Some students might go home to shop for groceries, others might buy local from farmer’s markets, but the majority of students shop at the three main grocery stores in Statesboro: Wal-Mart, Harvey’s Supermarket and Bi-Lo.

After considering quality, convenience, price and availability of all three, Bi-Lo is the best overall.

One of the most important things to students when shopping for groceries is price. In a culture where it’s cheaper to grab processed over produce, students gravitate to megastores like Wal-Mart that have the cheapest price.

Yet when buying fresh produce, it’s smart to invest in quality.  Fruits and vegetables at Bi-Lo may seem more expensive, but the cheaper, lower quality produce from superstores like Wal-Mart will likely rot faster.

In addition to having largest produce section of any grocery store in Statesboro, Bi-Lo has a deli, bakery, meat and seafood section, wine and beer aisle and pharmacy sections. The produce area also features a separate natural and organic section that is unique to Statesboro.

While Bi-Lo and Harvey’s offer better groceries, some students still prefer Wal-Mart for one-stop shopping.

Wal-Mart has the potential to have a good selection, yet often has poor availability. Despite the fact that Wal-Mart distribution center for all of southeast Georgia is located in Statesboro, there are still gaps in the aisles by noon every day.

With parking lot traffic and foot traffic inside Wal-Mart, it may not be as convenient as it seems. Wal-Mart has recently added more self-checkout registers, but peak hours still result in long lines. Many students try to shop at night to avoid the crowds during the day, only to have to dodge large palettes used for restocking.

While checking out with Harvey’s pleasant staff has charm, the store lacks the convenience of self-checkout counters. Those in a hurry might benefit from a friendly chat at the register, but will most likely be agitated by even a slight wait.

Regardless, a grocery bill from Bi-Lo or Harvey’s that might be a dollar higher is a small price to pay for quality and convenience.

The final distinction that sets Bi-Lo apart from the rest of the grocery stores in Statesboro is the Fuelperks incentive program. Bi-Lo customers can immediately receive five cents off a gallon of gas at participating gas stations for every $50 of groceries they buy when using a Bonus card.