Items tagged with 'Hannaford'

The Best Dozen: Hannaford

Hannaford donuts in a box

By Daniel B.

We've enlisted Daniel B. to survey Capital Region donut shops -- and pick his favorite donuts -- for a short series called The Best Dozen.

Donuts are defined by their garnishes. Yeast-raised donut shells aren't very fun on their own. They require something extra to make them come to life. It can be as simple as a dusting of sugar. But part of the joy comes from the variety of toppings and fillings that make these fried rounds of dough a sweet treat.

A professional baker might be able to detail the technical difference between glazes, icings and frostings. For the purpose of this series, glaze is a clear sugar coating; icing is a thin, dense top coat; and frosting is what you typically find on cakes.

At Hannaford, many of the donuts from their bakery appeared to be frosted and drizzled with a fudgy icing. An abundance of caution and gut instinct told me to avoid the ones with bright red icing. Past experience ruled out the specimens covered in sprinkles.

But there were still plenty left to try in the search for the best dozen, including a cro-dough.

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Nature's Place rotisserie chicken at Hannaford

hannaford nature's place rotisserie chicken cold in case

A surprising source.

By Daniel B.

Could the best chicken dinner in the Capital Region come from inside a plastic box?

Every fiber of my being is telling me not to write this story. There are precious few Nature's Place rotisserie chickens in the case at my local Hannaford to begin with. Often I get the last one or two. Sometimes I have to wait around until the next batch comes out of the oven. So if even just a few people decide to make this a regular part of their Friday night supper, I might find myself in the lurch.

Not all the Hannaford rotisserie chickens are created equal. The Nature's Place birds are special. Occasionally you have to look closely at a label to make sure you are getting the right one. But you can always tell, because the Nature's Place chickens are trussed with a green string.

Now, I'll admit that it doesn't look like much sitting in its little plastic prison, especially the ones that are a day old and chilled in the cold case -- but these are actually the very best specimens. It sounds a bit odd, and I don't blame you for being suspicious. However, this chicken exists in the fortuitous intersection of quality, convenience, sustainability, taste and value.

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Supermarket Showdown V

shoprite albany exterior

Game changer?

It's Supermarket Week again on AOA. All this week we'll have posts comparing, thinking, and talking about supermarkets. Hey, we all have to eat.

Yes, that grand tradition -- the Supermarket Showdown -- has returned. As we have for the past (gulp) four years, we price checked a basket of items across the local supermarket chains.

New this year: ShopRite.

Can it unseat Walmart, the four-time defending champ? And how have the other two players reacted to its arrival?

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Wegmans ranked as #1 supermarket. Again.

wegmans exteriorNot surprising: Wegmans was again the #1 ranked supermarket in Consumer Reports annual survey of its readers with a score of 88.

Number two? Trader Joe's (again) with a score of 86.

A lot of the other local chains didn't score that badly, though their ranks were a bit lower:

Hannaford ranked #19 (score 79) | Aldi #20 (79) | ShopRite #24 (78) | Price Chopper #30 (76) | Walmart #51 (69)

Fresh Market wasn't included in the rankings.

CR says the survey is a measure of "overall satisfaction" -- and differences of fewer than five points in a supermarket score are not meaningful. Also: "These findings represent the experiences of our readers, not necessarily those of the general population."

About Trader Joe's... A few people have asked if there's an opening date, yet. As of two weeks ago, the company said it still didn't have a date.

Earlier on AOA:
+ Albany ShopRite opening in April
+ Trader Joe's confirms Wolf Road location

photo: Flickr user chrstine592

Where the supermarkets are -- and aren't

Prompted by a discussion earlier this week about chain supermarkets and food deserts, we figured it'd be interesting to see how supermarkets in the Capital Region are distributed geographically. It might give us a better sense of what sort of supermarket access there is for each part of the area.

The resulting map -- along with another map of officially designated food deserts -- and some quick discussion, after the jump.

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The organic milk shortage

hannaford organic milk shortage sign

A sign on the dairy case at the Hannaford in Albany.

Over the last month or so we've noticed signs popping up on dairy cases at both Hannaford and Price Chopper noting that there's an organic milk shortage. And the shelves in the case have appeared rather bare at times. (We were the ones who took the last half-gallon of organic milk at the Slingerlands Price Chopper the other day. Sorry about that.)

So, what's going on?

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Hannaford to sell only sustainably-sourced seafood

hannaford logoHannaford's parent company announced today that all of the seafood carried in its supermarkets will be "coming from sources managed for sustainability" by the end of next March.

The chain has worked with a nonprofit org, the Gulf of Maine Research Institute, to develop the guidelines for the program, which also cover farmed seafood. It'll be interesting to see if the switch to sustainable sources has an effect on price.

