Hello M.!!! I understand exactly what you mean. I have been a loyal Vons shopper from the time I was 14, until a few years ago when they went on strike. I have found that Stater Bros has great prices (and just happens to be across the street from me!), actually better than Vons. I never went there because of my loyalty, but because of the strike (a few years ago), and the convenience, have come to love it. One store I would stay away from is Ralphs. I have heard that they have good prices on meat (or maybe it's the quality, I'm not sure, sorry!) but I don't eat meat, so I don't know. Fresh and Easy is also a good store, but only for select items. I definitely would not "grocery shop" there. I know you didn't mention Trader Joe's as being a store that is close to you, but if you can find one that is not too far, they have great prices on a lot of things. I don't know too much about Albertson's, I have shopped there in about 13 years, when I lived up north, but I don't think you can go wrong with Stater Bros. The only thing I DON'T like about S.B is their produce prices. I have recently found that Food 4 Less (somewhere I swore I would never shop at, but have found my money stretching thin, so I decided to give it a try) has great prices on produce, and they are owned (or maybe a sister store to) by Ralphs, which is so weird, because of the high prices Ralphs has. I know you didn't mention having one of those (F4L) near you either, but I just wanted to let you know. Also, remember, that depending on what you spend the bulk of your money on (for me it's produce), some stores will be cheaper, than say a place where you can get other items cheaper. If you get any of those "throw away" ads (I think they come on Tuesday's), check out the prices before heading out. It might be a big help! I hope all of this rambling helps you in some way :)