Sure, your neighborhood wine shop and its personal service are fab when you're trying to track down an esoteric wine or find some high-quality bargains, but when you don't have time for another stop there's always the grocery store. Not all states allow grocery stores to sell wine, but if yours does, it's a quick grab if you choose wisely. Here are a few of my favorite grocery stores that go beyond Yellow Tail and Inglenook with their wine selection.

1. Fresh Market offers 10 percent case discounts and a changing Best Buy wine, with good value selections from around the world.

2. Fresh & Easy specializes in imported and domestic food-friendly wines like--gasp--Champagne under $30 and their own version of Two Buck Chuck, called The Big Kahuna. I love the Les Deux Rhones Chateauneuf-du-Pape.

3. World Market. OK, it's not exactly a grocery store, but World Market does specialize in value wines from around the world, and they sell awesome tableware, too. I like to pick up the Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc there because it's usually several dollars cheaper than at the wine store.

4. Trader Joe's is famous for its Two Buck Chuck, but seriously, go beyond the Charles Shaw because there's better quality there for a few more bucks, like the Columbia Crest Two Vines Cabernet Sauvignon for $6.

What are your favorite grocery store wines?

The New York Times seems to think so. Indeed, many grocery stores in urban areas are closing up shop, and all that's left is a big open lot and a smattering of mom and pop convenience stores left in their wake. But despite the name, convenience stores aren't always, well, that convenient, especially when you're in need of fresh fruit and veggies, low-fat snacks and fresh poultry or seafood.

A study by New York's Department of City Planning estimated that over 750,000 New Yorkers live five blocks or more from a supermarket. And when that's the case, most people opt to drive or cab it to the store, especially if they have lots of shopping to do or little ones in tow. And at the end of a long work day, many people just don't have the energy - or the time - to stroll down to the grocery. (The study also found that there is enough need for 100 additional supermarkets across the city).

So what's a hungry person to do? Most people simply go without fresh produce and other things that are carried by larger supermarkets. Others are currently shopping at a store, but worry about it closing, because the only other option is miles away.

What about you? Did you or someone you know ever have trouble getting to a decent grocery store, especially if you live in a populated urban area?

More than six months ago, Whole Foods decided to ban the sale of live lobsters and soft shelled crabs in their stores because they determined that the practice was inhumane. The sea creatures, in Whole Foods' study, were not "treated with respect and compassion" on their journey from sea to market and until that issue could be resolved, no lobsters were to be put into the sale tanks in the fish department.

Since the ban was enacted, the natural foods store has not found any companies that meet its standards for the human treatment of lobsters. Until now, that is. Whole Foods is opening their first market in Maine next week and the Portland store will be stocking live lobsters. They have contracted with the Little Bay Lobster Co., a New Hampshire-based company, which will keep lobsters in private compartments for transport after catching them to reduce their stress.

Stocking live lobsters doesn't mean that they will be selling live lobsters, though. In the stores, an employee will use a "110-volt shock [to kill them and] to spare them the agony of being boiled alive in a pot of water."

Maine's lobster fishermen aren't thrilled with this plan. First, they are offended that a company that so heavily promotes its support for local farmers and fishermen would choose an out-of-state company when there are so many local ones to choose from. Second, the fishermen say that "they tell us we're doing everything wrong, obviously it doesn't sit very well with us," noting that using "a lobster electric chair" to kill the lobster sounds like a gimmick that won't impress consumers. Especially not in a state that loves its lobsters.

Supposedly, everything is bigger in Texas and up until now, that adage has certainly held true for Whole Foods Market, which has their 80,000-sq. foot flagship store located in Houston. The company is now planning an even larger store for San Jose, California. At 86,000-sq. feet, the store will be the largest Whole Foods in the US and probably will hold the title for some time despite the fact that Whole Foods does seem to love large stores. With restaurants and spas opening inside supermarkets, what was once one-stop-shopping is now a shopping experience.

But is this getting out of hand? How large can a grocery store before it gets too big? This new Whole Foods, which will be located at the intersection of Blossom Hill Road and Almaden Expressway, will take up about 2 acres without including space for loading docks and parking. It's safe to say that it isn't exactly necessary to have a store that large, but do you prefer to seek out the biggest stores for your shopping when given the choice between a larger and smaller store of the same type?

Shoppers in Atlanta, Georgia may want to take note that Trader Joe's is planning on opening a store within the next 12 months. Unfortunately, representatives from the company have been pretty tight-lipped about a location, but it does say that it will be "midtown" on the Trader Joe's website.

