Regular Grocery Store Frustration

[Ripcord]

I'm curious if anyone else is as frustrated as I am regarding regular grocery stores like Publix, kroger, etc. They never advertise any gluten-free products, and then they pull gluten-free products because they don't sell. For example, I went into a Publix and saw Redbridge gluten-free beer, and by chance found some gluten-free breaded chicken parts in the regular meat department and not the 'health food' department which is where I go to look for gluten-free stuff. A couple of weeks later, I could find neither the beer or the chicken parts so I asked the manager where they went. I was told they were pulled because they weren't selling. I asked if they bothered to advertise and he admittied they did not. So how are we who have celiac or whatever supposed to know what they have if they never advertise it? Then I was told I could always special order. I don't want to special order. I want to be able to walk into a store on a whim and buy multigrain gluten-free hot dog buns, a six pack of beer and maybe gluten-free chicken parts and then go home and have a hot dog and a beer. After putting up with this disease for the last thirty years, I'm ready for the grocery stores in the United States to finally understand there are millions of humans diagnosed with celiac who'd be willing to shop at the closest grocery store like everyone else and not have to drive past three or four to get to an Earthfare or Whole Foods, and worse, special order.

[GlutenFreeManna]

I had that problem with Rudi's gluten free bread. I found it once and have not found it since. I even spoke to the manager who told me she would make sure the freezer case was stocked next week when the "organic" bread guy came. I was very specific that i needed the gluten free/wheat free Rudi's (even spelled Rudi's out). Several weeks have gone by and they have been fully stocked with UDI's and whole wheat Rudi's, however the wonderful gluten-free Rudi's is nowhere to be found.

Despite my frustration I really can't blame the stores for pulling things that don't sell. It may also be the manufacturer's deciding they are losing money if the product is going bad on the shelves. I may be wrong about this but I don't think the individual stores are completely responsible for the sales that are advertised. It's a combination of the corporate/regional office and the manufacturer deciding when to have a "sale" or promotion.

The best things you can do when you find a product you like in store is to

1. Send an e-mail to the store telling them how much you appreciate that they carry X,

2. Write the product manufacturer and tell them how much you like X and how much you wish more stores in your area carried it (you may even be surprised that they reply with a list of places that carry it and send you money-saving coupons)

3. Tell every single gluten-free person in your area that you found X at Y store so more people buy it there.

4. Buy it on a regualar basis.

[mushroom]

I don't think the grocery stores realize how long it takes to browse every item in a supermarket looking for something that is gluten free, if they have all the gluten free products hidden in with the regular products. Some stores reserve a special color price tag for gluten free and even those are hard to spot in a sea of price tags. I keep trying to convince the stores to keep all their gluten free products together, but it seems like a hopeless task. Shopping just takes too darned long if you have to read every label of every product trying to ferret out gluten free stuff, and once you find something that is gluten free then you have to pore over the label to see if it has soy or corn or potato starch (for me) or whatever else you can't have. I only shop any more at supermarkets that group all their gluten free products together because I did enough treasure hunts as a child

[Takala]

Fortunate to have the Raley's- Belaire chain in Northern CA which does have gluten free items, and puts most of them in a dedicated aisle with the rest of the "health food items" at least, and there is then only hunting it down in the organic specialty products, which is a lot easier, as they've got a lot of them clumped together. When the Whole Foods opened up in Roseville, they went to the ghastly scatter shot all over the store stocking routine, so there's precious little motivation to go there anyway unless one is already very close by, has lots of time, and doesn't intend to buy very much. I'm good at memorizing aisles, and they keep moving stuff around anyway, I have no idea what regular people do, probably scream a bit. They do have a gluten free aisle - with precious few of the gluten free items actually ON it.

[mushroom]

Yeah, the Reno Whole Foods is like that too However, since there are, overall, more gluten free items at Whole Foods than anywhere else, and in the summer it is a good escape from the heat,and I buy only gluten free items from there because of the cost, and pretty much know what they DO carry and where, I don't mind the hunt there quite so much.

[sb2178]

I reguarly shop at a Stop N Shop close to my neighborhood and just discovered (after 4 years) that they have a natural foods section stashed in a weird spot behind the flowers/deli. Which is where they keep gluten-free stuff. I had just thought they didn't carry anything.

On the other hand, that means my grocery bill will likely be higher the weeks that I shop there. It used to be cheaper there, because it was the rice and beans store...

[Monael]

I have reconciled myself with the idea that I just am not going to eat a lot of things that I used to eat. Such as hamburgers and hot dogs with buns, pizza, cakes, cookies, bread, and pies.

Those things just have to be reserved as treats where I will make a special trip to find them. This is because looking at the prices - I just can't justify buying them on a regular basis. I was shopping today and in the frozen food section, there was actually a bigger gluten free selection than I realized. But it was so pricey I had to pass everything by. I did buy a package of gluten free crackers (Glutino brand, which I decided I did not like so won't be buying them again, they were icky). Everything else I bought was naturally gluten free, like meat, veggies, fruit, yogurt, and such.

I have to concentrate on all the foods I can eat. There really are a lot of things we can eat. I have only been gluten free for maybe a month or more? I didn't write it down. But for me, I have to put a positive spin on it. That is just the way I deal with things. And overall, I have to say that I have been eating much healthier so that is a big plus. And the decrease or elimination of my symptoms helps me to feel good about not eating these things.

[Juliebove]

I guess I am lucky. Most of the stores do sell gluten-free stuff here. But it does get moved around a lot. Central Market has the gluten-free breaded fish over in the meat section and not with the other frozen stuff. And Albertsons once put the Teff Wraps with the tortillas then moved them to the gluten-free section. They have some gluten-free pasta in that section and some with the regular pasta!