You'd be surprised how useful local butchers are at big chains. They really know their stuff and have been able to sort out cuts for me, even are happy to slice

You'd be surprised how useful local butchers are at big chains. They really know their stuff and have been able to sort out cuts for me, even are happy to slice up some cheap big beef cuts into stir fry, they can make special orders of sausage, etc. Same goes for the bakery, I stand by my local ACME bakery being the easiest and very tasty birthday cake around, even above mom and pop shops.