- Thread starter jeb321
- Start date
New Jumbo? Next to San Juan Plaza
The billboard certainly implies that's the case.... I've always wondered if it's true.
Lower prices I don't know (for Bavaro...). Competition for sure.
I moved from Bavaro to Santo Domingo a while ago. First continued to shop in La Sirena. Went to Jumbo once and now it is Jumbo for everything. My impression is better, bigger selection, fresher products, overall better quality. Prices do not differ much. On the contrary Jumbo has a lot of products with lower prices than La Sirena...
Now switch from Jumbo to Bravo. Better prices and better quality fruits and vegetables.
Isn't Jumbo and Nacional owned by same company? I.e Food Club (terrible products) products sold throughout store? So..what group owns Super Pola? I was at Super Pola in San Juan Mall yesterday. It was really terrible. Store was not looking too good. Many shelves empty, products not stocked, lesser products. Maybe they will close down there..that was way it felt to us yesterday. Just sayin.
Pola is more Dominican than Nacional. Isles are not wide enough, looks a bit messy, etc. If you want a much more pleasant experience with a lot of imported items go to Nacional in Punta Cana Village. The cost might be a bit more, but a lot of items carry the same price as Pola. Nacional just has more of the "Gringo items". And the aisles are nice and wide, unlike Pola and Iberia.
Pola is owned by Grupo Ramos (La Sirena)
Nacional and Jumbo are owned by Cuesta. Nacional is more upscale than Jumbo but there is not a huge difference IMO.
Pola does tend to be grubbier with lower quality fruit & veg compared to Nacional, but we go there for the lower prices and for certain items not stocked by Nacional. Better bread, for example.
Nacional and Jumbo are owned by Cuesta. Nacional is more upscale than Jumbo but there is not a huge difference IMO.
Pola does tend to be grubbier with lower quality fruit & veg compared to Nacional, but we go there for the lower prices and for certain items not stocked by Nacional. Better bread, for example.
Originally (about 8 years ago or so), the plan was to have a Jumbo where Ilumel is by the Coral rotonda. Then they scratched that idea and refurbished the old bowling alley in the Village and opened up the Nacional. A larger department store with their presentation and quality would probably do pretty well, even being next door to Pola.
I agree with Jeb. Lately Pola has started to look run-down and dirty. I went yesterday for the first time in a few weeks and noticed the difference. Very different from when they first opened.
I agree with Jeb. Lately Pola has started to look run-down and dirty. I went yesterday for the first time in a few weeks and noticed the difference. Very different from when they first opened.
I need to hit Pola this weekend, it's been about a month since I was last there. I have noticed that something are either plentiful or nonexistent. I'll check it out, as I prefer Pola not treating me like a criminal vs Lama making me leave my backpack at the desk.
the same as my opinion about the comparison.
Pola offers a wider variety.
i am 95% NOT looking for "Gringo Items", as they are just the cheap northamerican stuff and by my own taste that's not of any quality.
i don't like the veggies at Pola.
fruits i do never buy at any supermarket,
we have plenty of fresh great quality fruits for cheap offered at the fruit stands along the streets all around, my prefered one is the one between the 2 policas acostados near the La Recta CarWash in Veron.
Veggie cooling quarter at Nacional i find a great thing.
Bred,
well,
when Pola opened here, they had really good bred, and it was fresh/still warm out of the oven several times per day.
but since a while most what i get is the same crap as they all offer.
by my own taste,
there is no real ediable bred in Bavaro.
i would love that someone corrects me and includes the address of the place where i get simple average ediable white bred or broetchen.
over all,
for the bavaro area, i would be fine to do my shopping at either, Pola or Nacional.
for the house i mostly use Pola as it is closer to my house,
for the Marina i do most shopping at Nacional, as it is just a few minutes from the Marina.
i do not find any worth a extra longer ride to be prefered over the other.
what i prefer at nacional, is the wine selection,
but i also find suitable ones at Pola for reasonable prices.
Sirena i only know from Higuey, a one time experience, i find their layout crappy, the shop was filled with people, nothing been any organized, just a typical local chaos. i would use La Sirena again only in a emergency, once all others are shut down for w holiday weekend or such.
Mike
what time have you been there?
i've been shopping there around 2/2:30PM.
shelves been fully stocked, as usual by that time of day the store was almost empty, so no lines at cashiers, staff unstressed and helpful to get not shelved stuff from the storage room.
