Hank’s Thriftway

I have shopped here since it began being Hank’s Thriftway (changed from being Cruse For Food, owned by the Cruse family in the 1970’s or so).
Hank’s Thriftway has been one of my favorite and convenient full-​service grocery store. They also had a pharmacy for several years.
Perfection Bakery has also closed, I think.
This store is now closing, per Hank’s Thriftway Facebook page and other news releases. An auction for furnishings will take place soon.
I’m posting this June 23, 2015.

This is one of those local, neighborhood, not-​part-​of-​a-​larger-​chain, groceries stores.
It’s not the newest or most modern grocery stores, far from it in fact. But it’s not neglected and run-​down either. It is a pretty good size store too, just not «mega mart» size. It’s has a good lay out and is well lit.
Is a large shiny, modern, new mega mart really necessary for your grocery shopping needs? No. That usually means higher prices.
My sister prefers to shop here most of the time because it’s close by, the prices are reasonable and they stock what she is looking for the majority of the time. In fat they seem to stock a whole lotta stuff!
Each time we came here the staff was very «small town» friendly and helpful, something I don’t get at my local «mega mart».
I like this grocery store! 4 stars!

Hank’s is right next to Pacific University’s Health Profession Campus and Tuality Community Hospital. The location and convenience are pretty much the only things it has to offer. I’ve never had a negative experience here and I’ve noticed that they have some local products.
However…forget about finding organic products here. As far as produce goes you could pick up organic bananas, lettuce, maybe carrots. I didn’t see much else. They have some organic dressings and crackers. You could probably hunt around and find some other products but really there isn’t much. More than Winco but that’s not saying a lot. They do have a decent selection of local beer and wine. Also, a floral section, if you need flowers or lucky bamboo.
I would never come here for normal grocery shopping. Every once and I while I stop in for a greeting card or a snack in between classes. Why shop here when you can go to New Seasons?

This store is in serious need of a wake-​up call. Walking into the store is an immediate trip back to the 1970’s. Everything has a brown, outdated, and tired feel. The bakery is subpar. I can’t help but paruse the decorated cakes to entertain myself with the wilted looking sugar flowers that are just as drab and brown as the tile floors. I think the bakery person escapes the old folks home to make cake decorating her secret hobby. For a sadly decorated cake with drab flowers and melted carrot décor, plan to pay $ 5 more than anywhere else.
The rest of the store has the same feel. The deli looks old and the cold salads and «picnic» fare look like they came from a 1950’s cookbook. And you pay double the price for it. The sandwich wraps are scary to look at. The ham in one was so white, it looked like turkey.
I’ve bought packages of «fresh» pasta dough from here… think it was Butoni… that were litterally mush at the bottom of the package when I opened them… for twice the price of anywhere else. I opened the package as soon as I brought it home… checked date and it wasn’t expired… which makes me question if Hank’s let their food shipments sit in a backroom for a day or two until someone can unpack them and refridgerate the necessary items. Hank’s doesn’t mind marking up the price for poorly handled food for you and your family.
Alot of elderly people shop here and it makes me wonder how oblivious they are to being ripped off. Often times some poor old person ahead of me will have items that are all Western Family Brand and a pile of coupons… I watch their items being rung up by the cashier and I can’t help but wince as each can and box passes the bar reader. I can see the prices of what this old person thinks is the cheapest thing in the store… and it’s still double the cost of Winco or even Safeway.
Selection and variety are extremely poor. Produce looks sad. It is dissapointng to see so many boxes of goods that say «Imported from China» when there are so many local farms here in the area that provide to other stores. (New Seasons, for one) I found a 5 inch single layer cake the other day… plain lemon w/​some sadly distributed sprinkles for $ 10.99. It was shocking. Hank’s does have a decent selection of wine and beer… but the wine is also significantly overpriced. I remember going in one day to buy laundry soap. Worse selection ever. It was either cheap box flake soap or pretentious organic crap. A small bottle of Meyer’s Natural Fabric Softener… and I mean SMALL…$ 11.99. American Spirit Cigarettes that I pay $ 6 for elsewhere are $ 8.50 at Hanks.
Staff has never been a problem though, so that may be one of the few saving graces of Hank’s. They are usually friendly or at least tolerable but nothing to brag about.
The only reason I come here is that it is a few blocks from my house. I will maybe grab one or two items I desperately need quickly. Other than that, I avoid Hank’s. The overpriced, low quality, poor selection items are not worth it.

