[lolagirl]

I checked out the new Hyvee supermarket on E Wash (in the old K Mart location).

My first impressions are good. The store is large and nicely laid out. They have an instore restaurant/takeout section for Chinese and Italian; I brought home some Chinese food that was nothing fantastic but more than serviceable. The instore buffet line restaurant thing strikes me as odd; I can't see going out to eat at a grocery store, but then I like to cook.

The place was really well staffed, and it appears that customer service is a big deal. Probably what I liked best was that the checkout lines were staffed with people - instead of those *&^%(*# self-checkout things that never register my canvas bags. Of course, I'm sure they're staffing extra heavy to start with, but it's still a good sign.

I checked prices in the aisles and they seem to be in-between Copps and Woodmans. In fact, if I was Copps I'd be really, really worried. Woodmans is a pit; the place is filthy, they don't rotate stock, and the meat is cut way too far in advance (ever see those giant, scary piles of sliced luncheon meat); but for canned and dry goods they're the cheapest around. Hyvee comes close to Woodmans when it comes to selection, especially for ethnic foods (they actually have those great Mexican candies) but can't match them for prices on canned goods.

They are clearly going to give Copps a run for their money. Hyvee has a produce section every bit as nice looking as Copps, but they also have the takeout sections; their meat counter looked good, they have fresh fish and all around had a look much closer to Sentry Hilldale than anything I've seen on the East Side. Prices seem a little less than Copps (though they may be lowering them for the opening). But even if the prices end up being similar to Copps, the store has extras that Copps doesn't, and for those of us on the East Side coming into town it's a lot simpler to stop on E Wash.

Any other forons been there yet?

[TheBookPolice]

Thought about it on Tuesday, but the parking lot was bursting at the seams. I had a beer distributor tell me he had high hopes for Hy-Vee's liquor department full-on competing with Woodman's.

[rabble]

I checked it out last night. My first impression was that they were going to kick Woodman's in the butt. I don't think Pierce's, Jenny Market and the like will even feel it because their customer base is based on locality and especially in Jenifer St Market's case, because they like buying from local producers. At Hy Vee the organic section is "guaranteed US" but that's about as specific as you get.

Crab legs on sale for 6.99 a pound. Nice deli. Italian and Chinese hot food, and a pretty large section called "the health market." I have a friend who's gluten intolerant and they have an entire aisle in that section devoted to it and a nice young man who claimed to have tried just about everything there who could tell me what tasted like cardboard and what didn't.

I hope it stays. That area needs one and the other bigbox groceries need a poke in the ribs.

[Henry Vilas]

I'm looking forward to the westside Hy-Vee that should open next year in the Westgate Shopping Center. It's just across the street from a Copps. Great for competition.

[boston_jeff]

After reading this thread, I will be trying it out this weekend. We are Woodman's/Jeni Street market people, but the meat and produce at Woodman's is pretty nasty. Hyvee is just as far as Woodman's for a drive, but Jeni we can walk.

[Bad Gradger]

The instore buffet line restaurant thing strikes me as odd; I can't see going out to eat at a grocery store, but then I like to cook.

It's not so much a buffet line as a proper hot deli with a dining area. Metcalfe's has one, but it's too skewed toward "look at all the expensive stuff we have!" for my tastes. If you don't shop at Metcalfe's or the co-op this will come as a bit of a novelty.

I agree Copps stands to take the biggest hit from Hy-Vee. Woodman's competes on price, and there's no way for a competitor to match it without cutting service back to their level. If Hy-Vee is simply no more expensive than Copps, they win on quality and breadth of service. If they can be cheaper, so much the better.

[rabble]

After reading this thread, I will be trying it out this weekend. We are Woodman's/Jeni Street market people, but the meat and produce at Woodman's is pretty nasty. Hyvee is just as far as Woodman's for a drive, but Jeni we can walk.

I like Jeni's meat counter. They grind their own hamburger.

[boston_jeff]

Yeah, Jeni is the best in Madison IMO. Nueske's bacon, high quality hamburger, brats and sausages, excellent pork, steak, ribs, chicken shrimp, fish, deli meat, yum. Great deli counter. Costco has some pretty good deli and meat as well, but its too far for more than monthly trips.