Fish stocks around the world failing due in large part to the fact that people are catching the fish faster than they can reproduce. Climate change also seems to be putting pressure on the stocks. By one estimate, cited in the recent book Four Fish, we would need "four or five oceans" to keep up with the current demand from the world's population.

Hannaford's parent company isn't the only one to take to notice. The corporations behind McDonald's, Long John Silver's and Red Lobster recently announced they're looking to buy more sustainable seafood (it seems the Filet of Fish had quite the impact on cod stocks).

The Monterey Bay Aquarium has a well established "pocket guide" for buying "ocean-friendly seafood" -- it's even broken down by region.

[via @greenwatchdogNY and TU]

Cartwheeling over prices

hannaford comparison cartWe noticed this sign and cart when we walked into Hannaford on Central Ave in Albany the other day. It touts how much you could have saved if you bought the cart of items at Hannaford instead of Price Chopper. The items in the cart included stuff like macaroni and cheese, Nutrigrain bars and peanut butter.

Of course, Hannaford is going to set this up so it can come out on top. It proclaimed that the Chopper's "cart" was 14 percent more expensive. Price Chopper could probably pick its own cart and come out cheaper than Hannaford.

When we did our annual price check of 40 items last year, we found that Price Chopper was about three percent more expensive than Hannaford. They were both more expensive than Walmart.

Also: Here's another bit to stoke the rumors about Wegmans and the Capital Region.

The "bigger, better" bottle bill begins

hannaford bottle bill largeSteven snapped this photo while shopping at the Latham Hannaford recently (there's a larger pic after the jump). It says:

"Beginning this month, soda prices here in New York reflect cost increases associated with the new bottle bill. These costs are passed from suppliers to our stores."

The bottle bill referenced in the sign is the "Bigger, Better Bottle Bill" that takes effect this week.* The first result of the bill that you'll probably notice is a five cent deposit on bottled water.

But that sign is about soda, which already carried the nickel deposit. So what sort of cost increases are we looking at? We got in touch with Hannaford for details.

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No progress in state Senate, mid-year budget change could be necessary, alleged pharmacy robber nabbed, stimulating the sign economy, hunting for what's left of Henry Hudson

The state Senate had two more in-and-out sessions this past weekend. Negotiations are apparently going on behind the scenes. The big sticking point remains leadership of the chamber -- specifically Pedro Espada's role as president pro tem. David Paterson is reportedly telling Democrats they may just have to get over it. [Newsday] [Daily Politics] [Buffalo News] [NYDN]

State comptroller Tom DiNapoli says it's looking like the state will be short on money later this year -- and a mid-year budget adjustment will probably be necessary. Of course, the would be virtually impossible with the state Senate locked in its current mess. [NYDN]

A state audit of the Schenectady Metroplex Authority reports that the org isn't tracking whether its investment projects are meeting job creation targets and that it's leaving parking money on the table. The authority disputed many of the findings -- and said it's purposefully not charging for parking. [Daily Gazette] [TU]

Is it a coincidence that the owner of the construction company with a virtual lock on big projects in the City of Albany is BFF with the mayor and police chief? [TU]

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This isn't going to help your supermarket envy

wegmansConsumer Reports has released supermarket rankings based on a survey of thousands of its readers (you need to be a CR subscriber to see the whole list). And the results are going to cause people in the Capital Region with already-established supermarket envy turn even a few more shades green.

(Paging Bruce Roter!)

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State facing even bigger budget gap, politicians fight over printer, food bank demand up, garbage workers told to take it easy,

A budget analysis from the state Assembly projects that the state's budget gap for the next fiscal year is actually a billion dollars bigger than originally thought. Sheldon Silver says the growing gap increases the need for higher taxes on high-earning households. David Paterson says he's still resistant to the idea. [Biz Review] [NYDN] [TU]

Jonathan Lippman was confirmed yesterday as the new chief judge of the New York Court of Appeals, the state's highest court. Lippman says getting state judges a pay raise will be among his first priorities. Also: he apparently looks a little like Bernie Madoff to some people. [TU] [CapNews9]

A city attorney has told the Albany Common Council that its subpoena powers probably do not allow it to question the head of the police officers' union about the ghost ticket scandal. Councilman Corey Ellis has been pushing for the council to directly investigate the matter. [TU]

The woman police say hit a pedestrian along Western Ave near St. Rose and then drove off was charged yesterday with leaving the scene of an accident. The family of Stanley Brown, the man hit and killed in the accident, says he loved to walk. [Troy Record] [TU]

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Track numbers a little damp, two homicides over the weekend, Live Nation blames the fans, Rt 7 construction gearing up, Albany TV market slips

Attendance at The Track this year was down almost 10 percent from last year and the amount bet was down a little more than 7 percent. [Daily Gazette]

There were two homicides over the holiday weekend. On Saturday, a 17-year-old was fatally stabbed near Beverwyck Park in Albany. It was Albany's eighth homicide of the year. On Monday, a Schenectady man was shot and killed inside a house. It was Schenectady's sixth homicide of the year. [TU] [Daily Gazette]

Live Nation, the company that runs the pop music shows at SPAC, says fans are partly to blame for miserable conditions on the lawn there. Live Nation's last concert of the year at SPAC was Crue Fest on Friday -- four people were arrested being a bit too motley. [TU] [Daily Gazette]

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Which supermarket has the best deals?

wal-mart
Wal-Mart was the champ last time. Can it repeat?