Hank’s could be so much more than it is — it could be a great local grocery store with high quality (and local) food and friendly service. It’s not quite there. My gripes are with the prices, the lack of quality organic produce, and lack of steady supply of locally sourced products.
Hank’s should take some advise from Sherm’s Thunderbird in Medford. It’s a great example of a locally owned, low-​priced, but high-​quality grocery store that carries lots of local products.
Hank’s does get a big plus for actually hiring enough staff so that you can check out much quicker than Slaveway or Albertsons, and certainly WinCo. Also, everyone is nice and friendly, not all, but most.
The other plus is they have a big beer and wine selection, so you’re likely to find local stuff that the big-​boys don’t have.
For produce they have a smattering of organic stuff, and everything isn’t so fresh looking a lot of time. Here is where they could really improve — get more organic, and at a higher quality, so folks like me don’t have to drive all the way to New Seasons.
The meat department is pretty pricey, so I rarely purchase any meat from Hanks. They do have some local products here I’ve noticed.
Unfortunately, for grocery store options, Hillsboro is sorely lacking. You could get your soul and wallet sucked dry at Albertson’s down the road. You could fight the Latino crowds at WinCo to save a buck. Or, like me, end up at Hanks for most of your daily shopping.
So, then here is the biggest problem — I never feel happy about that choice — I always feel like I’m getting a bit screwed when I walk out the door. To me, it should be the other way around. When I walk out the door, after forking over my cash, I should feel happy like I just got a sweet deal on something cool.

This is actually the closest «full-​service» grocery store to my home, but I choose to drive past it, to instead shop at Albertsons, Fred Meyer or Winco. A staffmember was incredibly rude to me and my young daughter at check-​out, so I choose to vote with my wallet, and patronize other Hillsboro businesses.

The only complaint I have with Hanks is that they are only local. I would love to have their friendly staff greet me wherever I shop. Their customer service is top notch, and whether I’m shopping for sales or buying lottery tickets, I always look forward to going to the store. I wish we could clone them.

As a grocery store it’s 3 stars at best. The quality and variety of the beer and wine selection puts it into the 4+ star category. Lots of local craft beers and wines to be found here.

Hank’s is great for most of your quick «gotta stop in for a minute on my way somewhere» runs. Beer, meats, produce, wine, hot deli, the specials, all of those are generally found here at a great price with an awesome selection.
That said, it isn’t Winco and it isn’t Wal-​Mart, it’s not intended to be, and the people here are actually friendly AND helpful, and they seem to enjoy their jobs, even when it gets busy and there’s a ton of people asking questions.
Would we come here for the major household shopping for the month? Not for everything, that’s why people do COMPARISON SHOPPING. When we lived in the area, we came to Hank’s at least 1 – 2 times a month and bought plenty of stuff here for summer BBQ’s and even just regular shopping.

The name and setting will fool you. Hank’s Thriftway in Hillsboro. Ain’t nothing thrifty here, ‘cept the Redbox knockoff that gets new releases 28 days before Redbox. The prices are way higher than WinCo. WinCo is a mega big box grocer, so maybe give them a break there? Nope, they are more expensive than upscale markets like New Seasons, too.
Sometimes I think I’ll just stop into Hank’s for the convenience, but then I will spot this:
–Hank’s brand Vegetable Oil (big bottle): $ 11.59
–WinCo brand Vegetable Oil (big bottle): $ 6.69
FIVE WHOLE DOLLARS! I’ll drive my convenient butt to WinCo and bag my own groceries for that much of a difference.
Then, I needed some «fancy» butcher’s block bacon:
— Hank’s butcher block bacon: $ 6.49/lb
— New Seasons bacon: $ 4.49/lb
Hank, hello, if you are more expensive than a discount grocer and an upscale market, then what are you? What is the upside?
–The best selection of craft and local beers west of Cornelius Pass
— A place to buy limes and mixers for the liquor that I bought at the Liquor Store next door.
— The loss leader items and coupons on the front of their ad are the only deals worth taking advantage of.
— No lines. It’s so expensive here that there is never more than 1 person ahead of you and no one has more than 10 items.
–Friendly, neighborhood service.
— Next to the liquor store!
Hank’s: Go for the tonic water and beer, go to WinCo for everything else.

I have to be honest, this place kinda scares me. The only reason I ever shop here is the fact that its a block away from school. But overall, this place is pretty run down, their staff look overworked and worn out and their prices are, well, less than «thrifty.»
It would appear that they have never heard of organic, natural, or healthy when it comes to the products they stock. And their little bakery next door, yes they have some great options, however the quality is seriously substandard.
If you want convenience and (very) limited quick grab options, by all means stop by. If you want quality, decent prices and happy employees — this is NOT your place!

Seems well stocked, not a lot of out-​of-​stocks (but then not a lot of business). It’s a very old store, looking like it was left back in 1970. Again, it looks like they barely break even and can’t afford upgrades. Even their fax machine is from the mid 1990’s and takes 2 minutes to print out the confirmation report.
The Manager Tom Evans, in my opinion, is an idiot and I will not shop in this store ever again as he is totally inept at resolving customer conflict in a reasonable manner.
Which is probably why his store has never flourished, even though it is in a highly visible and trafficked area of Hillsboro. You see, his attention to detail and ability to handle customers is extremely weak.
Prices are high, and my experience is that they bait you with tags suggesting an item is on sale or special, when they are not. Extreme lack of integrity.
If you need to stop by for a quick purchase… sure. It’s just not a place to rely on or do consistent business with, in MY opinion.

