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    The Merc Co-op

    4.1 (96 reviews)
    ModerateGrocery, Salad
    Open 7:00 am - 10:00 pm

    The Merc Co-op Photos

    THE MERC CO-OP ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Good for groups
    Outdoor seating

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    Recommended Reviews - The Merc Co-op

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    Rhonda S.

    i like the Merc. If I lived in Lawrence, I'd be part of the co-op. I am a fan of large Hy-vee's, but I love Trader Joe's on Ward Parkway. I love organic markets, not like Whole Foods, but more like Natural Grocers in Overland Park. In the Community Mercantile, the staff are so even effing keel, everything is so relaxed, it reminds of drinking a cup of hibiscus tea when I walk into the doors. Or it reminds me of other things that are relaxing...any way. The staff are so relaxed and happy. I go through the doors, knowing the prices, but there's comfort knowing the store isn't laden with GMO's for the most part, and the fruits and vegetables are from a certified organic farm. It's expensive for farmers to become certified organic farmers. Hence the prices inside organic stores and markets. The produce is fresh, crisp and pretty. I almost bought a jicama, but it was way over priced. I probably should've bought it. Yellow beats, fresh asparagus, strawberries, lemons, gorgeous produce. Sometimes produce is unique. The bakery has gluten free muffins better than the muffins I make at home. When I go to the Community Mercantile, I mostly look at produce and the rice aisle. I know, lame, but it's all I'm interested in there. The Community Mercantile serves a purpose. I've always liked it. There's a credit union ATM in the same location.

    Rockin' the Merc shirt all the way out west!
    Dawn C.

    Being born and raised in the PNW, I'm pretty choosy when it comes to my food choices. Thank goodness for the Merc: the one grocery store in KS that makes you feel like you're on the west coast again. I have only been to the Kansas City--Lawrence--Topeka area as a visitor but, I have to say, I didn't find anything else like the Merc during all of my travels. During week-long trips, it's my first stop every morning so I can pack a lunch for the day. So hats-off Merc-ers! You should know that I rock my Merc t-shirt all the way out here in Orygun!

    Tom K.

    We all have lapses in judgement. Each one of us. Although I would never consider myself a fan of a place like the Merc-- it fills a void for Lawrence. Honestly, once I get over the smell I actually feel at home here. Not at home like I'm going to buy some eco-leftist, commercial rag they sell at the checkout stands or feel good about blowing so much money on so little...BUT I do feel good there is a store attempting to deliver something well-planned and executed. The Merc could really be a shithole (like it used to be on some levels) but instead it's the most lux shopping environment in town. I am impressed with the presentation, but not always the products. Last time I was ill and couldn't eat solid food I opted for an omango smoothie at their coffee/juice bar area. It took a while, but so delicious and good for you (except all the sugar). I returned for another and sadly, the gentleman making it didn't blend it enough. CONSISTENCY. Their seating area is really a well-kept secret...such a pleasant, well-lit space connected to a neat little patio. It's the perfect place for a morning coffee or some reading. Very few obnoxious patrons next to you like you find other places, but you'll see a boatload of OMG, too cute haircuts on children (i almost snuck an iphone pic of one, but i didn't want to look like a perv). I'm amazed there aren't more KU wifi zombies populating this comfortable sitting area. Instead they're housed at lifeless places like Dunn Bros I guess. I better shut up... I'd say the produce is for the birds. As others mentioned way too much of the produce is conventional or just organic from far, far away. I wish this section would go local and I'm hoping this Summer that changes more. Casbah Market downtown had such a cute little homegrewn produce section that I took for granted. Merc produce is basically the most expensive, organic products out of a Hy-Vee with a nicer display and better lighting. There are a few exceptions, but it's underwhelming for a store that prides itself on its localism and healthiness. We've all been wrong before. I'll take it back Merc. You didn't deserve it. The Merc is AOK. (...and am I the only one noticing the attractiveness of employees has shot up 3000% over the last 5 years? the peeps here aren't unkept, frowining stinkers anymore. if you're looking for a college-agedish, cuties with decent indie rock on his/her ipod this is ground zero in Lawrence)

    Turkey Cranberry Wrap

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    Lots of vegan options. Beautiful produce. Coffee bar, deli and grab snd go options. Really impressed!

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    6 years ago

    Great hot bar, place to buy honey and goat milk. Thanks a lot! I appreciate it very much

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    7 years ago

    My favorite place for hand-crafted espresso. The baristas are so friendly and engaging.

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    Page 1 of 3

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    Dillons 19 - Huge deal!!!

    Dillons 19

    2.8(23 reviews)
    0.7 mi
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    Never been to one of these stores in my life but I insisted to check this one out since these…read more"Dillons" are all over the area. This is basically a Kroger Store from the layout of the stores and seeing the generic characters I've seen and at Jewel - Osco back home. The place is full of unruly college kids that loiter in the store or parking lot. The food here is expensive and there lacks any sort of real deal. Staff here was friendly but the store felt completely outdated. Fair organization as well. Probably won't come back if I had a choice.

