It is forbidden to eat or derive benefit from overt chometz that a Jew owned during Pesach. Overt chometz includes items such as cereal, cookies, crackers, pretzels, grains, and flour. Products that contain vinegar, such as mayonnaise, ketchup, and mustard, may be purchased, as it is likely that the vinegar is not chometz.
The following is a partial list of local stores and their status regarding the purchase of chometz after Pesach:
Vaad-supervised stores are acceptable for the purchase of chometz. The Vaad encourages the community to patronize local kosher establishments whenever possible.
Dunkin Donuts on Raritan Avenue, under Vaad supervision, is acceptable for purchasing chometz. However, baked items should not be purchased before 9:35 PM on Sunday, April 20th (so as not to benefit from melacha performed on Yom Tov). In general, one should wait one hour after Shabbos or Yom Tov throughout the year before purchasing baked goods from Dunkin Donuts.
Super Fresh in Highland Park is acceptable. The ownership and supplier of chometz (other than the Heimishe brands) are not Jewish. The Heimishe supplier sells its chometz for Pesach.
The following supermarkets and their suppliers are non-Jewish-owned, and chometz may be purchased there immediately after Pesach:
Acme (Acme in E. Brunswick has closed),
Aldi
BJ’s
Costco
CVS
Duane Read
H Mart
Rite Aid
Sam’s Club
Super Fresh
Target (non-frozen chometz items. C&S supplies frozen food items to Target)
Trader Joe’s
Walgreen’s
Walmart (in-store purchases; online purchases are discussed in 5),
Wegman’s
Whole Foods.
ShopRite: Purchasing chometz from ShopRite before Lag B’Omer, Friday May 16th, is problematic. ShopRite operates as a franchise, with each store individually owned. While most locations are owned by non-Jews, some have Jewish ownership. Purchasing chometz from a Jewish-owned ShopRite is clearly prohibited after Pesach.
Online retailers such as Amazon.com and Walmart.com may sell products from their own inventory or third-party suppliers. Chometz from their own inventory is acceptable. However, chometz from third-party suppliers may originate from Jewish-owned companies. Therefore, customers must make a reasonable effort to determine whether the supplier is Jewish.
Non-chometz items (e.g., fruits, vegetables, eggs, cooking oil, etc.) may be purchased from any Jewish- or non-Jewish-owned store.
Alcoholic beverages (excluding wine) may not be purchased from a Jewish-owned store until after Shavuos, unless the chometz was properly sold. This is because alcoholic beverages may be chometz, and inventory turnover in liquor stores tends to be slower than in supermarkets.
Locally, one may purchase alcoholic beverages from Rite Aid in Highland Park, a non-Jewish-owned corporation.