poshua, i'm surprised by your experience i've been shopping there since they opened in 1998 (it's was called Edwards then) and it's always been the best market in the area as far as i'm concerned. you have to admit it's much better than the Pathmark up the block. i do have to admit i may not be as picky about my veggies

i also think the Stop and Shop is much better than the Key Food in Greenpoint...do they even have a fancy cheese option? Ok it's not a Whole Foods or regular suburban market but the prices are good and the produce is better than any of the other options in the area (except Costo). i thought the cheese section was alright and if i really want good cheese I would go to a specialty shop in Manhattan (Grand Central is just a 5min subway ride and they have great cheeses). i also do shop at Costco. they have some nice produce but for everything else you really need to want bulk items. i stock up on things like seltzer water, paper products and frozen food. they also have good prices on things like CD-Rs and DVD-Rs. i find to really get the deals at Costco you need to work the coupons they send you. the costo in LIC allows you to pay with a debit card. i hear the one in brooklyn does not.

good stuff on costco, been to one on long island once with a guest membership, could be good.  btw- where is this cheese stop in grand central?

there was the time when this was there:
http://gothamist.com/2007/05/15/biggest_cheese.php


here's more info on murry's cheese shop at GS:
http://www.chow.com/places/20557


i did not mention the pre-prepard food at costco because that's not something i'm interested in but a buddy of mine gets sandwiches there all the time for office meetings. she says it's a better option than pizza all the time for about the same price.