This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #ChooseSmart #CollectiveBias 

Have you been to Smart and Final lately? I visited the brand new Smart & Final Extra! store in Upland, California on preview night this week, the night before it opened to the public and I was totally surprised by what I saw inside. Smart & Final really changes what you think of when you think of a warehouse store.

The Smart & Final in Upland, CA has a welcome feel - I love the sign at the front of the store!
The Smart & Final in Upland, CA has a welcome feel – I love the sign at the front of the store!

All inside the store were tables with samples of the various food items Smart & Final offers every day. The kids especially loved the beef brisket from the fresh meat section and the fried rice from the frozen foods. At the cheesecake table, a man was discussing the price of cheesecake with the lady serving the slices, saying how you could get the same amount of cheesecake at other warehouse stores. Sure buddy, you totally can get cheesecake alot of places but at Smart & Final you don't have to pay a membership fee – anyone can stop in and get a delicious cheesecake for an amazing price! That's one thing I really appreciate about Smart & Final.  We can stop in any time and purchase what we need without worrying about membership fees or if we have a membership card – none of that is necessary at Smart & Final! Also, the store is easy to navigate, making it easy to get in and out with the products you need without spending hours in a giant warehouse.

All of the new So Cal Smart & Final locations that are opening are so exciting because it means more convenience for all of us. This Smart & Final is on the way home from work for several of my friends as well as my husband, making it a great place to stop off and pick up groceries or even dinner for that night. Besides frozen and fresh foods, Smart & Final offers pre-cooked ready to eat chickens and other prepared foods to make dinner prep a breeze! In addition, Smart & Final stores offer affordable options for any budget. You can literally shop at Smart & Final with pennies, according to the marketing rep at the store, by shopping in the bulk food section, where product can be purchased by the ounce:

Shop the Bulk Foods section of Smart & FInal to save money and get exactly the amount of anything you need.
Shop the Bulk Foods section of Smart & FInal to save money and get exactly the amount of anything you need.

The head of marketing who was at the store told me that the “Extra!” on the name of the store means just that: Smart & Final plus something “Extra!”. In this store, the “Extra!” is an expanded deli and cheese section, larger fresh meat section, and extended beverage and cold beer section. Here's at a look at some of the things that make a Smart & Final Extra! store unique:

This Smart & Final Extra! store has an expanded Cheese section, Beverage Wall, and Fresh Meat Area.
This Smart & Final Extra! store has an expanded Cheese section, Beverage Wall, and Fresh Meat Area.

We love fresh produce, from juicing to eating paleo, so fresh produce is a must for us and I bet it is for you too. Smart & Final has a produce section to impress! In the kale section, there are several varieties of kale, not just one like most other stores carry. I love the variety of produce, from apples to citrus to vegetables. There's really everything you need and more in one store.

From citrus to fruit ot vegetables, like kale, Smart & Final stores have a wide variety orf produce for every cuisine!
From citrus to fruit to vegetables, like kale, Smart & Final stores have a wide variety orf produce for every cuisine!

What am I going back to the store to get next? Bubbies pickles and sauerkraut! This upscale, gourmet yet health conscious brand of pickles is delicious and their sauerkraut is a great addition to my paleo menu. These are located in the expanded cheese and deli section of the Upland Smart & Final Extra! while the bratwurst can be found in the fresh meats aisle along the back of the store. Grab a bag of apples from the produce section to cut up and put in the sauerkraut for a sweet and sour, paleo-friendly dinner!

Pair these gourmet Bubbies pickles and saurkraut with bratwurst from the fresh meats section of your local Smart & Final.
Pair these gourmet Bubbies pickles and sauerkraut with bratwurst from the fresh meats section of your local Smart & Final.

If you're local to So Cal and in the Inland Empire, head on over and check out this new Smart & Final Extra! store on the corner of Mountain and Foothill in Upland. I just might see you there!

Find out more about Smart & Final here:

 

Author: Jennifer Priest

It started with jewelry, beading, sewing, home decor, painting, basket weaving, pottery, and cross-stitch. Marry that to an entrepreneurial spirit & at 9 years old a girl is selling her wares at craft fairs as far as her parents and grandparents would drive her. These days, Jennifer enjoys crafts of all genres from sewing to scrapbooking to jewelry with a little dabbling in the mixed media world. Her style is approachable and she wants everyone who sees her work to feel that they too can embrace creativity and make their home and life beautiful.

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