MOMs Organic Market Now Open in Bowie

MOM's Organic Market held a grand opening last weekend for its 6th store at the Hilltop Plaza in Bowie. The crowds showed up, and parking spaces were hard to find. Click here for the related company press release, store hours and directions.



The store is stocked with packages containing all the buzzwords and phrases you would expect to see in an organic grocery store: certified organic, no preservatives, no chemical additives, gluten free, wheat free, all natural, dairy free, vegan, kosher and meatless. Popular organic brands are available including Kashi, Cascadian Farm and MOM's own brand.

MOM's sells much more than fresh organic produce. Available for sale are dairy products, bulk foods, cereals, bread, baked goods, prepared foods, chips, cookies, ice cream, frozen foods (including pizza and other entrees), pet foods (including refrigerated chicken and beef offerings), health and beauty products and household cleaning products.


The employees are super friendly, and even the store manager, Nick, helps carry bags out to customers' cars.

MOM's has a mission to "protect and restore the environment," according to a mission statement on its Web site, and the press release announcing the opening of the Bowie store includes the following details about the new location.

MOM's mission is to protect and restore the environment, and the newest store was designed with that purpose in mind. Like all MOM's markets, it is fueled by 100% wind power. It also features highly efficient closed-door coolers with L.E.D. lighting; eco-friendly counter tops crafted from renewable bamboo and sunflower hulls; and energy-saving reduced wattage lightbulbs overhead. Underfoot, the site's original terrazzino flooring has been recycled, giving it a new lease on life at MOM's.

I was on my own for dinner last night, so I decided to check out MOM's selection of prepared foods. I chose a Buffalo Wing Sandwich.


I also bought a Chick Peas Salad. I'm not sure who determined that this 7 oz salad contains 8 servings. I pigged out and ate all eight servings.


Wait a minute! Check out the inside of my Buffalo Wing Sandwich. I don't think anything inside this sandwich ever clucked! It's best not to look at the faux meat. It did taste like Buffalo Wings, and I'm sure it's more healthy.



And for dessert...



I also picked up some organic produce, including my favorite apples - Fuji.



And some of MOM's own milk...



And all the way from Skagit Valley, Washington, Fruitful O's for the kids...




6824 Race Track Road, Bowie, MD 20715


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The Snowstorm Chronicles - Overlapping Storms

Snow storms have a life cycle that goes something like this

• The forecast
• The hype
• The mad rush to the grocery store
• The snow
• The canceled plans
  
• The clean-up
• The fun
• Reminiscing

The life cycle for the last storm is not yet over. Schools are still canceled, some of the roads in Bowie are a terrible mess and kids are sledding and digging snow tunnels.



The storm life cycle for the next storm is already underway. We heard about the new storm before the snow stopped falling on the last storm, and people can't talk about the old storm without mentioning the expected snowfall for the new storm. The forecast calls for 10 to 20 inches of new snow, and the heaviest snow is expected to fall in Maryland's Interstate 95 corridor. Winds are expected to be heavier in the new storm than they were last weekend. Power outages are also anticipated.

The mad rush to the grocery stores has started as well. The shelves are bare because products have not yet been replenished from last week's run on the grocery stores, and people are now stocking up on supplies in anticipation of the new storm.

We stopped by to pick up a few items from the Market Place Safeway tonight.

The Produce Department - no broccoli, among other items.

Running low on milk.

Not many eggs left

Not much meat, unless...

...unless you like Smoked Turkey Necks (left) or Pigs Feet (right). You better hurry. They only have one left of each!

The Snowstorm Chronicles - The Beginning

I heard stories on the radio and television about long lines in stores and bare shelves. At the Giant in Bowie's Freestate Shopping Center, there were long lines at the registers during the last couple of days, but the shelves remained fairly well stocked.


