International Market Place-Pt Roberts

This grocery store is ok.
Pros:
— convenient store in the Point
— big and have many items
— good service
— close to Canada
Cons:
— expensive compared to Blaine
— ugly supermarket
— doesn’t accept Amex

For a small town good place. I often go to pick up parcels and stop there to buy cheese and wine. The only problem is Deli staff this lady with very bad attitude. Almost made me not to shop there anymore. But it’s the one bad apple in the basket story.

I was visiting a friend in Tsawwassen last week and we decided to go to Point Roberts because I had my passport and why not. Point Roberts is kind of a weird little anomaly, in the US, but technically only accesible (via land) through Canada. The town itself had a beach town kind of vibe, and to be honest I was surprised there were as many services here as there were (I think I saw 4 gas stations).
The Canadian dollar is not doing so well, so it wasn’t really in the best of interest for me to go shopping in the US. That said I love excedrin (something I can’t get in Canada) and where I live (Edmonton, Alberta) it’s about an 8 hour drive to the nearest US City (Great Falls, MT). So I purchased a bottle of the store brand (Western Family) migraine excedrin, as well as some candy and chips I can’t get at home. The mint m&ms were delicious, and I’m not sure the brand, but I got these peach and habeneros chips which were delicious. I’m sure I paid about $ 20, with foreign transaction fees, for everything, but considering I’m not planning to go back to the US for a while (at least not tile 2016) it doesn’t seem so bad.
The grocery store isn’t huge, but its a good size and has a fresh product section, bakery, and deli like any other grocery store. They take credit and debit cards, and had no issue with my Canadian debit. There’s also a decent liquor selection, but I didn’t check out that in detail.

If you go to the deli beware… at least one worker –Rhonda I believe her name is according to my receipt, has an attitude and isn’t the brightest. She resembles the Soup Nazi from Seinfeld with her attitude, and don’t confuse her by asking for two different items at once. Very poor customer service skills, but I’m not sure they can find workers to replace them being such a small community. I don’t think I’ve ever seen the poor thing smile either.

Went down just for chickens, and found we could not bring any across the border due to avian flu. Not sure when it will be ok to buy again.

This grocery is like a perfect Sunday afternoon:
Lots of wine.
Lots of cheese.
No need to be fancy.
It’s a pretty basic looking little place and who are we kidding, there are bigger and better south of the border. But for those of us who border hop monthly to pick up packages in Point Bob, this place is our cheap little American oasis… without having to wait at Peace Arch/​drive to Bellingham.
Great wine selection.
Decent beer selection.
All of the cheese. All of them. Cheese heaven.
If they had Trader Joe’s peanut butter pretzel addictive bites of amazement, I would never need to drive to Bellingham again.
This place is simple and stocked. No bells. No whistles.
Cheap wine.
But weirdly expensive spices…
If you’re going for the gas/​package run, stop in.

I lived in Point Roberts for a few years and this is really the only supermarket to go to. You can go to Brewster’s but their prices are insane.
So many Canadians go down and take all the milk/​cheese/​booze — it’s important to go on stock day if you need those essential items.
It’s an average grocery store with a high turnover and most of the employees are miserable and barely make conversation.
A major downside of being located in Point Bob is the produce section is sad. Not much variety, wilted, bruised, etc. Good thing there are lots of people in Point Bob who grow their own!

I am pretty sure this is the only grocery store in Point Roberts and have never had a make over. That is ok because it stocks everything I ever need when down there.
The staff is always friendly and helpful, if help is needed. I am able to pay with my Canadian debit card if not carrying cash (Canadian or American) which is very convenient.
There is a nice beery selection and a wine selection that could rival most BC Liquor stores which is also ok with me. The prices never hurt either. Needless to say it get three stores because it’s not the best but it’s not a low 3.

