Grocery shopping can be overwhelming for students who are used to swiping their meal cards at the dining commons and all of the supermarket choices in the area may end up adding to the frustration. When faced with stocking the fridge, the new question be-comes not what to eat, but where to shop.

"I don't really pay attention to any of the ads that the stores put out," Jason Gao (sophomore-information sciences and technology) said. "I just go wherever."

Even though some students ignore the various store promotions, local supermarkets such as Giant Food Stores Inc., 2222 E. College Ave. and 255 Northland Center, Weis Markets, 110 Rolling Ridge Drive and 560 Westerly Parkway, and Wegman's Food Markets Inc., 345 Lowes Blvd., still make the effort to entice students with advertisements and special deals.

Wegman's has sent out 60,000 weekly circulars to students since August, store manager Mike Gorski said.

"Wegman's is at a disadvantage against stores like Giant and Wal-Mart because we're still relatively unknown in the area," Gorski said. "But I think competition is healthy; it makes for better merchants."

Each of these stores sells Penn State snack foods and merchandise and has special Penn State sections filled with other foods that are popular among college students. Products such as Coca-Cola and Pepsi, Ramen Noodles and Kraft Easy Mac, which tend to be staples in the typical college diet, are made visible by Penn State flags and streamers.

"Even though more of our customers are members of the local community than Penn State students, we still want to attract students to our store," Weis manager Mike Umstead said. "We have felt the effects of the competition but we're doing the best we can."

All three major supermarkets in the area offer free bonus cards to customers who are looking to save money on special deals. When a product is offered at a bonus rate, the special price is listed on the item's price card. Bonus card deals change frequently and vary from product to product.

"My mom and I ended up going to Giant when I first got back to school, so I'll probably just keep shopping there," Linda Huss (sophomore-public relations) said. "The bonus card helps."

Besides saving money, some students have different reasons for shopping at a particular store.

"My roommate works at Weis and it's closer to our house, so it's more convenient," Sarah Osburn (junior-English) said. "Wegman's is out of the way for me."

Wegman's, the newest of the three supermarkets, attracts some students with its food court, which offers such selections as a coffee bar, Chinese food buffet, deli and rotisserie. Health-conscious students might prefer Wegman's for its large natural foods section.

"I shop at Wegman's because I have one at home and I'm used to it," Zach Fuhrer (sophomore-engineering) said.

Other students might choose a store based on its layout. While some stores such as Weis and Giant have a standard grocery store layout with parallel aisles, stores such as Wegman's have a different setup with aisles of varying lengths that are structured in a less grid-like fashion.

"I don't really like the way Wegman's is set up," Christy Kunkle (senior-public relations) said. "I have trouble finding stuff and I find myself wandering most of the time."

Students who only need a few items at a time or those without a car might find the new McLanahan's Downtown Market, 116 S. Allen St., to be the best choice, but others might forgo the hassle of grocery shopping altogether.

Jessica Weisbrot (sophomore-international politics) is one of those students.

"I don't even have time to cook, so I just order out," she said.