08-07-2025
How the Rich Go Grocery Shopping
Good morning. It's Tuesday. Today we'll look at the gourmet groceries that some residents of the Hamptons flock to, even if a melon might cost $400.
This summer, New Yorkers in the market for $400 melons, a $159 sweatshirt or perhaps some veal baby food need only travel as far as Southampton, where all the above can be found in at least one of the area's pricey gourmet grocery stores.
My colleague Dionne Searcey reported on the fierce high-end grocery competition going down in the Hamptons this summer. As much of New York grapples with an affordability crisis, these specialty stores are seemingly unaffected, ramping up prices and stocking shelves with niche items for the personal chefs, influencers and summer residents who shop there.
Some shops, like the Sagaponack General Store, are longtime favorites that are leveling up with multimillion-dollar expansions. The general store's revival was financed by Mindy Gray — wife of Jonathan Gray, the billionaire president of the investment firm Blackstone — who snapped up the store when it came up for sale during the pandemic. Ms. Gray's cash infusion supplied the business with a restored front porch and a line of hoodies (for $159) and tote bags (from $65 to $142).
Another store, Loaves & Fishes in Sagaponack, raised its prices so conspicuously this year that some residents have started calling it 'Thieves and Fishes' instead. The store, which said the increase took into account the price of new organic ingredients, also rarely includes price tags on its wares.
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