Here is a picture from the bread aisle Friday evening around 5:30pm. The shelves aren't nearly as full as they usually are, but there is plenty of bread left. My wife and I had a naming contest for this picture. Her suggestion was:

People Too Lazy to Bend Over to Buy Bread

Mine was:

Jewish Rye not Big Seller at Bowie Giant

The other end of the bread aisle.

Less milk than usual, but still plenty.

I found these snowpeople hanging out at the corner of Beaverdale Drive and Buckingham Lane. They are remnants from Wednesday's "practice" storm. I hope the little guy will be able to keep his head above the new snow.

More snowpeople on Stoneybrook Drive near the intersection with Buckingham Drive.

I took this "baseline" shot of the picnic table in our backyard around 5:00pm Friday evening. I'll use it for comparison in a future post.

Here is a picture of Belair Drive at 6:00pm. Although this picture is a little dark, the snow cover made it light enough to take a picture.

Aldi Discount Grocery Store Now Open in Bowie

I previously posted about the Aldi discount grocery chain opening a store in Bowie's Hilltop Plaza in the old Magruder's location. The store opened on Monday, December 14th, and I stopped in two days later to take a look around.

Roofers were still working on the building, and other construction was still taking place at the liquor wine and spirits store next door.

Aldi requires customers to deposit a refundable quarter to use a shopping cart. Instructions and reasons for the system are posted on the front of the building.

A close up of the cart system. You have to insert a quarter to release the last cart from the cart in front of it. You have to attach your cart to the next cart to get your quarter back. Don't you just love German engineering? I'm already trying to think of ways to beat the system. I do try to teach my kids to put things back where they found them, but this feels too rigid. I guess I must be a hypocrite.

This deposit system, however, probably does avoid scenes like this shopping cart mess that I saw on The Abbot of Unreason blog.

This is the view that greets you as you enter Aldi. There's only one way to go. Even if you want to pick up something in the front of the store, you're going to have to walk all the way to the back of the store first.

Product is stacked in cardboard boxes. Rather than taking something off a shelf, you're taking something out of a box. Experienced Aldi shoppers recommend stocking up on items that you like. Products that are available this week may not be available next week.

I spoke with a shopper in the store who told me that her daughter's technique is to shop Aldi first for the discount items, and then supplement your grocery shopping with a trip to Giant or Safeway.

This is just about the lowest price that I've seen for bottled water.

I was told that the store sells Aldi brand products almost exclusively. That is true, but Aldi disguises that fact by creating realistic sounding brand names. If you read the Aunt Maple's Original Syrup label, you'll see that it's distributed by Aldi, Inc.

Dakota's Pride is another Aldi brand. Sounds like an appropriate brand name for chili beans.

...and Las Mas Ricas Mexican food products. I saw Other Aldi brand products like Rodeo Bill Chips, Clancy Party Mix, Millville brand cereals and Tate's Ketchup (not catsup). If you want to buy ketchup or yellow mustard at Aldi, your only choice is Tate's.

Aldi does carry some name brand products. I think it would be impossible to create a cheaper product to compete with Ramen noodles.

Aldi seems to know where to compete and where not to compete. There are no Aldi brand equivalents to Skittles, Milky Way, Snickers and Kit Kat. Aldi also carries Pringles.

A view of the frozen food department. Aldi also sells bread, dairy products and produce. The produce department has basic items. You'll have to shop elsewhere for more exotic produce.

Miscellaneous items can be found for sale in the center of the store. Who wouldn't want to wake up Christmas morning to find an electric stove heater from Aldi under the tree?

I didn't buy anything on this trip to Aldi. I heard that cash and debit cards are the only acceptable form of payment. Bring your own bags to avoid having to purchase bags from Aldi.

Aldi seems to be the kind of store that you either love or hate. If you love hunting for bargains, you may like Aldi. If you like a little more pizazz in your grocery shopping, you may hate it.

