If you know me, then you know my love for grocery stores. For some reason grocery stores have always held a fascination for me, and one of the things I love about being back in Santa Cruz is being able to shop at Shopper’s Corner, the grocery store I grew up with. Now, I’m a fairly frugal shopper, but I like what I like – so I tend to spread my shopping excursions around – I shop for meat at Shopper’s Corner, where they have a traditional butcher counter. I buy the majority of my produce at Capitola Produce, and bread comes from the Oroweat store and Gayle’s Bakery. Trader Joe’s fills in most of the rest, dairy, pasta & rice, snacks, etc. Whole Foods just opened down the street from Shopper’s, and I went in there at lunch today to see what there was to see. My first exposure to Whole Foods was in L.A. – and it’s a very nice store – albeit a little expensive. I wandered around a little bit, and it’s quite nice.  I just couldn’t bring myself to spend any money there yet, though; I had to go over to Shopper’s Corner and make sure they weren’t feeling a big pinch since the opening of Whole Foods. The butcher who gave me my $2.22 worth of Honey Baked Ham assured me that they’ve stayed as busy as ever, so I guess I can consider spreading my shopping dollars a little thinner – I think Whole Foods will be my new source for bulk spices & other bulk goods. I don’t have a regular place for that, yet.