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Brookshires Grocery Store

February 8th, 2010

Brookshires in Tyler Texas

100 Rice Road
Tyler
903 561 7943

This family-friendly Christian owned and operated grocery store in the center of the popular shopping area in Tyler is a delight to shop at.

As you walk into the store you will be surprised at the quality and variety of fruit and vegetables on sale. Much of the produce available is organic and grown locally too. Look out for samples of their seasonal items.

Brookshires Grocery Store

Brookshires Grocery Store

Before you start to shop you might want to treat yourself to a gourmet coffee – sold just inside the door on the left at the coffee bar. You will notice that there are many who take advantage of the little cafe area there too. If you have time you could stop and drink your coffee while you look at the weekly paper containing details of the latest special offers at Brookshires. Of particular note is the meat section -they have the most amazing deals on particular cuts of meat and these offers change weekly.

Continue on through the store stopping perhaps at the excellent delicatessen or the bakery section where you can buy delicious breads of all sorts of types and containing healthy grains, baked in store. The meat section is very good too and the seafood is one of the best in a supermarket around here.

As for the rest of the store – it is clearly laid out and you will find all sorts of goodies here that you won’t see at Walmart.

Brookshires tries to cater for all palates and budgets and this is reflected in the choice available. ‘Food Club’ is their own brand of goods. If you come from ‘out of town’ like me then be sure to look for the International section where you can buy various familiar food items from Europe. There is also a significant Asian and Mexican section.

The food at Brookshires is slightly more pricey than at Walmart – though the special offers favor comparably. However, the shopping experience is so much nicer and the variety of goods they stock is amazing for East Texas. I have to add that the customer care is second to none – all the staff are so helpful and attentive to your needs. They make you feel valued and important here.

Don’t forget there is a bank instore, a photo shop and an excellent pharmacy, where you can make use of $4 generic prescriptions. There is even a drive-thru pick-up service.

One quick word about prices – there is a dual pricing system – one for the regular shopper and the other for visitors. If you plan to shop at Brookshires more than once, get yourself a ‘Thank you card’ by applying at the cash register or customer services. This means that you qualify for the lower prices and special offers. Don’t worry, they won’t bombard you with junk mail and they won’t give your personal details to any other company. You must present this card when checking out to receive the lower prices.

As you leave the store, enjoy the chance to have your bags packed for you (you can request brown bags rather than plastic or use our own and receive 5c back for each one used). Your cart will then be loaded and your shopping placed in your car for you. Don’t even think about tipping for this – it is all part of the everyday service at Brookshires.

One other thing to note – kids are welcomed at Brookshires. There are mini shopping carts for kid’s use and at the bakery they will happily offer your child a free cookie (while you drool over the amazing cakes on sale).
Altogether a nice experience – shopping at Brookshires in Rice Road is to be recommended.

Brookshires Museum in Tyler Texas

January 31st, 2010

The Brookshires Wildlife Museum is a great place to go for some family fun. It is located past the Brookshires warehouse on Old Jacksonville in Tyler Texas. As soon as you enter the facility you will be greeted with a smile and a friendly receptionist.

Polar Bear at Brookshires Museum

Polar Bear at Brookshires Museum

Sign the guest book and enter the museum for free. When you turn the corner you might want to brace yourself for the animals look like their alive and just about to get you. You will see wild life from all over the world. I particularly like the bears at the beginning.

Zebra at Brookshires Museum
Zebra at Brookshires Museum

My son liked the zebra. If you have a toddler like myself you might want to bring a stroller because there is a no touching rule.

Lion Chasing Animal at Tyler Brookshires Museum

Lion Chasing Animal

The animals and the scenery around them really made me feel like I was in Africa or some far off land. Adults and children are sure to love the Brookshires Wildlife Museum because of all the real stuffed animals and antlers.

Read more about Brookshires Museum

Starbucks in Tyler TX

January 13th, 2010

Well what can I say about Starbucks that you haven’t already heard. Starbucks is a wonderful place especially early in the morning when you are having a hard time waking up and have to go to work or school. Starbucks is open early for business if I am not mistaken. I think they open up around 6:00 a.m. in the morning. I don’t think that most people go to work any earlier than that. I especially love the Starbucks that is located around Highway 64 because the people are very friendly and make sure that you are satisfied with their service.

