Grocers give preference to older shoppers, but not all are ready for the early business

PROTECTING EMPLOYEES AND CUSTOMERS: At the Whole Foods Market in Paramus this morning, employees arriving for work had to stop to have their temperature checked, one of the measures put in place in response to the coronavirus pandemic.  

NO LONGER A GATHERING PLACE: The seating area where the mandatory temperature checks are made once was filled with shoppers stopping for coffee or eating lunch from the prepared food buffets. Regulars included groups of elderly Korean-American men brought to the store in small buses from senior citizen centers.

Editor's note: This post has been edited to add material about the reopening of the Korean  supermarket in Ridgefield known as H Mart,  and one-way aisles at the ShopRite in Paramus. 

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

HACKENSACK, N.J. -- Did you hear about the Whole Foods Market near Jupiter, Fla., where customers 60 years old and older are the only ones allowed to shop in the first hour the natural and organic food store is open?

After 9 a.m., the supermarket is empty -- given how few young people live in nearby retirement communities.

In New Jersey, however, there are plenty of younger customers at the Whole Foods in Paramus, where I shopped this morning starting at around 8:30 a.m.,during the hour devoted to older Americans.

A week ago, I waited on a long line of other shoppers like me who are 60 years old or older and who had been waiting -- 6 feet apart -- for the 8 a.m. store opening. 

Today, around 8:30, I just showed my I.D. to the employee outside the front doors, and walked in to get a cart and sanitary wipes.

Costco Wholesale in Teterboro, ShopRite supermarkets and the Korean supermarket chain known as H Mart also are giving preference to older shoppers in their first hour of business.

At the Costco Business Center in Hackensack, "senior hours" are 6 a.m. to 7 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Costco and other food stores also have changed their policies on returns, and most won't be accepting them during the pandemic.

The Paramus ShopRite's special hours for older Americans are 6 a.m. to 7 a.m. That sounds more like punishment than accommodation.

H Mart reopens

But I haven't seen any other supermarket outside of Whole Foods that checks the temperature of employees as soon as they walk in the front door.

On April 4, the large Korean supermarket known as H Mart in Ridgefield closed temporarily for cleaning and restocking after an employee came down with a "suspected" case of the coronavirus, according to a notice on the front door I saw last Sunday.

After the store reopened on April 16, only customers 60 years and older were given priority in the first 30 minutes the store is open.

Previously, shoppers "with disabilities, compromised immune systems and expectant mothers," as well as customers who are 60+, were able to shop by themselves in the first hour.

Signs of trouble

Today, as with my shopping trip to Whole Foods on a week earlier, I found missing or inaccurate price signs in produce and fresh seafood.

Besides apples, sweet potatoes and parsley -- all organic -- I picked up mangoes, clementines and a few pounds of boneless pork loin chops after I saw the chops were on sale for $5.99 a pound (normally $8.99 a pound).

But when I checked my receipt, I saw I wasn't given the discount for the chops or the extra 10% off for Amazon Prime Members.

I had to hunt down a customer service employee (no one was at the customer service desk). She took my receipt and went to the butcher section in the rear of the store, then returned to give me a credit of $15.59, including 1 pound free and my extra 10% Prime discount.

SAFETY BARRIER: Today, I saw large plexiglass barriers put up to separate the cashier from the customer at Whole Foods Market. Costco Wholesale in Teterboro and the Costco Business Center in Hackensack had similar barriers in place at the end of March. Another benefit is that Whole Foods customers no longer have to self-scan their Prime Member code on their smartphones, which was a ify proposition, because the new barrier blocks the scanner.

SOCIAL DISTANCING: This customer had a shopping cart full of produce and other items and packed them all by himself. But at Whole Foods, Costco and ShopRite, social distancing or keeping 6 feet away from other customers is difficult because of narrow aisles and shoppers who barge through store intersections with full shopping carts. Customers of the Paramus ShopRite largely ignore one-way aisles.

TODAY AT 9:20 A.M.: When I drove away from Whole Foods Market, I paused to look at the younger shoppers waiting on line to get into the store.

