I thought it might be fun to do some comparison shopping at the grocery stores servicing our City Beautiful, Coral Gables. We are very fortunate in that we have a good variety of options available for food purveyors. Publix, Winn Dixie, Milam’s and Sedano’s are all within a short distance of our community. I came up with a grocery list and took the time to visit each store to compile cost of each item. To my great surprise, there isn’t a clear winner. While one item may seem a bargain, the overall cost seems pretty much equal.
| Coral Gables Grocery Stores Comparison Shopping |  |
||||
| 1 dozen lg eggs | 2.45 | 1.99 | 1.89 | 2.19 | |
| 12 oz | Hormel Bacon BL | 5.09 | 5.49 | 5.69 | 3.99 |
| Peanut butter | 2.49 | 2.39 | 2.35 | 2.49 | |
| 1/2g | Milk McArthur | 3.75 | 3.99 | 3.89 | 3.59 |
| 64 oz | OJ – Tropicana | 3.89 | 3.69 | 3.99 | 4.19 |
| 1 lb | Land o Lake Butter | 3.49 | 3.49 | 3.43 | 4.19 |
| Honey nut cheerios | 4.09 | 4.79 | 4.09 | 4.29 | |
| Kraft cheese singl 24 | 3.99 | 4.89 | 3.99 | 4.99 | |
| 1 lb | Chuck ground beef | 3.29 | *1.68 | 2.69 | 2.49 |
| 1 lb | Chicken breast | 4.49 | 2.48 | 4.69 | 4.49 |
| 1 lb | Pork Loin chops | 5.59 | 5.39 | 4.89 | 4.69 |
| 1 lb | Farm Salmon | 6.99 | 7.49 | 6.99 | 6.99 |
| 1 lb | potatos | 1.09 | .66 | .89 | .69 |
| 1 lb | onions | .99 | .99 | .59 | .49 |
| 1 lb | Green Grapes | 1.99 | .99 | 1.29 | 1.69 |
| Oreo Cookies | 3.89 | 3.89 | 3.99 | 3.59 | |
| Ben & Jerry Vanilla | 3.09 | 3.00 | 3.99 | 3.99 | |
| 8 | Paper Towel | 8.19 | 8.29 | 8.99 | 8.49 |
|
TOTAL: |
$68.84 | $65.58 | $68.32 | $67.52 | |
At the end of the day, it is a matter of personal preference given the atmosphere and special relationships you might have with your butcher… Though, in my experience each has something special to offer. You will find unique items in each store that may make your trip there worthwhile. Here are some examples…
Publix
– Delicious Publix brand Turkey sausage
– Augey wine/ inexpensive ($6.99) decent table wine
– Mussels are best in town
Milam’s
– best olive oil I can find in a grocery store: Delallo (unfiltered).
– I like their sea food department
Winn Dixie
– I like their Produce
– Good selection of beef
Sedano’s
– This is where I go for my Cilantro and ethnic foods such as Yucca
I would love to hear about your mention of a special item you have enjoyed in any of these stores. Please share with us. We should also mention the coming soon of Whole Foods in Coral Gables scheduled to open on Sept 26. I for one, very much look forward to preview this new supermarket in our City Beautiful.