I know that Tyler has several other locations around town, but the one on Hwy 64 is close to where I live and is also near a gas station, Jack in the Box, and Brookshires. If you have to go shopping you can stop in and get a cup of coffee. They have so many selections on coffee that even if I could list them all I would not want to. My point is that they have lots of varieties to choose from. If you like it hot they have it hot or if you prefer it on ice they can do that also and if you prefer frozen they also can do that.

If you are not a coffee drinker they have teas and smoothies. Their smoothies are not that good and I believe they should stick to the coffee business when it comes to drinks. They also have a variety of food that you can order from that are all pretty tasty. Muffins, coffee cake and other snacks are available. They often have a coffee tasting, where they allow you to taste their coffee for free so they can get your opinion on their flavors.

This past Halloween they had a pumpkin carving contest and they gave out candy, did face painting, and other cool stuff. The winner of the carving got a free coffee for getting first place. Well they all got a little something even second and third place. I know that lots of people love to go hang out at Starbucks with their friends while enjoying a cup of coffee. The coffee price could be a little cheaper, but I guess that is the price you pay for the quality of Starbucks.

The cost does not seem to stop people from going and buying a cup of coffee. So I guess it’s worth the money. I must admit that I enjoy going once in a while and getting a cup of coffee. I call it my treat. I can’t afford it that often, but once in a while it’s a must do. Some things are worth paying a little more for. So be nice to yourself and treat yourself to a Starbucks cup of coffee. They also sell gift cards which make excellent birthday gifts and holiday gifts. You could also buy a gift card just to say thank you to someone special in your life. Starbucks also sells their coffee and other items such as coffee cups, mugs, etc.

If I haven’t sold you yet on a cup of coffee, then better not get a job as a sales person or marketing. Now all jokes aside, we all know that Starbucks is awesome and people love hanging out there because it’s the place to be.

Southside Bank in Tyler Texas

January 6th, 2010

There are a lot of banks to choose from. So why choose Southside Bank in Tyler TX?

Southside is a local bank that might just trick you. It is a small town, folksy business, but it also offers many of the benefits associated with the large national chains. Need an ATM? Southside Bank has a full range of ATM’s all around the city: 19 of them at last count. Do you need online banking? Southside does that, too, and does it well. This is no mom & pop establishment. Southside isn’t afraid to change with the times.

Southside Bank has fifteen separate Tyler Texas bank locations, and several more in Lindale and Whitehouse. While they have large locations like the main office on South Beckham or their South Broadway branch, most Southside branches are located inside of Tyler’s most popular shopping centers. Southside jumped on the “bank inside the grocery store” trend early, and it has paid off for them. They are known as the “most convenient bank in east Texas.” There is hardly a Brookshires or Albertsons within 50 miles that doesn’t boast a Southside Bank office. This was a wonderful benefit for my family. We found ourselves going to Brookshires for various items multiple times every week. And whenever we were there, we could hop in to Southside to deposit a check or pull out some cash. No separate stops were necessary![ad#large-blog-block]

My wife and I had multiple accounts with Southside Bank for years in Tyler, and we were always satisfied. It was not easy to get an account set up since we were coming in from out of state. That is the obvious downside of doing business with a local bank. National chains like US Bank and Bank of America have branches all over the nation, so starting out of state accounts or transferring money is never a problem. But once we did get our accounts set up with them, we were very satisfied. Did they make the typical small town mistakes? Yes, occasionally. They have their share of clerical errors, but whether they have more than a typical national bank is debatable. Any teller can hit a wrong key by mistake. But whenever those things came up, the tellers or bankers always worked quickly and apologetically to remedy the situation.

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And that might be the best reason of all to choose Southside Bank: quality customer service. The men and women of Southside are always courteous and professional. They seemed to enjoy their work, and that is probably why they consistently did a good job.

If you are looking for a new bank to handle your checking accounts, business expenses, home loans, etc, Southside Bank of Tyler Texas can handle it. They may be small, but they are able.