Alternative Food Shopping

Alternatives to the big three grocery chains, that is.  Vons, Ralphs and Albertsons.  At one point, I didn't care about how much they were overcharging me.  Ralphs is a mile down the hill and Vons is about 2.5 miles to the east but in the same plaza as a Subway and Del Taco. Convenience has a price, right? But when I spent something on the order of $48 on a simple Friday night emergency trip at Ralphs a couple months ago, I said "Enough".  I will (and I did) find a way to go elsewhere but these overpriced ripoff joints.  So I don't mind driving the extra mile or two to go the Fresh N Easy for basic supplies like OJ or pasta or even some meats.  Once I got over the fact that I had to scan and bag my own grocery -- it was a simple choice.  The other thing that pissed me off about Vons and Ralphs is the self-checkout never works as efficiently as Fresh N Easy.  For produce, I hit the Sprouts Market on Day Creek Blvd and Baseline Road.  (It somewhat reminds me of a poor-man's Whole Foods, which I absolutely adored in Pasadena but no chance of getting one anytime soon in Rancho C.)  And to complete my three-legged food source, I hit the Trader Joe's on Haven, just north of the 210 freeway.  I've always gone there for nuts, wine, salads and some meats and some prepackaged Indian food which my kids eat as meals.  I probably don't save a whole lot of money but I think it's the principle of not going to these corporate grocery giants, Vons, Ralphs and Albertsons that drives me.  (Hey, if Netflix subscribers can make a corporate giant look like an idiot for overcharging, I might as well start my own protest.)