How often do you go downtown?

[eastcoastal]

Originally Posted by ILoveHalifax

I assume you are asking me.
Pete's has a reputation of being upscale. Their produce is the very best you will find in Halifax and certainly much better in quality than Whole Foods Orlando. The prices are lower than Sobeys and they last much longer. I know because living in the south end I also shopped Sobeys frequently for some things.
Meats are affordable especially if you shop the specials, otherwise can be a little pricey. They will also order free range turkeys and I frequently reserved or bought meats for special occasions. On a day to day basis I would buy cheap pork, etc at Sobeys.
You can find just about anything else you want at Pete's, and again if you watch the specials you can get some very good deals.
You can also find people ready to help you at Pete's and always with a very happy attitude and a smile. If they do not know the answer they find out the answer immediately.
Check out is frequently busy but always very efficient and friendly.
I used to shop Wild Oats in Fort Lauderdale years ago and also Whole Foods less frequently but Pete's is superior to both.

I've found produce, especially, to be well priced and WAY higher quality.

Cheese (while amazing) and prepared foods are expensive at Pete's: stick to produce and well-priced meats and you'll eat well without paying more than you would elsewhere.

[someone123]

Pete's is a nice store. It compares favourably to what I've found in some much larger cities.

Halifax is pretty good in general for food quality.

[Nouvellecosse]

I went last night and the store has a really nice vibe to it. I figured it might come across as posh and maybe a little too precious but it isn't at all. It has a very fun and basic neighbourhood type feel and the small scale and subtle lighting makes it seem cosy and intimate. The prices aren't necessarily higher than the non-sale prices of the supermarkets (although there are certainly some examples that are) but there seem to be very few sales in comparison. So to shop there on a regular basis would definitely mean paying a cost premium. But of course having such businesses in central areas in attractive, surface parking-free settings is worth paying extra imo.

[ILoveHalifax]

Glad you enjoyed your visit to Pete's - you can also watch his weekly specials and save - there is just an item or 2 in each section of the store.
Years ago he used to have a piano player playing most of the time - It always made me buy more in such a happy environment.

[Hali87]

We're unfortunately doing badly in food affordability though (on a national scale). I feel like the average price of food here is probably being pushed upwards by the proliferation of farmers markets* and specialty food shops while discount grocers haven't really caught on here (I only know of two No Frills in HRM and there isn't really any other equivalent locally - I guess some WalMarts?). I'm extremely surprised they're not more common/popular here.

*there are good deals to be found at the markets for sure, but on average prices tend to be higher than what you'd find at Sobeys, and more variable.

[Keith P.]

Originally Posted by Hali87

We're unfortunately doing badly in food affordability though (on a national scale). I feel like the average price of food here is probably being pushed upwards by the proliferation of farmers markets* and specialty food shops while discount grocers haven't really caught on here (I only know of two No Frills in HRM and there isn't really any other equivalent locally - I guess some WalMarts?). I'm extremely surprised they're not more common/popular here.

*there are good deals to be found at the markets for sure, but on average prices tend to be higher than what you'd find at Sobeys, and more variable.

I am actually surprised at how affordable food is here is you look for bargains. You mention No Frills and Walmart, both of which offer some very good pricing on certain items, and when you add to that the weekly flyer specials offered by the 2 chains you can do rather well here on food. The issue is you have to work at it a little bit. Not everyone here wants too. They would rather have a city-subsidized "food bus" park outside their front door.

[beyeas]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

I am actually surprised at how affordable food is here is you look for bargains. You mention No Frills and Walmart, both of which offer some very good pricing on certain items, and when you add to that the weekly flyer specials offered by the 2 chains you can do rather well here on food. The issue is you have to work at it a little bit. Not everyone here wants too. They would rather have a city-subsidized "food bus" park outside their front door.

Compared to when I lived in the US, the biggest differences I found price-wise was with milk more than produce (it is just so heavily subsidized in the US), and quality-wise the meat products were much worse in the US than in Canada.

I also found that the store-brands for Sobey's and Loblaw's are much much better than the equivalent store brands at places like Albertson's and Smiths.

In general I actually think we have it pretty good here in Halifax.

[Hali87]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

I am actually surprised at how affordable food is here is you look for bargains. You mention No Frills and Walmart, both of which offer some very good pricing on certain items, and when you add to that the weekly flyer specials offered by the 2 chains you can do rather well here on food. The issue is you have to work at it a little bit. Not everyone here wants too. They would rather have a city-subsidized "food bus" park outside their front door.

The problem is that most people don't live close to a No Frills or Walmart. They're easy enough to get to if you drive - they're not really usable if you don't, and a lot of people don't drive (and realistically can't afford to). Flyers do have good deals but that is nothing unique to this area so doesn't really affect our prices in relation to the national average. I would add that a lot of people (those working multiple jobs, students who work, young parents, etc.) don't necessarily have time to peruse all the flyers for deals.

[Nouvellecosse]

I may be interested in affordability, but not so desperate as to shop at No Frills. My god talk about depressing. I certainly don't expect a place to be posh or luxurious, but... I don't want to shop in Soviet-era Belarus either.

[worldlyhaligonian]

There are so many factors influencing the frequency of "going downtown in Halifax" that its hard to say "how often do you go downtown". Its pretty bad that there is no "Access Nova Scotia" downtown as far as I know, but we all know that downtown is anchored by employment and nightlife, although there are good opportunities for increases in residents.

Holy crap... downtown and outside of downtown is changing. Looking at the images of The Maple, The Roy, Nova Centre, Icon Bay, Robie Street and the Young Street towers... Halifax is becoming a different place. If transportation can be fixed and further density achieved, it will be much more viable for urban neighbourhoods to support small businesses even more than they do. There is also still room for bigger and diverse retailers.