I know of  two grocery stores in California that are not here on the East Coast and I do miss them. The first is Trader Joe’s, and I have to give them credit – they are starting to show up along the East Coast in the major metropolitan areas, so if you are willing to drive for a few hours, you can get to one. Of course, with the cost of gas, you sure don’t want to drive four hours just to go to a grocery store.

The other store is Raleys. That is a nice, high end store that does a couple things that I miss very much. First, their focus is on the highest quality, freshest produce and they prove it by putting the produce aisles in the middle of the store. The quality is not only fresh but big. For instance the avocados are so large that they get less of them in a case than the other stores.

Also, Raley’s has a free monthly magazine that is only available in the stores. The magazine features different foods and recipes, and the recipes are all made with items stocked in every Raley’s store. At the end of each recipe is a list of the ingredients and the aisle where you can find them. That is what I call a convenience.

The bakery has fresh baked goods in a variety of sizes and quantities, including the great little “cake for two” desserts that are MARVELOUS. And the store has a good selection of specialty foods and foods that meet strict diets, such as people who are allergic to gluten, or allergic to peanuts, which is becoming an issue more and more these days.

When you are ready to check out, you pull your basket up to the cashier and the cashier unloads the cart for you as he/she rings up your purchases. I like that and miss the superior customer service from all the Raley’s employees.