Review of Super 24 Market

 A small but very nice Hispanic market has opened in Jessup, Maryland. The store's address is 8530 Washington Blvd and is called Super 24 Market. The store is aiming for different Hispanic groups like Peruvians with its Inca Cola. It has a small produce section as well as small butcher section. Yesterday, I bought some cooked shrimp from there for approximately $8.40 a pound. The shrimp were very good. It offers various baked goods, some dairy and some frozen items. It can send money transfers for various customers who wish to send money back to Mexico, Central America and South America. It has 2 checkout lines which is enough considering how busy it gets. Parking is ample though it is shared with other shops in the strip mall (don't know its name). Both cashiers can speak Spanish and 1 may not be able to speak any English.

Overall, I've been very pleased with this small store. I like going here to see what they have. I doubt they're the cheapest around but, they do offer a convenience of not having to go to a full blown supermarket. I think Hispanic customers would like the particular Hispanic products and, that the staff do speak Spanish. I give this quaint store 2 thumbs up. Happy Shopping all!

Review of Jessup Maryland MOM's Organic Market

I don't know the exact time but, the MOM's Organic Market store at 7351 Assateague Drive in Jessup, Maryland underwent a major renovation. The renovation increased the space of the store, installed it's own bakery, created a break area as well as a small dining area. The store also has a new sandwich shop though I haven't tried that yet. The renovation did a great job of improving this store in my opinion. It's a big improvement from what it had been before. I particularly like the fresh baked items like their big cardamom oatmeal butterscotch cookies which sell for $2.99 each. Another plus is I believe they have more items for sale now including a bigger selection of Kettle Brand potato chips. I tried some Honey Mustard flavored ones for the first time since I like honey mustard. I felt the flavor of those were too faint.

Overall, I really like the improved store. It's definitely gotten me to shop there more. If you like their products and are in Jessup, Maryland, you should check out this store. I give it 2 thumbs up! Happy shopping all!

Review of ALDI Supermarkets

A couple months ago, I decided to check out the new ALDI supermarket in Laurel, Maryland. I'd heard of them from a friend but, I'd never been in one. The supermarket was different from what we're used to in the United States of America (USA). For starters, they're smaller than most supermarkets here. Also, their selection is more limited (you would have 8 or 9 types of snack items vice an entire row of them. One surprising thing about them is their choices of genuine German items example: Moser Roth chocolate bars. I have a friend who is a Germanophile and really likes a lot of their German items. I've enjoyed some and handed off others to my friend when I haven't been thrilled with other trial choices. Also, I've heard the chain is German owned (don't know if this is true though it would explain the number of genuine German food items).

The chain has shown some real smarts in that they keep their shopping carts chained together and, you must insert a quarter coin (25 cents U.S.) to detach the chain so, you can use one of the carts. This is really smart as it gets people to return their cart instead of them ending up all over the parking lot and nearby neighborhood.

On shopping bags, you must pay 9 cents for one of their plastic shopping bags unless you bring one of your own.

The chain appears to be expanding in the USA as they've also opened a store in Columbia, Maryland which is bigger than the Laurel, Maryland store and consequently has a better selection including some baked goods.

Overall, I've been really pleased shopping at the Laurel and Columbia, Maryland ALDI supermarkets. I enjoy trying their various German items as well as their own brand items. They do have good prices on many items at their stores. I give this chain 2 thumbs up and will be a regular shopper at their stores. Happy shopping all!

Review of Ollie's Discount Store Chain

Another store I visited today was the Jessup, Maryland Ollie's. Ollie's is a discount store chain that sells merchandise that they're able to get a discount and sell it cheap to its customers. They do offer some nice deals. Today for example, I was able to get a Chefman 300 watt hand blender for $20. According to Ollie's, this blender would normally sell for double that. Another plus with Ollie's is they have a loyalty program called Ollie's Army. Being a member can get you 10% off entire purchase coupons which can save you even more.