Hank’s Thriftway is a little local grocery store in downtown Hillsboro.
PERKS
— Has a great bakery (located next door)
— Convenient mom and pop grocery store
— Produce is decent
— They give you 5 cents off if you bring your own grocery bags
— Ample parking lot
— Friendly staff and employees
DIRTS
— Thrifty??? I think not. Prices are a bit pricier than Winco and about the same as Safeway & Fred Meyer
— It’s an old place which needs renovation
— Not too fond of their «hot foods section» you can probably get better food elsewhere nearby
I come to Hank’s for something I need since it’s conveniently located near Pacific University’s Health Professions Campus. It’s a decent grocery store and it’s pretty much you get what you pay for kinda thing. Other than that, I rarely step foot into this grocery store.

This place is just across the street and down the road a little piece from a certain hospital where I sometimes answer the distress signal for per diem employ. Like Bob M. intimates, this place recalls a bygone era fondly, and not at all in a look-​how– raggedy-​and-​neglected-​this-​dump-​has-​become sort of way.
I’m particulary fond of the breakfast concoctions at the deli. Plenty of combos of bacon, sausage and scrambled egss in various arrangements. There is sometimes also country sausage gravy involved. So greeeeeeezay! So tasty!

We were visiting friends in Hillsboro and needed to make a beer run. I wasn’t expecting much from this old-​style supermarket. From the parking lot, the place reminded me of the Hinky Dinky back in my old hometown in Nebraska. Boy, was I surprised.
This store has shelf after shelf of six packs and bombers from a multitude of fine craft breweries. What a great selection! Seriously, the cold case and the shelves were packed with so many tasty brews, I had a helluva time deciding what to buy.
Decent prices, too.

Great store. Awesome staff. I love shopping with locally owned companies

Review for the deli. Hot food looked fresh but i ordered the deli sandwich. Turkey on wheat. The ordered sandwiches looked not very gourmet for being 6 – 7 dollars each. Ordered the broccoli crunch salad which was clearly not fresh (broccoli yellow, nuts soggy). Got sick immediately from something in those two items. good thing i had 3 more hours of class immediately after. ‘thrift’ part of thriftway did not extend into deli prices.

Love this store. The staff is exceptional. They have never *ucked with me. I go there all the time. thats all I have to say.

When I’m in this part of town for work-​related matters and I need lunch — quick — Hank’s deli section saves me from a hunger meltdown. Unfortunately, their hearty sandwiches leave me into a glucose coma. I guess that could be a good thing for some, but bread and I haven’t been getting along too well, although I’ve got to give kudos to them for putting a lot of meat in it and a variety of veggies. I don’t recommend other deli items, however. Pre-​prepared salads don’t look happy at all and have some kind of glue-​like consistency.

I don’t do my routine grocery shopping at Hank’s, although it would be a perfectly fine store for that purpose.
No, I go to Hank’s for 2 reasons and 2 reasons only.
Beer and honey. Yep, that’s all.
What gives? Okay, I’ll briefly explain. Hank’s carries Wessel family honey (produced locally in Forest Grove) that I’m addicted to. Originally I tried Wessel’s as a kind of voodoo remedy to seasonal allergies that I suffer from. A co-​worker claimed that he had been eating this honey, and due to the local pollen, it served to reduce the impact of his allergies. Well, I’m here to tell you that it worked, at least in part, for me this spring after substituting it for sugar in my coffee for a year and a half. I like to support local businesses, as well. Also, it tastes good. I buy it in the 5 pound jar which goes for a moderately expensive 17 bucks at Hank’s. I don’t mind. Ironically, I think I just wrote my review for Wessel’s family honey within my Hank’s review. Whoops. That wasn’t brief, either. I’m batting 0 for 2 here.
Okay, the other item: the beer. Hank’s has a KILLER beer selection. I seriously think that outside of somewhere like Belmont Station they’ve got the best 22 oz. beer selection I’ve ever seen. Somebody is doing their homework here, for serious. It is very impressive.
I enjoy trips to Hank’s for other reasons, too. It’s a sleepy little grocery store that hasn’t undergone typical «modern» renovations. i.e., there aren’t row after row of self-​checkout counters, there aren’t focus-​group inspired colors in various departments… etc. You won’t find anything ridiculously exotic in Hank’s, save for the beer.
Hank’s does make me smile. It’s a fine anchor for a city that’s been traditionally rural but is becoming more and more urban.