Grocery Outlet — Local services in Lacey

The worst thing about Grocery Outlet....

....is that I had to move away and leave it!!!

We moved to the Hawks Prairie area almost 4 years ago. We were leaving a Nashville suburb where Aldi had become my grocery store of choice. I love good, quality food but know for a fact I can get it at a better price than the major local grocery chains. I was bummed that there was no Aldi in town but dug up some info on Grocery Outlet, a super highly rated discount gro sto.

It immediately became my go-to grocery store. I quickly learned that stock rotates so if you see something you or your family loves, grab it +10 more! If not, you'll be super bummed when you get home and thing "dang...I want 10 more of these!" and it's gone when you go back. It is the perfect store to start your grocery shopping errands...again, stock rotates so they might not have those specific Mediterranean olives or sauerkraut you're looking for, but boy will it tick you off it you start elsewhere and then see the amazing prices you could have paid for what you already bought. I always started with Grocery Outlet and filled in at Costco with whatever they didn't have.

My husband is a Pediatrician so we already know how important it is to be selective about what you feed your family. However, I am a stay-at-home Mom and try to be cognizant of respecting somewhat of a grocery budget. (Even if I didn't have a budget I'm not the gal who could frolic throughout the aisles of Whole Foods shoving everything in the cart.) I couldn't believe the amazing selection of organic, wholesome, pure, nutritive foods they offered...at unreal prices. I gifted family members with $50 bottles of Italian olive oil I bought for $9.99!

I haven't even gotten to the best part...I adore wine. It is a true passion of mine and I have loved diving deep into the world of viticulture. My longterm goal is to become a sommelier - but my short term goal is to enjoy wine and Grocery Outlet made that goal happen. I have enjoyed some of the BEST wines the PNW has to offer. At $6-$15 a bottle. And the list prices were quite often 3-4x what I was paying. I was able to keep $30 bottles of Washington wine on hand in our stock to have as gifts for friends or last minute bottles for a dinner invite. We enjoyed the selection so much and, even more, I enjoyed talking about wine with the staff, especially Liz! She orders the best wines and always has something new and exciting on shelves.

So...the great prices, amazing stock, fantastic wine...that's enough right?! So those are what drew me. What honestly kept me coming back was the team. The owner, Howard, knew my kids by name, knew me by name, and when I asked for help with a foster kids non-profit I was involved with, said yes immediately and came through bigger than we could have imagined. I loved knowing I was supporting another local family when shopping for my family. Yes, every company has local workers who deserve to feed their families but I think it is pretty special when you walk into your grocery store and see the owner of the grocery store stocking shelves alongside employees....every single time. The owner treats employees and customers with respect and that personal experience goes above and beyond.

I shouted their name and sang their jingle as much as I could in the time that Lacey, WA was our home. I feel they get the hometown grocer gig right on the money and when we move back to Lacey for good (after our military life is over!), they will continue to have my business.

And I may or may not have sobbed in the parking lot the day before...

Great deals on stuff in there. They r a bit over the top with following people around the store asking if ur finding everything ok. I'm assuming it's because of all the shoplifting that goes on , but just because I'm a male between the age of 18 and 45 and dress in current fashion, doesn't mean I'm gonna steal anything. It's almost uncomfortable when I shop there, but keyword, almost. If it continues to happen I will just find a new place to shop for groceries. It's frustrating. But aside from that they do have efficient hard working cashiers who have personality, so I always at least leave with a smile! Especially Conner I think his name is. He always has a smile on his face and in a great mood with a sense of humor,and still keeps it professional. I would do 3 stars, but Conner bumps it up a whole star himself! Keep up the amazing job. He def deserves to be recognized for his work if he doesn't already. I hope he gets to read this and see this. He don't know me, but hopefully this brings a smile to his face the same way he does for many others. ...

They don’t enforce masks and it’s a Covid hotspot. Dont go if you don’t want to get that Positive test result. I brought it up to the manager and he said it was the law that they didn’t have to wear it in the store, this is a bold faced lie. They could be refused service for not wearing a mask. It’s obviously their agenda to break the rules.

In response to the manager below “ A business need not accommodate someone if doing so would impede the business’s ability to safely provide its goods and services. Under current Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance, allowing unmasked members of the public into business establishments creates a health and safety risk. Under these circumstances, businesses have a good faith basis to not accommodate an unmasked member of the public — although, no-contact shopping alternatives should be considered and communicated to the customer where a disability is involved.”

It was your personal choice to let those people into the store to cough on your products and infect your...