With the recent news that Albertsons is closing, I wanted to get a closer look at where Colorado Mesa University students are shopping for groceries. Albertsons was a popular place for CMU students because it was right across the street from the main campus.
However, I always felt Albertsons was super expensive and the atmosphere wasn’t great, but it was convenient. In Grand Junction, the main grocery stores are City Market, Walmart and Sprouts.
Sprouts is a natural grocer. They have their own products and they also sell other natural products. It runs a little on the expensive side, but it has weekly ads with great coupons. Sprouts has a very clean and organized atmosphere. If you are considering a healthier lifestyle and willing to spend just a tad bit more then Sprouts is the place for you.
Walmart is my least favorite out of the three, but I can see why CMU students shop there. Walmart has a wide variety and everything is at a very low price.
CMU student Kassidy Clark said, “I wouldn’t go anywhere else because Walmart seems to have so much more variety then City Market and Sprouts.”
Walmart has all types of products, from guns and hunting gear to food and beverages. For me, I think Walmart is super dirty and the atmosphere doesn’t make anything appealing. When I need something super specific like arts and crafts or candles, I know to go to Walmart because it will sell those items at the lowest price.
City Market is my personal favorite. I believe City Market will be the next popular place for CMU students because one is located on 12th Street near campus. City Market is your average grocery store that loves supporting local Colorado farms and companies. Everything is reasonably priced, and the store is even more reasonably priced if you become a City Market member.
It is easy to sign up to be a member; you can do it on the City Market website or at the store. Once you sign up, you get a City Market card and then every time you shop, you hand the cashier your card or have them type in your phone number and all your groceries get a huge discount.
“I go to City Market on 12th. I use the city market card to get discounts in store, and then I go online to use their coupons,” CMU student Bridget Skinner said.
City Market doesn’t have everything like Walmart has, meaning it doesn’t have clothes or hunting gear, but it sells pretty much everything else.
“[City Market] always [has] over 300 coupons online. After you spend $100 you get 10 cents off a gallon on gas. When you purchase gift cards, you get four times the points and pharmacy is two times the points. I love saving money,” Skinner said.
City Market is super clean, organized and the employees are super friendly and they love helping customers. There’s a lot variety of grocery stores in Grand Junction. You just must be able to pick what’s right for you, and that may be a little bit of all three stores.