One down side to Ollie's is you never know what they're going to have. And, once what they have is gone, they many times don't get anymore nor are there any more in the back nor may they have a lot of choices in the item such as color or team. I asked the cashier if they had another turquoise Chefman blender in the back as the box was open on the one I found and, he told me they put on the floor all the stock they get. So, what you see is what they have and once it's gone, it's gone just as they say. So, it can be a mixed blessing as you may be able to get a good deal on something though it may not be the color you want or the team (this Ollie's has some staplers with various NFL team logos on them) and you better get it when they have it otherwise, you may not get that deal again.

Ollie's does put out an email flyer you can get which goes out regularly telling customers what particular specials they're having at that time.

Merchandise wise, the stores sell a wide range of goods. They have canned and dried food items, sports equipment, carpets, automotive stuff, cooking utensils, small appliances, books, stationery items, toiletry items like deodorant and shampoo, shoes and boots, DVDs, the gamut. Basically, they sell whatever items they can get at a discount because of close outs or other reasons and pass on the savings to their customers.

Overall, I've been pretty pleased with this chain though it can be frustrating in that you never know what they're going to have barring that what they will have will be cheaper than what you would normally find it for elsewhere. Also, selections can be few. Another example of that was some Progresso soups they had at this store. They have 4 different Progresso soups for just 99 cents a can - great price but very limited selection. If you're interested in shopping at this chain, I'd definitely recommend you check out their website and sign up for their email flyer as this will tip you off what's in their stores at that time. It'll enable you to snatch up some nice deals (I got another good deal on a Himalayan salt lamp) before they disappear. Happy shopping all!

Review of Entenmann's Thrift Outlet Store

A couple months ago, I discovered an Entenmann's Thrift Outlet store at 7351 Assateague Drive in Jessup, Maryland. The store features discounted items on a number of different name brands including Arnold, Thomas and Sara Lee. I've visited the store twice and been very pleased with it both times. The stores staff are helpful and, they offer great deals on various items example: 3 bags of Thomas everything bagels for $4 or 3 bags of Ball Park hot dog buns for $3. You can buy individual bags of items but, you won't save as much. They claim you can save 50% or more and, they may be right. I've seen single loaves of Arnold bread sell for over $3 alone at other stores.

The stores hours are Tuesday through Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. They're closed on Sundays and Mondays. They offer good parking. Also, they offer a military/police/fire 10% off discount on Tuesdays and a 10% Senior discount on Wednesdays.

My only complaint with them is that at times, they don't have that much stuff on the shelves.

Overall, I've been very pleased with them and feel I've gotten some really good bargains on name brand baked goods. If you're in the Jessup, Maryland area and want some really good priced baked goods, this store is worth checking out in my opinion. Happy shopping all!

Update: September 27, 2017. I visited this store today and to my surprise, they had signs up saying they don't sell out of date merchandise. Apparently, would be customers assume that since they're an outlet store that they're selling stuff that is old. They don't. I bought some Thomas Pumpkin Spice bagels at this store today and, their sell by date is October 3, 2017 (6 days away as of this post). The bagels are still fresh and perfectly good to eat. Folks who want a bargain on brand name bread goods like Thomas, Arnold, Holsum and Beefsteak (they make an excellent rye bread) to name some of the brands they sell should give this a place look if they're in the Jessup, Maryland area.

Update: November 9, 2020. Yesterday, I visited this store to see what was happening with it. On a previous visit, I noticed they were taking down the shelf units and had cleared out all the merchandise. On this visit, the windows were blocked out and, they had taken down the Entenmman's Thrift Store sign. To me, this says the store is permanently closed. I don't know why they decided to do away with the store. I found it offered some very good bargains on baked goods at times. When I was at this shopping center, I made a point of visiting this store if it was open to see what they had. I'm saddened it's gone.

