When I first moved to Greenville, there were basically three options if you wanted to get groceries: BI-LO, Publix, and Walmart. Each store has its pros and cons, so I found myself going to each of them at various times, depending on what I needed and where I was when I needed it.
However, the past five years, Greenville’s grocery scene has seen some dizzying changes. The number of grocery store options I now have within a 20 minute drive of my residence is mind-numbing. And just this past week, we got a brand new grocery chain, which came to us straight across the river from Germany: Lidl.
So let’s look at ten of the options that the Upstate has for groceries, in alphabetical order (and yes, I’m aware that there are many other chains I’m leaving out – sorry, Earthfare!):
- Aldi – Until this past week, they had a corner on the bargain-priced, European-based grocery store market. There’s competition now, but no doubt, Aldi will continue to thrive with the bargain-hunting, no-frills-needed, happy-with-a-smaller-grocery-store-experience crowd.
- BI-LO – The BI-LO card may have gone through a recent makeover, but the BI-LO experience remains the same – tons of options, low prices, and no frills. And there’s one on pretty much every street corner in SC, making it about as convenient as you can get.
- Fresh Market – If you like organic, locally-sourced food coming from a store with a market-like feel, Fresh Market is for you. You’re going to find a lot of variety of a lot of healthy stuff. So don’t feel bad about buying that second bag of almonds – they’re good for you!
- Harris Teeter – At the moment in the Upstate, Harris Teeter is nowhere to be found, but according to the Greenville News, this upscale grocer is coming to the Upstate sooner rather than later.
- Lidl – Brand new and still shiny, Lidl opened in Greenville for the first time last week. Some compare them to Trader Joe’s, most compare them to Aldi, and you could maybe say there are some spiritual similarities between it and another European store Americans have come to love (albeit one of the furniture-selling variety): IKEA. Go check it out, and tell us what you think!
- Lowes Foods – Before Lidl appeared on the scene, Lowes Foods had the honor of being the newest grocery chain to pop up in the Upstate. Trendy and innovative, Lowes offers a bar with a sitting area (and the ability to sip a craft brew while shopping), SausageWorks, which features a variety of sausages sourced with local ingredients, and Pick & Prep, which allows customers to choose any amount of produce they want and have it prepared however they want so that they can save time in the kitchen.
- Publix – Perhaps the most diverse grocery chain in the Upstate, Publix carries a huge variety of foods, covering everything from bargain-bin brands to organic products to foreign foods. Great customer service is their hallmark – they’ll even push your cart to your car and unload your groceries.
- Trader Joe’s – Quirky and fresh, Trader Joe’s is a specialty grocer that’s small enough to get from one side of the store to the other in under a minute but large enough to carry every item you could possibly need. Known as a place to get healthy foods at a competitive price, TJ’s is the quintessential store for those who make their own granola.
- Walmart – Do I really need to describe to you what Walmart is? Ok, let me try – you can buy eggs here while getting your car serviced. Not only can you buy all your groceries here, you can buy all the things here. That’s Walmart, and you either love it or hate it.
- Whole Foods -I would describe Whole Foods to you, but considering Amazon is about to purchase the chain for a cool $14B, it’s likely that everything I type here will change. Will they start delivering groceries, a la Amazon Prime? Will their stores become fully automated, a la Amazon Go? Time will tell, but whatever happens, it will likely have a big impact on the rest of the stores on this list.