Conor Watkins' Ozark Mountain Experience
Article 53 & 54 Combined

Discount Grocery Stores of The Ozarks
"Crash And Dent" Stores Offer Low Prices, Variety, And Good Service

I-44 Surplus Discount Grocery is located 3 miles east of Rolla.  Its
appearance has earned it the nickname of "The Big Red Barn."

Do you ever wonder what happens to the slightly damaged cereal boxes on grocery store shelves that no one buys?  Although the cereal is safe inside the inner liner, the slightly crumpled boxes tend to end up getting avoided and pushed to the back of the shelf.

Luckily many of those boxes do not end up in the garbage.  Food with slightly damaged labels, containers, etc. are instead usually sold to grocery salvagers at a reduced price.  These individuals then resell these items in discount grocery stores.  Although discount grocery stores may be found around the country, the Ozarks of Missouri are home to a disproportionately high number, with many being located in the Rolla/St. James area.

Discount grocery stores offer the value-minded shopper an alternative to generic brands and stores such as Aldi.  Name brand products are usually available at prices unheard of in a regular grocery store.  In many cases, name brand products actually sell for less than their generic counterparts would in a traditional store.  Such stores are very valuable to college students and others on limited incomes that like to eat well without breaking the bank.

Discount grocery stores usually offer a large variety of food.  Types of food sold include many ethnic varieties, health, organic, vegetarian, gourmet, spices, and everyday staples.  There are many types of food available at these stores that simply cannot be found in normal supermarkets.  In some cases, labels are completely in a foreign language.  Those looking for gourmet or health food at a low price should investigate.  It should be noted that specific types of food may not always be available and it may be wise to buy large quantities of something desirable when it appears on the store shelves.

Some stores also offer other merchandise such as furniture, paper goods, or tools in addition to food.  Many stores buy from trucking companies after accidents occur.  Jars and cans are often shipped stacked on pallets.  When a truck is involved in an accident, some items on the pallet may be broken while leaving most of the other product intact.  Trucking companies and traditional groceries generally don’t want to take the time to pick through and separate the good from the bad, so the whole pallet is often sold to grocery discounters at a reduced price.  Sometimes cans are slightly dented, and many like to refer to discount grocery stores as “crash and dent stores” due the fact that food tends to end up there after a truck crashes.

Not all discount grocery stores are created equal.  While most take measures to make sure that severely damaged products never make it to store shelves, some have lower standards than others.  It is always frustrating to open up a granola bar to find that a caterpillar is already enjoying the product or open a box rice or pasta mix and have live insects come flying out.  These experiences are proof that some of these stores have higher standards than others.

The author has ended up in numerous discount groceries while traveling and working in the Ozarks.  Nearby towns with discount grocery stores include St. James, Salem (2 stores), Houston (2 stores), and Plato.  There is a store south of Rolla on Hwy 63 just north of the entrance to Lane Spring.  Another store far out of the way on Hwy F south of Rolla.  This store, simply called Hwy F Grocery, is rumored to be the oldest discount grocery in Missouri.  It also sells tools and furniture along with the food.  Most of these groceries offer friendly service and carry a unique variety of products.  A very good store is located just east of Gray Summit, MO at 2155 Highway 100 and is convenient stop for many traveling to St. Louis.  The store used to be owned by relatives of the Bahr family in Rolla and is still named Bahr’s Discount Foods even though it is under new ownership.  The store is around 70 miles from Rolla so it isn’t worth visiting unless one is heading that direction for another reason.

Perhaps the most colorful discount grocery in Missouri, and very possible the entire country, is located in Wright City, MO along Interstate 70.  This store, best known as the Elvis Is Alive! Museum features one of Elvis’ old cars outside.  Once inside, one discovers the building is divided down the middle, with one half being a discount grocery and the other half being an Elvis museum.  The discount grocery is by no means exceptional as they go, but the Elvis section is certainly something one will not forget anytime soon after seeing the place.  Inside is a replica of Elvis’ coffin, corpse, and gravestone.  The place is also full of some of Elvis’ personal items, documents, and literature “proving” that Elvis faked his own death and is in fact alive today!  The place is certainly an experience and classic American roadside stop, no matter if one believes Elvis is alive or dead.  This museum and discount grocery is located between exits 200 and 199 on the north outer road of I-70 in Wright City, MO and the phone number for the business is 636-745-3107.

There are two stores located around three miles east of Rolla and one of these is among the best experienced so far by the author.  This store is located only three miles east of Rolla off I-44 at Hwy V (exit 189).  The store, I-44 Surplus And Salvage Grocery, is a large red building visible from the Interstate and it located on the south outer road (old U.S. Route 66).  The address is 11101 Old Highway 66 and the phone number is 573-364-6006.  Some have nicknamed it “The Big Red Barn” due to its appearance. Store hours are Mon-Sat 8:00-6:00.

