Grocery Outlet — Local services in Oakland

I love the stuff they sell, and that it changes a lot, and shop here often. It's interesting, but it takes me way more time to shop here than at other markets, because of the changing products and lack of prices.

'Huge organic section'? They briefly had lots of fresh organic stuff (early 2010), but have had little for months.

I find it maddening that SO MANY ITEMS AT THIS STORE HAVE NO PRICE. (-2 stars.) I'd say over 2 dozen items that I consider per visit have no price info at all - on the shelf or item - including stuff that they try to sell a lot of/dedicate a lot of shelf space to. During many different visits over months, I've spoken to several of the staff, and the manager, and even walked by the office during what looked like a senior management meeting and brought it to the attention of the assembled, but I've seen no improvement. The dairy case prices aren't affixed in any way, so a gust of wind and they disappear. They don't have a price scanner for customer use, and staff don't carry price scanners either. It's actually illegal in California not to price grocery items; will have to get tough with them if they don't get better. I recall from a radio ad that they're a small chain, and either family-owned or locally-owned or both. (Edit: Headquartered in Berkeley, California, 130+ independently operated stores, and a family business, per their site.)

On my last visit, the bread stockist pointed out that their products very frequently change, which is true, but even items I recall they've always carried often don't have a price. If they're testing to see what sells well, their tests are worthless; I would have been buying the croissants they stopped carrying, except I didn't find out they were well-priced 'till after they stopped carrying 'em. Lots of their bakery stuff is expensive, and bakery goods often have trans fats, so I shop it carefully.

I actually walked out and went to Safeway once, in order to avoid further frustration. I generally shop here or at Safeway because only at Safeway can I easily compare prices, because they provide legible unit pricing. It seems that Grocery Outlet has what seems to be a relatively huge ongoing task returning product to shelves, probably from customers who pick up and later decide not to buy items because of the pricing problem. Only at Grocery Outlet do I frequently see staff re-shelving. Money spent paying staff to re-shelve and do price checks when customers (like me) ask for prices or give back has to be hurting their P&L!

The workers other than whoever can fix the pricing problem are all good or OK; I ask for prices frequently, so I've interacted with many of 'em.

Indeed the coffee prices are nuts - lots of coffee under $4/lb. Most cheeses are cheap. They even had brie for $3 for a pound for a couple months, but there's been no brie for months. But they sell lots of stuff that's a really lousy value - e.g. cereals, so it's essential to look at prices here - but often it's impossible. Indeed, buy in bulk as reviewer 'Accident Prone' suggested when there's a great deal, before it's gone for good.

Overcharged, you say? Pull over behind the checkout counters and check your receipt before leaving. Have your cashier fix any errors. I would do this at Safeway, where I often had the same experience, but haven't had problems here. I always get the lowest price they've advertised or posted if I insist on it.

(Yeah, a crazy long review; my family was in the food biz (but not for years, and didn't compete; there's no conflict of interest.))

The place is packed with cameras (and/or camera housings), by the way, like a Vegas...

I LOVE Grocery Outlet. This place is the reason why I am able to afford to buy better quality organic food for my family as much as possible. They consistently have a selection of organic and non-GMO items. What is available changes and shifts each month of course, but that is to be expected, since some of their supply is going to be items that they have acquired cheaply because it is nearing its "sell-by" date. But if you're going to be eating it within a couple weeks to month or two anyway, who cares? Organic natural foods for way cheaper (often less than half of what I'd otherwise have to pay at Whole Foods or even Safeway sometimes)-- Yes, please! They always have something organic or non-GMO to choose from in each category, whether it is meats, produce both fresh and frozen, packaged foods, pasta and canned goods, Etc. Even if you're not interested in organic and or non-GMO selections, they have a giant selection of non-organic / conventional. There is something here for everybody. This is a pretty large store with an open format, a huge frozen food and refrigerated section, and everything from supplements, first aid and drugstore items, cleaning supplies, dry sundry and paper goods, personal bath/shower supplies, pet supplies, small clothing and toy selections, to all of the regular grocery store findings... Seriously, they're pretty well-stocked. The employees here are always cool. I've never had a bad experience. Total thumbs up from me, I will shop...

Grocery Outlet at Broadway and 29th Street is great, mostly. There are excellent prices on fresh produce, but you have to look very carefully at any pre-packaged produce like green beans, because many will have already started to rot. Canned goods like off-brand chili can appear like a deal, but the contents are very watery and don't contain much protein (even if it says it does on the packaging). It's best to buy brand-name items on sale. I recommend downloading the Grocery Outlet App, and sign up for the daily "Wow" Deals emails. There's a whole isle of "pharmacy" type items - from pain killers to skin care items to toothpastes, to shampoos and conditioners, and hair repair masks, and more. Many great deals to be had. There are a variety of vegan items in the frozen isles, too. They have a nice selection and variety of greeting cards for all occasions, for only $1.99 - $2.99 each (as of Sept 2025). The parking lot is large, but don't leave anything - and I mean absolutely ANYTHING - in your car while you shop, as break-ins can (will) happen day or night. Even with that said, I find it is definitely worth shopping at this store for the potential savings. The employees at this store have are really helpful and nice to me. I appreciate how hard they...