All Chain Grocery Stores are NOT the Same

There's a Publix next to my apartment complex. The Kroger is about a 10 minute drive. I considered them pretty interchangable (beyond who had a better deal on diet coke that week) until I started cooking South Beach. Then I began to find out how very different they are.

Kroger has a much wider selection of house brand diary products than Publix. (And that adds up when you're buying ricotta cheese & non-fat yogurt weekly. The other interesting thing that I've noticed is that generic dairy products often have a slightly lower carb/sugar count, which is another point in their favor.) But Kroger milk seems to go sour faster than Publix brand. And Publix has a house brand bagged fresh spinach for weeks when the spinach at the international market doesn't look good to me. But Kroger carries low sodium albacore tuna in cans.. which Publix doesn't.

Moral of the story: Get familiar with each of the grocery stores in your area and know their strengths and weaknesses. I tend to plan menus so that I can do Kroger one week and Publix the next to take advantage of both stores, but your milage may vary.