Grocery value: Mariano’s vs. Whole Foods

You’ve never seen as much frozen pizza or cereal as you have at Mariano’s, but when it comes to sourcing ingredients for ethnic foods—such as harissa and rosewater—the store bombed. Whole Foods, on the other hand, had not one but three kinds of harissa!

If you only need a small amount of spices or dried fruit, Whole Foods is a godsend: I was able to shake a tablespoon or so of ground cinnamon and cumin into bags. Mariano’s has a much more limited bulk section: At first, I was impressed that it was “full service”—i.e., you tell an employee how much of each spice you want and she scoops it for you—but I’d rather have full control over how much I scoop. (Plus, for real cheapskates, the Mariano’s approach prevents you from buying amounts that barely weigh anything, as can happen with vanilla beans and bay leaves.)