For the most part, Food City ads are the same in all locations. There are, however, a few exceptions that cause some items to differ. They are:

1. Regional preferences. Since Food City operates in several different regions, there are some items that are preferred in some areas that aren't in others. For example, customers in our more southern stores prefer coffee in bags. In the northern regions, they tend to buy more coffee in cans.

2. Special sales. From time to time we will offer special sales in specific areas to celebrate such things and newly constructed or newly remodeled stores, community events, or special promotions. These sales are limited to a specific time period and are in addition to our regular weekly sale.

3. Soft drink price zones. Soft drinks are supplied to us by several different bottlers throughout our marketing area. These bottlers operate independently and can choose which products and packages they want to promote. Therefore, we must vary the offers in our ads to accommodate the different soft drink manufacturers.

4. Local taxes and regulations. Different states and localities have rules that can affect the price of some of the products we sell. For example, taxes on tobacco products are different in Virginia, Tennessee and Kentucky. In addition, some towns impose an additional tax on these products. Another example is milk. In Virginia, the department of agriculture regulates how cheaply retailers can sell milk. In Kentucky, they do not.

Yes, however to ensure quality and freshness to our customers these are monitored and only approved by our produce buying office. Individual stores are not able to purchase product on their own.

We can get most any type of item if it is in season and available. Contact either the Store Manager or Produce Manager and he/she can special order it to come in.

Look for the one with a yellow bottom and one with a brown stem. These have been left on the vine the longest and tend to be best.

While the vast majority of Food City Canned Goods are packed in the United States, every domestic canner uses a different system of coding, so there is no universal method of determining the pack date of any can of product. In general, even if the can is not rusted, badly dented, or bulging, the consumer must use common sense and not use the product that does not smell, look, or taste right. Food City is taking a leadership position in converting to consumer-readable "best if used by" open dating on many of our Food City Brand Canned Fruit and Vegetable items. When buying these open dated Food City Canned Goods, consumers will have a much better idea of the shelf life of the product. For canned goods that do not use open dating, please contact the manufacturer by calling the 1-800 number on the can. For valuable information on storage and handling of a wide variety of food items, please consult "The Food Keeper."

Place the fruit in a paper bag, close it up and leave it on the counter for a day or two then once it starts to feel soft to the touch, it will be the juiciest and sweetest, and is ready to eat or refrigerate for later.

Store milk in the coldest part of your refrigerator. It will stay fresh for 3 to 5 days after it has been opened or 3 to 5 days past the date, whichever occurs first.

Food City can fill a cake order on a few hours notice (we’ve done a few emergency cakes in our time!), but we prefer a 24-hour notice for birthday cakes and several days notice for special occasions such as weddings. Large, elaborately decorated cakes take time to prepare, so please plan appropriately. Schedules for our cake decorators vary from store to store, so visit your nearest Food City bakery to get the best times to place your cake order. Also available are several pre-decorated cakes that can be personalized for any occasion.

Wash all fruits and vegetables in clean drinking water before eating, not before storing. This includes fruits such as melons and oranges that have skin or rind that won't be eaten.

For prompt attention to your concern, please see the store manager or management on duty at the time. All of us at Food City work very hard to provide the best service at all times. If we have not met your expectations, we do want to know about it. If the manager is unavailable, please contact our Customer Service at 276-623-5100 or use our customer comment form.

We are proud of the quality of all Food City products. All of our exclusive brand items are guaranteed, or your money back. Our store will be glad to assist you with your concern if you will kindly return the dissatisfactory product to them.

Our stores should have a good supply of ad merchandise, but sometimes, unforeseen factors can cause us to run out of an item prematurely, or to be unable to get more of the item in a timely fashion. When this happens, we have two remedies. First, we're happy to offer you a substitute. When doing so, we'll choose an item that's as comparable as possible in terms of size, quality and price. Second, we can give you a rain check for the specific item we're out of. Rain checks generally are good for 15 days, but we'll gladly renew it if it takes us longer than that to get more of the item.

It is the light; potatoes need to be stored in a cool dark place once you get them home.

A lot of times as the season changes the supply goes up so the price comes down. If supply is tight then the price goes up. This could be caused by severe weather in the growing areas.

Bananas are not to be stored in the refrigerator, they need to stay above 56 degrees, or they will chill and never ripen to the flavor that you enjoy.

Fresh cut meat is purplish in color. Oxygen from the air reacts with meat pigments to form a bright red color that is usually seen on the surface of ground beef purchased in the supermarket. The interior of the meat may be grayish-brown due to the lack of oxygen penetrating below the surface.