Big, new 99 Ranch Market in Hackensack shows Chinese eat every part of the animal

Duck Tongue, above, and Duck Feet and Pork Snout, below, are among the unusual items at 99 Ranch Market, a new Chinese supermarket in Hackensack's Home Depot Shopping Center.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

HACKENSACK, N.J. -- The expensive, edible bird nest in Chinese Bird's Nest Soup is made from the solidified saliva of cave-dwelling birds.

Duck tongues and feet, pig snouts and brains, and snakes are other unusual items commonly used in the Chinese kitchen.

I've long heard the Chinese eat every part of the animal, and that was readily apparent on my first visit to 99 Ranch Market in the Home Depot Shopping Center on Saturday afternoon, though I didn't see any snakes for sale.

The big, brightly lit Chinese supermarket, which opened on Wednesday, is the closest you can get to Chinatown without leaving New Jersey.

And it's big news in Bergen County, where H Mart and other Korean supermarkets have dominated for decades.

Chinese-Americans have had only King Fung Supermarket on Kinderkamack Road in River Edge in which to shop, but after two major renovations since 2009, that place is closed again.

Cantonese-style dim sum are available in the food court, above and below.

Two specialties from mainland China are Cold Jelly Noodles and Northern Fried Shredded Pancakes, above, and a Meat Wrap, below.

Customers can use a large foam container to assemble a combination meal of Chinese favorites from this steam table for $8.99.

Hong Kong-style Whole Roast Ducks, Roast Pork and Barbecued Spare Ribs.

Food court

Judging from the lines I saw on Saturday, a big draw at 99 Ranch Market is the mouth-watering prepared food available in the food court:

I saw Cantonese-style dim sum, specialties from mainland China, Thai and Malaysian food, and sweet buns and cakes, all available for takeout or dining in.

There's more: Hong Kong-style whole roast ducks ($21.88 each), roast pork and barbecued pork spare ribs, which you see displayed in every Chinatown you've ever visited; and a steam table with Chinese favorites you can buy as a combination meal for $8.99.

And another stand offers a rice porridge called congee with scallops, fish fillet, sliced pork, preserved egg or chicken ($6.50 to $7.25); and soups with shrimp wontons or noodles.

Go fish

The seafood department is a winner, offering live crawfish, crabs, lobster and fish, as well as plenty of fresh fish on ice. 

There is no charge to have the crustaceans steamed, but you can also ask to have live or fresh fish cleaned and fried "regular" or "crispy"

The supermarket also has a liquor license, though none of the bottles of sake and beer I saw can be sold on Sundays before noon.

On Saturday, my wife spent some time in the store's boutique, testing Korean skin-care products.

Fresh fish on ice included Shark ($2.99 a pound), above, and Strawberry Grouper ($7.99 a pound), below, which I've never seen in a fish market before.

The eggs from wild-caught salmon were being offered for $49.99 a pound.

A great seafood meal

This morning, I returned to 99 Ranch Market to assemble our Sunday dinner:

I bought 2.2 pounds of live Crawfish for a boil ($4.99 a pound); trays of Fried Fish and Shrimp Balls from Taiwan for a noodle soup I'll make at home (about $10), and two whole Porgies, which I asked to have cleaned and fried crispy (about $5.50).

For an appetizer, I picked up three kinds of shrimp dim sum, 9 pieces altogether (3 for $2.90).

The Chinese market doesn't offer a discount card like ShopRite or a cash-rebate card like H Mart, but after spending more than $26 today on live or fresh seafood, I received a $1 coupon for the bakery or hot food.

Which is bigger?

California-based 99 Ranch Market was established in 1984, and with more than 50 locations, claims to be "the largest Asian supermarket chain in the United States."

But Han Ah Reum, which opened its first market in Queens in 1982, has more than 60 stores, including 6 H Marts in Bergen County.

Han Ah Reum, now based in Lyndhurst, opened a new H Mart in Paramus in May, but unexpectedly closed the Englewood H Mart, shocking many hundreds of loyal Jamaican-American and other non-Korean residents who had shopped there since that supermarket opened in 1992.

