Maybe you’re on a partial meal plan, or maybe you’re like me and decide to go “grocery shopping,” as a first-year on an unlimited meal plan just to fill your minifridge with unnecessary snacks. If you’re new to this, or just need some tips, here’s my definitive guide. 

For the Scrappy Risk Takers: The Rott

If you don’t think your credit card can take any more damage, or you’re looking to impress a hot senior wondering if you have any guts, your best bet is to swipe food directly from the source. Unfortunately, the newfound lack of disposable plates has created an added challenge here, so you may need to think ahead with some Tupperware. Be forewarned: it’s always an open question when AVI Fresh will crack down on this. 

For those with Daddy’s Money: $$$ Martin’s $$$

Walk into Martin’s, and you’ll be entranced by the hypnotizing smell of the built-in Starbucks and fresh donuts. “Is this heaven?” you may ask. No, it’s simply the Greencroft-adjacent Martin’s. The produce is well-stocked, sushi is rolled and flowers are blooming. But beware: this paradise comes at a premium. Don’t check your receipt. 

For Shoppers with Common Sense: Aldi

In this author’s humble and unbiased opinion, Aldi is basically the only defensible place to shop. If you forget your own bag you’ll have to awkwardly shuffle outside with your groceries in a weird cardboard box, but it’s worth it for what you’re saving. It’s also the second-best* place in Goshen to buy important German foods. 

For a Multipurpose Shop: Walmart 

Every time I walk into Walmart, I groan and my feet drag because it’s such an ordeal. I feel like I have to do eight laps around the store before I get everything I need. My eyes strain with indecision as I stare down the massive cereal aisle to buy one box of bran flakes. But if you need to buy a flat-screen TV and a new fishing pole and a Spongebob T-shirt along with your groceries, this is the place to go. 

For the Quirky “It Girl”: Trader Joe’s 

If you want to burnish your reputation as a foodie, it could be worth the drive out to South Bend. Keep in mind that if you need regular groceries, instead of Chili Pumpkin Spice Tzatziki Sauce or Brown Butter Miso Everything but the Bagel Almonds, they might not have it. But just remember: Are you paying for the taste of the food itself or the fact that it’s cutesy and unique? Also, the cashiers are really friendly, but they toy the line between neighborly and fake.

*It can’t compete with Dunlap’s own German grocery: Himmel Haus.