There is a Smart & Final in my neighborhood. I usually pass it at least once a day, and it is always packed. Always. The parking lot is consistently full, people are forever coming and going with their overloaded carts.

So I thought I’d check it out. After all, there must be some killer deals to warrant that kind of business. Right? Wrong.

I couldn’t find any deals worth noting, let alone making a special trip for. In the same range as the Safeway and Fry’s around the corner. Certainly not as good as the WalMart Superstore down the street. Not even in the realm of the Costco a few blocks down. So what is it?

I checked their restaurant supply items, which lacked both selection and bargains. Considering that half a block away is a large restaurant supply store with more square footage of low priced supplies than the entirety of the Smart & Final, that can’t be it.

So, are they selling something under the table? Is there a secret handshake that cuts the prices in half? Perhaps if you whistle the right tune they bring out “the good stuff” from a back room?

Anyone?