I want to be sporting about this. If I win again, I don't want the reason to be holding secrets. I came in first place in 2017 and 2016. In 2017 my score was 176 points, and my score in 2016 was 166 points. I am improving this cheat sheet for myself, but more for others. The more I help other Cranksgiving Philadelphia competitors to dethrone me, the more food gets hauled in by Cranksgiving participants and donated to Philabundance.
This page is mostly updated as of 11:30 PM Tuesday 11/6/2018. (A minor error and a minor post-2017 fact change were caught and noted 1/18/2021.) I have in place charts for what aisles in all 5 of my winning-strategy West Philly supermarkets to get each of the items on the 2017 shopping list. And now, also a chart for the Acme at 10th & South, even though it's not part of my winning strategy.
Efficiency, buy the full list from fewer supermarkets Getting a higher percentage of the shopping list from fewer supermarkets, as opposed to getting a lower percentage from more supermarkets, is a major part of my strategy that helped me come in 1st place in 2016 and 2017. I only went to three supermarkets in 2017. Fewer supermarkets means fewer checkout lines to spend time in, and less travel time from one supermarket to another. This means, go to only as many supermarkets as you can get the full shopping list from, within the roughly 3 hours of allowed time. In my experience, this means more points than going to more supermarkets and getting more (3-points) 5-pound bags of potatoes.
Go west for high score and load up while going downhill
What I did in 2017 is make my first supermarket the ShopRite in the shopping
center on 52nd Street a couple blocks north of Lancaster. Then, I went to
the FreshGrocer at 56th & Chestnut. These were triple-score supermarkets in
2015 and 2016, and again in 2017.
After these two, my strategy was and still is to go to one, two or all three of
the double score supermarkets in University City. In 2016, I went to two
double-score supermarkets with my last one being the FreshGrocer at 40th &
Walnut. In 2017, I went to only one double-score supermarket, the Supremo at
44th-43rd & Walnut, for a total of only three supermarkets, although I wanted to
do four supermarkets.
For my Go West route: From Penn Treaty Park, go to southbound Delaware Ave. Go south on Delaware Ave to Frankford Ave. Turn right, but don't make the sharp right to Frankford, but a gentler right to Laurel St. The next turn is to bear right onto Germantown Ave, roughly under the southbound part of I-95. Next, go northwest on Germantown Ave to Master St, 2 blocks north of Girard Ave. Go west on Master to 31st to have fewer traffic lights than Girard has. Turn left on 31st towards Girard, and be tempted by the Aldi there. Turn right onto Girard. Go west on Girard and make a gentle right turn from Girard to Lancaster Ave, around 48th and look for trolley tracks. Take Lancaster to 52nd St and turn right at 52nd to go to the shopping center that has the triple-scoring ShopRite.
Map of my 2017 route:
What I did differently each year
In 2016 I made my first stop the Aldi at 31st & Girard, and came in first place.
In 2017 I skiped this Aldi and mde my first stop the Shoprite in the shopping
center at 52nd shortly north of Lancaster to do even better.
In 2017 I stopped at only three supermarkets, and got the full shopping list at
each one.
Winning bike, 26" wheels and other details
I do well with 26" wheels with slick or semi-slick tires of mountain bike size.
This means less rolling resistance. Especially with latex inner tubes, with
easily available ones only made made in a few sizes, including only one mountain
bike size, 26" by roughly 1.7-2.1, Vittoria pink latex with presta valve, which
actually works OK (in my experience) with rims drilled for Schraeder valves.
I think wheels larger than 26", such as 27.5 or 29", have a disadvantage due to
unavailability of latex inner tubes. Wheels that are smaller than 26", such as
20", have advantage only if they enable having more than two wheels on a bike;
I think a bike having only two wheels and one or both of these wheels being
smaller than 26" means more rolling resistance due to small wheel size, as well
as having unavailability of premium low rolling resistance inner tubes.
Another part of my strategy, a minor one: Use the widest rims I can get for wheels that can be used with 26x2.0 tires. This reduces rolling resistance and increases weight-carrying capacity.
This is my 2016 winning bike, a cheap beach cruiser with minor modifications.
My significant changes were adding front and rear baskets, upgrading the tires and inner tubes, and removing the kickstand. The front basket is a Wald 157. The rear one is the formerly common 6-gallon milk crate attached to a homebrew rear rack made of aluminum angle. The tires are Nashbar 26x1.25" slicks, which I consider narrower than optimum. Note the large carrying bags in each basket.
This is my 2017 winning bike, see below.
My 2017 bike was a hardtail mountain bike configured as a fixie, with good wheels, 30mm wide front rim, 33mm wide rear rim, and 26x2.0 Schwalbe Marathon Supreme tires with Vittoria pink latex inner tubes. It weighed a few pounds less than my 2016 winning bike. I think slick or semi-slick tires 26 x 1.7 to 2.1 with latex inner tubes helped me a lot.
