Two Biggest Supermarkets in San Felipe: Calimax and Bodega Aurrera

Does San Felipe have a supermarket?

Yes it does.  Prior to 2012, anyone looking to go grocery shopping had to make do with small local mom-and-pop stores. Suddenly, the large chain stores took note of San Felipe and the race to open a store in San Felipe was on.  We now have two of the major Mexican supermarket chains and those are CALIMAX and BODEGA AURRERA.  yup! The second one has a name that is very hard to pronounce, even Mexicans have a hard time saying it right.

So here is a summary of what you find in Calimax and Bodega Aurrera

CALIMAX.
According to the store manager, Carlos Ponce, their store it’s a sort of auto service type and  is comparable to Vons store which is popular in the US.  So they do have a very clean set up oriented to service the U.S. customer and provide very fresh and organic produce, good quality meats and cuts.  There is also a pharmacy on-site with most over-the-counter medication.  A pharmacist is on-site to attend to your questions.  Good news, the pharmacist is bi-lingual.  Most of the merchandise in the store in sourced from Mexican suppliers as well as international sources.

Calimax currently has a few bilingual personnel - only about 15 % of the personnel are bilingual, however, should you have a need for an English speaker, the personnel will quickly find an associate fluent in English to assist you.  Associates of Calimax are known for their warm and friendly service.
In the store you can see a nice flow of North Americans shopping here, and prices are very competitive with good deals.  If  you plan to stay in San Felipe for longer periods, you are encouraged to join the Calimax club membership as this gives additional discounts at the checkout counter.  

Angela, a US tourist, interviewed about her experience shopping in Calimax, suggested the store to get more American products and when this was mentioned to the manager, he lead Angela directly to the product that she wanted.  So, they do have it all.  To quote Angela, “this is the best store for me…”

Also a couple from Puertecitos (ABOUT 50 MILLES SOUTH OF SAN FELIPE) expressed the same satisfaction with the store offerings.

Calimax is located on Chetumal boulevard which is the main road leading to downtown San Felipe…you can’t miss the sign.

BODEGA AURRERA.
Like Calimax,, Boedega Aurrera, is a grocery store, but the difference is Aurrera  also carries appliances and electronics.  Aurrera has a warehouse type feel to it.  If you have been to a Costco or Sam’s club in the US, you know what I mean. Square feet wise, it’s about one-third the size of a Costco, but for a small town like San Felipe, this is a very good size store.  During our visit to the store, we tried to contact the manager, however he was unavailable and they didn’t allow us to take pictures. I still wonder why.

Anyway, Aurrera does have plenty selection on merchandise and electronics, including from well-known brands or good warranty on those products.  On appliances they do have some known brands but still the warranty issue remains.

This store brings a lot of items or common products on different brands, but also. They always give you the alternative on getting their own brand for a lower price. So you’ll get a remarkable difference on price between them but also on quality of the product so is up to you to decide which is on your convenience.

El Dorado Ranch | San Felipe