Although the many H Marts I've patronized have an edge on low prices, the new 99 Ranch Market in Hackensack is clearly a better Asian supermarket.

The 59,170-square-foot Hackensack supermarket once was a Pathmark, but that store closed in 2011.

Details

99 Ranch Market is at 450 Hackensack Ave., Hackensack, in the Home Depot Shopping Center; 1-201-489-8899. Open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. Website: Hackensack is our newest store

See: At new H Mart, high prices,

 not many organics

Two more item in the meat case at 99 Ranch Market are Pork Tongue, and containers of Pork Brains, not shown.

Silkie Chickens are a highly prized breed of chicken that has beautiful, silky white plumage and startlingly black skin, according to Kitchen.com. They are found in China, India and Southeast Asia.

A Silkie Chicken (photo credit: The Happy Chicken Coop).

Taiwan Spinach is one of three varieties of spinach I saw in the produce department. Unfortunately, 99 Ranch Market has only a small selection of organic produce.

The store's coupon policy is explained in the vestibule.

Competing Costco home-delivery services; healthy Mexican + other ethnic food to go

WHITE GLOVE SERVICE: I saw this Cinch van being loaded with water and other items at the Costco Wholesale Business Center in Hackensack. Cinch is competing with Costco's own home-delivery service from the Teterboro warehouse.

-- HACKENSACK, N.J.

By VICTOR E. SASSON

EDITOR

I really hope Costco Wholesale's newish home-delivery service succeeds in a big way for purely selfish reasons.

No. I have no interest in same-day delivery of fresh groceries to my home from the Teterboro warehouse.

But I'd love to see a large number of other Costco members signing up for the service, making my shopping experience in Teterboro less of a hassle.

So far, I haven't noticed much of a difference in the crowds or fussy members clawing through Costco's big packages of fruit, looking for what I don't know.

On Friday, my wife went to the Teterboro Costco to fill the tank of her gas-electric hybrid, return a men's dress shirt for a refund, and shop for fresh wild-caught fish, a big wedge of sheep's milk cheese from Italy and lots of other great items.

The store was "packed," and there were long lines at checkout, she said.

She spent more than $150, but got instant savings totaling $19.70 on skinless-and-boneless sardines, mouthwash, organic fruit bars, black-bean veggie burgers and hand soap.

Plus, she racked up a 4% rebate on gasoline and a 2% rebate on her entire purchase in the warehouse by using the Costco Anywhere Visa credit card.

Costco delivery 

Costco members can order same-day delivery of  eggs, meat, produce and other fresh items from Costco.com.

Costco uses a "personal shopper" from Instacart to deliver your groceries. To avoid a delivery fee, the minimum order is $35, and you must be present for delivery.

Two-day delivery of non-perishable food and household supplies requires a $75 order to avoid a delivery fee.

If you live in Bergen County, same-day delivery is from the Teterboro warehouse. Passaic County residents presumably get delivery from the Costco warehouses in Clifton and Wayne.

Cinch delivery

Cinch, a Costco competitor, offers "free delivery," but adds a fee to the prices of the items you order.

No membership in Costco is required, and there is no minimum order. And "we'll put your order away for you when we arrive."

But only "next day" delivery is available and only from Mondays to Fridays.  

I looked at some of the food items on the Cinch website, and noticed 3 pounds of bananas delivered to my home would cost $2.19 -- 80 cents more than they cost at Costco.

A 3-pound bag of organic bananas, also sold in Teterboro, wasn't available.

An 18-ounce package of blueberries delivered by Cinch would cost $9.99 or double what they cost at the Teterboro warehouse.

Cost of Costco delivery

In November 2017, before Costco launched delivery from the Teterboro warehouse, I reported on the cost: 

About 2,000 Costco products, including fresh food, are eligible for delivery by Instacart, which runs the same-day website and arranges for your order to be brought to your home, the warehouse giant said of the new CostcoGrocery program.

Orders can be delivered in as little as 2 hours, and a signature is required for delivery.

