At 80,000 square feet, the brand new Market Basket just past the Portland-Westbrook line exceeds the Forest Avenue Hannaford by 10,000 square feet. The extra size equals your average McMansion in luxury neighborhoods around the country (few houses in Maine are that big).
Developed by Waterstone Properties’ Rock Row the total development will comprise over 2 million square feet of mixed-use retail, residential, hotels and office properties, probably the most ambitious urban development west of the Mall. Coming next year, Chick Fil A will open, and the current site plan shows other shops like Starbuck’s, The Paper Store, Old Navy and much more.
Aisles are very ordered and wide; shelves full
The uber-rich gourmand would not necessarily be happy shopping at Market Basket, but for the average Joe of varying income levels, Market Basket is a great store. The quantity of everyday products is astounding. The shelves are bulging with products (especially cleaning supplies including tons of paper towels and toilet paper) and the prices beat Hannaford and Shaw’s, the latter being more expensive across the board.
In contrast, Greater Portland’s upper income shoppers have descended on Whole Foods shopping programs where you call in or email your shopping list to the store’s shoppers where customers spend many hundreds of dollars at a clip and then it gets delivered by a delivery crew. Hannaford has a much smaller program and Shaw’s uses Instacart.
Market Basket is essentially a no-frills store but with a difference. It’s not Cotsco, but there aren’t a lot of bells and whistles other than huge quantities of groceries at lower prices. The shopping carts are huge, no self-checkout. And there’s no rewards program at MB as there are at Hannaford and Shaw’s, the latter’s system so confusing I barely use it, much less shop there. My average rewards redemption at Hannaford is about $6 per three months of low-maintenance shopping and $3.50 of coupon savings. Occasionally Whole Foods prime member discounts offer intriguing buys.
Cleaning supplies galore; Asian noodles
MB shelves had a few surprises of of luxury items. Smoked salmon, for instance, from the famous Acme smokehouse in Brooklyn offers true New York style Nova. For a brief period Harbor Fish carried this salmon but stopped because shoppers didn’t go for its ultra-salty taste.
The butter selection is superb: Vermont Creamery high-fat cultured butter is at a bargain price of $2.99 per half pound compared to $3.99 at Shaw’s and $5.99 at Whole Foods. Walmart, however, carries the butter at $2.99 too. (That’s one of the few food products that I buy at Walmart.) Kate’s is $4.29, compared to over $5.00 at Whole Foods. But Casco Bay butter is not carried at the store.
Almond flour is $2 cheaper than other stores and every Bob’s Red Mill products are on full display; Springer Mountain chicken; Acme smoked products; European cheeses
MB is not big on local items. To wit: Smiling Hill dairy is not carried by the store.
But kudos for carrying Benecol, the only retail store in Maine (I’ve researched that fact) that carries this unusual product. It’s a buttery-type plant-based spread that claims to lower your cholesterol by 20 percent per each 2-tablespoon serving per day. I use it with abandon to “butter” a toasted English muffin or bagel.
I’ve made three trips thus far since they opened. The shopping experience is overwhelming because of the size of the store and being unfamiliar with the store’s geography. On my first visit I spent nearly 2 hours shopping. The place was packed, and it seemed that the store’s limit (posted that day at the entrance) is 400 people. It bothered me that the store was skewed in the social-distancing equation with hordes of shoppers. But it was the second day of operating. Aisles have one-way arrows posted, but they didn’t make much difference.
The store limit is now posted at 300, as of this week.
I roamed around wide-eyed as well on the second visit. Prices are terrific. I happened to be a chronicler of pricing and can tell you off the bat the price of many everyday products from laundry detergent to butter and the price per pound of a great steak. Bounty paper towels 2-pack, however, for huge rolls is the same price ($5.99) at Hannaford. Walmart and Target are about 30 cents less and Shaw’s is one dollar higher.
Great selectioin of butters at great prices, incuding Benecol (not showwn)
The MB shelves are fully stocked. On my trip yesterday, necessary products like cleaning supplies were well stocked Disinfecting solutions were on robust display, though one amazing cleaning product, Dawn’s Platinum Powerwash (Spray, Wipe, Rinse), was not on the shelves. I asked someone working the aisle about it and he said he wasn’t aware of the product but would investigate it: “We ordered everything they have,” he commented.
The store has plenty of prepared food, though foodies may shudder at the lineup. I was hungry (never shop when you’re famished) and I picked up a plastic container of fried shrimp shumai from their heated display case. I wouldn’t send it willy-nilly to friends in Hong Kong, but it hit the spot. On another occasion I picked up a breakfast bagel with egg, cheese and sausage. The heat lamps turned the foil-wrapped bagel into mush (as it does everywhere else), the cheese was unrecognizable and the egg fell out of the bagel like it was a slice of cardboard, but the sausage was tasty.
So what food items stood out as exceptional? There’s a huge pasta section including Asian noodles—fresh or dry—for stir-fry and ramen preparations.
Surprisingly, the produce section is decent with a freshness factor of vegetables on fine display. There’s one section with a big sign that screams, Farm to Table, We Support our New England Farmers. It’s a predictable harvest with the usual local zucchini, summer squash, etc.
