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| - I don't want to be objective and levelheaded in this review. I don't want to look at the store in its totality and review fairly. I'm so tired of intelligence-insulting prices, particularly for produce ($3 FOR A NON-ORGANIC TOMATO?!?!) I want to rouse the proletariat and storm the place like the damn Bastille, pitchforks, torches and all. I wonder if IKEA sells guillotines.
But no, if I'm to be fair I must recognize that without this Harris-Teeter, I'd be pretty screwed. Since I live uptown and don't drive I'd have to catch a bus or the LYNX for even basic groceries. (Obligatory: Ain't nobody got time for that!) And like all H-T locations, their VIC specials are numerous enough that much of your shopping list will likely be on sale. The trick is this: Abandon all brand loyalty, ye who enter here. You may notice that these VIC specials aren't really deals at all. They just bring the prices down to what they normally are elsewhere. This trickery will probably infuriate you. Take a deep breath and push that rage-ball deep down inside. After all, that eggplant cost you $2.79 instead of $3. How generous of them!
It's strange. There are some deals that lead me to believe they occasionally feel a pang of guilt for their usual greed. Once in a while they'll do a buy 2 get 3 free deal that's fantastic. Sometimes it's obviously to shift nearly expired stuff, but not always. And they do sell shoulder lamb chops cheaper than you'll find anywhere. Credit where credit's due. Finally, if you can resign yourself to sacrifice freshness for savings the H-T brand of frozen vegetables are decent and a good value. But frozen is never as good as fresh.
"What about 7th Street Public Market", you say? Please! Given their meager hours of operation, I'm convinced they run that place more as a trendy hobby than to actually provide goods in exchange for profit. So Harris-Teeter remains a lifesaver for car-free uptown residents. Still, I don't appreciate that H-T has uptown by the balls and seems all too happy to take full advantage of it.
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