The California chain, as we all are probably well aware by now, is known for offering gourmet foods with a focus on quailty and convenience, at very low prices, often under its own label. Instead of producing all of the products themselves, they work closely with national or global brands that meet their quality standards to get lower prices for shoppers. One of the reasons that this strategy works so well is that the stores have a wide variety of items, but a very limited choice in each category, so once a product makes it into the store, it will not face much, if any, competition for sales. Many products are packaged to serve two or four, making them ideal for busy families or couples.

If rumors can be believed, the company is planning more than one Atlanta location to follow this first store, as well.

I'm beginning to get the impression that writing about Trader Joe's is some sort of fall-back for food writers who don't have any other good ideas. On the surface, this seems like a good idea. There are plenty of good things to say about it and they come out with new things frequently, most of which are worth a mention. Unfortunately, the new things - products, store locations, etc - aren't what seem to attract the press. They seem to enjoy writing about how they are or are not impressed with the store and why it is popular.

Here is yet another article from an east coast paper where the author wondered why Trader Joe's was so popular, tried it and decided that it was a store worth visiting, at least from time to time. The problem with the piece is that the Washington DC area already has several Trader Joe's locations, so the chance that this revelation is actually news to residents, or to anyone else who has shopped at Trader Joe's, is slight.

After far, far too long a time with their slow-loading yet content-less website, Trader Joe's has upgraded to something worth visiting. The site now offers a complete look at the history and values of the privately-owned company, as well as the same information on new locations and copies of their latest "Fearless Flyer" newsletter.

The best thing about the site is that they now have a great display of their new items. Once you select your location from the drop-down menu, a page with pictures and descriptions of some of the new products in your area comes up. I already found that Cheddar with Mango, Chile & Lime is a new type of cheese ("one of the most unique cheeses (ever!)") currently being offered, a product I might not have noticed simply stocked on the shelves. They also have a useful FAQ that answers some questions about labels and nutrition, in addition to clearing up the ever-present concern of whether Trader Joe's products will turn you "into a superhero, a professional athlete or one of the great brainiacs of humankind."

Great job with the website overhaul, TJs. We love having a site that we can use!

One of the best features of Trader Joe's is that they have a large display promoting their new products. They ususally introduce a few products at a time at intervals of three to four weeks, a small number that would disappear unnoticed into the regular shelves. But thanks to the displays, a regular shopper can tell at a glance if there are any new things that need to be added to the shopping list. This Crushed Ginger is one of their newest products and it only took a second before I decided to put it in my cart.

Typically, when a recipe calls for fresh ginger, it asks for a teaspoon or a tablespoon of minced ginger. With this pre-crushed ginger, I can just measure out exactly how much I need and continue with the recipe, without bothering to peel, mince (with my microplane grater) and then store the leftover portion of a piece of fresh ginger. The jarred stuff will keep for at least several weeks in the fridge once it has been opened.

Martin's Food Market, at their new location in Eldersburg, Md, is adding an unusual new type of employee to its staff: a nutritionist. The nutritionist will be available to shoppers, to help guide them through the aisles and make good food choices. She will also be able to answer general questions about health and wellness and customers can make one-on-one appointments with her for more in depth nutritional planning. It's not quite clear whether there will be a fee for the services of the nutritionist, although it seems more likely that there would be one for the in-depth appointments than the one-off questions of shoppers.

The nutritionist could point out that baked chips are a healthier alternative to regular ones, and help consumers read the labels so they know what they're getting. While many consumers already know what they should be eating, or what the healthier choices are, the nutritionist can provide the nudge that is needed to take that option.

The only reason for store to keep a nutritionist is to please the customers, since the nutritionist would inevitable steer people away from more processed, less healthful foods, which could hurt sales of those items. But if shoppers are coming in to meet with her or because they have gotten recommendations in the past, a loss of junk food sales wouldn't hurt the store. So the real question here is, would you take advantage of such a service if it was available at your local grocery store?

Consumer Reports always delivers the information that shoppers need to know: what's out there, what is (and isn't) good about it and whether or not it is worth the price or time involved. More often than not, they are evaluating products, but in a recent study, they took a look at some of the stores that sell them.