Our last supermarket price check was so popular, we decided to give it another go. But to shake things up a bit this time around, we decided to find out which store has the best bargains.

So we picked a "basket" of 20 items that come in both name brand and store brand so we could find out how much we could save by going generic. And to make things a little more interesting, we tossed discount market Aldi into the mix. Here are the results...

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Reinforcements for Schenectady police, local reps sticking with Hillary, better security for Hannaford, sort-of expensive air fare

Reinforcements from the state police are being called in to help Schenectady get a handle on gun violence. Shots have been fired there almost every day for a month. One official says "a handful of people in this city are out of control." [Daily Gazette]

Congressional reps -- and presidential super delegates -- Mike McNulty and Kirsten Gillibrand say they're sticking with Hillary Clinton. [Daily Gazette]

Hannaford says it's spent millions of dollars to upgrade the security of its credit card processing system after last month's breach. The supermarket is now encrypting credit numbers from the moment cards are swiped at registers. [Boston Globe]

The average fare out of the Albany International Airport was $330.83 last year, that's up almost three percent from the year before. Albany's average fare ranks as the 34th most-expensive in the nation. [Business Review]

The leaseholders of the long-promised pizza place on Broadway in Saratoga have been evicted. Apparently they had stopped paying both their rent and their contractor. [Daily Gazette]

A greyhound that had been missing for a month was found and returned to its family. "Prince" had lost more than half his body weight during his time away from home. [TU]


Buffalo chicken rangoons from Hannaford

buffalo chicken rangoons

Buffalo is known for its rangoons.

We know, we know, we know... it's just wrong. The idea of a buffalo chicken rangoon sounds like some kind of joke. It's fusion food taken to its trashiest -- though probably inevitable -- end. It's the appetizer of the geography of nowhere.

But if this wrong, we may have to give extended reconsideration to being right.

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Thousands of new cards because of Hannaford, Paterson says no more, libraries are popular places, dog story a fish story, Mangia closing

Local banks say they're in the process of replacing tens of thousands of debit and credit cards because of the Hannaford security breach. [Daily Gazette] (AOA item from yesterday about this)

David Paterson bristled yesterday when reporters continued to ask him about his private life. "I think that more than any elected official on this planet, and probably in outer space, I have discussed my personal situation over the last week," Paterson said. [AP/Troy Record]

Yet another Democrat has tossed his hat into the ring for the 21st Congressional District (McNulty's seat). This time it's Arthur Welser, a real estate broker from Latham. There are now eight candidates for that seat, six Democrats and two Republicans. [Daily Gazette] (AOA's Local Congressional Race Scorecard)

Local libraries report that circulation numbers are up and librarians attribute the higher volume to people seeking cheaper entertainment as the economy slows. [TU]

That story about the dog left in the trash seems like it might be garbage. But the dog is still actually up for adoption and people are lining up for her. [TU]

The leader of the Northway Church says attendance keeps rising and it might already be outgrowing its newly opened third location. The minister, Buddy Cremeans, is described as having "awesome administrative abilities and a clear plan for growth." [Daily Gazette] (AOA item about the church's direct mail)

The Mangia in Clifton Park has closed and its parent company is planning to close the Stuyvesant Plaza location, too. The company says it will knock down the Stuyvesant building in order to build a new restaurant based on a different theme. An executive attributes the Stuyvesant location's failure partly to the opening of the Cheesecake Factory. [Business Review]

Siena ends upset run, Spitzer story keeps turning, norovirus suspected at Great Escape, tournament pool busted, school fundraiser fatigue

Siena's NCAA tournament run ended Sunday with an 84-72 loss to Villanova in the second round. [TU]

It seems that word of Eliot Spitzer's call girl habit was circulating as early as last Fall. Republican political operative Roger Stone reportedly sent the FBI a letter accusing the former Gov of going to prostitutes. How did Stone find out? He heard it from "a social contact in an adult-themed club." [NYT]

Oh, and remember how Spitzer said he wasn't involved in the effort to catch Joe Bruno misusing state aircraft? According to testimony from a former aide, that seems to have been a lie. Spitzer was not just involved, he was coffee-spewing-from-his-mouth, calling-at-all-hours involved. [NYT]

