College students are familiar with the old saying that money doesn’t grow on trees, and they must be careful where they spend limited funds, and most students spend grocery money at the ever-popular Wal-Mart.
There is, however, an alternative to spending tremendous amounts of money at regular, overpriced grocery stores. The answer is Second Chance Grocery, a salvage grocery store. Second Chance Grocery takes cans and boxes that are slightly dented and the goods that have soon-to-expire “use by” dates and sell them at a much lower price than you would find in the chain establishments.
All of the goods are non-perishable items and are closely inspected by the reclamation center that supplies Second Chance Grocery, and then the staff at the store itself inspects the groceries again. Do not be wary of the expired “use by” dates because they are mainly placed on the goods to make sure grocers rotate their stock efficiently. Non-perishable products taste just as good before the date as they do after, and they will not spoil.
When compared to other grocery stores, Second Chance Grocery is over 50 percent cheaper. Frequently bought Kellogg’s Pop Tarts are about $1.99 at a big store, but they are only 85 cents at Second Chance Grocery. Soups, Hamburger Helper, salad dressings, chocolate, cereal, coffee, tin foil, sugar, flour and vegetables can all be found at Second Chance Grocery for much cheaper than other grocery stores. For a price comparison chart for Second Chance Grocery compared to other bigger grocery stores in town, visit their Web site at www.secondchancegrocery.com.
Because the store is not nearly the size of other grocery stores, they do not have quite the selection or consistency of other stores, but the price is right. Not having any milk, bread, or perishable items certainly cuts down on the amount of food in the store. Second Chance Grocery also does not know exactly what they will have in stock until they actually get it in. The groceries arrive in banana boxes, and the contents are unknown until the boxes are opened and put onto the shelves. However, some items, such as pasta and vegetables, are on the shelves every week.
Another concern might also be how they can sell the food at such cheap prices. Many have lent their support to Second Chance Grocery through volunteering. Also, Second Chance Grocery buys their goods in bulk so that they are able to sell them cheaper. Also, their goal is not to make outrageous amounts of money, but to simply make a living and benefit other people.
“The idea of having a discounted grocery store in a college town is pretty good. I have never shopped there, but after looking at the comparison list from their web site, I might have to go and give them some of my business,” student Sherman Grice said.
Second Chance Grocery is located on Highway 25 next to Highway 25 Garage and across from Pines Mobile Homes. The store is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. Second Chance Grocery is an opportunity to buy name brand food for less than half of the normal price.