Based on a survey of more than 20,000 consumers, CR found that the three most important things to grocery shoppers were "short lines, low prices, [fresh] produce," though good service and clean stores were also important. Most shoppers went to multiple stores each week or each month to pick up all the things they needed, shopping for produce at one store and dry goods at another. But using these criteria as a baseline, five supermarkets came out ahead: Wegmans Food Markets, Trader Joe's, Publix Super Markets, Raley's and Whole Foods Markets. All five had a desirable combination of qualities that kept shoppers coming back regularly.

You have probably seen a Starbucks kiosk in a grocery store before. It seems that some are full service and some offer only part of the full menu, but all can provide shoppers with a coffee or Frappuccino. Granted, you can generally also get a muffin, but the idea of getting a drink while you do your shopping doesn't seem that foreign. Getting a Big Mac, on the other hand, does.

McDonald's and Petrucci's Market IGA, a supermarket in Burgettstown, Pennsylvania, are pairing up and installing a full-service fast food franchise inside the grocery store. Petrucci's is described as a "perishable's driven" market, so they specialize in produce, meats and other non-packaged goods, though they do stock those as well. It is the only market within 15 minutes of the city and has an upscale-looking Tuscan theme to it - a look that does not seem as though it would fit well with a fast food restaurant.

The owner/operator of the in-store McDonald's franchise said, and the Petrucci's owner agreed, "The town of Burgettstown really needed the convenience and service that both Petrucci's Market IGA and McDonald's provide." The question is, did they need them in the same place?

Retailers are reporting a drop in their sales of impulse items - those sodas, candies and packets of gum that are stacked up in checkout lines - since they have switched to self-checkout lanes at some stores. Customers are too busy watching the register availability to pick out additional snacks, assuming that such snacks are even available near the new machines. Statistical data was collected by a retail consulting firm, which noted that women's impulse buying dropped by 50% and men's by 27.9%. The biggest drops in sales were in individually packaged salty snacks (down 53%) and sodas and bottled waters (down 50%).

While this may be bad news for retailers, it is good news for consumers. Not only will shoppers save a few dollars when they're out shopping, but they will save thousands of calories over the course of the year - avoiding a potential weight gain of 2.5 pounds, according to the above-mentioned retail firm. The "Self Checkout Diet" may not become a best seller, but this information is certainly something worth keeping in mind the next time you're out at the store.

Publix Super Markets in Atlanta, Georgia are testing out a new device, a high-tech shopping cart of sorts, to keep kids quiet while their parents are doing the grocery shopping. The TV Kart is a small, car-shaped cart with a TV screen that plays children's shows, such as Barney, The Wiggles, and Bob the Builder. The carts are electric and have brakes built in, but unlike the non-electric versions in stores at the moment, parents will have to pay $1 to use them - for the convenience of keeping their children quiet.

It's only a small jump from children's TV programming to advertising - and once the kid is in the store, the battle to get the parents to buy whatever the child wants is nearly won. Whether the stores like them or not, it's a good bet that at least one or two parents' or health groups will be questioning the idea.

Trader Joe's puts out a different version of their Fearless Flyer, the newsletter that highlights many of their products, for different regions of the country, since often the products they carry will vary by state. This month, the Flyer is the same for all the western states (they're still working on the Eastern Flyer) and it lists the " Top 100 plus 4" favorite items of their tasting panel. I'm not going to type out all the items, especially as they can be seen online, but I am curious to know how many of their favorites are also favorites of yours.

Reading through their list, I saw that I have tried and enjoyed more than 55 of their picks,  including supersweet corn, Perlini mozzarella, Greek yogurt with honey and Purple Moon Shiraz . From the list, I'm not a fan of their frozen Old Fashioned Cheesecake, French Market Pink Lemonade or the Carrot Ginger Soup, but there were surprisingly few that I found myself disagreeing with. Head over to the Trader Joe's website and see if you think that their picks are on the money.

The Manhattan Trader Joe's location has been open for about 7 weeks now and Manhattanites have been acting like kids with a candy store, talking excitedly, lining up to get in, etc. It has been all over the papers, the news and the blogs and, believe it or not, we all know it's there.

Well, not all of us. Alex Kuczynski, of the New York Times, wasn't going to let the opening - already old news - go by without tossing yet another 2¢ into the paper. She missed the grand opening and only recently was able to check out the store. This would be fine - great, even - if she picked up on new products or a new trend. Unfortunately, she didn't and we were treated to an account of the fact that bought almonds, the cheese crunchies, spinach artichoke dip, double cream brie and cheap wine. Congrats, Alex. You figured out that Trader Joe's has good products at good prices.

Now, please, tell us something that we didn't already know.