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Well, at least they didn't say "everyday lowest prices".

FYI Giant is a supermarket chain in the Maryland/Virginia/D.C. area that was, until recently, locally owned; it was taken over by a large Dutch firm which has systematically, and to my mind, successfully lured shoppers from one of its largest competitors, Safeway, by slashing prices, especially on non-perishable goods. It also improved the quality of produce greatly, and still tends to be less expensive than Safeway.

Karyn: I think you're learning a valuable lesson in that it pays to shop around and compare prices, or at least, vary your destinations when food shopping since you have a wealth of options. (I'll get to the persimmons, shortly.) Most people don't, especially due to time constraints and priorities.

For all its cost-cutting, Giant is Old School when it comes to items viewed as exotic for average US citizens, i.e., the kind that would have no problem with microwave popcorn or store-bought butternut squash soup. Go look in the cheese department where prices for Parmigiano Reggiano are outrageous. Even American cheddar from brands sold at Whole Foods or natural foods stores cost more.

Same with persimmons. BTW, don't fault the produce dept. for puny little persimmons. That's what Fuyu persimmons are supposed to look like. The advantage is you can eat them when they're only semi-ripe, raw; great peeled, sliced thinly, in salad. Until just this past week, Giant and Whole Foods were charging the same price. Rodman's has the other type, Hachiya, which must be mushy; only $1.29 each recently.

Despite its reputation, Whole Foods is often, surprisingly, a lot less expensive than traditional chain stores for certain items, if rarely for produce. Dairy prices are lower for the store's brand (not organic, but unlike Giant, cows are not fed growth hormones, etc.) and for organic than at most stores. Spices, King Arthur flour and certain bulk items. Tofu. Kosher salt. And surprisingly, in some cases, meat and poultry.

WF's principal competition in these area is Trader Joe's; the price war is strategic and you need to be the judge. (My opinion of TJ differs from yours. For example, its dairy tends to expire rapidly, even if the prices are comparable. Cheap peanut butter is runny since cost is cut by larger percentage of oil, yet most of the dried fruits are comparable or superior, and often less expensive.)

At the height of the growing season, the farmer's market offers bargains.

Most recently I purchased organic fuyu persimmons from Gelson's market (So Cal chain). They come from a place called "The Little Farm." Who would have thought this time of year there would be any left in the markets? Well they are available at $4.99/pound and worth every cent. They are delicious and a beautiful rich color. I am a persimmon freak and usually buy them when they are in season at the farmer's market but these are far superior to what they sold at the farmer's market.

@ Catharine - Honestly, I probably could have gotten quite a few of the persimmons at Giant at that price. They were the tiniest I have seen (and they weren't fuyu!) and they had seen better days. I've seen ripe persimmons, I've seen bruised persimmons. These were goners. I'm jealous of you California-types. I miss produce!

@ Eliz - No worries. I'm somewhere between the two types you mentioned. I can't remember the last time I used a microwave (I even heat water on the stove), but I didn't attempt gnocchi until Christmas. They tasted great. My technique . . . it needs work. Of course, no one in my family had ever eaten gnocchi before, so I just pretended that they were supposed to look like orange, misshapen squiggles. I'll get there. Maybe with the purple potatoes I just bought. :)