I'm a private chef. After trying croissants at Key Food, Whole Foods, and Trader Joe's, there was an obvious winner.

Tech Insider : Business
composite image of croissants from key foods, whole foods, and trader joe's
I taste-tested the croissants in the bakery sections at Key Food, Whole Foods, and Trader Joe's.

Fatima Khawaja

I'm a professional baker. I tried chocolate-chip cookies from Costco, Walmart, Kroger, and Safeway to find the best.

Tech Insider
groups of cookies in plastic containers with notes on table
I compared chocolate-chip cookies from popular chain's bakery sections.

Alana Al-Hatlani

I took the same shopping list to Trader Joe's and Target. The bigger chain had more sales but still cost me way more.

Tech Insider
composite image of the outside of a trader joe's and the outside of a target
I was able to find similar products at both Trader Joe's and Target.

Pamela Brick/Shutterstock

I shopped at Hannaford, Maine's largest grocery chain. It had the best prepared food selection I've ever seen at a supermarket.

Tech Insider
the author outside hannaford supermarkets and the produce aisle
I went inside a Hannaford Supermarket in Scarborough, Maine, and think it should come to more states.

Erin McDowell/Business Insider

I used to work at Trader Joe's. Here are 6 popular items that are worth the hype and 4 I'd skip.

Tech Insider
Intercut photos of a hand holding a clear bottle with a white label containing Everything but the Bagel Seasoning and a hand holding a tan carton of non-dairy beverage with an illustration of a glass of oat milk
I think items like Trader Joe's Everything but the Bagel Seasoning is worth the hype but the nondairy oat beverage can be skipped.

Leah Kern

I tried 6 different brands of syrup from the grocery store. It's worth paying a little extra for the big names.

Tech Insider
six pancake syrups from the grocery store lined up in a row
I tried six different brands of pancake syrup.

Paige Bennett

I worked at Erewhon, a high-end grocery store, for a year. Here are 6 things I wish customers knew.

Tech Insider
The writer wears a black jacket and gray baseball cap with a Nike logo with several Erewhon smoothies in front of her
I worked at Erewhon for about a year.

Mykel Pay

My roommates and I share groceries. We save about $300 a month by bulk-shopping.

Tech Insider
Three roommates are eating take-out at a kitchen island and smiling and talking.
René Morrell (not pictured) and her roommates share groceries and have figured out a system that works for them.

AleksandarNakic/Getty Images

I'm a Brit who went to Trader Joe's for the 1st time and I wish we had grocery stores like it in the UK

Tech Insider
A photo of packets of cheese in a fridge at a Trader Joe's store in Chicago
The store was beautifully laid out.

Grace Dean

Why these 8 things have gotten much more expensive even as inflation cools

Tech Insider : Economy, Economy, Sports
eggs, sports tickets, and uncooked beef
Eggs, sports tickets, and uncooked beef are among eight expense categories in the consumer price index that rose more than 10% over the past year.

Irina Marwan (left), filipefrazao (center), Natalia Gdovskaia (right), via Getty Images

Subscribe to grocery-store