In addition to being the closest store to Rolla, the store offers friendly service a clean environment.  It is also the largest discount grocery and has the largest selection of food available at any of the stores sampled.  The employees of the store make sure bad or old food doesn't end up on the shelves.  Food nearing the expiration date is marked down even more and set out for clearance to make sure old food is not kept around too long.   Labels may be soiled or partially torn, but the food inside it just as good as new.  Although low, prices at this store are generally higher than at other discount groceries.  The slightly higher price is well worth paying, as the food sold is always of a high quality.

Refrigerator and freezer cases are also present at the store.  Not all items inside are surplus/salvage, but prices are still low. Some fresh products such as milk are more expensive than at regular stores since they are bought in smaller quantities.  This is also the case with some potato chips and other snack foods that are stocked for convenience purposes.  The small operations of discount grocery stores are not able to enjoy the bulk buying power of Wal-Mart and other large stores.  Another disadvantage to this and other discount groceries is that they don’t accept coupons.  This isn’t really a problem since food is usually cheaper at these stores without a coupon that it would be at any other store that accepts coupons.

I-44 Surplus And Salvage always offers good service.  While talking to one of the store owners, Denise Bahr, she indicated that the store is not located as conveniently as Wal-Mart or other stores for most people, so the employees have to be friendly in order to keep customers coming back.  She told stories about elderly customers visiting the store everyday to simply chat with each other and the employees.  Food bought at the store is not “as is.” If something is found to be wrong with any of the food, the store will gladly take it back for 30 days.  The owners like to compare the store to an old time country store where both the customers and employees are friendly and laid back.

Perhaps the best experience with their customer service happened while buying supplies for a UM-Rolla departmental BBQ at the store.  After filling two shopping carts with $80 worth of food, the author decided to check out.  For some reason, the UMR credit card didn’t work but the store let the food leave the doors without payment.   The credit card issue was resolved and the food paid for late the next day after the food had been consumed at the BBQ.  This is service that one probably wouldn’t get at Wal-Mart or most other chain stores.

Perhaps the funniest experience happened while shopping from the clearance isle (actually a shopping cart set out and filled with highly discounted items).  Both the author and a roomate picked out a can with no label that was selling for fifteen cents.  It was going to be the “mystery can” and both figured it would be fun to see what was inside when we got home.  The can was the right size and shape for a soup can, but it could have been filled with soup, beans, veggies, or anything else coming in a can.  No one had guessed that there might be dog food inside the “mystery can.”  Yes, when the can was opened, it was found to be dog food.  Needless to say, the product was not consumed.

I-44 Surplus And Salvage Grocery was opened on April 24th, 1990 and the store has been a success for over twelve years.  It started with four employees and has since grown to employ fourteen workers.  Both past and present workers include UMR students.  The building housing the store was partially constructed by family members since one contractor left as it was being built.  As an owner, Denise Bahr indicated that it takes a lot of work to run the store.  Surplus food is sometimes hard to come by and the business is somewhat of a “feast or famine.”  The store has a variety of nicknames including “The Big Red Barn,” “The Crash And Dent Store,” and simply “Bahr’s,” after the name of the family who owns the store.  Another nickname for discount grocery stores that tends to carry a negative connotation is “The Used Food Store.”  Although the visitor to certain discount groceries may be in for a colorful experience, one can be assured that the food they are buying has never actually been used before!

Another smaller discount/wholesale grocery is located off of the same Hwy V exit as I-44 Discount Grocery but is a couple miles or so east of the exit on the north service road near a gas station/Route 66 memorabilia store.  This store, Goodies Discount Grocery, is marked by "hamburger people" atop a truck trailuer and offers a decent selection of food and other miscellaneous items at reasonable prices.  Unfortunately the auther has discovered the old saying "caveat emptor" which is Latin for "let the buyer beware" applies here.  Five 5-gallon containers of driveway sealer were purchased for $15, which is good deal considering one container of such product would normally sell for close to the same amount.   When the containers of sealant were opened, it was discovered that the solvent required to disperse the product had been removed and replaced with WATER.  Upon attempting a return, I was told that the store had no use for such a product and that I should look to dispose of this elsewhere.  Needless to say, this was the last visit to Goodies.

A store called Shetler's Discount Grocery has two locations south of Rolla in Cabool and Norwood, MO.  Both these stores offer high quality products at reasonable prices and closely resemble I-44 Discount Grocery east of Rolla.  In addition, these stores stock a line of organic and whole grain pastas, flours, and breads which the author thoroughly enjoys.

Many of the other discount grocery stores mentioned briefly are worth visiting but there is not room here to cover them all.  Take time to stop see what these stores are all about if passing by.