Save-A-Lot

This place has pretty good deals, especially compared to Acme. They have all the basics you could need at a good price. You do have to bag your own groceries, but who cares?
They accept debit cards but not credit cards!

The aptly named Save-​a-​lot will indeed save you quite a bunch. My roommate and I came here because we wanted cheap groceries, but most of those groceries are white people food that you can’t get at our usual Asian grocery store (cheese, yogurt, orange juice).
PROS
–They have cheese! And it’s cheap! They even have feta and blue and string cheese and cottage cheese.
–Produce is so cheap. Everything is so so cheap.
–Lines weren’t too long.
–Doesn’t have that Asian food store smell.
CONS
–They do not have Greek yogurt or white people faves like quinoa.
–Produce will probably go bad in like 2 days. (Same as the Asian grocery store).
–I wouldn’t trust anything in the freezer bins by the door. Went to grab some stuff and they were soft. Ick.
– They don’t really have brands except for things like ramen or tostitos salsa.
–The aisles are almost two narrow for a cart, and there’s definitely some awkward cart interactions when you come upon someone trying to go down your aisle.
–The cashiers people skills will save you a lot of fake smile and small talk. You may as well not even exist. This can be a pro if you hate people.
Moral of the story: you get what you pay for. Off brand semi questionable food for very very cheap. I will probably be back, let’s not lie here.

I know it’s ghetto, but man, I save so much money shopping here in comparison to other stores, it’s ridiculous. Bring your own bags if you don’t want to pay 3 cents for a small one, but other than that, I have no complaints. They carry generic brands in addition to name brand items, they have a really great variety of stuff — including almond milk, which is impressive. Once the clerks get to know you, they warm up, so to the other reviews who cite complaints about the vibe, they just haven’t put in the patience to get to know these people.
Before I shop for an item, I always check here first; 30 cents here and there can add up to many MANY dollars. And I need to save as many dollars as I can.

Pretty alright location, though, they were a bit understaffed. Only 2 lines open when they were a little busy during the afternoon.

After reading the other reviews I was a little put off and thought about not heading over, but this place is so close to me, I needed to see for myself.
So I went over to check it out and it did not seem that bad at all! Everything was pretty fresh, and it was mostly off brand stuff, but it was super cheap. I felt like I made out like a bandit. The staff was pretty friendly and the design of the store was pretty easy to follow. The place reminded me of aldi in NJ, so I didn’t feel bothered or grossed out. I got quite a bit of food for not a lot of money. I didn’t wait in an extremely long line and the people made it interesting at least. I’d recommend trying it out at least once and save money.

Everyone knows that Save-​a-​Lots sell cheap, no-​name food. (My favorite item is the Dr. Pepper knock off called «Dr. Pop.»
The biggest cons are the lack of cashiers and huge lines on the first of the month.

Worst market in the area. There are never enough lanes open, the food selection is awful, and forget about finding anything remotely healthy in this place aside from eggs & milk.

I actually like this store. It is similar in concept to Aldi, if anyone is familiar. Costs for the store are cut by purchasing fewer name-​brand products and charging for bags.
The prices are great. If you don’t have much money, take a chance on some of the off-​brand canned, frozen and bottled foods, sauces, juices, etc. I haven’t bought a lot of produce here, but none of what I’ve bought has ever been bad (I can’t say the same for the Pathmark on Gray’s Ferry).
Their off-​brand yogurt, Coburn Farms, is 50 cents per cup and much better than standard Dannon or Yoplait. They were smooth, not lumpy, and used sugar instead of high-​fructose corn syrup, so it was a little less syrupy sweet.
I always come here to see what I can get for cheap before I go to the Pathmark to buy the rest. Don’t expect any more exotic foods or spices like nutmeg or coconut milk, but for your staple foods, this is the place to go.
Bring your own bags in to save money.

this place is awesome. it is cheap, but you do have to search for things you need.
they also spell ketchup, catsup.

I went to this Save-​A-​Lot because I wanted to cash in the spare change I had, and this grocery store was the closest location with a Coinstar machine. So I took the opportunity to shop around.
The food here is cheaper than your average grocery store, as the brands are mainly more obscure. Meat and poultry are also cheaper per pound.
The vibe here is less pleasant than Super Fresh on South Street that the previous poster mentioned. However, I’m not sure a grocery store aimed towards those more impoverished is deserving of mockery in an impoverished town such as Philadelphia.
Would I shop here as a first choice? Probably not. But if I didn’t have the disposable income to shop for similar items at more expensive alternatives, then I would consider Save-​A-​Lot.
It is true though that you have to pay per plastic grocery bag. The cost was 3 cents per bag — certainly nothing exorbitant. Personally, I think having to pay for plastic bags is a good thing. Not only does it cut down on costs for Save-​A-​Lot, but it also encourages people to use reusable bags which is better for the environment.
In fact, the city of Toronto passed into law this summer legislation requiring all retail stores to charge 5 cents for single-​use plastic bags. And you know what? In the short time this price tag was placed on pollution a noticeable difference has been achieved.
I see A LOT of disposed plastic bags littering the streets of Philadelphia. Food for thought.