I live inside the magic kingdom (inside the beltline) and the Harris Teeter at Cameron Village is my store. Food Lion is just abominable. I feel dirty when I walk in it. I check the prices with Target at North Hills regularly and what I get at HT is a good deal when it's on sale and more so when I have coupons. HT has the best customer service, but I say if Wegman's comes to Raleigh, they will have a run for their money.

Wild horses couldn't drag me into a Wal-Mart Store. I would beg for food on the side of the street before shopping in Wal-Mart.

Oh how I miss Wegmans.

I like shopping at Lowe's Foods; where's the love? No problem with the Food Lion. I think a lot depends on perceptions. I would not go to TJs for a normal food run, while I would probably not go to HT unless I needed some specialty item, perhaps. I also frequent Kroger and have no problem with them, either.

Have to respectfully disagree with you, timflowers. HT is by far my favorite. I have always gotten great customer service and the cashiers are very efficient. They have the best meat department I have experienced. Always clean and I can find good deals there as well.

HT has always been my favorite. I've been going to the one on Edwards Mill for years and they are so nice and the store is always clean. They are the only store in the entire area that sells my brand of pet food also. I don't find their prices, especially with coupons, to be bad at all. Closest to my house is Lowes which I also frequent. Customer service is great but I find their prices a little higher and they don't have certain items I regularly purchase. I do go to Wal Mart occasionally but learned the hard way I don't have the patience to go on Sunday afternoons :)

HT at North Hills has some of the best customer service (Thanks, Bruce and Co.). The store is always clean, and their prices I do not mind because of the overall experience. We hit the Lion for a few items, but not produce or deli. I live right by the North Hills HT, and that convenience is just one thing that takes me back again and again. F Lion has made an attempt to get better, and they have improved, but too often the cusotmer service is poor. Tj's is good for some cheap, but good, booze, and a few specialty items. You will need a fur coat in Hades before I set foot in a Wal-Mart. Whole Foods seems to be a boutique grocery store, but thet do offer good product.

HT in Chapel Hill have that dead fish smell when you walk in the door especially the University Mall store. I agree prices are high unless you get one of the super deals and you better be there Wednesday morning because they will run out. Customer service is no different than the others.

As usual I differ from these top 10 poll results. I guess that is why the other's stay in business. Super Target and Kroger are fine, but Lowes Foods and Food Lion are my top picks in this area. I never buy in bulk.

I never shop at HT. Too expensive.

Those coupons you use at HT to make the prices bearable work at the other stores too, you know.

I must buy all the wrong things, because even being diligent with the coupons, I can't afford all that good service at HT's. And when I do go there with coupons, usually about half the items I'm looking for are sold out.

brassy, the trick to shopping at HT and doing very well on prices is to only buy items on sale and match those sale priced items with coupons. Over a period of about a couple of months, you'll find you're stocked up on all the basics and beyond fairly cheap.

Last year I tracked my savings over ALL grocery and drug store buying for the year. I spent the bulk of my money at HT as far as grocery stores. I saved 71% over retail prices for all purchases made for the year. Yes, that includes fresh produce and meats, of which my hubby loves HT filet mignon, we never run out of those.

It can be done, it just takes diligence in following the sales and matching up coupons :)

We need to encourage Wegman's to get down here! They are in VA. Fabulous store with happy employees.

If there was a Wegmans in even Southern VA I would make the drive! If you've shopped there and moved away you get it!

Thanks for all your comments, everyone! I love my local HT (401 and 10/10 rd)and Lowes Foods (42 and 50) and have even found the Food Lion at 40/42 to have very friendly management and cashiers.

For those who don't shop HT because of the high prices, follow Nancy's advice. When you simply match the sales and doubled coupons, you can't beat the prices with non-doubling stores. A BOGO sale with coupon doubled = home run! Once your stockpile is up and running, you just restock with loss leaders that are 75% off the retail or better. Same with Lowes Foods. I use Food Lion as a loss leader store for a few items each week. If I am near an Aldi, I make sure I stop in for their awesome produce prices.

The biggest key to savings is your willingness to shop the sales with coupons at more than one store per week. Even just shopping 2 stores will save you tons of money.

Again - for those who haven't seen the light regarding HT, you really do need to look at the weekly HT grocery deals list.

shop at walmart and you don't have to worry about the sales. compare the sale prices at ht and lowes and you will generally find the everyday price to be the same at walmart and you don't have to play the sales game. it's sad to see how much money people are wasting at the chain grocery stores.

I smile as I read through these comments. We live in a "drive- thru" world where we want what we want and we want it now! Making money takes time every single day at our jobs. We have to be diligent and responsible and "give it our all!" Some of us may like our jobs, others not so much. Saving money takes the same effort. Couponing and shopping sales takes effort. For some the effort is rewarding and the prize is worthwhile. For others the effort is overwhelming and the prize is incomprehensible.

