Lucky's Is Closing: What You Need to Know
Lucky’s announced they are closing their Missoula location, along with 31 others as part of a nationwide scale back, and we are bereft. You’ve never been to a 406 Families partners’ meeting, but it usually includes an assortment of meats, cheeses, and fancy crackers from Lucky’s deli section.
We’re reeling, but the 150 Missoula residents employed by Lucky’s have bigger worries. Our thoughts are with them, and the others who recently learned their workplaces are shuttering: JCPenney and the Sephora inside of it announced it would close last Friday. Pier 1 and The Green Light have also announced closures, and Pita Pit sits empty.
If you’ve never stepped foot in Lucky’s, you have about three weeks to remedy that as the company announced they would officially close Feb. 12. An employee let me know it might be sooner if they sell most of their groceries and merchandise beforehand. Already they seem well on their way. The store was crowded Wednesday afternoon and wait times for check out were longer than usual. With that in mind, please be kind and patient with the staff.
Braving the crowd was well worth it: My grocery haul should have been $131.68, but rang in at $87.23 with discounts at the register.
The first thing you’ll notice is signs around the store announcing 20 percent off all produce. Produce is something I’ve always felt Lucky’s does well. I stocked up on time savers like pre-cut fruits and vegetables (like the spiraled sweet potatoes). Already some of the produce had disappeared. There were no regular bananas left, but the organic bananas were marked at $0.67/pound, which made them $0.53/pound with the 20-percent discount. Next, I noticed a large bin of very dark avocados. PRO-TIP: Avocados freeze, so I bought half a dozen.
Other family favorites (prices are before the discount):
Honeycrisp apples are $1.28/pound
Grapes are $2.49/pound
Lemons are $0.50 each
Green beans are $1.99/pound
I might be a little odd, but I love tomatillos, so I stocked up on those and am planning to make a roasted tomatillo salsa with some tomatoes I saw on sale.
Beyond the produce section, I couldn’t help but notice the Lucky’s branded canned and jarred goods were on sale. Lucky’s rivals Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods in high quality prepackaged food like crackers, cookies, salsas, and sauces. I got a bottle of General Tso’s sauce for $1 and coconut milk (I love to make curry!) for $1.50. The aisles were so crowded I didn’t spend much time exploring, but it will be worth it to head back as it seems likely the prices will dip further.
Next, I headed to the bulk foods section. Listen very closely if you have kids: You’re going to want to hit up the DIY trail mix bar. This is one of my 8- and 5-year-olds favorite things, and I get a separate bag of trail mix for my husband and I that includes chocolate covered espresso beans, so I can keep up with them! You can also grind your own nut butters, another family favorite.
Little known fact: Lucky’s has a section of the store dedicated to the charcuterie board, and it includes a section where all those fancy cheeses we love are under $5. I grabbed a chipotle cheddar, a gouda, and a brie, and said goodbye to the easiest and most delicious cheese resource this side of the Continental Divide.
And, oh, the French macarons (not to be confused with the coconut dessert macaroons). They aren’t on sale (yet) but I bought two dozen anyway. They freeze well and there really isn’t anything like a delicious and colorful macaron. They’re hard to find in town, so Lucky’s has always been my go-to. (Plus, you sound so fancy saying it… “macaron.” See.) You can find it next to the baked goods in a little refrigerator.
As you can see, we are sad to see Lucky’s go, but maybe we will get something equally cool in that space. What would you like to see come to Missoula?
