Just The Basics At Joe V’s

Ready for the next big concept in grocery shopping?  Well, it has arrived in the form of HEB’s Joe V’s Smart Shop stores.  Since the third one just opened here in Houston, I am feeling a little behind in what’s new in the wonderful world of grocery store concepts so I dropped by Joe V’s this week to check out the next big thing.

And just what is the next big thing? Joe V’s has discovered a surprisingly wide open niche – the “discount” grocery store.  To accomplish this, Joe V’s is a no-frills operation with concrete floors, a lack of intrusive ads, absolutely no samples and a lot less choice of items.  In many ways, it looks like a warehouse grocery store, like Costco or Sam’s, but on a smaller scale.  Here’s a shot inside the Joe V’s I shopped:

Because I shop at Costco pretty regularly, none of these discount touches scared me off.

The key to offering discount prices is, of course, offering less choice.  So, instead of offering the 37,000 items found at a typical grocery store, Joe V’s only offers 6,500.  What does that mean?  If you want to buy flour, for example, as I did, there is only one kind.  You can’t choose between bleached, unbleached or organic.  Heck, you can’t choose between all-purpose, bread and cake.  There is one kind of flour – the all-purpose store brand flour.  And if you don’t want that, then you aren’t buying flour.  I personally was fine with the all-purpose store brand (H-E-B was the brand by the way) so I bought it.

This less-choice option holds true throughout Joe V’s but I promise you, you will see plenty of brand names and products that you buy in the big fancy grocery stores.  They just cost less at Joe V’s.  And there are all kinds of brands aimed at the Hispanic population, brands plenty of Houstonian cooks love no matter what style of cooking they are dishing out.

Despite its discount leanings, Joe V’s includes an on-site bakery and a huge, very well-priced produce section.  The meat selection was extensive and also at shopper-friendly prices.

I’m hoping to see more of these stores pop up around Houston as I had to drive 20 miles to get to one.  In these recessionary times, this is one grocery store concept that is not just welcome, but I hope is here to stay.

For the locations of the Joe V’s store and info on their prices, check out their web site:  joevsmartshop.com.

Raiding Plato’s Closet

Let me be clear – I would not be caught dead in the prom dress that Molly Ringwald whipped up in Pretty in Pink.  I am not happy to dig through racks of someone else’s castoffs to find that “treasure” that others have supposedly missed.  And I am fine paying full retail price for an outfit that my next-door neighbor might also show up in at the next PTA meeting.

Plato's Closet has racks and racks of cute and colorful clothes

So I’m a little surprised at how much I like shopping at Plato’s Closet.   Actually, I’m a lot surprised.  But when you’ve got a chance to fight the recession, be environmentally thoughtful, and buy something that’s on-fashion, shopping resale doesn’t seem half-bad.

With five locations in the Houston area, Plato’s Closet is probably right around your corner.  Mine is in the Memorial Area (10516 Old Katy Road)and I’ve been very happy with my experience there.  I sold some clothes that were never, EVER going to be worn again – and was handed $30.75 cash which I thought was fabulous.  I turned around and used it to buy a black Arden B cocktail dress with pailette sequins on the bodice that looks way hot, especially considering it only cost me $15.

Okay, so Plato’s Closet is definitely aimed at teens and twenty-somethings.  You can see that from the labels – Abercrombie, American Eagle, Hollister, 7 for all Mankind.  But if you’re not wearing these labels, maybe your kids are. And the great thing is, because of the incentive of instant cash paid to sellers at Plato’s Closet, there are always lots of sellers with very current stuff that hits Plato’s racks quickly.

Now, if the idea of wearing anything your kid might wear frightens you, you’ll still be interested in the accessories.  On my last visit I found two like-new Vera Bradley bags and a Coach wallet, all priced way below retail.  Here’s my favorite thing I saw today – a pair of Frederick’s of Hollywood silver glitter pumps, never worn, for just $8:

I'm thinking Marilyn Monroe . . .

Now, while these aren’t something I might wear everyday, wouldn’t they be great at Halloween?

Check out the Plato’s Closet website to find your neighborhood store and drop by.  Hey, with prom season still several months away, you’ve got time to find a few dresses to deconstruct and use for your own Pretty in Pink creation!