Review of Dollar City & More Store

Another dollar and above type store has opened in the place of what I believe was a store called Dollarman. I saw the signs a while back announcing it's grand opening and later got around to visiting the store to see what it's like.

The store reminds me of a Family Dollar store. I has stuff for a dollar and, it has stuff that costs more than dollar. As far as I could tell, if there isn't any price tag on it, it's a dollar otherwise there should be a price tag saying how much the item is. There is a chiller unit in the store offering cold drinks that don't have prices on them BUT, there is a price list for the drinks at the top of the unit (I bought an Arizona Orangeade out of it).

Appearance wise, the store is well kept up. I've seen Dollar Tree stores with stuff strewn all over the place. This store is neat and items were kept in good order by its staff.

The store's staff was courteous and, I believe they would've been helpful if I had any questions about items or their prices.

Brand wise, I did notice the store carries a lot of stuff from the Forelli brand which I've never heard of. I tried some of their honey and lemon flavored black tea and found it decent. For a $1, I got a box with 20 tea bags in it which I thought a good price.

Parking wise, there's plenty as it's part of the Laurel Plaza (next to Laurel Centre) complex in Laurel, Maryland. If you're using a Global Positioning System (GPS), it's address is 361 Montrose Avenue, Laurel, Maryland 20707.

Overall, I think it's a decent store. This was my second visit to it and, I found it nice. It did seem a little small compared to other dollar type stores I've visited but, the staff does try to offer a good selection of items in the space they have. I'd give it at least 1 thumbs up. If you're in the area and want to find some cheaply priced stuff, you may want to check it out.

Review of National Harbor Cariloha Store

I'm a big fan of Cariloha. I think they make some neat stuff out of bamboo. Also, I have found their t-shirts softer and cooler than cotton t-shirts. Recently, I decided to visit their National Harbor store to get some more of their t-shirts. I'd visited the store a few years back though I couldn't remember exactly when. Because of that, I was somewhat familiar with the parking near the store.

If you're lucky, you can find a parking spot right on American Way Street which makes it really easy to visit the Cariloha store. They have parking meters by the spots and, they charge $3 an hour with a maximum of 2 hours at a time. If you can't find a spot on American Way, they do have multi-level garages where you can park your car though I don't know how much they charge.

The store is the usual Cariloha store. It isn't particularly big and is right next to and part of a Del Sol store. It has a decent selection of their stuff. T-shirts were selling for $34 each and their white crew socks were selling for $12 a pair. They had other items but, these were the ones I was interested in and actually bought.

I found the store staff helpful though there was only 1 lady running both shops at the time of the visit. I feel she could've used some help. Still, she did the best she could and, I was able to get the items I wanted. I lucked out in that I visited the day after July 4th and, they were still having their 25% off July 4th sale.

Store hours are Monday to Saturday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. The store's address is 160 American Way. I have seen 2 different town locations for the store. One is National Harbor, Maryland and the other is Oxon Hill, Maryland. If you use a Global Positioning System (GPS), you may have to see which town your system will take.

Overall, I was very pleased with the store. I've since worn the t-shirts and socks and, they've performed fine. I do wish they had more t-shirts that said National Harbor on them (they only had 1 in my size). I may go back there some time in the future as I'd like to get one of their bathrobes. If you like Cariloha stuff and live in the Washington D.C. area, I think you'd like this store. Plus, as far as I know, it's the only one in Maryland. At one time, they had one in Annapolis but apparently that one closed. Happy shopping all!

Review of Springfield, Virginia Trader Joe's Store

The church I go to is located in Springfield, Virginia. While down there, I've taken advantage of some of the stores they have in Springfield. One of them is their Trader Joe's store (store number 651) located at 6394 Springfield Plaza.

The store is open 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. It has plenty of parking and really good staff. The thing I really like about it is it's outstanding deals on various wines and beers. I live in Maryland and due to the state's liquor laws, Trader Joe's stores in Maryland can't sell anything alcoholic. In Virginia, thankfully, that isn't the case.