Surprisningly good lineup of pates
This year Hannaford’s great boast “We Love Local” has not been so loving this year. There’s a small display of local produce in the front of the produce section. But I’ve yet to see local corn, and they missed the boat entirely on the local strawberries, which they always used to feature. Local blueberries have not been around either. Their “we love local” has been disappointing.
The MB meat department boasts certified Black Angus beef and the selection is good with various cuts of sirloin, prime rib, tenderloin, strip steaks at competitive pricing. Their big push is on petite sirloin at $8.99/ lb. This cut is not as tender as top sirloin or sirloin on the bone. But it’s flavorful and is best grilled over high heat to keep it tender.
The meat case seems to go on for miles with all kinds of poultry. One of my favorite supermarket poultry brands is Springer Mountain Farms chicken from Georgia. Hannaford also carries it, but it’s a few dollars less per pound at Market Basket. It’s an all-natural chicken with great flavor.
I didn’t notice the word “organic” on any of the meat products. But butchers are available for custom cuts and great service.
Heavy duty shopping bag with store logo
The MB staff is extremely receptive to suggestions and these blue-coated gentlemen are everywhere and as helpful as can be. I don’t think I saw any women personnel except at the checkout.
Their ice cream selection was uninspiring, with few if any local ice creams such as Gifford’s. There were a few flavors, and when I asked why they didn’t carry a bigger selection, the answer was “It doesn’t sell well.” The Falmouth Shaw’s has the best selection of Gifford’s ice cream. Forest Avenue Hannaford has good inventory, but it sells out quickly after the Monday delivery.
One glaring omission is no liquor. There’s wine and beer, and the store has applied for a liquor license so it’s in the works, according to MB personnel.
Considering how crowded the store was (a little too close for comfort if you’re looking for 6-feet of social distancing) the some 20-plus checkout aisles were all open and checkout. There’s virtually no waiting online to check out. The store, however, doesn’t have self-checkout; I guess they don’t need it with so many cashiers on the job.
For now, traveling some 5 miles from the Portland peninsula to Market Basket is inconvenient for everyday shopping. It took me 20 minutes to get there from the East End. But if you live off the peninsula in neighborhoods such as the Brighton Avenue grid, then MB is basically a neighborhood store, just a few traffic lights past Lowe’s.
In these pandemic times, going to large stores, especially for supermarket shopping, is in less demand these days. The preference has become to shop in small local stores, from neighborhood haunts to farmers’ markets and farm stores. Yet I’ll make the trip down Brighton Avenue for a bi-weekly essential household shopping, spree. We should be glad that we have another choice like Market Basket.
Items on my shopping list for the next visit to Market Basket
Butter
Benecol
Cleaning supplies
Some beef cuts
Pates
Springer Mountain roasting chicken ($1.99/pound)
Pasta and Asian pastas
Acme smoked salmon
European cheeses at prices almost as good as Trader Joe’s
Canned goods such as Cento certified Marzano tomatoes
Crackers (great selection)
..
, which they always used to feature. Local blueberries have not been around either. Their “we love local” has been disappointing.
The MB meat department boasts Black Angus Beef and the selection is good with various cuts of sirloin, prime rib, tenderloin, strip steaks at competitive pricing. Their big push is on petite sirloin at $8.99/ lb. This cut is not as tender as top sirloin or sirloin on the bone. But it’s flavorful and is best grilled over high heat to keep it tender.
The meat case seems to go on for miles with all kinds of poultry. One of my favorite supermarket poultry brands is Springer Mountain Farms chicken from Georgia. Hannaford’s also carries it, but it’s a few dollars less per pound at Market Basket. It’s an all-natural chicken with great flavor.
I didn’t notice the word “organic” on any of the meat products. But butchers are available for custom cuts and great service.
The MB staff is extremely receptive to suggestions and these blue-coated gentlemen are everywhere and as helpful as can be. I don’t think I saw any women personnel except at the checkout.
Their ice cream selection was uninspiring, with few if any local ice creams such as Gifford’s. There were a few flavors, and when I asked why they didn’t carry a bigger selection, the answer was “It doesn’t sell well.” The Falmouth Shaw’s has the best selection of Gifford’s ice cream. Forest Avenue Hannaford has a good inventory, but it sells out quickly after the Monday delivery.
One glaring omission is no liquor. There’s wine and the store has applied for a liquor license so it’s in the works, according to MB personnel.
Considering how crowded the store was (a little too close for comfort if you’re looking for 6-feet of social distancing) the some 20-plus checkout aisles were all open. There’s virtually no waiting online to check out. The store, however, doesn’t have self-checkout; I guess they don’t need it with so many cashiers on the job.
For now, traveling some 5 miles from the Portland peninsula to Market Basket is inconvenient for everyday shopping. It took me 20 minutes to get there from the East End. But if you live off the peninsula in neighborhoods such as the Brighton Avenue grid then MB is basically a neighborhood store, just a few traffic lights past Lowe’s.
In these pandemic times, going to large stores, especially for supermarket shopping, is in less demand these days. The preference has become to shop in small local stores, from neighborhood haunts to farmers’ markets and farm stores. Yet I’ll make the trip down Brighton Avenue for a bi-weekly essential household shopping, spree. We should be glad that we have another choice like Market Basket.