The only one! There is no other supermarket in Point Roberts, just International Marketplace (Brewster’s does stock some awesome grocery items from Trader Joe’s, but you can’t count on finding the staples like you can at Marketplace). The store looks exactly the same as when I first went there as a child in the 80s, back when it was called Mark’n’Pak. The staff are friendly and helpful, and they accept both American & Canadian cash, as well as credit cards and any Canadian debit cards that are generally accepted in the US (e.g. BMO yes, CIBC no).
Check the weekly flyer for serious coupons: butter for $ 2 a pound! cheddar cheese for $ 5 for 2 pounds! cake mix for 99 cents! Dairy allowances for crossing the border are absurdly generous, so stock up — but be aware that American regulations do permit the use of hormones in dairy products that are prohibited in Canada, so if you care about that then go ahead and pay the Canadian price at home or else read the package carefully (most American dairies that do not use hormones take maximize the marketing advantage of that fact, and plaster it all over their packaging). P. S. If you like the idea of fat-​free sour cream, note that American dairies are permitted to add gelatin (Canadian are not), so American fat-​free sour cream actually has the same thick and creamy texture as the regular stuff.
Check out the produce department but only for what you plan to eat across the line (there are signs indicating what is «permitted» and «prohibited» to cross the border, but there is no guarantee of accuracy especially since agricultural rules change at the drop of a hat, so I don’t take any chances on fresh produce). You can find every brand and variety of American junk food and cereals, as well as canned foods and — above all — decent Mexican food products! Packaged goods are generally fine for crossing the border. They have a huge seasonal section that has BBQ and beach supplies and clothing/​shoes in the summer, stuff for winter weather when it’s cold, etc (always a selection of «Point Roberts» themed shirts and sweatshirts).
They also sell beer and wine, and have a package and mail depot inside the store. The Banner Bank branch that is also located inside the store is great, with friendly and helpful tellers. There is tons of parking at all times, a Sterling Bank branch and a Chevron gas station located at the entrance of the parking lot, and a USA gas station with convenience store adjacent (representing roughly half the businesses on the Point, haha).
October Challenge ⁸⁄₃₁

Day ⁶⁄₃₀: 30 day Oct Unilocal challenge
Just came back from my periodic cross border trip and this is one of my stops on the other side when I’m craving some American only items or need some cheap dairy products! Not as cheap as going into Bellingham and nowhere as nice, but this will do in a pinch.
Dimly lit and selection is small, but they carry all your basics and there’s always ample parking here and cashiers are friendly and there’s minimal lines. Decent alcohol selection too if you’re looking for that too.

They will not accept web coupons, even though they have a link to them on their web site!

This market reminds me of my local hometown supermarket. Nothing fancy, but everything you need. They have a great wine selection and best of all, TILLAMOOK cheese and butter! A must stop when you are in Point Roberts to satisfy your shopping requirements.

Looks like this place has the entire supermarket segment cornered for Point Roberts.
Parking is plentiful in the huge lot out front when you come by on the weekends. Then again, Point Roberts is a pretty quiet place, so I’m sure the place never gets packed.
The inside looks seriously dated (1980s?) so it does feel like a blast from the past.
Maybe I’m just sheltered, but I stared a lot at the liquor collection here. The selection rivals that of a smaller government store. Why can’t Canada do stuff like this. Random side note: both Francis Coppola and Wayne Gretzsky have their own line of wine.
In the corner is a ghetto-​deli with cheap goodies such as corn dogs and BBQ burritos. The deli lady was super friendly and we had a good chat. Fried chicken is only $ 1 a piece. I’m totally coming back to stuff my face next time.
Lastly, you you know you’re in the States when they have super awesome (and by awesome I really mean fatty) snacks. Of special mention is their Oreos. Maybe I’ve been living under a rock, but I’ve never seen Peanut Butter, or Triple Double (3 biscuits with 1 vanilla + 1 chocolate filling) before in my life. Hello diabetes. Nom nom nom.
The place does have a small-​town charm, so be sure to come by if you’re looking for some cheap groceries or a snack after picking up a package.

The only supermarket here. And they do honour special requests to the extent that they won’t loose money on them. I’m glad they’re here. However, I would choose other places to eat lunch because the lunch counter offerings are not very healthy.

Just here for the Bugles, Ma’am.
I came down here to get some Bugles (those cone shaped cornmeal based snacks) for my moms Christmas nuts n’ bolts recipe since they are no longer available in Canada. They actually answered the phone AND checked stock for me– pretty hard to get a grocery to do that sort of thing usually. The store is sort of dingy, no question, and honestly I didn’t see any great deals on food or wine. Didn’t look at the price of the beer, but who spends 48 hrs + in Pt. Roberts unless you live or have a cottage here? Ergo no point in getting booze.
Worth a pop-​in if you are down for a mail box run, or need Bugles, but not otherwise. They will order in Bugles (or other American junk food delicacies I suppose) if you call ahead.

US market close to Canada! Got my tea and cookies… the ones I grew up on. It’s a supermarket that reminds me of small-​town America. I think it was more of a nostalgic feeling rather than a good or bad feeling. hm.

* Flashback *
This supermarket reminds me of what supermarkets used to be like when I was a kid. It is dimly lit, doesn’t have a lot of selection, and has that «supermarket smell.»
It is a decent source for US mass production food products that you crave, and that aren’t available in Canada. Although I must say I haven’t had those cravings recently!
But if you need to get products produced by the companies featured in Food, Inc., then this is definitely your place!
They also run a mail delivery and package delivery service, similar to those specialized places that Point Roberts has so many of. I inquired once, but it seemed to be more of a hassle than some of the specialized places to use though.
For me, this is a good spot for a washroom break after doing a package run in Point Roberts!