Sprouts Farmers Market opening in White Flint

Sprouts Farmers Market, a rapidly-expanding organic grocery store chain, is expanding to White Flint. The supermarket has leased a space at 5296 Randolph Road at Loehmann's Plaza. This will be the third Montgomery County location for Sprouts. The first is already open in Burtonsville, and the second will be in the development that is replacing the beloved Lakeforest Mall in Gaithersburg. Construction on the White Flint store is anticipated to begin this summer.

Assault at Westbard Square Giant in Bethesda

Montgomery County police responded to a report of an assault at the Giant grocery store at Westbard Square in Bethesda on January 26, 2026. The assault was reported at the supermarket, which is located at 5320 Zenith Overlook, at 9:12 PM Monday. It was related to a shoplifting incident. Apparently the snow and ice were not impacting the movement of criminals in the County this week. 

The Westbard Giant is currently on pace for 24 assaults in 2026, which would be more than Montgomery Mall. An assault was reported at the store earlier this month, on January 7. Along with the many smash-and-grab thefts from vehicles in the garage, and a shooting outside the bowling alley across the street, this is not what the neighborhood had been promised by effervescent County planners in 2014.

Panic grocery buying begins ahead of snow in Bethesda (Photos)

Several days of media coverage of the snow storm expected to arrive Saturday night in the Washington, D.C. area has inspired a run on essential items at local grocery stores. Empty shelves were visible in some aisles at Harris Teeter in downtown Bethesda last night. Products being snapped up include the old stalwarts of milk, toilet paper, and paper towels. 

Shoppers are dutifully following new health advice from Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and are buying whole milk over the low-fat options. Of course, if power goes out due to ice or falling trees, massive supplies of milk will be of little value. Also going fast under RFK, Jr.'s guidelines: red meat. 

Snow totals were expected to top 13" in initial guesses, but the National Weather Service Winter Storm Watch is now talking about 5-10" of snow accumulation. Given the decline of area government resilience in the face of even a few inches of snow this century, 5-10" could paralyze the region for days. Back in the 90s, Metrobus and Ride On kept going on major routes under reduced frequency, and Metro certainly ran on underground segments if not aboveground with more intense snow plowing operations. In recent years, the entire transit system shuts down during moderate to heavy snowstorms, and governments urge residents to "shelter in place." Heckuva job, Brownie!

Incompetence of government means you're on your own until plows and utility crews belatedly reach your neighborhood. Make sure you have plenty of batteries for flashlights and a transistor radio to receive news and weather updates in the event of a power outage. Warm clothes and blankets are essential, as well. Shelf-stable milk will be a lot more useful than those perishable plastic jugs people are hoarding. And fill your gas tank at least halfway.

Bethesda Row Giant makes early switch to paper bags

The Giant grocery store at 7142 Arlington Road at Bethesda Row is ahead of the game, stocking self-checkout stations with paper bags days ahead of the Montgomery County Council plastic bag ban, which takes effect on January 1, 2026. You will also have to pay a 10-cent tax on each paper bag, half of which is paid to the business, and the other half goes into the County Water Quality Protection Fund. The bags at Giant are the retro kind, missing the convenient handles found on paper bags at Trader Joe's and Harris Teeter. You can thank the obscenely overpaid County Council, while struggling with your obscenely overpriced groceries. Heckuva job, Brownie!

Update on Trader Joe's in Friendship Heights (Photos)

The interior fit-out of the new Trader Joe's grocery store at 5335 Wisconsin Avenue NW at Chevy Chase Pavilion in Friendship Heights is quite far along. Now we're seeing that trademark wood in every direction in there. Wood shelving! Wood counters! Wood in the vestibule! Trader Joe's loves its rustic wood decor, all right, but what's really getting attention at the moment is the signage that has been installed on the facades of the store's exterior.

Lidl opens in Bethesda (Video + Photos)

Lidl has opened at 7625 Old Georgetown Road at Bethesda Place in downtown Bethesda. There were free German pretzels in the bakery, and many Supermarket Finds-worthy products to be found in the store's middle aisle area. T-shirts, underwear, and even $12 sneakers can be acquired there, as well as an outdoor projector and a screen to project onto. A comparison chart shows that you could save over $20 shopping at Lidl over Giant, based on the basket of common items they selected. Of course, the trade-off is that the selection of brands and food items is much larger at Giant. Low prices, a tight inventory, and seasonal German items are the top draws at Lidl, now finally here in Bethesda.

Guru Groceries temporarily closed in Bethesda

Guru Groceries & Chaat House Indian Market is taking a brief summer break at 7817 Old Georgetown Road in downtown Bethesda. The store will reopen on Tuesday, July 29, 2025. Guru did not post a reason for the closure. However, quite a few small businesses in Bethesda temporarily close in the summer, when their ownership takes a vacation or travels on business.

Bethesda Lidl store touts grand opening, "Special Guests" (Photos)

Lidl has posted new banners at its downtown Bethesda store at 7625 Old Georgetown Road at Bethesda Place, touting its grand opening on July 30, 2025. New signs have also been posted inside the store, in the bakery department. "SPECIAL GUESTS," they read - but they're not for VIPs attending the grand opening. Rather, they are for the chain's "Special Guests" bakery promotion. The reserved shelves below the sign will display limited-time-only baked goods that are introduced every two weeks, and will be sold for four weeks only.

Harris Teeter closing in White Flint

Harris Teeter is closing its store at 11845 Old Georgetown Road in White Flint. The store will close "on or before July 20, 2025," according to a sign that also promotes a closing sale with prices up to 50% off. This store has been rumored to be one of the lowest-performing in the Harris Teeter chain. It also has fallen victim to Montgomery County's puzzling decision to place a homeless shelter nearby, frequent thefts of merchandise and shopping carts, the general moribundity of the stagnant Montgomery County economy, the County's highest-in-the-region tax and fee burden, and the failed 2010 White Flint sector plan. The recent arrival of a Wegmans just up Rockville Pike was likely the final nail in the HT coffin.

More signage installed at Lidl in Bethesda (Photos)

A number of additional exterior signs have been installed for the future Lidl grocery store at 7625 Old Georgetown Road at Bethesda Place. They include new logo signs on the curved facade at the corner of Old Georgetown and Woodmont Avenue, and above the parking garage entrance on Woodmont. One thing you will notice is how small they are. As Joe Jacoby once said, "Everything's so small!" 

The anti-business Montgomery County sign regulations strike again! Good Lord, let me get my binoculars out. If the taxes aren't high enough, and the profit margins slim enough, let's make it hard for anyone driving past to know your business is even there! Heckuva job, Brownie! Lidl is scheduled to open at 8:00 AM on July 30.