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Stop & Shop
Rating Details »
Neighborhood: Long Island City
3451 48th St
Long Island City, NY 11101
3451 48th St
Long Island City, NY 11101
- Nearest Transit:
-
46th St (G, R, V)
- Price Range:
-
$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
11 reviews for Stop & Shop
There's an episode of How I Met Your Mother where Marshall says "I hate NY! All the stores in New York are so cramped! Every time I turn around I knock something over. I'm like some huge monster that came out of the oceans to destroy bodegas!"
As an Astoria resident, even a 5'2'' one, I sympathize. All the grocery stores, from the grime-coated Key Foods to the Associated where roaches go to die, are tiny, produce-less, and often sold out of bizarre things like taco seasoning. Also, it's impossible to fit two people side by side in an aisle. God forbid you have a shopping cart.
But not Stop & Shop! A quick stroll to the East (or one stop on the R train) brings me to a real grocery store. Like the kind everyone outside of NYC shops at. Seriously, it's normal sized. And near my apartment. And they stock edible produce, all sorts of vegetarian items (lemon pepper "chicken"!), and you can stroll around without feeling like an oversized monster.
It doesn't have the same health-food selection as Trader Joes or Whole Foods, but the store is huge and sells nearly everything. This particular Stop & Shop had many packages of wild salmon and sea scallops, which are rare at many other local supermarkets.
The prices are so good that I walked nearly a mile to get there this afternoon, and didn't regret that decision later.
When checking out, I noticed a sign that said I could get 5 cents back for every plastic bag I bring there and use for packing groceries. Unfortunately, they don't give extra money back if you use a giant bag. The cashier laughed at my idea to use many tiny bags to carry my groceries next time. It seems they only support reusing Stop & Shop-like bags.
There is plenty of parking, but it might be difficult to find a shopping cart. Also, be careful not to run over your foot with the cart. My girlfriend did that and tore off part of her toenail. This was in the parking lot, so no part of her toe is currently inside Stop & Shop.
Finally I do not have to go all the way to my parents house in Jersey to go grocery shopping though I probably will when I want to stock up on all my dry goods because while this store is way cheaper than the grocery stores here i.e. Whole Foods, the Amish Market, Food Emporium, etc. Jersey is still cheaper than NYC. That said, I died and went to grocery shopping heaven when I found out there was a Super Stop and Shop. Yes, you need to have a car, yes getting into the parking lot is gambling on whether you come out in one piece but it is all worth it when you get inside and see that there is an actual selection of food. I cook most nights because eating out all the time is too expensive and way too unhealthy and it has become increasingly annoying to go to a NY supermarket and not be able to find something as simple as baked Purdue chicken breasts. Plus I love Stop and Shop's brand foods like their wheat pastas which is way cheaper than name brands. Definitely get a Savings Card for all the reasons already mentioned and check out the circulars and sale lane. Now instead of bringing home 2 plastic bags that cost me $100 bucks, I had 2 weeks of dinners for $100. and you can browse without being in everyone's way because they are real size aisles. If you live close by and have a car and cook for yourself. This is a great place to have.
Without this place, I would be buying food at the nearby Key Foods on 50th and Skillman. And let me tell you, that place is bad. Every morning I am reminded of how bad by LOUD garbage truck that pops by my window to say hello and take the rotting garbage from that stinkin store.
Deep breath. On to Stop n Shop..it's worth having to shlep the grandma cart for the suburban like size and surprisingly good deals. Sign up for a card and you'll get coupons for $10 off! For those of us in the non-profit world, that's a whole other meal we can actually feed ourselves.
Plus, I'm happy with any place that has store brand soy milk for $1.50.
This Stop & Shop is great! I love going here! Everytime I walk in, it smells so fresh and clean! They have some really good deals sometimes and I love their donut section :)
You save five cents for each reusable bag you bring with you. Now, they've given me credit for each bag I've brought- even if I didn't need it- so conceivably, you could get all of your groceries for free if you bring enough reusable bags.... now, never mind that this scheme defeats the purpose of reusable bags- I'm just throwing this out there.
