County Market

Allowing milk on the shelf 10 days past the ‘sell by date’ is enough to keep me away from this place. This is not just once but a frequent occurrence.

I have been going to this grocery store since I have been a kid lol. I don’t know what there is not to like. I usually can get in and out quickly. Though it does get busy at times (after work, for example). Prices are reasonable and there is a pretty good selection. Many times we cannot find texas toast which is quite frustrating. Also, recently visiting, we didn’t know all the rules for alcohol sales here. So my ex and I went to grab alcohol and found out we couldn’t. Where we live, the lights are usually off in the alcohol area when you can’t buy. And there is signage. Not so here. Recently purchased flowers for Mother’s Day here and there was still a very nice selection the day of. There is self service checkout (yay!), Redbox, and a gas station. Staff have been helpful when I have needed them.

Will never use another florist!!!
We had our daughter’s wedding reception at our house the Saturday after Thanksgiving and were looking for a florist. A friend recommended Laurie from County Market who had done the flowers at a wedding she recently attended. I dropped off pictures of what I wanted and then followed up with a call to Laurie. We discussed colors, available flowers, price range, etc. She was very thorough and professional and assured me they would be beautiful.
When we picked them up they were magnificent! Laurie also loaned me glass vases to mount the arrangements on! For the price I was overwhelmed and they were literally a HUGE part of the conversation at the reception. I had two friends with upcoming events that took down Laurie’s name and took pictures. For ANYONE out there with a big event coming up; run don’t walk into see Laurie! you will not be disappointed!!!

Store review:
How I miss Mariano’s and Tony’s finer food from up in the chicago-​land area. This is the closest grocery store from my house and I was hoping to find some good deals. The prices are slightly higher than expected for these type of stores. The produce section appeared to be fresh with a good variety. I did notice that the meat prices were quite high 9 dollar per lb for new york strip. So far I am not too impressed, but it is a lot closer to the west side of town than Meijer.
Pros: large selection, fresh produce
Cons: on the pricy side for grocery
Hidden deals:
Sign up for mycounty market savings card for additional savings. The website has a listing of how to combine coupons with their current promotions. You can also clip digital coupons

Caribou coffee is amazing. Best mochas… hot or blended. I went there today as it was very hot out. Greeted with a friendly associate that made my day with a delicious bevy!

This store is a pretty decent place to shop. Its clean and the staff are friendly for the most part. I am only giving it 3 stars because when filling up at their gas station, it takes forever for my max card to scan. When I go inside to ask if I can still get the 2 cents off for using the max card, they tell me I have to scan it outside where the reader is worn out or something. Its extremely frustrating. The prices are a bit higher than Walmart and about par with other stores in the area.

First Impressions –
— It’s open 24 hours, which I really can’t believe since the location seems out-​of-​the-​way. Still, I’m very happy about that because it means I’ll never starve or run out of toilet paper.
— I bought some packaged cut veggies that turns out were just sheer rotten, so I was out $ 4.
— Prices tend to be on the high side, especially for organics and specialty items. I did find Stonyfield Yogurt here, but it was $ 5.65 compared to $ 3.34 at Target. I would say that 4 or 5 out of the 20 items I bought were overpriced. Everything else was priced fairly though, so you just have to be careful and limit your shopping here, and still make that trip to Meijer or somewhere once a month.
— Wish they had more organics, and Seventh Generation paper products (Meijer also has a line of 100% recycled paper.) I could make that complaint out of most of the mainstream grocery stores, so nothing out of the ordinary or unexpected.
— Reminds me of Jewel a little bit, but Jewel is better. (County Market and Jewel are owned by the same company.)
Overall not a bad place to shop.

i do. i like this county market. however… the last few times i’ve gone in for staples… the cashiers made me want to never… shop there… again.
my first experience was uncomfortable. this checker was obviously angry at her employers and was not shy about letting the whole store know it. the entire time she checked my groceries, she was bitching to other employees who were cashiering… OTHER LANES. loudly she complained about a pregnant employee who was not doing what she should be, and also about another employee who was «always leaving.» it was so uncomfortable for me. as she checked my groceries, she practically threw them down the checkout lane to the guy bagging. she barely looked at me and didn’t even tell me my total. i looked up when i realized she was done checking, and saw the total. i slid my credit card in a hurry, so i could just get out of there.
on another trip, the SAME cashier talked about her work place woes as she checked my order. nooooo… she wasn’t talking to me about it. she was talking to the other 2 people checking. you know… across the store. i understood, at that point, that this lady has a style, and it will never be confused with professional.
the next trip i took to county market, i saw the offending checker of the last few times, and decided to try someone new. i even took the extra measure to dawdle looking at bread like i had all day waiting for her lane to fill up and another lane to open. as soon as a lane opened, i pounced. i was greeted kindly. my order was being checked… and then… the checker made a point to tell me about the things i was buying that she would neither EVER eat, or that grossed her out on sight. she explained to me that the noodles i bought looked «gross» and that she was never one for the «healthy sugar» because it just doesn’t taste right. she doesn’t know how anyone can eat it. «healthy» eating didn’t seem to be her forte at all, as she launched into a great monolog about her love for sweet and low and cheetos. she bagged up my groceries, all the while telling me that she just couldn’t «get over» what some people ate these days. i told her, «me neither. i wouldn’t eat cheetos if someone paid me.»
vegan elitist? yeah. maybe.
but damn, county market. c’mon. you’re better than that.

