You’re standing in your cramped apartment kitchen, staring inside a near-empty abyss of a fridge.
There’s your roommate’s month-old yogurt, a TV dinner that looks more like radioactive waste than actual food and a container of crusty mustard.
What’s a UCLA student without the luxury of a meal plan to do?
You don’t have to be a good cook, just a smart shopper. Not that Easy Mac isn’t fantastic, but if you’re interested in finding the best quality food for the most reasonable prices, you should be aware of the grocery opportunities available to you in Westwood.
Apart from a handful of small markets, there are a few big players: the uber-healthy Trader Joe’s, ever-handy Ralphs and upscale organic Whole Foods Market.
Reyanna Vance, a third-year world arts and cultures student who lives in an apartment near campus, said she splits her time behind the shopping cart between Trader Joe’s and Ralphs. Trader Joe’s, she said, is good for its organic food, and even more so for its low prices.
“A lot of the stuff tastes good ““ actually better than Ralphs. It’s just different,” she said. “Premade food that is fresh and easy to cook: That’s what I love about Trader Joe’s.”
There is a new Trader Joe’s, located on Glendon Avenue, and its chalked art instructions highlight the different specialty items offered there.
“It’s the little things at Trader Joe’s that make you so ridiculously happy,” said Molly Moody, a fourth-year political science student. “I have to limit myself when I go there because I spend too much money because I get too excited.”
While Trader Joe’s offers smaller specialty items, the Ralphs on Le Conte provides bulkier brand items.
The parking lot is often crowded, but if you leave your car on the upper level and take the elevator down, Vance said, your mission will run more smoothly.
Ralphs seeks to offer Westwood great service and products at a low cost, said manager of operations June Kim.
“The company as a whole is trying to, with the economy, lower the prices and keep up with competition,” he added.
Since Trader Joe’s started luring Westwood with its healthy, low-cost foods in December, Ralphs has had some competition.
Ralphs does, however, provide a variety and abundance of general items that college students might rather buy: VitaminWater, chips, soda, pizza and other frozen foods.
“I just get the regular Joe Schmoe stuff at Ralphs,” Vance said.
Coupons are accepted at Ralphs, which is generally a little more expensive than Trader Joe’s.
In order to avoid Sunday shoppers preparing for school and work-week consumption, Vance recommends going to the store during the middle part of the week and earlier during the day.
Apart from their goods and the in-store Coffee Bean, students might want to make Ralphs their grocer because of its wider variety of items.
“Ralphs has a better selection of spices,” said fourth-year English and psychology student Kenni Palmer. “There’s much better cold-cut meat selections from the deli.”
Palmer said she goes to Ralphs for items that she can’t find at Trader Joe’s. She also visits Whole Foods Market on occasion for its fresh-made sandwiches, she said.
“It’s not as popular because it’s more expensive than Trader Joe’s,” she said. “Whole Foods is more upscale organic shopping.”
Whole Foods Market offers more than just organic food items. Its Gayley branch includes a beverage bar with coffee and juice, gelato, a salad bar, a bakery and an extensive prepared foods department.
Another option Palmer includes in her grocery shopping experience is Farmer’s Market. Since the one in Westwood offers more kettle corn, oils, or inedible items than fresh produce, shoppers may want to try the one in Santa Monica. Located off Main Street every Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., it is an energetic environment with live music, crowds of people and lots of options for student shoppers looking for unique groceries, Palmer said.
“They have amazing food, tons of produce and bakery goods. There’s lots of ethnic food, anything from crepes to Jamaican, and it’s really good,” Palmer added.
There is parking for the Santa Monica market two blocks away, according to its Web site, or shoppers can take the Line 8 Blue Bus from the Ackerman Terminal.
The Westwood community and other neighboring areas offer a wide variety of grocers to students at UCLA who can’t rely on meal swipes. These sources are available with good quality and reasonably priced food for shoppers with many different food preferences.