When I was in high school, each Sunday after church my family and I would to go to Dean and Deluca for lunch. I got the same thing each week: Swiss yogurt and an exotic piece of fruit, a Cheremoya or prickly pair perhaps. They were never as good as a plain old apple or orange, but they were intriguing and this ritual continued for nearly two years until, just weeks before graduation, my dad apologetically pulled me aside. “This had got to stop,” he said pointing at the Asian pear in my hand. “That thing is three bucks!” I admit, I had not even looked at the price, but suddenly I was horrified. Now that I pick up the tab for my own groceries, I have become both more observant and frugal. There are several options for buying produce in Georgetown though, and I have rated them based on convenience, selection, freshness and price in the first ever Produce Olympics.
Safeway (Gold): Safeway wins in every category except for convenience, unless you are in Berleith, in which case Safeway really does sweep the events. Prices are high on luxuries like raspberries at $5 a pop, actually the same price as Dean and Deluca. However, when it comes to staples, you cannot beat 69 cents a pound for red delicious apples. With two kinds of papayas and other exotic fruits, Safeway had as wide a selection as Whole Foods and in quality, I would not have known the difference between the two stores’ goods. Apples were equally crisp, grapes firm and sweet.
Also dubbed “the social Safeway” it is nearly impossible to shop there without running into a friend, which makes the store pretty fun. Chances are, you can convince a bud with a car to hike up with you, because it is worth the trip.
Vitle Vittles (Silver): When Vittles expanded their produce selection this year, I was ecstatic. Originally, Vittles only carried apples, limes, and the occasional bagged lettuce, but this year, they have moved into fresh lettuce, tomatoes, baby carrots and bell peppers They have tins of raspberries and bunches of bananas. However, my joy was crushed when my friend said she almost bought a bag of grapes, but learned at the register that it carried a $14 price tag. That was $6.99 a pound, $3 more a pound than Dean and Deluca. Since then, I’ve staid away from fresh fruit at Vittles.
Just this week though Vittles lowered their prices in an effort to stay on par with Safeway. They can’t beat Safeway’s selection or weekly club card special, but nothing will beat Vittles’ Leavey location. When studying, it’s nice to know you can grab some baby carrots or an orange instead of Pizza Hut, and not pay an arm and a leg for it either.
Whole Foods and Dean and Deluca: No, these are not the bronze medalists; they have both been disqualified for failing drug tests. Apparently, their produce managers were on crack when setting prices.
Whole Foods, despite a few exotic choices like plantains, did not even have a particularly extensive range of organic produce. With grapes at a pound, Red delicious apples were $XX, which is particularly offensive for Whole Foods considering it masquerades as a supermarket. (https://treehouselodge.com/) If choosing between the two, I would say to go for Dean and Deluca because, with a flood of cute Georgetown girls loading up on its sushi, at least the clientele is more attractive than the haughty soccer moms that frequent Whole Foods.
