Shopping in Ann Arbor

Groceries

The first time living in a new city can be hard, especially for shopping. You might wonder where you can get everyday household goods and groceries. Here are some stores in Ann Arbor that might be helpful to fit your needs:

Store	Location/method of travel	Good for
Target	State Street on Central Campus	Some groceries, everyday goods
Kroger	10-15 bus ride from North Campus	Groceries, everyday goods
Way 1	10-15 bus ride from North Campus	Asian groceries
Whole Foods Market	Requires travel by bus/car	Groceries
Meijer	Requires travel by bus/car	Groceries, everyday goods
Costco Wholesale	Requires travel by bus/car	Groceries, household appliances, and gas
Walmart	Extremely far, requires a car	Groceries, everyday goods

Here’s the stores in more detail:

1. Target

Target sells both groceries and household items. There is a small Target store at Central Campus. A bit more expensive than superstores like Kroger, Walmart, Meijer, and Costco, but very convenient.

Tips: Last year, there was a Back to School 15% discount in August. It is a nice store to buy bedding and school supplies. You can also register for a Target account and get additional savings.

2. Kroger

Kroger is only a 10-15 minutes bus ride from North Campus. It sells mainly groceries and daily products. The pricing is affordable. 

Tip: You can also ask for a Kroger Plus Shopper’s Card directly to the staff at the checkout area. You can use it to save up more. 

3. Way 1

Way 1 is an Asian grocery store located in the same plaza as Kroger. It is great for buying Asian foods and has a lot of its items written in Chinese as well.

4. Whole Foods Market

Whole Foods sells high-quality food and other goods, with a ton of selection for organic goods. You will need to take a bus or car to Whole Foods, and the prices at Whole Foods are more expensive than at other stores, especially for meat.

Tip: If you’re an Amazon Prime member, you get some special discounts. Additionally, if you have the Prime Visa card and Prime, you can get 5% back at Whole Foods.

5. Meijer

Much like Kroger, Meijer sells a wide variety of products, with everything from groceries and everyday household items to even clothes.

6. Costco Wholesale

Out of all the stores, Costco has the lowest prices for nearly everything, especially groceries. However, it requires a yearly membership, and it also requires you to buy a lot more of the same item than other stores. If you are buying for multiple people, or if you want to buy a lot of meat and store it in the fridge, this is a great place to go to.

7. Walmart 

Being one of the largest retailers in the world, you can find nearly anything at Walmart, all at a low price. However, it is very far from campus, and you will need to take a car there.

Medicine

For buying medicinal products, there are several pharmacies you can go to: 

Central Campus:

1. CVS

2. Walgreens

North Campus:

1. Rite Aid

This will be important if you need to pick up medicine from somewhere, or you need to buy anything related to personal health. 

Note: Meijer also has a pharmacy, but it is pretty far comparatively.

Delivery

Most stores also offer delivery services, often through another service or through their own website, but for a fee. InstaCart and Shipt partner with most of the stores but require additional fees/subscriptions.

If you don’t have a car and you’d like to rent one for a bit of time, you can also try ZipCar. It has an hourly cost and membership cost, but it is usually cheaper than Uber and Lyft, and you have more freedom to drive around.

Written by Yiran Yang

Summer Orientation Peer Advisor

Undergraduate Student

China