Because I lived in Austin, Texas and near Lebanon-Hanover, New Hampshire I was used to shopping in Central Market, Whole Foods and the Co-op. I purchased excellent quality foods that were good value for the dollar for the most part. And I splurged as needed.

I started commuting to Shreveport, Louisiana and had to find a local grocery store to feed me. I began my reconnaissance of the local grocery stores.

Store A is a smallish grocery store conveniently located ¾ mile from my house and serves a mixed socio-economic neighborhood of historic homes. No matter what I would go in there for all I ever come out with was a can of Folger’s and a bag of dog food.

This store specializes in fat, starch, sugar, alcohol and over-priced fresh orange. I was going to starve to death shopping here.

Next I test drove Store B which is 4 miles from my house. This is a grocery store for what was the Shreveport everyman. I began my exploration of the store and was immediately disappointed. There was no variety, no organic foods, no bulk, no nothing. I was so damn depressed. I consulted some locals and they directed me to Store C.

Store C is located 3 miles from my house and serves a higher end socio-economic group. In this neighborhood the houses are beautifully massive and the squadrons of giant flying cockroaches are called water bugs.

I made my trek to Store C to see if this grocery store was going to meet my needs. It has fruits and vegetables, some imported items, organic meat and vegetables and my staples. There is produce that I would consider a staple in Austin that is 3 times the price in Store C so I do without. But still out of the three, Store C was the best suited to my needs.

So you would think the post would stop there:

• Explore your grocery store options
• Pick the grocery store best suited to you
• The End

I thought that was the end too. But a friend, who lives 4 blocks from Store C, told me she was shopping in Store B. I was floored as I had seen what was in her fridge and it looked nothing like what I had seen at Store B.

So BACK I went to Store B. It was fabulous. They had been undergoing renovations for months. I walked into a beautiful produce section immediately hitting a wall of organics that were only pennies more expensive than the regular produce.

Green peppers were $0.99 each at Stores A and C, ORGANIC green peppers were $0.99 each at Store B. I try to stay away from the bakery but they had fresh baked cheese biscuits 3 for $1.00.

The prices are cheaper than Store C, the quality and selection are better than Store A. I was so happy I damn near burst into tears.

I now firmly believe that the choice of grocery store should be revisited annually.

The grocery chain marketing departments are constantly reassessing: what should be sold at each store, improvements and renovations, the pricing strategies, specials, etc. You never know when something is turning to your advantage in a different store.

At the same time, energy costs fell 17 percent and transportation expenses dropped 10 percent in November.

“The truth is corn prices have almost no effect on grocery store prices, and apparently even the impact of fuel costs is minimal,” said Randy Woodruff, president of the Wisconsin Corn Growers Association, in a press release.

“There are literally only pennies of farm value in that goose, turkey or roast you will eat for Christmas dinner. And while corn growers and consumers alike suffer the effects of a shaky U.S. economy, some of this country’s top food companies continue to ring up record profits.”

In fact, an 18-ounce box of corn flakes today contains less than 4 cents worth of corn but still costs as much, if not more, than it did last summer, Woodruff said.

Nevertheless, cereal giant Kellogg’s reported $342 million in net earnings, a 12 percent rise, while competitor General Mills reported $632 million in operating profits this fall, a 9 percent increase. Kraft Food’s revenue rose 19 percent and Campbell’s earnings rose 45 percent.

Grocers are pushing big deals to get value-minded shoppers into their stores for holiday meal shopping.

For most grocers, the current quarter holds three big “eating” holidays: Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s, so they often hold large promotions this time of the year. But 2008′s economic woes have given holiday grocery marketing a more modest tone.

“With everyone trying to stretch budgets this holiday season, we are giving even better deals on our high-quality products so our customers don’t have to compromise,” Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market Chief Marketing Officer Simon Uwins said in a statement.

The El Segundo, Calif.-based chain halved prices on key holiday items such as pecan pie and cooked shrimp to draw shoppers.

Low-cost grocer Save-A-Lot has developed five plans for feeding 10 people for $25 or less. Some suggest a full meal with main dishes, sides, desserts and beverages, while others are designed for parties — with an array of hors d’oeuvres or desserts.

“These are very difficult times for many Americans,” said Bill Shaner, president and CEO of Save-A-Lot.

The retailer will continue seeking ways to help its customers save money in the New Year, including offering ideas for $1 school lunches, meal plans that feed a family of four for $4, and more, Shaner said.

Other grocers, like Kroger Co. and Safeway Inc., have been pushing deals that tie spending at the store with savings at the gas pump.

Grocers have been one of the bright spots in retail during the downturn, but they say they have seen consumers focus more on staples and store brands than more expensive food.

Promotions already represent a universally popular marketing tactic, with some $129 billion of promoted dollar sales rung up across all categories in food, drug and mass merchandise outlets (excluding coupons), according to Nielsen, in the year ending July 2008. Fully 35 percent of dollar sales were sold on promotion — temporary price reductions (TPRs) accounted for 16 percent, feature ads another 10 percent, displays added 6 percent, and a combination of features and displays contributed 4 percent to the total.

The drug channel is slightly less promotionally driven than grocery, with 31 percent of items sold on deal versus 36 percent at food stores.”

In addition to coupons according to www.wjhg.com: “…millions of shoppers are switching to less expensive store brands.

A recent Nielsen survey found 62 percent of consumers consider store brands to be as good as name brands–and sales are up 10 percent in the last year.

Consumer Reports, Tod Marks: “Store brands can save you a bundle, anywhere from 20 to 50 percent or more depending on the product category you’re shopping in.”

Tod Marks is a senior editor at consumer reports–where tests found store brands often scored as well as name brands in taste and quality…”

And now you can save even more money if at Giant Stores with “New technology at some local supermarkets could save you time and money.

At the Giant Food store on Old Georgetown Road in Bethesda, shoppers can scan their bonus cards at the front of the store and grab a handheld scanner to shop.

Shoppers scan the bar codes and bag their groceries as they go. When you’re done shopping, all you have to do is walk up to any register and pay.

Coupons available only through the scanner offer additional savings to shoppers.”