Mariano’s :: A Well-Rounded Shopping Experience

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias® and Mariano’s #cbias #SocialFabric. We have truly fallen in love with Mariano’s and plan to make it part of our weekly shopping round-up. I can’t wait until they finish building the one closer to us!

A few weeks ago, I began to hear rumblings from friends about their experiences at Mariano’s. This weekend, I had the opportunity to experience Mariano’s {and its pharmacy} first-hand. After calling to have my prescription transferred, my husband and I headed out with our boys to check out this five senses shopping experience. Our first stop was to snag one of the adorable carts designed just with your kids in mind. We chose a firetruck and I was pleasantly surprised to see it had two steering wheels (thank goodness) and two working seat belts (an anomaly in most stores nowadays). We then headed over to try out a box of fresh-popped popcorn and as a mom of two boys, I can tell you this box of popcorn helped to keep the shopping trip a bit less stressful.

Next, we headed over to the pharmacy and saw that they provide pharmacist consultations with convenient hours, including weekends, to accommodate busy schedules.

I also found out that Mariano’s pharmacy can provide immunizations as well – from common illnesses to lesser known travel vaccines.

Dropping off my prescription, even on a busy Saturday morning, was a breeze. I was helped right away and I could tell the pharmacist wanted to make sure I received everything necessary for my medications. He was knowledgeable and informative.

After handing over my prescription to be filled, we headed out into the store to grab our lunch and shop off our grocery list. I love the convenience of getting all the things I need in one place. As a mom, I appreciate the fact that I don’t need to make a few different stops, snapping and unsnapping kids in their carseats. Making one trip makes all the difference.  Of course, the shopping could easily be done while our prescription was being filled.

The Bakery itself was impressive. Many different kinds of breads, rolls, and croissants. You could snag a custom-made cake, gourmet donuts, and littles cookies and treats. The personnel were fast and efficient and we enjoyed a cookies & creme brownie immensely. Check out those beautiful flowered cupcakes for Mother’s Day!

After shopping for the non-refrigerated items, we decided to grab lunch and sit in the cute tables and chairs off to the side. From sushi to pizza to sandwiches to BBQ, Mariano’s not only meets your grocery needs, but also provides a great way to grab a quick lunch or dinner on the days you’re very busy. We tried out a pulled pork sandwich from Todd’s BBQ, Charlie made a salad from the salad bar, and Jack and I enjoyed orange chicken and chow mein from the hot bar. For Jack and Charlie who eat only a small amount, the salad and hot bar were perfect since the pricing is based on the pound making it a healthy and economic option.

Our last stop before our prescriptions was the cake & cookie decorating they had set up for Mother’s Day. A welcomed surprise, Charlie had a great time decorating a cake for his Momma. Mariano’s had blank cakes and cookies available for children to decorate to their liking and Charlie loved it!

In the course of our time there, we shopped for weekly groceries, picked up a prescription, ate lunch, made a surprise for Mother’s Day, and enjoyed some family time all in the span of less than two hours. Interested in more of what Mariano’s has to offer? Check out their Twitter and Facebook pages for all the latest news.