Buy Groceries?
From Rutgers GSA Wiki
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Where Can I Get Groceries?
On Campus
There are small convenience stores in each of the student centers (and in the SAC on College Ave) that carry a very limited selection of grocery items such as tinned and packet dinners, soups, chips & other snacks, cookies, toiletries, household items, and cereals.
You can also get limited quantities of dairy items at the convenience stores - milk, eggs, ice cream etc. *** NOTE : These convenience stores WILL shut early or not be open at all during the winter and summer breaks. Check the hours!!***
New Brunswick
The only large grocery store (supermarket) along the campus bus route is C-Town on George Street. It is across the road from "Rockoff Hall", the undergraduate dorm in downtown New Brunswick. There is a 7-11 store outside Rockoff Hall which sells some grocery items (including milk, cheese, etc) as well as the usual array of snacks, drinks and fast food. Just behind Rockoff Hall is the George St Coop, a small organic vegetarian store that sells general groceries, health products and fresh fruit & veges. Members of the coop get a discount, but anyone can shop there. There is also a small International Foods Store (African Market) on George St, just a couple of blocks from Rockoff Hall.
Highland Park
If you'd like a wider variety of items, head to Stop & Shop in Highland Park. You can walk from downtown New Brunswick (25-30 mins) or catch the L bus to River Road for a 20 minute walk. There is also a Health-food store across the road, and an International Food Store a couple of blocks away. (In this case, International = Russian). There are also two small stores on Raritan Ave (Rt 27) that are closer to the bus stop, but offer a much more limited range of goods.
Further Afield
The larger supermarkets are not within walking distance and you'll need to find a NJ Transit bus or catch a taxi to reach them. If you're on Cook/Douglass, try A&P in North Brunswick, if you're on Busch or Livingston there's Shop Rite in Piscataway (along with several others), or if you're on College Ave, try Stop & Shop in Somerset.
Delivery
Stop & Shop offers a delivery service www.peapod.com. You can order and pay for your groceries online, and select a time-frame for them to be delivered. A minimum purchase of $50 is required, and the delivery fee ranges from $8-$12 depending on the time of day. However, if you spend over $100 the delivery fee is a flat rate of $6.95.
Discounts at Supermarkets
Membership
Most supermarket chains offer rewards or other discount programs to their customers. Membership is usually free, you will just need to fill out a one-page form and show some form of ID, and you'll receive a membership card which can be used to obtain a discount. Note that often the advertised "sale" price in a store is ONLY valid if you have a membership card. Sometimes the cashier will enter the discount for you, but don't count on it.
Coupons
Discount programs have largely replaced coupons, though you may still find some in brochures that are delivered to your house.
Wholesale Clubs - COSTCO, BJ's and SAM's Club
There also exist wholesale clubs where you can buy large quantities of items for relatively cheap prices. Beware though that all of these have yearly memberships of at least $50. However, if you live in a household where you sharing toiletries, coffee, etc you can generally get very good deals.
Address List
- C-Town 275 George St, New Brunswick map
- George St Coop 89 Morris St, New Brunswick www.georgestreetcoop.com
- Stop & Shop
- A&P 500 Milltown Rd, North Brunswick map
- Shop Rite 1306 Centennial Avenue, Piscataway map;
Store locator links
Farmer's Markets
There are various local producers of groceries and these can be cheap as well as extremely fresh. Use the web to find one nearest to you.
- Rutgers Gardens Farmer's Market runs from May to October on Friday afternoon. The details are here.
- Highland Park Farmer's Market runs from June to early November on Fridays. More details are here.
General tips and tricks
- In most places in the US an item is advertised as, for example "5 for $10" simply means each item is $2. You do not usually have to purchase all 5 (or multiples of 5) to get the discount. One exception to this is at C-Town, where you do have to purchase the number advertised to get the discount. Always read the fine print on the sale cards.
Malls
There are bunch of large malls around; Menlo Park Mall, Woodbridge Center Mall, Middlesex Mall
Both Menlo Park and Middlesex Malls have movie theaters in or around their complexes.
Malls are a good place to buy clothes, shoes and other everyday items.
