Sobeys

OK, so for the most part this Sobeys — like all the others — is just another large chain grocery store. Nothing special, but it’s large enough to have almost everything you need.
I like Sobeys, though, because they carry lamb. And not just frozen, imported Australian lamb. But Nova Scotia-​reared lamb, through a producers’ collective based outside Truro. And it’s very good lamb. I spent 15 years in the lamb-​loving countries of England and Australia, so being able to get a good, local lamb fix is very important for me.

It’s a regular Sobeys. Major complaint about the lack of cashiers working later into the evenings. I barely go to this Sobeys anymore, since the super store installed the self check outs.

I limit what I get here and tend to frequent the superstore down the road. I took pics the past month each week of rat/​mouse droppings each time I visit in the cat food isle and always stop on my way out to tell customer service. At months end still taking pics of the cans I moved a certain way and the rat droppings still there I had for health reasons decided to do the majority or purchases at superstore. I also hate the buy one get one sales when they raise the price of the item to double what it was a week prior.

A busy little spot in the middle of universityville Halifax.
It has everything you could need or want at a decent price (and a 10% off Tuesday for students) that is taken advantage of by most if not all of the students in the area.
One knock would be I have found it tough at multiple times to find decent help in special area’s like the meat department and flower section.

Ah, my old Sobeys. It’s a bit of an odd shape. It’s not quite big enough. It’s got the tiniest NSLC next to it, but somehow this Sobey’s seems to hold more than any other grocery store. To be precise, it somehow always has everything I need, and occasionally it held even more.
I kinda think it’s a magic location. Even the NSLC, which is the size of a postage stamp, has let me down only once or twice, and even then I instantly found a replacement that worked just as well.
I’ve never left empty handed. I’ve even bought plants here. Plants that are (possibly) still alive to this day!
It’s a great Sobeys. For me, it was the best Sobeys. And I miss it so, so much.

This is my neighbourhood grocery store. It gets the job done. There’s a decent selection of everything you need, with a few specialty items. Bonus? They have a pretty sick cheese section that frequently has sales. Can’t go wrong with cheap and delicious cheese.

Sobeys is OK. It has a good location, directly next to Fenwick Tower, even though the plaza has become a bit emptier with the closure of Little Caesar’s (the only place that sold pizza at acceptable prices in downtown Halifax) and the move of Koolex Kleaners. However, I find that usually Sobeys is more expensive than the Superstore. Also, the quality of its own-​brand products is usually lower than the quality of the Superstore’s own-​brand products. The bread it sells is a lot worse than what you can get at Superstore. It is difficult to impossible to get decent cheese, they only sell Gouda every now and then. Unfortunately Sobeys is closer to where I live than the Superstore. Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s an OK supermarket, but it just can’t compete with the Superstore.

I love local and all things being roughly equal I will support it. But this Sobey’s is really hard to love. If I have a list of say 10 products at least 2 won’t be in stock. Really odd products like any frozen juice that doesn’t contain HFCS. Superstore would probably have 10 or more types where Sobey’s usually has none other than orange.
Other oddities include my never seeing bean sprouts. A small thing but odd seeing that there are a zillion Chinese people shopping here.
Then there are the employees. Why do they have to smoke right on the path? Seeing that they are handling food maybe Sobey’s could just stop hiring people who smoke?
And don’t get me started on how badly the isles are labeled. I don’t remember exactly the product that had no isle sign but it was something like pasta.
So for Sobey’s to lose my business when I would love to not send my money to Toronto via the Superstore means they have gone that extra mile to lose my business.
Love the BOGO sales but that is about it.

I’m usually pretty loyal to the Sobey’s grocery chain but even though this store is right across the street from my apartment I rarely go here. The store is smaller than other Sobey’s locations in the city and the lack of space limits the variety of good they offer.
It’s disappointing that some of the items that they choose not to carry are some of my favorites. The deli area is smaller than at your typical branch and the produce section is often missing some of the staples of my diet like leeks, arugula and fresh cilantro.
I can vouch for the public washroom at this Sobeys. I was locked out of my apartment once and needed to make an emergency mission to Sobeys. The facilities weren’t anything to write home about, but they were clean and much better than holding it.

To clarify, I don’t JUST like this Sobeys because it is ridiculously close to my house, although I will admit, it’s pretty darn convenient.
Court’s top 3 at Sobeys: big natural food section including grains, dairy, soups and cereal; large driscoll’s raspberry containers often for $ 4.99; large international cheese section. (ie NOT just cheddar in 15 different ages and sizes)
Court’s bottom few: Runs out of fresh spinach every two days and takes three days to subsequently replenish; no ground lamb.
The most important bulletin and the only critical piece of info in this review: This sobeys location is currently selling GIRL GUIDE COOKIES. That’s right! Oh yeah…
ps: NSLC conveniently attached. Only open until 8pm on Sundays!

Best thing about Sobeys? B.O.G.O.
My mother set me onto the B.O.G.O scene back in 2003 during my first year at university. And grocery shopping being one of my favourite activities, you can imagine what a scream a B.O.G.O trip could be.
For those unfamiliar, the acronym stands for ‘Buy One, Get One”. Two for the price of one! Whats not to love? They bring these specials around about every month or so, highlighting various items around the store as buy one, get one free. Although I’m no longer handy to Sobeys, I’ll still keep my ears peeled. Theres almost always some real bargains and not just crumby stuff they need to get rid of.
Grocery fetish aside, this is nice location with the old style shopping experience. (Not a maze to get through.) On more than a few occasions, I’ve found them to be out of stock on very regular items. Whether they were actually out or just slack on reshelving, its always an inconvenience to have to make an extra trip for something you’ve missed.
There is a liquor store in the store as well. Student discounts are offered to students every Tuesday (I believe) so if you have an ID card, get an extra 10% off your order. Air miles are also an appeal.
I like Sobeys. I’d prefer it to Superstore… I just wish it was a little bit more convenient to get to.

Does anyone else find this Sobey’s to be fancier than others? I almost feel out-​of-​place shopping in this store.
I think that since it is a little nicer than other grocery stores the prices are also a little higher. I’m used to going to Superstore and their prices, so when I went to Sobey’s I was surprised that the prices were higher. I’d rather go to a not-​so-​fancy grocery store then pay more at Sobey’s.
Other than the prices, the selection is fine. They’ve got your pretty basic groceries in a pretty regular set-​up. If Superstore doesn’t have something I need I might head to Sobey’s. Other than that, I’m sticking to me cheaper, regular grocery store.

Just my little neighbourhood grocery store… Sobey’s stocks most things you need, as long as you’re not looking for many specialty items. There’s a small organic/​natural foods section tucked behind the pharmacy. Eggs, dairy, cereals and canned goods can all be easily had; it’s limited but at least it’s there.
One of the things I often indulge in is having fresh flowers in the house. I’ve been picking up a single bunch from this Sobey’s most weeks and they are always of good quality, sticking it out for at least a week, which means they’ve arrived at the store while still fresh.