Remke Markets

This is one grocery I like going to. First of all, it’s always empty. That’s bad for them, but good for me because I hate grocery stores. They carry many national brands, unlike Kroger. Like have you ever noticed how much Kroger brand stuff Kroger carries? But say you want a brand of something that doesn’t contain certain ingredients. Kroger is a bad place to go. They don’t even have seitan at the fancy Kroger. Like do they have it here? I don’t know. I never looked. Like I don’t even get pre-​made food most of the time because something in it will make me sick. Once, I was all like, «Good thing I’m alive today because my allergies would’ve killed me a hundred years ago.» Except that most of the things that make me sick weren’t in our food then, so whatever. Anyway, when I go to the shops, I want to have a choice about what I buy.
Plus, they have good bakery food, from Busken. And they sell Grateful Grahams. The produce seems okay, too.
Well, mainly I shop here because it isn’t Kroger. And this place isn’t really bad. I mean, it’s a grocery store and I hate almost all grocery stores, but there are way worse grocery stores around. I really think it must be a good place because the workers are so nice. Once, the cashier asked us about comic books and then he said he’d check out some Michael Kupperman based on our amazing recommendation! I don’t know if he did, but he might have and that’s enough for me.

Yeah, now they are capping off certain aisles with tall displays. Most people walking down the center row might not even notice that they’ve put displays across certain aisles to close them off. If you look over these displays, the freezer sections that used to be there are bare shelves. Empty real estate. Weird. And back by the meat/​deli, they’ve removed the middle aisle freezers (that you reach down into), and replaced them with rectangle shaped, similar sized displays that are a little tall also, as if most people might not notice that the freezers are gone. Weird, but not a huge surprise. If I have to park in the 3^rd space in their massive lot, that’s far. It’s still better than the Prison Kroger of Mt. Washington (or whatever they were going for with those huge walls), but it looks like it is about done.?

I have been shopping at this store (formerly Biggs) for years, but probably not for much longer. Has certainly gone downhill lately. Produce selection is limited and not the freshest. Meat selection is extremely poor and typically priced much higher than local Kroger stores. It’s not uncommon to find outdated product on the shelf (recently came home with bad yogurt and breakfast sausage).
On the plus side, the store is easy to navigate and most of the workers are pleasant. Wine and beer selection is decent. Fuel program seems better than Kroger’s. The store is clean but showing its age.
Hopefully they can do something to turn this place around.

The Positives:
–No one is ever here so it’s easy to park
–No one is ever here so it’s easy to shop
–No one is ever here so it’s easy to checkout
–Very good wine selection
–Prices seem to be a tad cheaper than Kroger (on most items)
–It seems easier to rack up fuel points here as opposed to Kroger
The Negatives:
–No one is ever here. Wouldn’t be surprised if they close soon.
–No one is ever here so produce goes bad because they don’t re-​stock enough which leaves you with old items to choose from
–Bakery is pretty limited in items
–Lane placements are weird. The cheese and dairy section is in a middle lane by the registers across the store from where the milk and creamer is. Candy aisle runs into frozen pizza aisle.
I love shopping here if I need to get just a few items. I literally park in the same spot every time, right next to the door, because the lot is bare. It’s an easy in-​and-​out in under 10 minutes. Again, the wine selection is actually pretty good here so if you need a bottle it’s hassle-​free. The produce isn’t the freshest or most robust (don’t come looking for Spinach or Arugula) but they have just enough to get by. I just hope they aren’t in the process of going out of business because it really is a decent little store.

I don’t know how this place stays in business. It’s a ghost town. But. It has an amazing bakery section! The place is spotless and it’s a go-​to 2 min from my house for an awesome beer and wine selection. I always park at the front door so it’s no problem if it’s raining. The prices are a little higher but it’s ok to get milk or any other necessity for an emergency. I’d skip mount washington kroger any day to go to remke.

I love shopping here! I no longer have to face the crowds and that one person who cannot make up their mind on which cheese they want. Remke also offers more local and unique options including buskens. Sometimes the bakery bread and produce options can be a little sparse but overall I’m a huge fan of a better shopping experience.