Your First-Day Grocery Run: Where to Stock Up in North Myrtle Beach

You pull into the Ocean Keyes gate after a six-hour drive, kids half-asleep in the back, the car packed to the ceiling. You drag the cooler up to the third floor, open the condo door, and there it is — a full kitchen with a real fridge, a stove, a microwave, a Keurig, and a blender on the counter. For one clear moment, you see the math: breakfast here every morning instead of $65 family restaurant tabs. Smoothies on the balcony. Sandwiches packed for the beach. That kitchen isn’t a convenience — it’s a $500 savings waiting to happen.

But first, you need groceries. And if you’ve never been to North Myrtle Beach before, you’re probably wondering where to go, what’s close, and whether you need to make one stop or three. Here’s the local’s playbook for stocking your North Myrtle Beach grocery run — from everyday essentials to fresh-off-the-boat seafood to that bottle of bourbon you’ve been thinking about since the Virginia state line.

The Big Grocery Stores: Your Main Provisioning Run

Four major grocery stores sit within minutes of our condo at 601 Hillside Dr N, listed here closest to farthest. Pick the one that matches your style.

Kroger — Main Street, North Myrtle Beach

The closest grocery store to Ocean Keyes — less than half a mile away on Main Street. You can be there in two minutes. Kroger has everything you need for a full kitchen stock-up: produce, deli, bakery, and a solid selection of national and store brands. When you’ve just arrived and want to make the fastest possible grocery run, this is your spot.

Best for: The quick arrival-day essentials run. You’re half a mile from the condo, so you can grab what you need tonight and come back tomorrow for anything you missed. No fighting Highway 17 traffic when all you need is milk, eggs, and coffee.

Walmart Supercenter — 550 Highway 17 N, North Myrtle Beach

The everything store, and the next closest option. Groceries, plus beach toys, sunscreen, phone chargers, coolers, pool floats, and whatever else you forgot to pack. The grocery section is fully stocked and the prices are Walmart prices. Opens at 6:00 AM.

Best for: The arrival-day mega-run when you need groceries AND the inflatable flamingo AND a new pair of flip-flops AND batteries for the kids’ flashlights. One stop, done.

Food Lion — 3924 Highway 17 S, North Myrtle Beach

The no-frills, get-in-get-out option — good prices, solid selection of staples, and a familiar layout if you shop Food Lion at home. Open 7:00 AM to 11:00 PM daily.

Best for: Budget-conscious families stocking the basics — milk, eggs, bread, cereal, snacks, lunch meat, fruit, and everything you need for a week of breakfasts and packed beach lunches. The prices here are consistently lower than the other options.

Publix — 1576 Highway 17 N, North Myrtle Beach

The farthest of the four but worth the drive if you’re from the Southeast and already know. Publix brings the deli counter you’ve been dreaming about — Boar’s Head subs made to order, fried chicken that’s genuinely good, a bakery with key lime pie, and produce that’s a clear step above. Open 7:00 AM to 10:00 PM daily.

Best for: The one-stop shop when you want quality. Pub subs for the beach are a vacation move — order a couple of chicken tender subs, throw them in the cooler, and you’ve got beach lunch handled for under $10 a person. The deli also does premade family meals (rotisserie chicken, mac and cheese, sides) for nights when you want a home-cooked dinner without the cooking.

The Seafood Markets: This Is Why You Have a Kitchen

You’re 15 minutes from the fishing fleets that bring in shrimp, flounder, grouper, and mahi-mahi every single day. Buying fresh seafood and cooking it in the condo kitchen is one of the great privileges of a beach vacation — and it’s a fraction of what you’d pay at a restaurant. A pound of fresh wild-caught shrimp, a squeeze of lemon, Old Bay, and a pot of boiling water. That’s a $9 dinner for two that tastes like a $35 plate.

Boulineau’s IGA & Platt’s Seafood — 212 Sea Mountain Highway, Cherry Grove

This is the one. Boulineau’s has been the heartbeat of Cherry Grove since 1948 — a locally owned grocery store that’s grown into a 175,000-square-foot shopping village occupying four city blocks. The IGA grocery section covers everyday needs, but the real draw is Platt’s Seafood, the in-house seafood market that’s the largest and oldest in North Myrtle Beach. Daily deliveries from local South Carolina fishing boats. Wild-caught shrimp still smelling like the ocean. Whole flounder with clear eyes. Grouper fillets thick enough to grill.

Boulineau’s also has a massive hot food counter and deli — fried chicken, barbecue, prepared sides — plus a soup and salad bar, a hardware store, beach gear, clothing, and an ice cream shop. You could do your entire provisioning run here and never leave Cherry Grove.

The local move: Buy a couple pounds of fresh peel-and-eat shrimp from Platt’s, a bag of ice, a bottle of cocktail sauce from the grocery side, and eat them on the balcony while the sun goes down. That’s a $15 evening that beats a $60 restaurant dinner every time.

North Atlantic Seafood Market — 693 US Highway 17, Little River

Family-owned market specializing in both local and Northern seafood. Fresh haddock, cod, swordfish, halibut, and Carolina flounder. They also carry Maine lobster meat and steamers if you want to do a proper low-country boil with a New England twist. This is the stop when you’re planning a serious dinner and want the best cut of fish available.

Calabash Waterfront Markets

Fifteen minutes north across the NC state line, the Calabash waterfront has small seafood shops selling direct from the boats. The selection varies by the day’s catch, which is the whole point — you’re buying whatever came in that morning. Pair a seafood market stop with lunch at one of the Calabash-style restaurants and you’ve got a delicious half-day trip.