Executive members receive their 2% cash reward on "the warehouse merchandise sell price, but not on the 15% to 17% markup or the 10% service fee," Costco said.

Members also receive their 2% cash reward on the order total charged to the Costco Anywhere Visa Card.

Warehouse still cheapest

Still, items purchased in the warehouse "will provide you with the lowest possible price," Costco said.

"Members will enjoy the same superior quality products found in our warehouse. After we receive your order, items are carefully selected at your local Costco warehouse and delivered by Instacart," the company said.

Costco said non-members may also purchase on Instacart.com "at a higher price than members purchasing on Costco Same-Day." 

Other grocery delivery services are offered by ShopRite supermarkets, Amazon, Whole Foods Markets, Peapod and FreshDirect.

Although Costco is just now joining them, the warehouse giant offers prices on groceries and fresh food that usually undercut competitors.

ETHNIC FOOD TO GO: Korean soba or buckwheat noodles and fish balls from H Mart in Little Ferry, and Organic Korean Seaweed and Organic Chicken Broth from Costco Wholesale in Teterboro came together beautifully in a filling soup I made at home last Sunday night.

HEALTHY MEXICAN FOOD: I heated up a pair of Taqueria Los Compadres' Vegetable Tacos with non-GMO tortillas in the takeout container, adding fresh radish slices and salsa later, below.

Los Compadres

Los Compadres is a popular name for taquerias in the United States, but a new one in Fort Lee stands out by offering "healthy Mexican street food."

"All meats naturally raised, all sauces made in house without junk ... [or] with preservatives," the menu says.

The storefront eatery, which has only four tables, is affiliated with both the nearby Mood Food and Mood' Wiches in another part of Fort Lee.

They serve wild-caught shrimp, free-range eggs, quinoa bowls, salads, smoothies with real fruit, and organic coffee, tea and espresso drinks. 

At Taqueria Los Compadres, you can find tacos ($3 to $5 each); burritos ($9 to $12), tortas or sandwiches ($8 to $10) and bowls ($8 to $11) for pickup, delivery or to eat there.

DETAILS: Taqueria Los Compadres at 1224 Anderson Ave. in Fort Lee is open 7 days from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; 1-201-886-1367. Website: Order Online

MEXICAN SODA: Taqueria Los Compadres sells Jarritos, Mexican sodas made with sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup. Flavors include Tamarind, Pineapple and Mango.

Cheap Aroma rice cooker has me eating my words of praise, Costco wines + more

This Aroma Professional Rice Cooker came with a 5-year warranty, but the appliance started malfunctioning in October, about 2 years after we purchased it at Costco Wholesale in Teterboro for the bargain-basement price of $29.99.

One feature we liked was this collector, which caught condensation from inside the electric cooker. We could remove it to throw the water into the sink.

-- HACKENSACK, N.J.

By VICTOR E. SASSON

EDITOR

Forgive the play on words, but I smelled a bargain in October 2015 when I saw an electric rice cooker going for only $29.99 at my Costco Wholesale warehouse.

As I put the box into my shopping cart, my wife's complaints about the slowness of our Panasonic 10-cup Fuzzy Logic Rice Cooker rang in my ears.

The Panasonic cooker I got from Amazon.com in April 2013 cost $67.99, but listed for $89.99 -- three times the price of the bargain Aroma Professional Cooker.

But the Aroma cooker, made in China, stopped working in October, two years after I bought it.

So now that I've returned the malfunctioning Aroma cooker to my Teterboro Costco for a full refund, I am ready to eat the words of praise I lavished on it in a post on Do You Really Know What You're Eating?

$29.99 rice cooker is better

 than one costing three times the price

Our Panasonic 10-cup Fuzzy Logic Rice Cooker is slower, but has operated flawlessly since we bought it in April 2013.

In October 2015, the 5-year warranty listed on the box hooked me, but to get the cooker repaired or replaced, I would have had to pay for shipping the Aroma cooker both ways to San Diego, Calif., at a cost that would have exceeded the purchase price ($22 each way). 

