This Organic Mom's review of Flagstaff's Natural Grocers

Pathetic. Unless you are used to eating everything out of a box, jar or piece of plastic all the time anyhow. This place is the equivalent of Wal-Mart, but throw the term "natural" or "organic" in front of everything. And it IS cheaper than New Frontiers; however, New Frontiers does not pride itself on selling you everything processed, bagged, and without customer service. New Frontiers is everything this place is NOT. Though, it DOES beat shopping at Wal-Hell. Don't get me wrong, I will be getting my Eco-Over dishwasher detergent, some chocolate bars, biodegradable kitchen bags and essential oils from Natural Grocers because they ARE less expensive..AND though half the store is supplements, it is still a sorry excuse for a natural food store. BUT, for a family who has switched over to a wholly un-processed diet, NG is crap. So, New Frontiers has NOTHing to worry about. Especially since the Natural Grocers produce section is the size of a walk-in closet. This fact alone really makes me angry. And what makes me even angrier, except for the fact that it IS less expensive than New Frontiers, is that all their fruit and veggies that I HAVE bought from them, is already rotten when I get it home! I'm talking bananas, apples, peaches and plums AND mangos. I want to throw them out of Flagstaff already! Oh well. On to waiting for Sprouts in 2013, hoping they are better, and going back to what we did before...shopping at the only other options in town for good quality organic and local food. New Frontiers and the CSA here in Flagstaff...oh, and my backyard! The fact alone that we invested in our own property to learn how and grow our food this summer has helped keep the negativity away from the lack of local foods here in Flagstaff, but the learning curve has only wet our appetite for spring, summer and falls to come! I am already daydreaming about what to plant next year...as well as daydreaming about the types of rare and heritage poultry and fowl we will have someday with more land, as well as dipping our feet into the dairy aspect too, if the Lord allows! Until then, we are saying GOODBYE to the corporate stores (including Natural Grocers, which, somehow, survives in 11 other states?!) and will continue to embrace local food, support local chains (New Frontiers only has 4 stores not including their own farm in CA), and when we can't get a hold of local, we will either grow it and raise it ourselves, or pay the extra price of buying it organic at New Frontiers:!( I tell you, paying about 50% more on our food is HARD, but it sure does beat getting sick all the time and NEVER having to go to the doc anymore for most of the maladies we were suffering in the years before;] Not to mention, when you have to pay more for your food, you really start to get creative and use your brain on trying to figure out how to make it from scratch...and that is half the TRICK...because everything is more nutritious and tastes better when you make it, and learn how to make it at home with *quality* ingredients! And this is the second secret/trick...if you are truly going to make something taste superb AND have it be health-ful, the ingredients MUST be quality (hence the reason our family, and all chefs worth their salt, will NOT buy anything they cook with from big box stores like Wal-Mart, Target, Safeway...etc...and do THEIR best to support local and small farms, due to the superb and obvious humane treatment of their crops and animals! Ok, that is all I have to say on the New *fake* "natural" food store here in Flagstaff, Az. Hope it was helpful;]