Collegiate Times

The doors glide open, and the overwhelming scent of freshness hits my nose. With my mouth agape, I stare into this mansion of a store with awe and wonder. There’s so much I want to see and do during my trip. This isn’t some glitzy shop on Fifth Avenue though — it’s Kroger.

Kroger is, without a shadow of a doubt, the best grocery store in Blacksburg. The new Kroger on South Main Street is absolutely beautiful. I never thought I would use that word to describe a grocery store, but it seems appropriate.

It’s everything a grocery store should strive to be. Everything is orderly and well-signed. There are ample checkout lanes and plenty of workers milling around who are more than willing to help you. The food is displayed appetizingly, the bakery always smells delectable, the pharmacy staff is incredibly helpful and the flower section looks like a mini floral shop.

However, not all stores live up to Kroger’s impeccable standards.

Admittedly, I’ve never set foot in Eat’s, but Food Lion’s current renovation project shows it is self-aware that it’s subpar. It has realized it really needs to step up its game if it wants to be at all competitive with Blacksburg’s leader.

Unlike Kroger, Food Lion doesn’t greet you with a grand entrance and a world full of enticing products. Instead, the aged doors wobble open slowly, and on the other side awaits a dimly-lit environment. The current construction has made the place look like a war zone, but I really can’t harangue it for that, because I’m actually quite pleased some much-needed changes are being made. Already, the place is starting to look much nicer.

In addition to sheer quality of the store, convenience is also a huge factor when deciding where to shop. Does the store make it easy and efficient to buy exactly what you need? Kroger has plenty of self-checkouts and traditional cashiers. Lines are rarely that long, and if there is a decent line, it moves quickly.

The same cannot be said for Food Lion. There are very few self-checkouts, and it’s not uncommon to see at least half of them out of order. This pushes customers into one of the four traditional cashier checkouts. Four — for an entire grocery store! Before renovations began, there were only three. The lines always seem to be long and move about as quickly as cold molasses.

However, one huge pro for Food Lion is its location on North Main Street. The store is the epicenter of a number of apartment complexes.The surrounding stores in the shopping center may be nothing special, but there’s something to be said for a grocery store within walking distance. 

As much as I might complain about Food Lion, it’s a quick fix for basic items that don’t warrant a larger shopping spree. The new Kroger is a phenomenal store, but I really have to motivate myself to make that trek down Main Street.

Also, it’s important to remember it’s all relative. Kroger is the best store for this area, but there are even better options in other parts of the country.

In Northern Virginia, the upstate New York chain Wegmans is making an appearance. Wegmans is the Disney World of grocery stores, with many locations boasting three levels, elaborate food courts and wine stores. Maybe someday we’ll get one, but until that day, I’ll shop at Kroger.

A version of this article appeared in the Oct 19 issue of the Collegiate Times.