TOUR: Market Basket - Maynard, MA

Market Basket

Opened: 2020

Owner: DeMoulas family

Previous Tenants: none

Cooperative: none

Location: 6 Digital Way, Maynard, MA

Photographed: May 11, 2023

Welcome to the Maynard Market Basket! It's been a little while since we've seen a Market Basket, about three weeks, which feels like a crime given our location right here in Middlesex County, Market Basket's home county. But we're back with another tour, this one of the Maynard Market Basket!

If you didn't look at the opening year in the header, when do you think this store opened? 1970? Last year? Much to my surprise, this store is only a couple years old, having opened in 2020. The 75,000 square foot supermarket was constructed on a large property previously home to the Metrowest Technology Campus, now developed into a mall and housing. (The land's past is represented in the street name of Digital Way.)

The store is a very normal Market Basket. Dairy is in aisle 1, with deli, seafood, and cheese in the back-left corner. Meats line the rest of the back wall, with frozen and produce on the right side. Prepared foods and bakery are in the front-right corner.

This is a very pleasant Market Basket, and it doesn't seem to get quite as crowded as other locations (although I could be wrong about that, I've never been here at peak times).

Market Basket's typical commitment to stocking and maintenance is on full display here, with nearly-perfect aisles and spotless floors.

And as usual, we see the store is not beautiful or trendy in design or anything else, but it's a good ol' supermarket with no risks and nothing wrong with it. That's not an insult: there's really nothing wrong with this Market Basket or most Market Baskets. In my mind, they're the old reliable choice. You can count on them to be fully stocked with a lot of good and cheap stuff. My only complaints would be with omission: there are certain specialty products that Market Basket really doesn't have, but that's not oversight. Instead, the chain focuses on efficiency in a strong supply chain of basic items.

Service butcher counter in the middle of the back wall. This is how you can tell we're in a more recent Market Basket, since these more deluxe features aren't in the older stores.

Aisle 12!

Frozen foods are in the last few aisles on the right side, with produce in the last aisle.

And Market's Cafe and prepared foods/bakery in the front-right corner.

These service departments also give away the store's age, since these are not found in the older stores.

Market Basket also typically has large floral departments, here located at the front of the produce department.

One more look across the back wall from the produce side of things...

And the front-end, which is (shockingly) all but empty of customers. I was here in the early afternoon on a Thursday, though, so not exactly peak shopping time.

Maynard only has this Market Basket and the new Assabet Co-Op natural market, but just a couple miles west is another chain supermarket, which we'll be touring tomorrow!