Thursday, February 14, 2008

A San Diego Foodie Evaluates A Fresh & Easy Grocery Market in Her Neighborhood

alice q. foodie, writer of the alice q. foodie blog, has been shopping at a new Fresh & Easy grocery market near her neighborhood in the seaside city of San Diego, California for a couple weeks.

Writing in her blog yesterday, the San Diego foodie offers her analysis and opinions of that Fresh & Easy grocery store, which is located at 9665 Campo Road. She talks about what she likes and doesn't like about Fresh & Easy, along with suggestions for improvement.

Here are a few highlights:

>alice q. foodie isn't impressed with Fresh & Easy's selection of pastries and baked goods. She says she stopped by the store last week to pick up some pastries to take to the office but didn't buy any because all the store offered were packaged sweets along the lines of Enteman's. Listening Fresh & Easy management? How about some fresh pastries and baked goods in the stores, along with the packaged stuff. We suggest you look into offering locally-produced pastries and muffins in your Southern California stores. There are numerous local producers of fine quality nearby. Carrying these local baked goods also will help localize the Fresh & Easy product mix, which needs it. Note: Just like in the UK, buying local is big now in the USA.

>The San Diego foodie and blogger loved the two sandwiches--a chicken salad and a mozzarella cheese, tomato and arugala--she bought for lunch though. She also loved the fact they only cost $3.00 each. Tasty and inexpensive is her evaluation.

>Fresh & Easy's prepared, heat-and-eat foods don't impress Alice q. foodie very much though. She feels the calorie counts on many of the entrees is just way too high. On the other hand, she says she can't get enough of the store's vegetable somosas, which she buys, takes home, and eats right from the fridge.

>alice q. likes the prepared salads and soups, and thinks Fresh & Easy has a "very decent" selection of cheeses. She also likes the prices on Fresh & Easy brand ice cream and gelato.

>The San Diego food maven wants the store(s) to carry a wider-range of organic grocery items though. And she wants more of a selection of healthier prepared foods items. Note to Fresh & Easy management:

We agree with alice q. foodie on this one too. Fresh & Easy's organic products' selection is poor--and it isn't a good mix, especially in Southern California. Take our word on this one, we've been picking natural and organic product mixes for food stores in California and elsewhere for a long time. There are certain organic grocery brands and items within categories (condiments, teas, ect.) that are most popular overall in California. You have many of the wrong items in Fresh & Easy. The mix needs evaluating and changing.

Our summary is merely the tip of the iceberg regarding Alice q. foodies excellent analysis and opinion of Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market, and the store she's been shopping at the last couple weeks. Read all that Alice q. foodie has to say about Fresh & Easy here.

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