Because if you (like me) trek over to this distant suburban style supermarket- and somehow manage to survive the treacherous moat (Northern Blvd) with it's ridiculously brief pedestrian single with insane suburban style drivers coming from turn lanes everywhere...
okay, I digress. anyway, I can't say stop n shop is a good reason to risk your life- no. But once inside it's substantially less risky than some of the other delis and markets. There's fewer flies in the produce than in Key Foods. There's less rotting produce than your next door deli (unless you count the exotic fruits section of stop n shop, then all bets are off) and the deli case doesn't have any creepy sculpted produce in it like c-town. All the products are familiar brand names unlike Titan.
so I mean, it's sort of an addition by subtraction thing. Yeah, it's way out of the fucking way, and it is this behemoth of a store- but really. unless you've lived in New York your whole life- you don't need this fucking review. Just think of every supermarket you've ever been to in any place other than this city. yep, this is it. sweet sweet bland familiarity.
This particular Stop N' Shop rises above other NYC grocery stores, however, it falls short of awesome. I can't help my standards, I was raised on Wegmans.
After moving here, I grew accustomed to the mediocre food shopping experience - small, dirty and overpriced. Thankfully, Stop n' Shop isn't any of these.
Their natural food selection is more impressive than Whole Foods, I have to be honest. Name brand -AND- store brand for organics, etc? Such nonsense, you may say, but I've seen the packaging with my own eyes.
Deals can be found quite often. In addition to amazing deals, which I love, they actually have a soap-related section that includes everything you would need to get thee clean and beautiful. Something that so many other stores in the area fail to provide.
They also give back one whole nickel for every reusable bag you bring. Not exactly a reason to go, but it's five more cents per bag than you'll get elsewhere!
Now, if only it didn't look like it was in the middle of a sprawling suburbs, I could find my grocery store Nirvana...
Near my place, there're big and small shopping malls which is perfect life without car. =)
One of them, it's STOP & SHOP. Whenever I grocery shop, this supermarket is awesome. Big size, nice grocery items, and good price! They do have lots of sales almost everyday with membership.. no fee required... no worry, it's not like Costco..
it's like 'Safeway' in CA.
My boyfriend and I go live in Sunnyside, yet go here all the time. Like someone else mentioned, Key Foods, Associated, and Foodtown are closer, but their selection is limited, their food isn't always fresh, and the workers aren't always that friendly.
As Gracie mentioned, their produce could be a little better, but they do have everything else including an extended selection of lotions of shampoos for those of us (like me) who are very particular as to why kind they buy. There's also a good beer selection in the back.
They give tons of coupons with the free membership card and the prices are unbeatable for the area. There's also a parking garage and a Q104 bus stop right outside the entrance on 48th Street, making it easy for drivers and non-drivers. I can't say the same thing for the Pathmark down the street.,
If you can make it past the sour smell of stale beer and garbage juice that permeate the entrance, you're golden.
I for one wish their produce section was a bit better. This was the first grocery store I went to upon moving to NYC from Florida and was aghast at the rotten bananas and the decaying lettuce. It's New York! We're not in Siberia; fly some fresh stuff IN! It does seem to have improved over the last 14 months in terms of produce freshness, but the packaged meats leave something to be desired, as three times now I have scoured the place for the ground turkey they advertise as being on sale, but finding only ground veal in its place. I will say my boyfriend alleges that he saw a mouse running in the donut and pastry cases over in the bakery. I didn't, but he doesn't tend to lie OR hallucinate. So I just avoid any baked goods lest I find a mouse baked into it.
Aside from that, hey, it's a grocery store. It tends to deliver on all its expected requirements, so I can't complain you know? Except I really need some ground turkey.
Thank god for this grocery store. I hate NYC grocers with a passion because they are tiny, rude and usually dirty. NOT THIS PLACE! It's HUGE and is like a regular grocery store you would find in the suburbs. Clean, mostly friendly staff AND they deliver for $3! Also, I frequently get coupons in the mail from them for $10 of orders of $30 or more. Its win win win.