Cuckoo rice cookers, which are made in South Korea, were on sale at the H Mart in Little Ferry on Sunday.

Our disposable culture

I received several comments in response to my original post on purchasing the cheap rice cooker, and the one from Phoebe Alexis proved prescient.

"The reason why many Asian folks invest in brands like Zojirushi and Tiger is because those rice cookers last! Parts can be replaced!

"We live in a disposable culture and should concentrate more on a few quality products that will LAST.... I seriously doubt that Aroma Cooker can match a Tiger (made in Japan) cooker that will last for years!!!! I appreciate your point of view but am very skeptical."

So, Pheobe, wherever you are, thanks for the valuable lesson in price v. quality or as many say, You get what you pay for.

Cases of wine on display at the Costco Wholesale in the Wayne Towne Center mall (149 Route 23 in Wayne). Unlike the liquor-store concession at the Teterboro warehouse, the Wayne Costco sells private-label wines from California, France, Italy, Argentina and other countries under the Kirkland Signature label.

Kirkland Signature 2014 Meritage from California's Napa Valley is a red wine made from five different grapes, including Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.

Best value in wine

Kirkland Signature wines from Costco offer the best value, but in northern New Jersey, only the warehouse in the Wayne Towne Center has a state liquor license to sell them.

One example is the Kirkland Signature 2015 Malbec from Argentina at $6.99, one of the bottles of red wine I picked up last Thursday.

Others included Kirkland Signature 2014 Meritage, $11.59; 2015 Napa County Cabernet Sauvignon, $12.99; and 2016 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir, also $12.99.

TY KU Silver Junmai Sake from Japan was $14.99 at the Wayne Costco.

A whole Jamon Serrano from Spain, where it was cured for 14 months, with a stand and slicing knife was $129.99 at the Wayne Costco. The weight was given as 15.43 pounds to 16.53 pounds.

More organics

On a visit to the Teterboro Costco on Saturday, when I replaced a damaged Michelin tire on my car, I noticed more organic products than before.

It's now possible to buy the basics -- bread, dairy or almond milk, eggs, salad mix, coffee beans and many other items -- and choose chemical-free organic over conventionally raised or grown.

This 2-pound, 8-ounce bag of Fair Trade Organic Whole Bean Coffee from Peru is not only free of harmful pesticides and chemical fertilizers, but also is a good deal at $10.99, and I was able to grind it at the Teterboro warehouse, below. 

I use a Turkish grind in my drip coffee maker to expose as much coffee as possible to hot water, producing a more robust cup of Joe.

Other organic coffee beans were available, including these from Mexico.

Plainville Farms Organic Turkey Breast (1.25 pounds for $10.89) may be the only cold cut sold at the Teterboro Costco that wasn't made from poultry or meat raised on harmful human antibiotics.

Pasta Prima Organic Spinach & Cheese Ravioli are delicious cooked, splashed with extra-virgin olive oil and sprinkled with grated cheese. You get 2.25 pounds for $9.99.

My wife says Costco no longer sells Kirkland Signature Whole Grain Bread so she brought home organic loaves, Dave's Killer Bread with 21 whole grains and seeds (two 27-ounce loaves were $7.39; one loaf at the Paramus Target was $5.89). I love this bread toasted, spread with a little pesto or used in a sandwich of reduced-fat Swiss cheese, wild smoked salmon and Campari tomato slices, all available at Costco, below.

I used three spreads on the sandwich: Dijon mustard, red-pepper paste and pesto.

Kirkland Signature Organic Unsweetened Almond Non-Dairy Beverage (Vanilla) may be the substitute for 1% lactose-free milk when having coffee or cereal. Six quarts of the almond milk were $7.99.

I was tempted by these prepared mussels from Canada's Prince Edward Island, but the garlic butter was a turnoff. 

CORRECTION: Here are two organic eggs from Costco with smoked wild salmon and organic quinoa. The photo I posted originally showed two duck eggs from Goffle Road Poultry Farm in Wyckoff. Two dozen Kirkland Signature Organic Eggs are $5.99 at Costco.