Isles are not very wide, but completely wide enough to pass each others without any higher cart-driving-skills required.
they sure will not close down, they are fairly new in the area and do very well.
go to the peak shopping times and you will find the store cramped full of customers on daily bases, hence i pick for myself the few times when people are for most part at work.
if you don't find your stuff at Super Pola or Nacional,
then you are on the wrong Island, a you will have a hard time to find your stuff anywhere around.
Mike
thats right, a difference over the first opening times is noticeable,
sadly they all show such tendency after the first couple years of opening.
Mike
Was there at about 2pm ...at Super Pola. Do most shopping at Nacional. I used to go to Pola only if I happened to find myself
around there, Or if in desperation Nacional did not have item which I felt I needed. This time, except for some really ok
croissants .. Store shelves very bare...juices almost non existant and items just not there. So after being told by reliable people that Jumbo is happening just thought that Super Pola ......
I like buying vegetables if I am around Los Corales and spot the trucks near French bakery for beautiful vegetables.
around there, Or if in desperation Nacional did not have item which I felt I needed. This time, except for some really ok
croissants .. Store shelves very bare...juices almost non existant and items just not there. So after being told by reliable people that Jumbo is happening just thought that Super Pola ......
I like buying vegetables if I am around Los Corales and spot the trucks near French bakery for beautiful vegetables.
ooh yeah,
for veggies the vegetables truck is the best way to go,
and for fruits it is the fruit stands along the roads.
some provide with a constant wide variety and constant great quality of their items,
others are more hit and miss.
i prefer the ones up in Veron for fruits and the veggie truck in cabeza de toro, as they run just one price per item, no gringo prices or such as the ones in the bavaro area.
they are all better than fruits or veggies at any supermarket, and very reasonable priced, even the ones with their "Gringo" prices.
what i really like at Pola(since a few months only that it started/changed), is their actual local Beef offered.
it is the one sold for 155.- pesos per lbs. buy the whole lomito, their sizes always vary from 3.5-6lbs per piece, put it the way they pack it in into your fridge for 2 days and 2 nights, then take it out and cut it in nice thick pieces, put 'em in ziplocks and freeze 'em. they are for such cheap sold item really good beef. i like 'em "bloody", and they are always supersoft.
the first time i bought them as emergency, as i had for the coming weekend friends over for a BBQ and needed a refill on beef, and they been out on the import i usually bought for the grill. that importa always been 290-500.- pesos per pound.
the emergency purchae came out to be a more than up to par replacement, and on average for 1/3rd of the price, so since then i take a piece or 2 every week.
i also had their 700-900.- pesos per lbs imports, nothing bad, good beef, but the actual cheap local beef is by my taste on par with that 5 times the price import, so as long as i don't get a disappointing piece, i will stick to it.
and i find the selection of toilet and cleaning products and the kittchen stuff like the cooking oils etc easy, well sorted, good variety.
the Nacional gives compared to Pola a upper scale feel, their wider isles are comfy but such would not be a deccider about which super to shop at to me.
i did not buy any beef there since years, back in time when i did, i was always satisfied with the quality received for the paid price. i like their wine selection, as they hold a large variety of wines which are by my own taste.
i buy all stuff for the boat supplies like the different drinks and other stuff at nacional, as it is located close to the Marina.
here i like that they mostly(sorrily not always) have the specific brands of waters and cokes etc in cases ready and you just send one of the guys to the storage room to get you the amount of cases each item.
over all,
i agree with others who state that Pola looks less nice than it did after their opening time, Nacional looks cleaner, but i would not name Pola dirty, it is fuller, serves much more clients per day than nacional, that may be one of the reasons why it has its times looking a bit overrun.
what ever Items i need at a moment, i find it at either and use the one closer to my spot at the moment.
i find them both fine for the daily needs.
none is perfect, but i would not await perfection from any Super.
competition of additional Super Markets in vicinity or even side by side, is good. such competition could never be anything bad for us customers.
let's bring a Jumbo.
back in the old times i went once a month for Jumbo Shopping to La Romana, because there was no real acceptable supermarket not even in Higuey.
the Jumbo in La Romana is the only one i know, so i can't compare to other Jumbos.
in comparison to that Jumbo there I find Pola and Nacional here way superior and both well cleaner.
Jumbo gives me more the feel of a Sirenita like the one in Higuey.
maybe they run a new one here in Bavaro on a higher level, at least we will have more to select from at the same spot.
Mike