Gear ratio: My 2016 winning bike had about 59 gear inches. My 2017 winning bike had about 65 gear inches, but I felt that I would have done better with slightly less, around 61-62 gear inches. I expect men with trouser inseam length longer than my 30" and cranks longer than my 165 mm to do best with slightly higher gear ratio in the mid 60s to about 70 gear inches if using a 1-speed bike.
Tire pressure: 110 PSI front, 120 PSI rear, divided by the tire width in inches. This is 2750 PSI front, 3000 PSI rear, divided by the tire width in mm. Or 110% of the tires' maximum rated pressure. (Exceed maximum rated pressure only at your own risk, even though I do this for heavy weight hauling.) Whichever is lower. Go for a little more (at your own risk if exceeding manufacturer ratings) if you are heavy or your load will be especially heavy.
A couple things I heard from fellow riders in 2017: For time efficiency, avoid the Trader Joes around 22nd & Market, and avoid the Mariposa co-op on Baltimore Avenue near 49th. The ones who complained said that they spent extra time going through these places. I advise those who want to go to these places to study them in advance, because they have layouts different from usual of most supermarkets, and possibly also culture issues that disfavor quick in-and-out more than most supermarkets do. UPDATE 10/20/2018: The Trader Joes at 22nd & Market usually has a long checkout line.
* 1-pound box of whole grain pasta (1 point)
* can of meat or tuna (1 point)
* can of cranberry sauce (1 point)
* can of beans or string beans, maybe fruit (1 point)
* box of stuffing crumbs/mix such as Stove Top (1 point)
* can of stew (1 point)
* can of yams (1 point)
* 6-pack of raisins (1 point)
* large box of cereal (2 points)
* box of breakfast bars (2 points) (corrected a typo 10/20/2018)
* large plastic jar of creamy peanut butter (2 points)
* large can of pumpkin pie filling (2 points)
* 8-pack (or more) of juice boxes or the like, 100% juice (3 points)
* 5 pound (or larger) bag of potatoes (3 points)
The 2017 shopping list
In 2017 I got the full 22-point list at two Zone 3 (triple points) supermarkets and one Zone 2 (double points) supermarket. That is how I got 176 points.
* NOTE 2: I have had difficulty finding canned stew at the Aldi at 46th & Market. I even asked someone who works there, and he said he thinks they don't carry canned stew. I mention chuncky soup with a * in the Aldi chart for canned stew. If the 2018 shopping list specifies canned stew like the 2017 one did, I hope the Cranksgiving officials accept chunky soup in place of canned stew.
NOTE 3: These charts do not always lead to the smallest, lightest, or least expensive version of the listed items. These charts were made for getting through supermarkets quickly. Also, there is no guarantee that all listed item locations will be valid on Race Day.
Shoprite, N. 52nd Street
FreshGrocer, 56th & Chestnut
Aldi, 46th & Market
Notes: Does not accept credit cards (as of 2017) but does
accept PIN debit cards. A quarter is required to unlock carts.
Supremo, 43rd & Walnut
Note: You'll probably have to check any bags you
bring in.
FreshGrocer, 40th & Walnut
Note: Diagonal aisle layout. Lower number aisles are
towards the produce area.
Acme, 10th & South (not part of my winning strategy)
The Chart for Shoprite, N. 52nd Street
Item Location -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5lb spuds 2nd-last produce island, rear of island Box Cereal Aisle 10 left / 10a, left, almost the entire aisle Brkfast Bars Aisle 10 right / 10b, right, rearish 8-pack juice Aisle 11 left / 11a, front Cran. Sauce Aisle 12 right / 12b, rear-middle of aisle 6pk Raisins Aisle 12 right / 12b, rearish, top shelf Pumpkin fillg Aisle 12 left / 12a, rearish, after chocolate, 2nd-lowest & 3rd-lowest shelves large can Can Meat/Tuna Aisle 13 right / 13b, front for tuna Can Beans Aisle 13 L / 13a rearish (Goya), also 14 right / 14b front Bx Stuffing Aisle 13 right / 13b, extreme rear, also 14 right / 14b, middle, top shelf Whole grain Aisle 14 left / 14a, front pasta Can Yams Aisle 14 right / 14b, front, just past beans Can Stew Aisle 14 right / 14b, front-middle, bottom shelf Lg. jar P.B. Aisle 18 left / 18a, rear, bottom shelf (creamy)The Chart for FreshGrocer, 56th & Chestnut
Item Location
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cran. Sauce Front entry area, on the right
Can Yams Front entry area, all the way right
Bx Stuffing Front entry area, on the right
5lb spuds Boxes of produce in the front of the produce area
6pk Raisins Aisle 3, left, frontish, just past chocolate bars, 2nd lowest shelf
Pumpkin fillg Aisle 3, right, middle of aisle, lowest shelf, just past flour and Crisco