One particular stellar buy they have at this store is Charles Shaw wines. The wines come in 750 milliliter (ml) bottles. Apparently, they've earned awards at a wine tasting in San Francisco, California. I've tried their Pinot Grigio and found it pretty good though I'm definitely not any kind of wine connoisseur. The thing I particularly like about these wines is the price. A 750 ml bottle at this Trader Joe's store will cost you just $3.29. This price is good as of this post on their Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay and White Zinfandel (I bought a bottle of each and have a receipt to prove this price is valid at the time of this post). Give them a gold star for these deals.

Another plus about this store is their staff on how they keep the check out lines short. This store does get a fair amount of business but, I found the staff did an excellent job of keeping the check out lines short so, you don't spend a lot of time waiting to pay for the stuff you want to buy. I don't know about others but, when I go shopping, I want to get what I want to buy, pay for it and leave. I don't want to spend a lot of time waiting at check out. So, they get another gold star for this.

Overall, I'm very pleased with this store and plan to shop here again. I give it 2 thumbs up and definitely recommend it to others who are fans of Trader Joe's stores. If you're nearby, you might want to give this excellent store a look. Happy shopping all!

South Lyon Dollar Tree Store Review

This is the store that started me liking the Dollar Tree chain. My Filipino step-mother Geroncia (also known as Jane) loves this place. To help my Dad who doesn't like to drive for various reasons, I always offer to take Geroncia where ever she wants to go when I visit. This past Labor Day weekend was one such occasion. One of the places she always wants to go was the South Lyon, Michigan Dollar Tree store.

The store is located in the Glenwood Plaza at 21835 Pontiac Trail in South Lyon. It's open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sundays and 9 a.m to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday. There is plenty of parking at this shopping center. As Pontiac Trail is the main drag/street in South Lyon, it's easy enough to get to.

The store is of good size, has a refrigerated section (a plus in my book), is well stocked and well kept up. The store's staff do an excellent job maintaining and running this store.

Overall, I've visited and shopped at a number of Dollar Tree stores since I first visited this store 3 or 4 years ago so, I tell if a store is a good one or a bad one. This one is a very good one for the reasons I've mentioned. If you like Dollar Tree in general, you'll like this store if you live in this area. I give it a 2 thumbs up. Happy shopping all!

Silver Spring Dollar Tree Store Review

Last Sunday, a friend at the Extended Stay where I live asked me to get him some hand sanitizer. Dollar Tree Stores are one of the best places I know to get cheap hand sanitizer lotion. They sell it in 8 ounce bottles or slightly smaller bottles if you want it with aloe vera or they have multi-pack 2 ounce bottles. Per the Dollar Tree name, they all cost $1. I've bought a number of bottles of the stuff myself there and, it's worked fine. I promised to get my friend some while my friend Kathryn and I did some shopping.

After we'd finished our shopping at the Kings Contrivance Harris Teeter supermarket, I remembered my promise and called up the various nearby Dollar Tree stores on my Garmin Global Positioning System (GPS). The closest Dollar Tree store was the one in Columbia, but as my readers know, I'm very unimpressed with that store. It doesn't have refrigerated or freezer sections and, it's very small which means it has a limited selection of merchandise. While it might've had hand sanitizer, I wanted to try some place else. I saw on the list of stores there was one in Silver Spring, Maryland that I'd never been to. I asked Kathryn if she'd mind checking that one out. She said she didn't so off we went. The store isn't far from Maryland Route 29 and, it's address is 13837 Outlet Drive (phone number 301-847-7865). It's located in the corner of what I'd call your standard strip mall. The only problem I had with its location is it is in the corner and, you have look for it to find it. Interestingly, there's a Family Dollar store within 40 feet or less of it. Kathryn and I thought initially the Dollar Tree might've been bought out by Family Dollar and so, we checked that store out first. We were UNIMPRESSED by Family Dollar and, we're delighted when a shopper there told there was a Dollar Tree store further down.