Food City is an equal opportunity employer that seeks self-motivated, energetic associates. We are proud to be one of the largest private employers in Kentucky, Virginia and Tennessee. Employment opportunities cover a wide range of positions and skill levels. Positions at Food City's 100 plus stores allow for flexible hours and offering ideal jobs for students and seniors. You may apply for a job in our stores by asking for an application from the store manager or filling out an application online, printing the application and turning it in to your nearest Food City. For a job at our corporate office in Abingdon, VA, submit your resume to: K-VA-T Food Stores, Inc. P.O. Box 1158 Abingdon, VA 24210

Prepare a brief letter of introduction containing the information listed below (try to keep it to one page).

* A little background information on your company.

* Do not send samples at this time; send brochures and/or color photographs and two business cards (if available). Product/service information; variety of items offered, including styles, signs, colors, cost estimates and marketing plans.

* Financial position; actual resources and/or ability to raise capital.

* Advise if your product is on the shelf of other retailers and sales results.

* Production capabilities, equipment, shipping point and what quantities you can provide. Mail to: Food City Merchandising Department 26331 Hillman Highway Abingdon, VA 24210

The "sell by" or "pull" date is the last date the product should be sold. "Use by" or "best if used by" date indicates the approximate last date a product will be of best quality. The "expiration " date gives the last date an item should be sold; and also the last date an item should be used before it is likely to lose flavor and quality. "Food Safety Tips for the Grocery Shopper," published by South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control.

Like in most retail situations, it's a matter of supply and demand. If an item doesn't sell well, it may be replaced by a different product that better meets consumer needs. In many instances, our suppliers update their product lines resulting in a product no longer being offered.

If you have a returned check and would like to discuss it with an associate in our Loss Recovery department, please call 877-230-7939. To mail a payment for a returned check, please send it to: KVAT Food Stores, Inc. Loss Recovery Department PO Box 1808 Abingdon, Virginia 24212

Your Food City ValuCard offers a variety of great benefits including electronic discounts on thousands of items, video rental membership, automatic sweepstakes entries and the opportunity to qualify for special reward mailings. Coupon rewards are distributed based upon individual ValuCard usage prior to each mailing. So, the more you use your card, the more likely you are to receive them. It's vital that everyone within a household use the same ValuCard number at all times. Please take a moment to check the back of each card or keytag used by your household to ensure they have the same account number. We must also have your current address on file. Please notify us of any changes to your address, including 911 address changes. And of course, your ValuCard must be scanned during each shopping trip, including purchases from our bakery/deli and pharmacy departments.

Use our online application to sign up or make changes to a ValuCard. Or apply at any Food City store.

For the 2009-2010 School Year, Food City will donate $600,000 in cash through the Food City School Bucks program. The points your school earns will help grow their share of the $600,000 total. It's like a pie - the size of your school's slice will depend on how many points they have received. Schools should encourage their supporters to register their ValuCard for the Food City School Bucks program.

Every qualifying purchase after registering and using your ValuCard entitles your chosen school to more points, thus a greater share of the School Bucks awards. The more qualifying purchases, and the more participants in support of your chosen school, the larger the School Bucks check at the end of the year for your school.

Schools will communicate through flyers that will be sent home with the students, display posters in the school hall and classroom, newsletters, or you can go to www.foodcity.com and click on School Bucks to find your school's code. Also each Food City store will have a list of bar codes located at the customer service desk. Schools that are not registered may register online at http://www.foodcity.com/schoolbucks/signup or may simply call the Food City School Bucks coordinator, Lisa Johnson at 1-800-232-0174.

Participating Brands include Food City, Food Club, Full Circle, Paws, ValuTime, Top Care, Academix, Domestix, Electrix, EasyClix, World Classics and Dining-In products, as well Kay's Ice Cream, Terry's Snacks, Lay's Meats, Farmbest Milk and Kern's Bread & Cakes products. **Certain restriction and exclusions apply: alcohol, tobacco, pharmacy, gift cards, lottery tickets, fuel and video and where restricted by law are excluded from the Food City exclusive brand purchases.

For every school supporter who's registered their ValuCard with your school, each time they purchase $10 worth of Food City Exclusive Brands with their ValuCard, 1 point will automatically go to the school of their choice. The more school supporters registering their ValuCard with your school and the more they shop at Food City, the greater opportunity for School Bucks points.