<p>Don’t know the backstory, but Bruno’s Grocery, which changed and became Belle Grocery, is now back to being Bruno’s Grocery on McFarland.</p>
<p>Also, Panda Express is open. </p>
<p>When I’m back in Tuscaloosa, I’ll see how that Panda’s is, and see what’s up with Bruno’s. </p>
<p>just found this
<a href=“http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/article/20140110/news/140119958”>http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/article/20140110/news/140119958</a></p>
<p>Oh, really? Thank you. We will be stocking up on some of our favorite items over Spring Break to tide us over the summer.</p>
<p>what does bruno’s have that is special?</p>
<p>Even though the Publix by the UA campus is small and can be somewhat expensive, it was much better than Bruno’s in everything except maybe the beer selection. The “new” Bruno’s will have growler fills, which is an interesting improvement.</p>
<p>I’m still waiting for Costco to announce a Tuscaloosa location. They’d make a fortune by having an outdoor food court like some locations in WA/CA/AZ.</p>
<p>Yes! Tuscaloosa definitely needs a Costco!</p>
<p>Is Costco really better than Sam’s? I’ve done price comparisons between the two stores, specifically on meats since that’s where you really get your money’s worth at wholesale clubs. I found that for most products, the prices at the two clubs were virtually identical. The only exception was chicken breast, which was $1/lb more at Costco, and chicken thighs, which were $0.50/lb more at Sam’s Club.</p>
<p>Costco is recognized for better associate relations than Sam’s Club. Happier employees tends to lead to better service, and some people people prefer patronizing stores that treat or are perceived to treat their employees well.</p>
<p>We have a Costco membership, just prefer the location here. So it would be great to utilize this in Tuscaloosa. Doesn’t make sense to pay for a Sam’s membership too.</p>
<p>Sure wish we had our Food World (AKA Bruno’s) back. Surely it’s not the same family, though, running it.</p>
<p>What Tuscaloosa really needs is a Trader Joes :)</p>
<p>Sam’s = Walmart. I’ll say no more than that…</p>
<p>"What Tuscaloosa really needs is a Trader Joes "</p>
<p>Yes!!! I hope so!!!</p>
<p>Trader Joe’s would also be a nice addition to Tuscaloosa, though they’d probably need to have a Birmingham location first.</p>
<p>While similar, Costco and Sam’s Club carry different selections of items. Sam’s Club tends to focus more on items for small businesses while the typical Costco is geared towards providing large quantities of high quality items to end consumers with very little markup. Costco is also known for having a great selection of wines and liquor (in states which allow Costco to sell liquor).</p>
<p>I wonder how the new Nordstrom Rack in Birmingham is doing. I think they’d do very well in Tuscaloosa as there’s a market for higher end clothing and shoes at reasonable prices. </p>
<p>“I wonder how the new Nordstrom Rack in Birmingham is doing. I think they’d do very well in Tuscaloosa as there’s a market for higher end clothing and shoes at reasonable prices.”</p>
<p>Definitely! would likely do quite well. </p>
<p>Both Costco and Sams Club have very little mark-up. Usually about 11%. And both have extensive wine and liquor selections in the states that allow them to sell. It probably is true that Sams Club includes a focus on small business since it has a few sections in each store dedicated to C-stores and restaurant equipment. And Sams Club has more generous Business Hours (which I LOVE!! lol Super at holiday times!) But, both also focus on selling bulk items for families as well. And both stores (that have pharmacies) have awesome prices for Rx’s, and usually much better prices for gasoline! yay!</p>
<p>I agree that the outside food court style of some of the Costco’s would be very popular in Ttown if the store were located within an area where students and various workers could easily access during lunch hours. </p>
<p>After living in a Trader Joes for the last couple of years ( I am the happy DEMO lady ) I have to say that Publix scares me with all the chemicals I saw in most every prepared item, and neither they nor Bealles had any gluten-free alternatives to speak of, at all. </p>
<p>TJ’s opened a Baton Rouge store on Halloween, so the company is now in Lousianna…moving in the right direction at least.</p>
<p>??Our Publix has a gluten-free section. Just noticed it the other day. FWIW, Nashville and Atlanta have Trader Joe’s. I’ve never been in one. I have been in an Earth Fare store. The produce and cheese displays were impressive…as were the prices. We just have regular old grocery stores in our city. We do have a new WalMart Market, which is far superior to our regular WalMart, which is dirty, overcrowded, and poorly stocked.</p>
<p>Sam’s is nothing like Walmart. They are owned by the same parent company but I have never gotten the Walmart vibe from Sam’s. The largest reason for that I believe is the membership fee keeps the - for lack of a better term - “people of Walmart” away.</p>
<p>I did all my Grocery ( I used to cook my own Food so bought lots of stuff) from Bruno from 1984-1988. Was the best at that time. Believe they wear Red Uniform… and were East of McFarland blvd near University Mall.
Also on Skyland blvd their was a time when they have 2 Pizza Huts Dine in facing each other. ABC World News did a story on that how can that be possible… Memory Lane…</p>
<p>Trader Joe’s makes 85% of the items they stock…so no middle man means prices are 20-40% lower than elsewhere. For items like Clif Bars, that they stock, they pay cash when ordering so manufacturers give them a big price break which they pass along to customers.</p>
<p>Trader Joes guarantees no GMO, no artificial preservatives, colors or flavorings in their own items.</p>
<p>Typically, there is no MSG or High Fructose Corn Syrup either.</p>