    Dillons is usually our go to but the Lawrence locations have recently declined since COVID hit and…read morehours were changed. We go Saturday mornings to try and beat the rush. This last weekend doors were not opened at 7:00 am. Employees are throughout the store stocking shelves and pushing around the big carts for pick up orders. The isles are barely big enough for 2 carts to go at the same time and they have displays in the tiny isles that you have to work around too. So we make our way through the store and head up to the check out. There is NEVER a lane open (besides the tobacco sales lane, and it was closed too). We overheard other customers asking the employee when there would be cashiers and she replied in another 20 minutes. There were employees standing around talking to each other about weekend plans, but no one to ring us up. We used the self checkout, which is ridiculous considering our cart was full and well over $100. There is not enough room to bag all of your food and keep it on the scale, which prompts it to stop scanning and gets the light flashing. The machine would stop and we would have to call over a customer service employee for every 10 items to check the cart. She would just swipe her card and clear the error. Then she proceeds to tell us she "does not know why this is happening". Its every 10 items, trust me, we do this every weekend. The self checkouts are convenient if you are just grabbing a few things and want to go in and out quickly. As far as a weekly shopping haul, no way. Dillons PLEASE hire more cashiers to work the checkout lanes. I am not getting the employee discount, I did not come to orientation to learn the ins and outs of these machines, because I DO NOT WORK HERE. Sorry to be a complainer but it is getting old...

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    Casa Azteca Market - Outside

    Casa Azteca Market

    4.5(2 reviews)
    2.1 mi

    As someone that will take all of the Hispanic grocery stores this town can give us, I stumbled by…read moreaccident today onto Casa Azteca Market, tucked way back in the corner of the plaza area best known for hosting the big 23rd Street Ace Hardware, an oriental market, a bank, several pizza delivery joints serving the college crowd, and arguably the best sushi destination in the city: Nagoya Japanese Cuisine. Yep, that's reason to pull the car into the big parking area this area provides. The store carries most of the things you'd expect in a small Hispanic grocery of this size, but here's what got my attention: they have plans to open a street style taqueria with sit-down service in the next few months. Now THAT I can get behind. Chatted up a couple people working and they seem to know their stuff, planning to have tripas, pastor, lingua, barabacoa... the good stuff. The store also carries a mini assortment of home needs for the medicine cabinet as well, handy for some of the apartment buildings behind this complex, assuming they ever discover it. Asprin/Advil, toiletries, etc. With the plethora of pizza delivery joints in this complex, you'd think they'd discover it. Yea, maybe not. PIcked up some hot chilis, mayocobas and a Mexican soft drink. Big spender. Enjoyed the people working here, now keeping an eye out for that taqueria when it opens. If you come: it's in the far corner from both entrances. Credit cards accepted, including American Express.

    The owners are extremely nice and they even offered to have special ordered items they may not have…read moreat the store for us should we want! Very clean and friendly market.

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    ALDI

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    3.9(14 reviews)
    2.7 mi
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    I swore I'd never step foot in an Aldi. Never. I had standards. Taste. I'm the kind of woman who…read morealphabetizes her spice rack and judges people based on their cheese drawer. So when I heard whispers that Aldi might carry Egg Life wraps? I laughed. Mocked, even. As if the same place that sells lawn chairs next to frozen tilapia could possibly carry the one item I had been chasing like a low-carb lunatic across all of Johnson County. But desperation does wild things to a woman. I had searched high, low and emotionally unstable. Whole Foods? Ghosted me. Sprouts? Played me. Trader Joe's? Cute, but no. My fridge was empty and my hope? Evaporating. So, with a shaky hand and a heart full of doubt, I took a quarter--an actual metal coin like it's 1987--and entered Aldi on my lunch break. And there they were. My precious Egg Life wraps. Just... sitting there, smug in the cooler like, "Took you long enough." I gasped. Time slowed. A child cried somewhere in the background. A manager asked if I was okay. No, sir, I'm not okay--I'm in the middle of a personal redemption arc. Now? I'm in Aldi weekly. Sometimes twice. I walk in like a woman reborn, tossing low-carb finds into my cart like I'm on a game show. Goat cheese? Yes. Off-brand cauliflower snacks that slap harder than name brand? Absolutely. I don't even recognize myself anymore. No, Aldi isn't glamorous. There are no chandeliers. You bag your own groceries like you're training for the Hunger Games. But Aldi has something better: the goods. The secrets. The kind of underdog energy that turns skeptics into believers. So yes. I was wrong. Aldi, you magnificent, chaotic, budget-friendly beast--I bow to you. You have my quarter. You have my wraps. And now... you have my heart.

    I'm doing a quick update on my review. I've resorted to only doing pickup orders because no matter…read morewhat day of the week or what time of day I go, the lines are always really long. I have a permanently broken leg and can't stand in line for 20 mins. So I just do pickup orders on Instacart and it's so easy. I'm always met by a friendly employee who brings my order out to my car and they make life so much easier. There is a small $1.99 fee for a pickup order but it's more than worth it for someone like me!!

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    The Merc Co-op - grocery - Updated June 2026

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