large can
8-pack juice Aisle 4, left, front of aisle, 3rd-lowest shelf
Box Cereal Aisle 4, right, front/middle
Brkfast Bars Aisle 4, right, just past the cereals
Can Beans Aisle 5, right, semi-front of the aisle
Lg. jar P.B. Aisle 5 left, middle of aisle, just before the tomato products
(creamy) Alternatively, left of last aisle ("12", no sign), rear
Can Stew Aisle 5, right, lower shelves, just past the Tuna Helper
Can Meat/Tuna Aisle 5, right, past the stew
Whole grain Aisle 5, left, rear of aisle
pasta
The Chart for Aldi, 46th & MarketItem Location -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bx Stuffing Entry aisle, left, front of aisle 6pk Raisins Entry aisle, right, frontish aisle Lg. jar P.B. Entry aisle, left, frontish-middle of aisle, bottom shelf (creamy) Can Beans 2nd aisle, left, very front of aisle Can Yams 2nd aisle, left, front of aisle Can Meat/Tuna 2nd aisle, right, front of aisle Whole grain 2nd aisle, right, frontish in aisle, frontmost pasta pasta Cran. Sauce 2nd aisle, left, middle, just before pork rinds / snack chips Can Stew * Chunky soup in 2nd aisle, right, middle of aisle 5lb spuds 2nd aisle, left, rear of aisle (in produce area) Box Cereal 3rd aisle, right, front/frontish in the aisle Brkfast Bars 3rd aisle, right, middle of aisle, just past the cereals Pumpkin fillg 3rd aisle, left, frontish in the aisle, bottom shelf large can 8-pack juice Front end of last aisle, by Checkout 6The Chart for Supremo, 43rd & Walnut
Item Location -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5lb spuds Right side of the middle island (of 3 islands) in produce Bx Stuffing Aisle 2, right, front of aisle, top shelf Lg. jar P.B. Aisle 2, right, rear of aisle, bottom shelf (creamy) Can Beans Aisle 3, right, mid-aisle, immediately past gadgets, 3rd highest shelf Can Yams Aisle 3, right, rearish of the aisle, shortly past gadgets Can Meat/Tuna Aisle 4, right, front of aisle Can Stew Aisle 4, right, frontish, 3rd highest shelf Whole grain Aisle 4, left, frontish in the aisle pasta Pumpkin fillg Aisle 6, left, middle of aisle, bottom shelf large can Cran. Sauce Aisle 7, left, front of aisle, before raisins 6pk Raisins Aisle 7, left, front of aisle, before applesauce 8-pack juice Aisle 7, right, rearish-middle of aisle, 2nd highest shelf Box Cereal Aisle 9, right, front and middle of aisle Brkfast Bars Aisle 9, right, rear of aisle, past syrupsThe Chart for FreshGrocer, 40th & Walnut
Item Location (A minor error was caught during the race, since corrected)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5lb spuds Bear right while entering this supermarket to go into the produce area,
rear side of the middle "island" in the produce area
Whole grain Aisle 2, left, middle of aisle
pasta
Can Yams Aisle 2, right, rear mid shelf, also semi-rear bottom shelf
Can Beans Aisle 2, right, rearish-middle of aisle
Can Stew Aisle 2, left, rear, just before tuna, bottom shelf
Can Meat/Tuna Aisle 2, left, rear end of the aisle for tuna
Cran. Sauce Look on your right while turning right in the rear end of Aisle 2
Pumpkin fillg Aisle 3, left, mid-rear of aisle, bottom shelf
large can
Brkfast Bars Aisle 4, left, front (before cereals)
Box Cereal Aisle 4, left, middle of aisle
8-pack juice Aisle 4, right, front of aisle, 3rd-highest shelf
6pk Raisins Aisle 4, right, rearish in aisle, upper shelves
Bx Stuffing Aisle 6, right, middle of aisle, top shelf
Lg. jar P.B. Aisle 6, right, rearish-middle of aisle, lower shelves
(creamy)
The chart for Acme, 10th & South (not part of my
winning strategy)
Item Location
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5lb spuds Last island in the produce area, rear of island, bottom shelf
Whole grain Aisle 2, right, front of aisle, 3rd lowest shelf
pasta
Can Beans Aisle 2, left, front (Goya), ALSO aisle 3, right, frontish
Bx Stuffing Front end of the shelves between aisles 2 and 3, top shelf
(Also left side of middle of aisle 12, bottom shelf, just past peanut butter)
Can Yams Aisle 3, right, front, bottom shelf
Can Meat/Tuna Aisle 3, right, rearish in aisle for tuna, more rear for meat
Can Stew Aisle 3, right, rearish, around canned fish and chili
6pk Raisins Go thru aisle 3 or 4, look immediately right of the freezers
Box Cereal Aisle 4, left, mosy of the aisle
Brkfast Bars Aisle 4, right, rear of aisle
Pumpkin fillg Aisle 5, right, frontish middle, bottom shelf
large can
Cran. Sauce Aisle 5, left, rearish, 2nd lowest shelf, just before Reynolds Wrap
8-pack juice Aisle 11, left, middle of aisle, 2nd highest shelf, first boxed juices
Lg. jar P.B. Aisle 12, left, frontish middle, bottom shelf, just before stuffing
(creamy)