6810 Race Track Road, Bowie, MD 20715


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Hilltop Plaza Renovations

Many changes are taking place at Hilltop Plaza in Bowie. The changes have been planned for a long time, so none of this is recent news. I did stop by Hilltop Plaza today to take a few pictures.



The most recent change is the closing of McDonald's. The restaurant closed more than a week ago, but in the few minutes that I stopped to take this picture, two drivers entered the drive-thru before seeing the orange traffic cone.




This picture shows the construction taking place at the former Magruder's location. An Aldi grocery store will be opening in this spot in the near future. A story from last May in the Gazette indicated that the store will be open by the end of the year, but that timeline seems unlikely given the current state of the renovations.

Aldi is a discount grocery store based in Germany. The Aldi name is a short version of Albrect Discount. The company was founded by brothers Theo and Karl Albrecht.

I've never been in an Aldi store, but from what I've read on the Web, the Aldi shopping experience is different than shopping at Safeway or Giant. Aldi grocery stores are characterized by the following.

• Aldi doesn't carry popular brands. Most items are sold under the Aldi store brand.
• The lack of brand choices keeps the stores smaller than traditional US grocery stores.
• In the US, only cash and debit cards can be used for purchases. Until recently, only cash was accepted.
• Customers have to pay a quarter deposit to use a grocery cart, and the deposit is returned when the customer returns the cart.
• Customers are expected to bring their own bags. Forgetful customers can purchase bags in the store.
• The stores don't have bakery or deli departments.
• Stores do carry produce, although the selection is very limited, and refrigerated displays aren't used.
  

It sounds like it's typical for shoppers to purchase discount items at an Aldi grocery store, and use traditional grocery stores in fill in the gaps.

There is some discussion on the Web about the relationship between Aldi and Trader Joe's. Some people claim that they are owned by the same company, and some people claim that some of the same products are found in both stores with different packaging.

The ownership of the stores is a confusing tale. The original Aldi chain was divided into two companies in the 1960s when brothers Theo and Karl Albrecht had a dispute. The two legally separate entities became known as Aldi Nord and Aldi Sud, although the companies did work so closely together that they often appeared as one company. The Aldi stores in the US are part of Aldi Sud. Trader Joe's was purchased by Theo Albrecht (the brother associated with Aldi Nord), and an Albrecht family trust owns Trader Joe's today. From a legal perspective, Aldi and Trader Joe's are not owned by the same company, but it's unclear how much cooperation exists between the two companies.

What is clear is that Aldi has a reputation for being a poor person's store, and Trader Joe's is considered to be more upscale. Some people believe that the companies work together to identify potential markets such that a Trader Joe's will never be found near an Aldi grocery store.

Judge for yourself. Here are some of the Maryland Aldi locations:

• Lanham
• District Heights
• Hyattsville
• Pasadena
• Langley Park
• Glen Burnie
• Oxon Hill
• Dundalk
• Essex

And here are some of the Maryland Trader Joe's locations:

• Annapolis
• Bethesda
• Rockville
• Silver Spring
• Towson
• Gaithersburg
• Columbia

I guess we know what they think of Bowie.




MOM's Organic Market (My Organic Market) is opening a store in Hilltop Plaza. In a press release announcing the opening of the Bowie store, MOM CEO Steve Nash said the following:

"I was born and raised in Prince George’s County. I am extremely happy to be opening our 2nd store there. The County has been largely ignored by national chains for as long as I can remember and the residents deserve a source for reasonably priced, healthy organic groceries. Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s seem reluctant to open there- and they obviously don’t understand the community."

And what would Hilltop Plaza be without a newly renovated AND expanded Dollar Tree store. Do you think Bethesda has a Dollar Tree store. Hell no!

Other businesses coming to Hilltop Plaza include Walgreens Pharmacy and Fancier Spa & Salon. According to this May, 2009 Gazette article, the owners of Hilltop Plaza are also attempting to change the zoning with the county to allow construction of residential housing on the site.