The Silver Spring, Maryland Dollar Tree store is large which means it has a lot of merchandise - give them 1 point for that. They score points for also having refrigerated and frozen sections. Lastly, they have decent parking. Kathryn and I found ourselves very pleased with this store vice some others I've been to.

Overall, I was really pleased with this store and would happily shop here again except for the fact that it's a bit far from where I live. However, for those who live in Silver Spring or close by, this is a Dollar Tree store worth checking out. I'd happily give this store 2 thumbs up! It's an excellent store with some very good Dollar Tree bargains (they had some cans of soup where I thought were particularly good price wise though I haven't tried them yet). Happy Shopping all!

Woodbine Maryland Dollar Tree Store Review

Today, I visited the Dollar Tree store at 712 Lisbon Center Drive in Woodbine, Maryland. I thought I'd write a store review on it. Here goes:

The store has ample parking and is of good size. The size is important as some Dollar Tree stores can be pretty small like the one in Columbia, Maryland. Having plenty of good priced merchandise can make them worth the trip. This one does though it does have one drawback in my opinion - it doesn't have a refrigerated section like other Dollar Tree stores do. This is important me as Dollar Tree offers some nice deals that way like Sunny Acres Swiss Slices or Bar S Bun Length Franks which Dollar Tree sells for a $1 at the stores that have a refrigerated section.

Note: If you do a search for this store on your smart phone and find it's mobile page, you may see it has the symbol for a refrigerated section. This is wrong. The main web page shows correctly that it doesn't have one though I wish it did.

Hours for the store are: Monday to Saturday 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
                                      Sunday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

I think the store hours are convenient. Also, the store is easy to get to. I exited Interstate 70 heading west (exit 32 I think) , took a right turn toward Woodbine, took the 2nd exit on the roundabout and first right after that. You'll see it on your right and a supermarket on your left.

The store can be reached at phone number 410-489-2653.

Overall, I thought it a nice Dollar Tree store. The staff were helpful and courteous, parking was ample, they have convenient hours but, they don't have a refrigerated section. Because of that, if you could, I recommend you find one that does have a refrigerated section. I think I saw they have a store in Eldersburg that does. I'll have to check that one out some time and get back to my readers and let them know what I think of it. Happy shopping all!

Salvation Army Family Store and Donation Center Jessup Maryland Review

I've visited the Salvation Army Family Store and Donation Center in Jessup, Maryland a number of times to donate items but, I've never gone inside the family store. Today, I decided to check it out so, I could report to you my readers on what it has and what it's like.

The store and center is located at 10350 Guilford Road in Jessup, Maryland. It's open Monday through Saturday though I don't know its exact hours (I'll have to get those on another visit). Donations are accepted in the back of the building while there is parking in front of it for shoppers. For bargain hunters, the best day to visit the family store is on Wednesdays when all clothing is half off. I was able to get 2 pairs of Men's Dockers pants for $3.25 a pair! Mind you, you will have to hunt a good bit to find something that fits clothing wise and, in some cases, you'll have to try it on (they have rooms for that) as some clothing doesn't have tags telling what the size is. Also, there are NO refunds or returns. Once you buy it, that's IT!

Another plus for this store is for those looking for a good deal on furniture. I was surprised by the selection of sofas, dresser drawers and dining tables. You might find a nice bargain here.

Lastly, all books, CDs, DVDs (this selection didn't impress) and records were $1 each. I did see a few decent CDs for sale there though I didn't browse the books.

I found the staff at the store helpful and patient which was a plus (especially for someone who hadn't been in there before).

