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| - Farmers Market?? Conjures up images of fresh, local produce. Not so much here. Most of the produce is from Mexico. Bananas from Mexico go from under-ripe to over-ripe without ever stopping at ripe. Mexican produce can be grown downhill from pastures and animal pens, something not permitted in the US. If it something I can cook the bejeebers out of then it doesn't matter, but if I have to eat it without cooking (like radishes, cucumbers, tomatoes, watermelon, etc), then I won't buy Mexican produce and end up making a trip to a real, local farmer's market.
The meat prices are higher and the quality is not as good as when it was Sunflower Market. The Sunflower beef was labeled free of hormones and antibiotics and much of it was labeled grass-fed. The Sprouts beef does no have this type of labeling.
The deli staff is asleep at the switch. I stopped by today for a sales item of a deli roasted turkey and they hadn't even started the turkeys yet and the rotisserie chickens were still raw (but at least loaded in the cooker). I would understand if was 7am (when the store is open for business), but it was almost 10am. They also seem to only carry Boar's Head deli meats (over-priced and not very good quality).
What about the canned food? The canned mushrooms are from CHINA (really??? the folks that put melamine in pet food and infant formula??). Some of the bottles of fruit juice have High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) NOT something you expect from a farmers market or natural food store.
The dairy has more organic milk, eggs, cheese, and butter choices than any regular grocery store, and the bulk barrels offer a diverse selection of products.
The frozen food department has a nice selection of healthier choices (such as organic and whole grain products).
The check out staff is awesome. The store is very clean and well organized. The parking is easy and close to the door. There are plenty of shopping carts. Overall, plenty of room for improvement, but certainly fills a niche that is missing in regular grocery stores.
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