I used to believe HT and Lowe's were too expensive for my food budget. Now that I am able to hold those extra dollars in my hand and put that money toward other bills and vacations, I am enlightened. And so I smile!! :))))

I used to think HT was too expensive until I started using coupons more diligently a year ago. Now my dream is to have a HT closer to me! I have 2 Food Lions, only grocery stores around & thet're only 3 miles apart! I have to drive to Fuquay for HT & I LOVE THAT STORE! Customer service is top notch & when I only buy what is on sale & use a matching q, I make Walmart's prices seem HIGH! You cannot beat their sale prices w/ q's to go with the sales! I try my best to not go to Walmart. TERRIBLE customer service & I seem to always get the grumpiest cashier that hates couponers. I do check my local Food Lions for marked down meats as that is the ONLY way I buy meat. They mark it down 40% or more a 2 - 4 days bf it's expiration date & I stock up! We eat a lot of sirloins, roasts etc because I get it cheaper that hamburger! And, I have never had bad marked down meat. I make sure it's wrapped good & freeze it till I'm ready to cook it.

We got smart several years ago and started purchasing our basics at Aldi. You would not believe the savings! Aldi doesn't have everything we want/need so Harris Teeter, Trader Joe's (owned by a family trust set up by one of two brothers behind the Aldi chain, incidentally), and Costco. Dole pineapples at Harris Teeter: $4.99, the same Dole Pineapples at Aldi: 99 cents. Do the math!

HT is great, but you pay for it. I go to HT, Aldi Walmart, Super Target, and Food Lion. There is no point paying a lot more for detergent or fruit, etc at HT, when you can get it cheaper at other stores. However, HT has better specialty items.

So while HT is nicer, there is no point paying a premium on every item, which is what you do when you shop at HT. If money is no object, then I would never to anywhere else either.

I rarely go anywhere but Teeter. Because the double coupons up to 99 cents every day my coupons get better savings if I use them at Teeter instead of the stores that only double up to 50 cents. Plus I don't think their eVic deals can be beat. I take serious advantage of their BoGo deals which can be an absolute gold mine if you can combine the BoGo items with a coupon. Love me some Harris Teeter!!

Wegman's is definitely the best. It's like Harris Teeter but with more affordable prices. In NY they always carry fresh, local produce and their selection of items is great. They offer scholarships to their high school employees and everyone is always helpful. Time to lobby Danny Wegman- we need a store for the transplants down here!

personally i can't find anything at trader joes that is really good quality. it's just over marketed average tasting food.

I think with HT, Lowes, Kroger the key is coupons and only buying sale items, if so it is about the same as walmart and their brands. That said we go to Aldi's once a month for the main items and save more then at any of the other places and the quality for no name brands are good.

You have to shop smart at HT and the upper names on the list --- use coupons and weekly specials. For folks on a budget, HT, TJ can be prohibitive (HT can sometimes charge almost a dollar more for an item than at FL or Walmart). I've developed a system where I shop for most non-perishable items at FL or Walmart and buy fresh ingredients (meat, fish, fruit and veggies) at either HT or Whole Foods. I personally think that HT is a bit arrogant in thier price structure.

There are definitely some items at HT that are way too high but I agree that you leave the store feeling like you were treated right. I really like Super Target. They have competitive prices, give me an extra 5% off with my Target card, and you can combine store and manufacturer coupons. They may not carry everything but what you find is a good deal. The quality of the meat is also very good.

I shop exclusively at Harris Teeter because of the organic availability and overall quality produce.

Harris Teeter has eliminated some key high end items, and because of this, I am displeased with a little with them. I understand that companies are dollar/profit driven, but, Harris Teeter got popular among certain consumers for its international foods, organic foods etc., and it's a let down when the company starts eliminating the better top shelf foods because they aren't selling like the Ramen noodles are.

Harris Teeter will bend over backwards to keep your business; I found this out for myself. They went beyond reasonable expectations making a bad shopping experience right again. I love Harris Teeter and it is no wonder they rank so high.

I LOVE Trader Joe's. I have been spoiled by their prices and quality to the point that I find it hard to shop at any other stores. My second choice (for items I can't get at TJs) is Kroger. I just find that I spend less at Kroger than any other chain store. Harris Teeter is just too much work to get a good deal.

HT is one of my favorites, but I do more of my shopping at Kroger. Trader Joe's is great for certain items (esp. cereal and nuts), but I can't do a week's worth of shopping there. And Costco is my favorite of the warehouse clubs. I dropped my Sam's membership.

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