Overall, I thought it a pretty nice store. I do wish they would mark the sizes of the various clothes so, you wouldn't have to hunt all over them to find them if they have it on them. It has a great location in that it's just off the Maryland 32 and Route 1 intersection heading toward Jessup so, it's easy to get to.
Here's a link to the Salvation Army Family Stores which provides driving directions to the Jessup, Maryland store as well as directions to other stores in Maryland. Lastly, buying things from this store does help a good cause. The Salvation Army does a lot of good work and, they help a lot of people. Happy shopping all!

EZ Storage Laurel Maryland

Back in January, I decided it was time to move out of the apartment I've lived in the past 11 years. I came up with a plan where I'd move a lot of my stuff into storage first so, I could get the apartment cleaned then see about moving into an apartment some where else. One place I was familiar with storage wise is the EZ Storage facility on 8401 Contee Road in Laurel, Maryland. I've delivered mail there and, it looked like a nice facility. A big plus about the facility is they have units that are climate controlled i.e. they stay a certain temperature year round.

According to the companies website, they offer free tours of the facility and, I decided to take them up on it. I found out all the climate controlled units are in the basement level. All units have a sliding lock bar which you attach a lock to so, they are secured. The units vary in size from what would be a standard closet space to one on par with a 1 car garage. The bigger the unit, the expensive the monthly rent on it. You can find out what each size unit will cost you on their website and if the size unit you want is available at the facility you want to use. Rental agreements are from month to month and, the rent payment must be made by the 28th of each month. You can pay online if you wish at their website.

Security at the facility is very good. There are 3 layers of it. First, you must have a code given to you by the staff at the facility to get through the locked gate. Second, you must use that same code to get into the building and be able to raise the garage doors so, you can bring stuff into the facility. Third, you have the key lock on your unit. Also, there are surveillance cameras so staff can watch who is in the facility.

Hours wise, the facility is open 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. 7 days a week. Office hours are 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

The office has boxes for sale as well as packing tape and locks to secure your storage compartment with. Small boxes cost $2.19 each, medium boxes are $2.99 each and large are $3.99. EZ Storage has a deal where you buy 9 boxes and, you get the tenth box for a penny. I don't know the price of the packing tape. They have 2 types of locks for sale - a steel lock for $8.99 and a brass lock for $12.99. As far as I know, they both offer the same level of security for your unit.

Staff wise, I found the staff very helpful and courteous. The partners who run the facility are equally nice and are willing to answer any questions potential customers have about the facility.

Overall, I was very impressed with the EZ Storage facility at 8401 Contee Road, Laurel, Maryland. It's very clean, well run and very secure. I like storing my stuff there though moving it there has been a big time pain. Still, it's cheaper than using professional movers. I'd highly recommend this facility to anyone. Good luck on your move!

Jelly Belly Jellybeans at Arundel Mills Mall

One particular shop I like at Arundel Mills Mall in Hanover, Maryland is Sweets from Heaven. The reason I like them so much is because they offer over 40 different flavors of Jelly Belly gourmet jellybeans. Jelly Belly jellybeans are some of the best on the market and claim to be the #1 gourmet jellybean in the world. Price wise, the shop is equal to what you would pay on the Jelly Belly website http://www.jellybelly.com/Default.aspx. All the different flavors are priced at $2.25 per quarter pound (4 ounces). One particular flavor I'd recommend if you like peppermint is candy cane which is very pepperminty.

The shop sells other candies such as almond bark and candy corn though I can't tell you if those are any good. I go there just to buy Jelly Belly's. The shop is self service and, Jelly Belly's as well as a number of other candies are sold in bulk. The customer gets a bag and uses one of the scoops provided to scoop as much of each candy as they want. The shop has scales provided so, the customer can see how much they have and guesstimate how much their purchase will cost. When they're done getting what they want, they can take them up to the cashier and pay for them.

The shop's hours are:

Monday to Thursday - 10 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Friday & Saturday - 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Sunday - 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

(Source: http://www.yelp.com/biz/sweets-from-heaven-hanover-3)

Happy snacking all!