When we first started looking, Sergio and I were bummed that we couldn't find a grocery store within reasonable driving distance from our house that has an extensive bulk foods selection and bulk personal hygiene products selection and a full deli with meats and cheeses. In fact, we couldn't find a grocery store that has any of those, so we have been shopping at the Raley's in Fremont, which at least has some bulk food items and a decent organic selection.
However, when we were driving home from Raley's this week, we noticed that the dead Barnes and Noble just around the corner suddenly has some action in it. After a little Internet searching, lo and behold! Sunflower Farmers Market is opening a store in Fremont in June. June! Just a few weeks away! I hadn't heard of Sunflower before, but it seems to be a store that specializes in organic and bulk items. This is good news.
Internet searching further revealed that a Whole Foods/Paycheck is also slated to open in Fremont sometime during 2012, but details about this opening are much sketchier than those regarding the Sunflower store. In my experience, Whole Foods is just about as divisive as opinions about Justin Bieber's talent. It's either love him or hate him, and those who hold the opposite opinion are fools.
Say what you want about the weird CEO of Whole Foods, the lack of union for employees, and the ridiculous prices, they do stock a lot of bulk items.
Regardless of where we shop. one aspect of bulk food purchasing that we are struggling with is the wastefulness of brining the items home in plastic bags with twist ties. We have been brainstorming like crazy to try and come up with an alternative, and would love any suggestions about how to proceed. We need a method of conveyance that is light, reusable, and lableable. Currently, my best thought is Ziploc bags. This isn't the best solution; however, it is light enough to be weighed without causing an issue at the store, reusable to a certain extent, and could be pre-labeled with a marker to indicate the bin number of the bulk item inside.
Any better ideas before June will be eternally rewarded with a neverending good feeling in the heart.
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