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| - I REALLY wanted to love this place. I'm constantly looking for a better alternative to Meijer shopping, but I'm sick of leaving town to hit up a Kroger. So this morning I thought I'd give Harvest Market a try at a slow hour so I could pick up my items without a ton of people rushing me along.
I was surprised at how small the produce section was. Everything was well stocked, but it was also 8am. I can't imagine what it would look like at 3pm on a Saturday. A fairly wide variety of produce, but some items (like snow peas and green beans) were only offered pre-bagged which I'm not a fan of. It's always more expensive and I just prefer the bulk grab-what-you-need set up. The fruit selection looked much more extensive than the veggies for what it's worth. I was also surprised at the small seafood selection. I know we're land locked here in Illinois, but I thought there would be more than just a double cooler labeled "Shrimp." There was a fresh case for seafood, but it looked like mostly salmon and more shrimp. I was on the hunt for tuna steaks and I never did find any. The fresh meat and poultry cases, however, were very extensive.
And here's my final, largest qualm: price. Items here average anywhere from 20 cents to 75 cents extra than what I normally pay. I know what you're thinking.. "It's just 20 cents!" But when you come with a huge list it adds up quick. I went to the CoOp in Urbana later today for lunch and just walking through the store I saw the 3 exact items I had purchased earlier for noticeably less money.
I spent $1.79 ea for red bell peppers. Had I gone to the CoOp, it would have been .99 cents ea AND organic. I bought local honey at 8am for $5.69 but could have picked it up for $5 in Urbana. I know it's not much... but if I'm buying local items I want to know that my extra .69 cents will get to the honey collector and not to Harvest Market. I think that's what upsets me the most about their prices: they have all this local stuff they're so proud of putting on their shelves, but this national chain is charging more than a locally owned and operated co-op.
PROs: I don't want to talk trash the whole review because there were some great things about HM. It was very spacious, clean, and good variety for many items. The employees all said "Good morning" and my cashier was the friendliest I've ever had. I had went to the cafe a few months back when it first opened and was impressed with the meal options, including a sushi bar! The sushi was tasty too, in case you were wondering.
I truly believe if you know HM carries what you need, and packaged to your liking, this place would be really great for you. However, this place didn't fit me like I had expected. I'm also more budget conscious than the average Joe. Give it a chance.. don't just go off my review.
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