I don't expect Hyvee to compete on quality, but it may be a place for better meats and veggies than Woodman's. That pre-sliced deli meat disgusts me.

[juanton]

I can't wait to check this place out. Did someone say an entire aisle devoted to gluten free items?

Woodman's doesn't care about customer service. If they did, they wouldn't have changed their parking lot orientation several years ago. Their meat department blows too. Woodman's needs to step up their game now.

[rabble]

I can't wait to check this place out. Did someone say an entire aisle devoted to gluten free items?

There's a square section at the front center of the store called "Health Market" and it has one aisle devoted to gluten free. So it's not an entire store aisle but it's the largest selection I've run into around here.

It ain't cheap, though.

[hecky]

Well, if you want to see huge piles of pre-sliced deli meat, I have never seen more than I saw at the Hy-Vee. (That doesn't really bother me, though. Just saying.)
I will not shop at Copps so this does offer a good alternative to Woodmans -- and a choice for east siders who do not live near east or want to make a special trip to the Co-op...but I haven't tried the fish or seafood counters yet.

[TheBookPolice]

Well, if you want to see huge piles of pre-sliced deli meat, I have never seen more than I saw at the Hy-Vee. (That doesn't really bother me, though. Just saying.)

I noticed that too. It should bother you, because it's a much riskier practice in the long-run. But for opening week, I don't fault them for cutting a corner or two on prep-work to make the place look bountiful. It's the nature of the supermarket.

Once they get established, I hope they dial back the pre-slicing.

[boston_jeff]

Went on Saturday. Its cleaner than Woodman's and a lot more cheerful grinning employees. As far as I can tell, that's the only advantage. Less selection for the kinds of can/dry items I buy at Woodman's anyway, and the prices aren't lower. Produce section a bit better (similar to Copp's). But I use Jeni Street and the Farmer's Market for that stuff a lot of the time anyway. Meat, deli and frozen less selection than Woodman's, and they do the disgusting pre-sliced deli meat thing too. WTF is that? Immediate turnoff. I had to stop by Jeni after to buy fresh sliced turkey and roast beef. They had a few more seafood items than you might find at Woodman's, but nothing on the level of Jeni or Whole Foods for quality or selection. Also, nothing in the prepared foods (deli, hot sides, salads) will give Jeni or Whole Foods a run on quality.

I guess if you like organic/natural/gluten free whatever, they may have a bit more than Woodman's or Copp's. And its probably cheaper than TJ's and Whole Foods. Also, a weird cafeteria/food court area. Not my thing really. Seemed like a lot of oldsters sampling the food. If I want to eat out, I don't usually go to a large supermarket. If that's your thing, Hyvee provides, but the food didn't look like much.

[TAsunder]

I haven't been to Woodman's for a while, so maybe this is true there too, but my fiancee commented on the fact that HyVee has a huge array of mexican staples, including blocks of raw cane sugar, dried chilis (some of which I couldn't find at WF or Penzey's), etc. Otherwise it loses out because you don't get a modest discount on gas if you shop there like you do at Copp's.

She did note that they do have nutritionists who will shop with you and the building has done a lot of eco-friendly things that they are happy to tell you about in their brochure.

I don't really get the big deal about slicing processed meats. Steaks and other things, sure. But it's not like processed turkey is the world's greatest food to begin with. It has to be a marginal difference. Even Jeni street has pre-sliced nueske's bacon.

[boston_jeff]

I try to buy high quality lunch meat and I like it sliced fresh. The ends get dried and it probably has an effect on freshness if its sitting in a case pre-sliced. At good deli counters they will ask you the thickness you want as well. Its just gross and I have never seen it before my first trip to Woodman's. I don't have any specific evidence on pre-slicing vs. fresh slicing, but you won't catch me buying Boar's Head pre-sliced at the Hyvee.

Yes, the Nueske's is pre-sliced at Jeni, but that's the best bacon in the US and its supposed to be sold pre-sliced...