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Review content:
I was skeptical, but it's astounding how much money we save shopping at WinCo. And I don't just mean on the generic and bulk foods. Although, I have to say, WInCo's generic brand is excellent and they have knock-offs of just about everything, not just the staples.
Great selection too. I even find a lot of stuff at WinCo that I can't find anywhere else. For example, they sell frozen chicken wings in a bag with all drummettes, which is the only part I consider worth eating. Foster Farm used to offer this, but no longer, and until I found WinCo, if I wanted chicken wings, it means buying the part that I don't think belongs. Small thing, I know, but that was a cool find for me.
The prices are shown on the shelf along with ""per ounce"" type pricing, which makes it easy to compare and make sure you're getting the best value. Like someone else noted, I've found that the larger sizes are not always less expensive per ounce, sometimes even costing more! But WinCo is not unique in that regard, I've seen that at lots of stores.
The bakery breads and bagels are surprisingly good. Better than you would expect from a grocery store, much less a discount warehouse.
The produce is good. Sometimes discount produce can be a huge disappointment, but WinCo produce is quite good, though not stellar. Little things like dirt in the cilantro (always!) have annoyed me, but over all the freshness, taste and selection are very competitive.
When stuff goes on extra value sale, it is sometimes ridiculously inexpensive, and worth stocking up on stuff that has a long shelf life.
I've had nothing but good experiences with the employees. I suspect that people who have had problems are just difficult to please. I don't have high expectations of a warehouse store though, and as for finding stuff in the bulk foods, that's also what I'd expect for a situation where the public has access to the bins like that. I don't know what people expect the manager to do about something like that. If you're going to buy rice out of a bin that the public can shovel through, yeah, you might want to rinse it extra carefully. But you don't need to buy from the bulk bins to save plenty, so I don't normally bother.
You also have to bag your own groceries, pay with cash or debit card (no credit cards), buy your liquor in a separate transaction, and carry your own stuff out to the car. Which translates into saving a lot of money, so I don't have a problem with any of that!
You might occasionally find something on sale elsewhere for less, and if the lowest price on every last item is essential, then make two trips! But overall, you're gonna save a ton at WinCo.
The pizza is not to everyone's taste, and people are really finicky about what they like in pizza. But be sure to give it a try. You can buy it by the slice on the way out. Personally, I think they make a great pizza. Certainly head and shoulders about CostCo pizza and most chains.
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