Really P.G? WTF are you doing with the plastic bags that go from your house to the waterways and onto streets. Perhaps more responsible disposal should be on the agenda. Like J.M., we find multiple useful reuses for the mislabeled single use bags, and then send them out responsibly with our trash where they don’t wind up in the waterways or streets. We hoard our plastic bags from Publix and bring them up north with us for reuse, where the wack job tree huggers have made them no longer available.

I’m enjoying sprouts for the unique items they carry.
 

I found their sushi to be decent. I like their potato egg salad. They have some unique goods that I don’t find elsewhere. When I go, I typically use my Trader Joe’s bag

If you ever travel in France, and like to use your own bags for shopping, pop into a Carrefour Supermarket and buy their re-usable shopping bags.
Had ours for 'double number' years, and still going strong.
Best shopping bags we ever purchased.

Me too!!!!!

:ho: (I hope this emoji means 'hat tip')

There's zero chance those thick bags they use cost less than .10. Even regular grocery bags cost at least that much to the retailers now with inflation.

Sounds like you're living in the 80's or something.

I love sprouts. Great organic fruits and vegetables and like every other store, you have to shop the sales!!

Not exactly. Amazon sells regular plastic grocery bags with handles for 3 cents each. The thicker ones are 8 cents each. Those are retail prices. The Sprouts bags are slightly thicker than the ones at Publix, but both can be reused if you want to. I wouldn't reuse either, but I prefer the Publix bags and they are free.

Would they mind using Publix bags?

I love Sprouts, and go about once a week. They always seem to have good seafood - I like the wild caught shrimp, and good selection of fruits and vegetables, nice quality organic veggies. The store has a nice layout, is very clean and just has a pleasing atmosphere, and the employees seem very friendly. I keep a couple of bags in my car I just take in for shopping, not a big deal.

I know a lady in the UK who uses Waitrose (Like Publix in US.) plastic bags to pack her shopping in from Aldi.
Said she couldn't bare the thought that her neighbor ever found out she shops at Aldi.:shrug:

Sprouts is nice but nothing that would make we want to go there regularly.

What the area needs is a Detwiller's Farm Market. There are a number of them in the Sarasota area. If anyone has been to one, you know!

On another note, I find it fascinating how a post about a store turns in to a debate about plastic bags, I'm sure the OP appreciates it....

Variety of things
 

Lots cof products not seen elsewhere.
I prefer Fresh Market for meats

I finally decided to try Sprouts. I normally shop Fresh Market for specials and/or specialty items. Sprouts is very similar to FM, IMO. I have a family member that has a Gluten allergy so I stopped in Sprouts to see what they might have available. They have more GF items available than FM. FM has been reducing their GF items available. Even though I had several cloth bags in my car trunk, I paid the ten cents per bag. The plastic bags are sturdy and they claim they are reusable. If one can afford to shop at specialty stores, they certainly shouldn't complain about shelling out a dime for a bag. When I shopped at Sprouts, the place had very few customers. I think there were more employees than customers at the store at the time I was there.

Love it

Excellant store!

I like Sprouts, it's like a fancy 7-11 with different things :) but whoever in their company chose that location should be fired or someone greased their palms to sign a lease. It's NEVER busy. Even the day it opened it wasn't busy. Unless you know it is there it is just about totally invisible to passing traffic on 466. There is a little sign on a fence on 466 but the building cannot be seen from the road without specifically knowing it's there and looking for it. Visibilty of the strip mall is blocked by a large fence and tall trees. Can't imagine how many POSSIBLE customers they lose because people driving through the area down 466 have no idea it exists. That entire mall LOCATION is horrible (hidden). It certainly isn't doing enough business to survive, the only thing saving it IMO is they have enough other stores doing well to cover their nut. That's one advantage "chain stores" have is that they can average losses & profits. That PLUS they are insanely overpriced on a lot of name brand stuff. One example is my wife likes some Amy's Vegetarian frozen dinners and they charge $7-$8+ for what Publix and Winn Dixie chanrge $2-$3 less. Their produce is excellent, as are their cinnamon chip scones! :D

For those seeking out grass-fed meats and poultry, and wild-caught fish and seafood, Sprouts is a good option.

Fresh Market reminds me of a shop on the bottom of Beacon Hill in Boston. It was a small neighborhood grocery store that specialised in gourmet foods, fresh-made deli and hot lunch foods, and the usual napkins and forks and canned goods and fresh produce and meats and cheeses. Everything was pricier there, but it was totally worth the extra expense. I didn't have to walk 8 blocks to Big Y and walk back with 8 bags of groceries for a mile and a half til I got home. The shop I went to was only 1 block from my house.

Sprouts is more like something else up north, a sort of miniature health food store with all that produce in the middle, with taste testing, and bulk purchases of grains and spices, granola and nuts, coffee, etc. They definitely cater to more people who come from cities, where these types of stores are common and in walking distance to most people who /would/ shop there. I'd love to see both of them (Fresh Market and Sprouts) over on my end of the world, maybe where Bealls outlet is now, next to Lowes off 441.