I was kind of dreading going to Kroger for the continuation of the Grocery Store Challenge. I just (unfairly) assumed that it would be the most subpar experience of the all the supermarkets. I was quite wrong.
Although they do only receive shipments on Mondays and Wednesdays, (as compared to daily at most of the other grocery stores), they had a sizable selection. Possibly the largest. They definitely had more than Publix - you can read about that experience below.
Breakdown:
Hydrangea bunch (3 stems): $7
Spray rose bunch (8 stems): $8
Purple gypsophila (8 stems): $4
“Bountiful bouquet” including hydrangeas, white roses, lilies: $12 originally $25
Callalilies (5 stems): $8
Budget: $30
Actually spent: $39
I did deviate a bit from what I’ve been doing in that I bought individual bunches plus a discount bouquet. As such, I went over my intended budget, but it was worth it to me to experiment. The flowers in the discount bouquet seemed like they were on their last legs, but I was hoping to breath some life back into them, even if only for a short time. The calla lilies were a bit of an indulgence as well, but they were sooo pretty with deep vermillion centers.
Pros:
Lots of flower options with varying price points
A ‘sale’ section - I bought a bouquet that was originally $25 for $12. I wanted to see how the flowers would maintain
All of their flowers had a “sale by” date on the packaging. This was nice. It helped guide some of my decisions about which ones to buy
Most were specifically marked. None of this “focal flower” crap
Cons:
No greenery for sell. You could buy a pre-made bouquet that had a few little sprigs of greenery. For example, the discounted “bountiful bouquet” included a few palm fronds. No individual bunches though.
You could tell many of the flowers were rapidly aging. I'm not just talking about the sale flowers, either. It wasn’t the super fresh quality you see at Trader Joe’s
So this was weird... I found one bunch of hydrangeas that included 3 stems for $7 and then another “bunch” that was only a single stem for the same price! What gives? Sloppy labeling? I may never know.
Overall, it was slightly above average (lol! I’m a tough grader). I would go back for flowers to have around the house or if I’m hosting a small party. That said, it still doesn’t really compete for large events. Also, my flowers, especially the discounted ones, began to brown within 2-3 days. The discount “came at a price” so to speak. Decent value overall - I would say this grocery store has landed in the scandalously shocking position of second place so far.
Having investigated Trader Joe's, Publix and Kroger now, the jury is still out whether more reviews are warranted. I'll share a more definitive conclusion once I've decided.