Liquor, Beer & Wine: South Carolina Rules

South Carolina’s alcohol laws are different from what you might be used to, so here’s the cheat sheet:

Beer & Wine

Buy it at any grocery store, convenience store, or gas station. Available for purchase Monday through Saturday — hours vary by store, but most grocery stores sell beer and wine during all operating hours. Sunday beer and wine sales are allowed in the North Myrtle Beach area (Horry County approved Sunday sales by referendum).

Local tip: Publix has the best craft beer selection of the grocery stores. Boulineau’s carries a solid range too. For a true local pick, look for anything from New South Brewing (Myrtle Beach), Crooked Hammock (Barefoot Landing area), or Grand Strand Brewing.

Liquor

Here’s the part that trips people up: liquor is not sold in grocery stores in South Carolina. You need a licensed liquor store. These are privately owned retail shops — South Carolina doesn’t have a state-run ABC store system like North Carolina does.

Liquor store hours: 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM, Monday through Saturday. No Sunday liquor sales — that’s state law, no exceptions. Plan accordingly. If you’re arriving on a Sunday, pick up your liquor in North Carolina on the way down or wait until Monday morning.

Several liquor stores are located along Highway 17 near the major grocery stores. Stock up on your first full day and you’re set for the week.

Beach Gear: Rent or Buy?

You need chairs, an umbrella, a cooler, and probably some boogie boards. The question is whether to buy cheap or rent quality.

Buy at Walmart or Boulineau’s

If you’re staying a full week or coming back regularly, buy your own. Walmart has the cheapest beach chairs ($12–$20), umbrellas ($15–$25), boogie boards, sand toys, and coolers. Boulineau’s has a massive beach gear section with slightly better quality options. Buy once, stash it in the condo closet, and it’s there when you return.

Rent from a Beach Service

Beach chair and umbrella rental services set up on the sand at the main beach access points during peak season (typically May through September). You’ll see the rental stands — two chairs and an umbrella run about $35–$45 per day. It’s more expensive over a full week, but the chairs are commercial-grade (better than the $15 Walmart option) and someone else sets them up and takes them down.

The smart hybrid: Buy a cheap cooler and boogie boards (you’ll use them all week). Rent the chairs and umbrella for a day or two to try them, then decide if you want to buy your own for the rest of the trip.

The First-Day Provisioning Checklist

Here’s the run we recommend for guests arriving at 601 Hillside Dr N:

Stop 1: Kroger (Main Street) or Walmart (Highway 17)

• [ ] Breakfast staples: eggs, bread, butter, cereal, milk, coffee (or K-cups for the Keurig)
• [ ] Lunch supplies: deli meat, cheese, sandwich rolls, chips, fruit
• [ ] Snacks: granola bars, crackers, trail mix (beach bag essentials)
• [ ] Drinks: water bottles, juice, sodas, mixers
• [ ] Sunscreen (SPF 50+ — you will burn faster than you think)
• [ ] Aloe vera gel (for when you burn anyway)
• [ ] Ziploc bags (for keeping phones dry on the beach)
• [ ] Paper towels, trash bags, dish soap (the condo has the basics, but it never hurts)

Stop 2: Liquor Store (Highway 17)

• [ ] Your spirits of choice — remember, no Sunday sales
• [ ] Stock up for the week in one trip

Stop 3 (Day 2 or 3): Boulineau’s or a Seafood Market

• [ ] Fresh shrimp for boiling or grilling
• [ ] Fish fillets for a condo dinner
• [ ] Cocktail sauce, lemons, Old Bay, butter
• [ ] Whatever looks freshest that morning

Skip These

• Bathroom towels — the condo provides them (bring your own beach towels or grab some at Walmart)
• Pots, pans, dishes — the full kitchen is fully equipped
• Coffee maker — Keurig is on the counter. Bring your favorite K-cups or buy them at the store

The Real Savings: Do the Math

A family of four eating every meal at restaurants in North Myrtle Beach will spend $150–$200 per day easily. Breakfast at a sit-down spot runs $40–$50. Lunch at a beach restaurant is another $50–$60. Dinner is $80–$120 with tip.

Now picture this instead: scrambled eggs and bacon on the stove for $4. Pub subs from Publix packed in the cooler for $10 each. Fresh shrimp from Platt’s grilled on the community grill at Ocean Keyes for a fraction of restaurant price. You just saved $80–$100 in a single day — and the shrimp was better because it was fresher.

Eat breakfast and lunch at the condo. Save the restaurant budget for one or two memorable dinners out — a walkable dinner on Main Street, a night at one of the best seafood spots in town, or a drive to Calabash for the original Calabash-style fried seafood.

That’s the play. That’s how you eat like royalty and still come home with money in your pocket.

Your Kitchen Is Waiting. Stock It and Start Your Vacation.

The drive is done. The bags are upstairs. The kids are already asking about the beach. Before you do anything else, make the grocery run. Forty-five minutes at Publix or Walmart, a quick stop at the liquor store, and you’ll walk back into the condo with a full fridge, a stocked bar, and the deep satisfaction of knowing you’ve set up the entire week.

Tomorrow morning, you’ll wake up to the sound of birds outside the balcony, pad into the kitchen in bare feet, press the Keurig button, and stand there with a hot mug watching the palm trees while everyone else sleeps. No reservation required. No check to sign. Just your coffee, your kitchen, and a week of beach ahead of you.

That moment is worth the grocery run.

Check Availability & Book Your Stay

For help planning the rest of your trip, see our complete trip planning guide and browse the things to do guide for everything near the condo.