With Thanksgiving around the corner, U.S. shoppers are flocking to grocery stores to find the ingredients they need to make delicious, home cooked meals. But not all food markets are created equal. Some are perfect for finding fresh, organic produce while others have a wonderfully wide selection of specialty foods.
Wherever you are, the reviews you share on Google Maps help others discover great places to go to buy their favorite foods. Here are a few tips for writing helpful grocery store reviews.
Describe the produce
Is the selection always filled with beautifully fresh fruits and vegetables? Or would you recommend going somewhere else for that? Do they sell a wide variety of organic produce? Is it locally sourced? These are just a few questions to think about when in the fruit and veggie aisle.
Compare prices
For many people, price is an important deciding factor when it comes to deciding where to shop. If two grocery stores in your area sell similar quality products at notably different prices, include that info in your review.
Maybe the store has an amazing cheese selection or a knowledgeable, friendly staff. Or, maybe, it’s the only grocery store in the area that’s open late. Whatever the reason, share details that show why you should go there over another store.
Tell others about the size, cleanliness, and crowds
These details are especially helpful for people who have never been there before.
Should shoppers sign up for the loyalty program? Does the store have a newsletter with info about upcoming deals? What’s the best time to go to avoid crowds? Any advice you can give helps other shoppers make the most of their grocery store visits.
Have you written a great grocery store review? Share it in the comments below!
@AriMar Thanks for sharing this. I love grocery stores where there are many displayed food condiments, usually with myriads of colors. Just like the photos that were shared above.
Just want to share that in developing countries where small businesses may not be too knowledgeable about tech or Google Maps, we need to make sure we manage the store owner/assistant’s perception when taking photos. And always abide by local laws when taking photos. I have had instances where store assistants had confronted me about why I was taking photos, and after explaining it’s for putting online for others to view to help increase the business’s reach, most of the time, they didn’t mind. Once in a while there would be businesses who may think we are capturing this for their competition, and in those cases, I would not take any and would be polite to them.
Hey @AriMar good pointers here. This is one grocery store I had recently reviewed when I was staying at my brother’s place in St. Louis. It’s called Asian Spice. I even clicked a couple of 360 photos which were exciting!
I will be honest, I am usually not as meticulous each time. While i try to share relevant information, sometimes the experience of some grocery stores is so plain that to the naked eye there is no differentiation factor. So you are then set with the dilemma of reviewing it vanilla or wait for an inspiration which may mean you might never review the place.
@StephenAbraham That you mentioned is happened to me many times; the secure guard of a grocery or market doesn’t allow me to take pictures inside the place. So, I take pictures of exterior and make a review with the details recommended by @AriMar , without write anything of the reason why I don’t show the inner of the grocery. You know, rules are the rules.
