporate offices in Tewksbury to tell them about it. The man who called me back was very upset by what happened at the Billerica store. He said MB has spent a lot of money on customer svc training. I got the sense they are trying to shake their Merrimack Valley roots and expand to a wider audience.

                                      He called me back to see if I had gone back to this Billerica store and what my experience had been. I shop there because their organic section is half the cost of Whole Foods and I can typically get org. carrots, broccoli, cabbage, apples, and avocado. I also find their non-org. produce to be of good quality and price. Amy's frozen food entrees are up to $1.50 cheaper than Whole Foods.

                                      1. It's probably going to be a mad house tomorrow, but DH & I will be there.... just because.
                                        I'll be the one with the rose between her teeth.

                                        2 Replies
                                        1. re: Gio

                                          Let us know how it is! If I think of it, I might try stopping there on the way home from work.