Buying vegemite in New York?

Question

Vegemite - love it or hate it, if you're an Aussie you'll have an opinion on it! In the USA, the reaction tends to be more "huh", or "you're having a laugh, you eat that stuff?". Just ask the Australian Foreign Minister, who nearly caused a diplomatic incident trying to bring a jar of it with him into the states...

None of my antipodean friends in New York have thus far managed to find any, so every time I go out I'm asked to buy vegemite in the UK and take a few jars out for them! Is there a better way to get Vegemite in New York, other than asking people visiting from Australia or the UK to bring you some?

See this meta question for debate on if this is too specific, too much of a shopping question etc — Gagravarr, Mar 17 '14 at 18:44
I don't live in New York, all I know is I'm always asked to buy it in the UK and carry it out... — Gagravarr, Mar 17 '14 at 18:51
I your lovely product isn't available, maybe you should ask also, how to make it yourself? (Seasoned Advice SE) — , Mar 17 '14 at 19:22
@hippietrail I don't know this site, one survival questions of me was migrated there... quite surprising to here recipes are off topic — , Mar 18 '14 at 17:47
They used to have it in Pathmark, but when I took my Australian friend there to get it, they no longer do. Some Walmarts have it, but not the northeast stores. Needless to say, she was out of luck. — , Jul 30 '15 at 03:33

Rob Hoare · Accepted Answer · 2014-03-18T02:07:19.500

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Many of the major urban areas in North America have "British Shops", there's a whole lot of them in Southern California especially.

One example (that I haven't been to) in New York is Myers of Keswick (just north of the West Village, it appears). They currently show Vegemite 220g for $10. See Yelp reviews.

These stores don't have the volume of Tescos, plus they have to import the items, pay for extra labelling to conform to local requirements, deal with out-of-date items from low stock turnover, and rent a shop in Manhattan. So they are always going to be expensive, but still cheaper than a flight.

A good place to find other mentions of other British Shops is in the paper editions of expat magazines like Union Jack.

Also, Vegemite (and Marmite) are not that difficult to find at normal large grocery stores elsewhere in America, rather than specialist importers. I've seen both at Fry's grocery stores in Arizona for example, it would be worth checking the larger out-of-town stores in perhaps NJ. Cost Plus World Market is another (although their nearest branches to NY are in DC). Look in the "ethnic" aisle, there may be a small bit of "European" food between Hispanic and Asian.

edited Mar 18 '14 at 02:07

answered Mar 17 '14 at 23:41

Rob Hoare

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Also, Vegemite (and Marmite) are not that difficult to find at normal large grocery stores in America - Which ones? – Karlson Mar 18 '14 at 01:02
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I mentioned one, Fry's in Arizona (multiple locations), which is part of Krogers that has other brands like Kroger, Ralphs, Dillons, Smith's, King Soopers... There are many more, for example the Fairway chain in Victoria, BC (to add Canada). – Rob Hoare Mar 18 '14 at 01:34
Kroger doesn't have presence in the North East. – Karlson Mar 18 '14 at 01:41
Just found both @Wegman's supermarket and while it's not present in the City there are quite a few throughout the NorthEast. They have both Vegemite & Marmite in Ireland/United Kingdom section $7.99/220g & $4.99/125g respectively – Karlson Apr 25 '15 at 11:44

Karlson · Answer 2 · 2014-03-18T01:14:33.787

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Most things that you cannot find in the local supermarket, and you're unlikely to find it in any local supermarket, may be possible to find on Amazon as long as it is not perishable.

In this particular case:

400g Jar of Vegemite

Sold by Cooking Marvelous based in the UK and shipped via Snail Mail to you. :)

But if you search further:

edited Mar 18 '14 at 01:14

answered Mar 17 '14 at 18:53

Karlson

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Great to know. But, wow, that's expensive... I can see why friends would rather I bought it in the UK! – Gagravarr Mar 17 '14 at 19:04
@Gagravarr You can get it basically at the exchange rate. + shipping. The price it shows may be for the Prime Eligible item which offers free 2 day shipping – Karlson Mar 17 '14 at 19:08
It's currently £1.97 for 220g at Tesco, which would be about $6.50 for 2 jars giving 440g (closest equivalent of a 400g jar) – Gagravarr Mar 17 '14 at 19:24
Yeah. That's a lot cheaper. – Karlson Mar 17 '14 at 19:28
World Market doesn't appear to have any branches in the NYC area. – Rob Hoare Mar 18 '14 at 02:09
@RobHoare They are an online store. Which means you can buy in New York – Karlson Mar 18 '14 at 02:13

score 0 · Answer 3 · answered Aug 04 '16 at 03:59

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The easiest place to buy Vegemite from is 'The Australian Food Shop' - https://www.theaustralianfoodshop.com/ they ship from Australian and deliver it to your door step.

answered Aug 04 '16 at 03:59

Nathan

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Have you used them before? Any issues with the packages getting through customs / getting broken / etc? How did the pricing compare to those shops in the USA that do stock it? – Gagravarr Aug 04 '16 at 11:59

Buying vegemite in New York?

3 Answers3