The reported count of gastrointestinal illnesses from the Great Escape is nearing 200. The infamous norovirus is suspected to be culprit causing diahrea and "projectile vomiting." The park has now closed one of its restaurants in an attempt to stamp out the bug. [TU]

Yet another candidate has jumped into the race for the 21st Congressional District (McNulty's seat). The latest: Republican Steven Vasquez of Ballston Spa, which isn't even in the district. [TU] (AOA's Local Congressional Scorecard)

The breach of Hannaford's transaction system came after the network was certified to be in compliance with security standards. [AP]

An auction-style NCAA pool involving tens of thousands of dollars was busted in Warren County. Among those present at the private auction: Warren County officials. [Troy Record]

Suffering from fundraiser fatigue, Niskayuna School District officials are working on a new policy for school fundraisers. Don't worry, the junior prom seems to be safe. [Daily Gazette]

Everyone's job is under pressure these days. In Waterford, real border collies are being replaced by wood cutouts of dogs in an effort to chase away Canada geese. [Troy Record]

Class action against Hannaford, more Great Escape gastrointestinal distress, a Republican for the 21st, attempt to attract young professionals

A Philadelphia law firm says it's filing a class action lawsuit against Hannaford over the company's security breach that exposed millions of customers' credit cards. [AP/Boston Globe]

The number of people reporting illness after visiting the Great Escape water park this past weekend keeps growing, according to the NY State Department of Health. More than 90 people have now reported suffering gastrointestinal distress. Many of the affected are diabetic kids who were visiting the park as part of program to learn how to control their diabetes. [Daily Gazette] [TU]

A federal judge has ruled that a former Wal-Mart security guard can go ahead with her gender discrimination suit against the company. Shannon Kennedy says she was fired after she chased an alleged purse snatcher in her car. [TU]

The Averill Park school district has agreed to settle a lawsuit filed by a former athletic director for $567,000. Lou Cioffi says he was fired after blowing the whistle on hazing in the district's football program. [Troy Record]

Republican Jim Buhrmaster officially announced that he will run in the 21st Congressional District (Democrat Mike McNulty's seat). Buhrmaster is the first Republican to officially declare. [Daily Gazette] (AOA's Local Congressional Race Scorecard)

Local business leaders are hoping to lure young professionals back to the Capital Region with advertising, a new website, and a kiosk at the airport. [TU]

What to do about the Hannaford credit card security breach

Hannaford has reported that its credit and debit card transaction system has been breached and millions of shoppers' card numbers have potentially been exposed for the last three months. The company says every one of its stores has had a card compromised, which means: If you've used your credit or debit card at a Hannaford any time since December 2007, your number may have been leaked.

So, what now?

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Paterson applauded, Paterson admits to affair, Hannaford credit card breach, another tech park plan, raw sewage is smelly

David Paterson took the oath of office for governor to much applause. Legislators say they're looking forward to working with the new governor. [TU]

Shortly after the swearing-in, Paterson admitted to having an affair earlier this decade. He and his wife say they've dealt with it an moved on. [NYDN]

A security breach has potentially exposed more than 4 million credit cards used at Hannaford stores across the Northeast. The company says every one of its stores has had a compromised card. (Hannaford statement) [Boston Globe]

Chuck Schumer and Mike McNulty are pushing for the Watervliet Arsenal to become... wait for it... a tech park. [TU]

A Democratic challenger is lining up to take on Republican George Amedore for Paul Tonko's old state assembly seat. [Daily Gazette]

A backed up sewer led to raw sewage spilling out into a street in Mechanicville and extreme smelliness ensued. "This is not sanitary," noted one astute resident to the Record. [Troy Record]

Skidmore is moving to close its University Without Walls program. The college says the distance learning program is losing hundreds of thousands of dollars a year. [Saratogian]

Hannaford milk mystery solved!

name Carl on Hannaford milk

Who's Carl?

If you've ever bought milk at Hannaford, you might have noticed the person's name printed on the upper right part of the carton. It changes from week to week -- the last carton we bought said "CARL."

So, what's that about? Is the cow taking credit? (Unlikely. What sort of female cow would be named Carl?)

Well, we've finally gotten to the bottom of this mystery.

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Which supermarket has the lowest prices?

We were curious, so we decided to find out. AOA put together a "basket" of 40 items that we thought could reasonably end up in most shopping carts in any given week. Then we checked the prices of these items at Price Chopper, Wal-Mart and Hannaford. Here are the results:

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The Scoop

For a decade All Over Albany was a place for interested and interesting people in New York's Capital Region. It was kind of like having a smart, savvy friend who could help you find out what's up. AOA stopped publishing at the end of 2018.

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