Putting the 'Super' in Superstore

I love The Real Canadian Superstore

There, now that that's out of the way, it's time discuss why.

Back when I first moved to Brandon, Manitoba in 2006 I lived right across the street from The Superstore. This was the best thing ever. In a relatively small area of town I had a Subway restaurant, a Superstore that had everything I could ever want, and a liquor mart. All of these things probably add together to make me a happy dude and hold Superstore in higher esteem in my mind.

Anyway, I got used to shopping there all the time, even when I moved out of town and ended up moving back in 2008' I got a house close to where I used to live because I loved the Superstore so much. It was also near a 7/11 which was always fun to stumble to after a night of drinking.

But since moving to Grande Prairie I now live across town from where the Superstore is and choose to shop at the CO-OP Grocery right by where I work. I now realize that Superstore has tons of stuff you can't find anywhere else. It just so happens as well that this stuff is sometimes cheaper and even better than their name-brand counterparts!

The world is crazy place.

Here's a list of the things I prefer to buy from the Superstore that I can't find anywhere else:

Perogies - I didn't realize it, but these are better than those Chimo ones you can buy at grocery stores

Cheese - Sometimes this is kind of hit and miss, but for the price it's generally a hit

Rice - I've only done it once, but you can buy a giant burlap sack of rice. Perfect for poor people like me!

DVDs - I know they do this at Futureshop too, but their selection of random and obscure DVDs is much better than Futureshop, which generally carries the shitty flop movies.

Iced Tea Mix - It's awesome! You can buy it in a giant tin that's almost two to three bucks cheaper than a lesser amount of the name brand stuff. By the way, have you ever tried putting Iced Tea mix in with your coffee instead of sugar? If not, do so NOW.

Panini Buns - Superstore has these half-cooked buns that you're suppoused to toss in the oven so you can finish baking them and have warm panini buns. But I like them uncooked and raw to make delicious sammiches with.

Light Bulbs - You can get like a dozen light bulbs for super cheap! Who cares if they don't last as long as the regular ones? Quantity beats quality.

Chips - Can you believe how much potato chips cost these days? I remember when a big bag of them would cost no more than a dollar fifty. Now they're like three dollars for name brand stuff! And not only that, but they're cheating you out flavouring to be 'healthier.' Well fuck that. Good thing the Superstore offers all the flavours and more that the name brand ones don't, and they do it for cheaper!
Ruffled All-dressed chips are still my favourite, but the Superstore no-name brand ones are a really close second.

There's lots more, but I won't get into it because I have to leave room for other people who dig the stuff from Superstore. I questioned lots of people and got back lots of quality answers.

Here's the list of contributors and what they like:

Respondent 1:
Hot Chocolate mix, Pizza's from the Superstore, and Laundry Detergent.

Respondent 2:
California Style Iced Tea mix, Hot chocolate mix, Smoked Hickory BBQ sauce, Morrocan Style Green Tea, Ranch Dressing, and Egg Nog

Naomi Leadbeater:
Paneer and "fresh weird vegetable, but I don't always like the quality."

Amanda Navid:
"The House stuff they carry. I can't go to wal mart and buy a new couch, but i did manage to get one (that is chic) and it didn't blow my college student budget at Superstore. Can't get that anywhere other then a big furnature store that wants me to buy a couch for $699 instead of $199.
And did i mention it folds into a bed....OH YEAH! "

Respondent 3:
"BAGELS. They are always good, lots of selection, and at 6 for 2.99, can't go wrong"

Respondent 4:
Dried cranberries, wasabi peas, and tuna "And no name sandwich meats [because] they don’t look as gross as other packaged meats."

Respondent 5:
President's Choice Appetizers, Cakes, bulk food, and "The oriental section [which] is by far better than any other grocer."

Respondent 6:
"I usually only buy my rice at Superstore. Some huge bag of Rooster Rice. Otherwise I do like to get paper products (toilet paper, paper towels), juice boxes and snacks (rice crispy treats, granola bars) at Superstore because they are cheaper."

So as you can see, lots of people love The Superstore. Also, did you know that in Alberta the Superstore also has "The Real Canadian Liquor Store"? True story. But everyone and their grandma have liquor stores in Alberta.
I don't think it's a coincidence either that people like a lot of the same products from Superstore either.

But for every person who says "Yay" there is always one who says "Nay." Chelsea Kumka is not a fan of Superstore, in fact, she reviles it.

Here's what she had to say on the matter:
"My opinion on Superstore is that it is single handedly THE WORST mega store to shop it. It NEVER has anything that I'm looking for. I always shop at Safeway because it's cleaner, friendlier, and actually stocks its shelves. I have a hard time finding anything at Superstore except dirt. There's lot of dirt at Superstore; probably because they never clean any of their damn stores. It's a terrible place. Terrible Terrible Place!"

Well, that's partly true. If you walk into the store at the wrong time sometimes the shelves will be bare or they simply won't have the thing you're looking for. Also, until you get the 'lay of the land' you can have a tough time finding what you want. But those things can also be said of any grocery store. And also said for stores being grubby, especially during the winter.

Regardless, I think I'll be moving soon and will attempt to find a house closer to The Superstore. Because my life just hasn't been as Super lately without it.

How about yours?