A place to shop

Bi-rite Market is a small neighborhood store located at 3639 18^th St. near Dolores Park. This small wonder is right across from their ice creamery. I decided to write about Bi-rite Market because not a lot of people know about the store and how it is different from Safeway, Costco and other big supermarkets. Bi-rite is one of the top supermarkets that I will recommend to my friends and family. Going in this store, the staffs greeted customers; they are very hospitable and friendly. I usually describe a huge supermarket as overwhelming and chaotic. A huge line at the cash register is not appealing. Shoppers go in and out with their purchases and no personal contact happens between the shopper and the store clerk.  I know that big supermarkets try so hard to be friendly and give personal care to their shoppers but knowing names, recognizing faces and starting a conversation is not easy especially when hundreds of people shop every day. Don’t get me wrong, supermarkets are wonderful they are big and most of the merchandises such as tofu, and artisan bread are available. In addition they are open 24 hours, 7 days a week. On the other hand Bi-rite is still the best for me because it caters to its customer and they value your opinions. These are the reasons why I prefer the Bi-rite market compared to other supermarkets.

Bi-rite employees believe in the products they sell and before they decide to put them on their shelves. Different food samples are put outside the store to encourage shoppers to taste every product they sell. As I passed by the store, I see employees handing out a variety of cheeses as samples. Employees engage in conversation with their customers and take a minute to get their opinion about the product. I believe this is a good idea and beneficial to both parties. Bi-rite is inspired and influenced by the recommendations made by their shoppers. Most of the product selections cater to what the neighborhood wants. In addition, shoppers are attracted to shop at Bi-rite because they carry the fresh products they want and need. In addition, Bi-rite has better organic produce selections compared to other supermarkets. Here are the lists of the products they are excited about:

1.Pastured eggs from family farms across Northern California

2.Raw milk and cream

3.Artisanal soy products

4.The best breads the Bay Area has to offer, baked and delivered fresh daily

5.San Francisco’s best coffee selection under one roof, many delivered to us by bicycle!

6.Traditional loose Chinese and Taiwanese teas

7.Jams made by Sam and Raph’s mom, from fruit she grows in her Placerville orchards

8.Our own proprietary blend of Tuscan style olive oil

9.A chocolate assortment to die for–we do our best to keep up with the amazing local confections!

10.Honey from our own hives on the roof of the Market and our Sonoma farm, seasonably available

*Taken directly from the website. Bi-rite

From my personal experience, the selections are absolutely amazing especially with their vegetables and fruits. However, it is very PRICEY but you are paying for quality and service. They have a good variety of sandwiches, gourmet prepared foods, jams, cheeses, breads and fresh produce. This tiny market has every item you want to buy and they have a lot of local organic produce.

According to the article I read, the owners want to take a chance and start growing organic crops. So Bi-Rite’s owners bought a small plot in Sonoma where it grows fresh tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, squash, beans and greens. This is the same plot where they grew the strawberry that was used in their ice creamery. The store also supports local farmers. Check out their website in which they listed all the farmers they worked with. Furthermore, each produce item is hand-selected by the employees to ensure freshness and quality. Bi-rite’s owners want to bring fruits and vegetables from all over the Bay area under one roof.    

I highly recommend this store to everybody. If you haven’t been here go and check out this neighborhood store. During the weekend, the store is full of people. I recommend shoppers to go during the weekdays to avoid the crowd. The store is really small and it has narrow aisles so avoid the crowd in order to enjoy your experience in shopping at Bi-rite. Furthermore, parking is hard both weekdays and weekends. I had to park 5 blocks away when I went there last time. Taking Muni is easier because the bus stop is located half a block away from the store. You should check this store out! It is worth it and it feels like heaven and make sure to try their samples.