I ran into this county market today looking for rubber bands. i needed 1 band for a class i was on my way to. i asked one of the employees where the rubber bands where. we couldn’t find any. she asked how many i needed to which i said one. she went in the office and got me one. so caring!

Nice variety in their selection of meats, rib slices, pork on a stick, ground beef, etc… their giant deli/​pasta salad area is nice and their prices are competitive with other grocery stores, some things higher, some lower…
when I actually cook with their meat I’ll update this but so far Meijer kicks ass so idk
Bottom line… is groceries… its not fun unless you make it fun by trying new things, so try this place… oh but wtf is up with Wheaties and Wheaties Fuel (best cereal ever) being over $ 5.30 a (small) box??? lame.

Remember when grocery stores just sold food you took home and cooked? Neither do I. This location has a florist, a bakery, a coffee shop, a lunch counter, a full-​service deli complete with an olive bar and pre-​made sushi, exotic cheeses, a huge produce selection (including local and organics), a full-​service meat and seafood counter (with some pre-​marinated meats), an organic/​raw/​gluten-​free/​wheat-​free section, pet supplies, kitchen tools (and small appliances!), cleaning supplies, DVDs and video games for sale, a Redbox DVD rental machine, tobacco, cigars and cigarettes, Lottery tickets, a Coin-​star machine, OTC drugs, soaps, shampoos and other bathroom supplies, charcoal, lighter fluid and grilling tools, ice, a large beer, wine, and liquor selection, magazines and newspapers, Krispy Kreme donuts, and even some automotive and home supplies, oh and lots of food for just about any diet or cuisine.
Several times a year the selection expands into the parking lot; they’ve offered plants, soil and garden supplies, landscape mulch and rocks, arts and crafts, ice-​melter sidewalk salt, snow shovels, and Christmas trees.
The only things I haven’t been able to find has been my dog’s brand of dog food (which can be purchased at Pet Supplies Plus next door) and non-​traditional meats (like chorizo or lamb). While they do have a lot of OTC drugs, they do not have a pharmacy, and do not stock contraceptives or «intimate» supplies.
The prices are reasonable. Some items are cheeper at other stores, but I feel County Market is cheeper on average. They also reward loyal customers (who use their Max card) from time to time. Previous offers have been: 1 free gallon of milk when you buy 9 (over the course of several months, not all at once obviously), and spent $ 250 in two months and get a free 10 pound ham in time for Easter Sunday. They also hand out coupons with some purchases based on your buying habits.
The busiest times are Saturdays and Sundays between 10am and 4pm, and Monday-​Friday 4pm-​6pm. The store is open 24 hours, but the service counters close in the evening.

County Market rocks. They have a huge selection and their prices are very reasonable.
I’ve since moved to Texas and am sorely disappointed by some of the produce down here. Enjoy your corn Illinoisans! You’ll never know how much you miss it until it’s gone.
I can’t say for the past two years, but the people who worked there before were always helpful, friendly and efficient. I never had issues trying to check out.
I miss you County Market!

Great place to get your groceries. Now living in Texas where HEB owns everything I very much miss my old County Market. It was cheap and always had a great selection. Eat up the Illinois produce while you still can!

I like this place, it’s convenient, and there’s a large parking lot behind the building (the front of the store is actually not on Springfield but around the corner on Stoughton). They have the short 2-​layer shopping carts that I like.
You have to be careful when checking out because there will be signs up for things on sale, but they won’t ring up on sale. Watch your receipts because I don’t always catch it until I get home. But they are very friendly and will fix it (if you catch it). Sometimes the self-​checkouts are more hassle, but if you don’t have any produce it’s not too bad.
The store is open 24 hours (fabulous) and I love Caribou Coffee (not sure how late they serve coffee, but you can stay there all night). Free Wi-​Fi. And *free refills* on coffee while you are there studying. :)

Day management is great — they run the place like a «neighborhood store.» The first time that I was there, I wished I could be a loyal shopper (ie, not a coupon chaser). Floral department delivers quality arrangements at low delivery prices, adequate stock of major brands in all areas, very extensive and helpful meat department and extensive produce section.
Nonetheless, CM, to me, is in the same price league as Schnucks… Far above what I spend at Aldi and Kroger for the same stuff. Hence the missing star. Oh, and the night staff is down-​right scary… Highly recommend not going after 11pm.

County Market has completed its lengthy remodeling process, and it was well worth the wait! They have added a new organic/​health food section, and since this is where most of my shopping takes me, this i what I will be reviewing.
Their organic/​health food section is probably the same size as the one at Jerry’s IGA at Round Barn, but the prices overall are lower, some significantly. They carry many of the same brands, but also some new brands, including an entire shelf of what I would guess is the store brand, featuring organic goodies at very reasonable prices! Their mac and cheese is $ 1.89, which isn’t that much more than the Blue Box. County Market also carries a wide selection of environmentally friendly personal care and household items in this section. They don’t have quite the selection of bulk bin items that Jerry’s does, and the spice section is missing entirely, so unfortunately, I still can’t do one-​stop organic food shopping in Champaign, but this is definitely a step in the right direction! Thanks, County Market!