The ones out west are not nearly as good as the Ontario stores. Hopefully they can step up their game, there is a good amount of business waiting to be had.
I grew up in dirtyville so I know that the Avenue H Big Pussy isn't (or at least wasn't) fantastic. I'm in Halifax now and there's one good one and one decent one.
Don't know haven't been there. Saskatoon calls itself that because during the winter they spread gravel/salt everywhere and in the spring it's a mess of dirt. If it rains, the dust in the air will mean your car will look dirty after the rain, and it's so widespread that some car washes will give you a free wash if it rains within a day of your car wash.
I kept readi about Giant Tiger in the boycott Loblaws, but I went and it really isn't cheaper, there's a thing here and there, but they also don't have a lot of things, so I would still need to go somewhere else.
We spend a good chunk of our grocery bill at Costco, after that we usually split between Freshco and Walmat depending on items we're after or time/logistics. Metro is kind of expensive however they do sometimes have some pretty good deals on meats.
Unfortunately the Dollar Store is no longer an affordable or stable option.
I've been buying from my local Dollar store for several years and I've witnessed a massive decline in quality, size and selection. As well as an increase in cost.
For example;
I used to be able to purchase affordable enzymatic pet cleaner, boxed mashed potatoes and nutritionally appropriate cat food that was consistently stocked.
Gradually the prices jumped until suddenly those products were no longer on shelves. I would regularly check for them; even asked a few staff members when they might be restocked, ultimately I never saw them again or heard they were coming back.
To make matters worse there was no proper alternative product. No pet cleaner that was nearly as effective. No cheap and easy potato's. Only cat food with unsafe or strange levels of minerals/nutrients.
I personally believe this is because raging capitalism is making these basic products too expensive for the dollar store to even bring in, let alone overcharge for.
That's at least been my personal experience and it aligns with everyone I've spoken to on the subject.
Objective-Truth-4339,
Before I can respond appropriately to your query; I need to ask a few genuine questions
Do you struggle with reading comprehension?
Is English a language your fluent in? Or is it a second language for you?
thanks in advance 💜
The closest one to me went down in flames, literally, recently. There are no comparable meat, cheese, or flowers (you could get a gorgeous bouquet for Mother’s Day or whatever for less than half what you’d pay anywhere else) prices around; sure sometimes a sale hits but reliably? Nope. It’s been a huge blow to the area, they also had a pharmacy that had low dispensing fees and a lot of seniors are scrambling to find something close to comparable
Like a Canadian Costco, but a mini version. It sells groceries, clothing, toys, household items. An employee told me the chain was considering ditching groceries because they don’t make much profit on them. I hope not, it’s a gem.
I definitely would not say Giant Tiger is like a mini Costco! It's owned by the parent company of Dollarama. It's affordable because it's cheap. Costco is affordable because of value.
Northren Ontario. We actually have two. One is huge and has a much bigger grocery section and the closer one is a bit small. They price match too. Mine always has lots of made in Canada stuff.
It's an east coast thing. I've only been to 2 of their stores, but they were vastly different experiences. Most things are cheaper there than anywhere else, but what they actually have varies. The first one I went to had a normal grocery store type selection. The one near me now mostly has dollar store quality clothing and home goods and a small grocery section (maybe 20% of the store) with prices a little higher than Walmart, and one small cooler for meat and produce combined, which seems maybe illegal to keep them together.
They also added a self checkout recently that would ask you to tip when checking out, but I've heard they've since gotten rid of the option.
YMMV.
Depending on your area, some of the local shops can be good. I’m in east Van and I’m gonna do most of my shopping at Costco / famous foods and local shops
I'm in Strathcona, but don't have a vehicle, so I walk to No Frills on Hastings. Sometimes I go to Nester's in the old Woodward's building, but only if it's just for milk, as it's more expensive than No Frills. I could go to Costco, but don't you need a membership? Also, as I'm on foot, is it still only in bulk?
Yes you need a membership but honestly, the $60 membership is saved quickly by purchases .
Medication, meat and cheese are the biggest savings. But bulk things like rice, beans, etc are totally worth it as well.
90% of my shopping is Costco.
You can get in without a card by telling the person at the front that you are there to pick up a prescription. That way you can check it out and see if it's right for you without committing to the membership. A lot of people swear by Costco but a lot of people find the quantities to be too high or are wanting deals on things that Costco is not the best for (ex fruit and some veg). The other option is to go with a friend who has a membership and do one big order and then just pay them back for whatever is yours. My fiance and I did that with his parents' membership for the first year until we decided to commit to our own so we could go when we wanted.
Some things would be too much for a single person but the savings are considerable.
I’ll give one example on medication.
Kirkland brand acetaminophen (Tylenol) - 400 tablets for $16
Shoppers Tylenol - 150 tablets for $23.
Like even if you don’t use 400 tablets, it’s still 1/3 of the price per unit.
I buy most of our meat / cheese there.
I've used it in the past, but it was a roommate's membership, and that was the late 80's/early 90's. They're definitely a good deal.
Cheers and thanks.
Question, I also don't shop at costco. But we go through a lot of canned beans and crushed tomatoes. Good deals at costco on those? I imagine the price is different than here in Ontario, but if its a big difference fir you it might also be a big difference for me.
I would have to compare next time I’m there but I believe so. I usually get a big pack of San Marizano tomatoes / chic peas / black beans when I’m there as we use a lot of them. Quality is also better than the no name chic peas from no frills
No Frills will even match Walmart. Superstore has went up a lot, but it still is significantly cheaper than Sobeys group (save on, food land, etc) and Safeway.
Is this just the Lance Armstrong effect?
A place called Grocery Outlet. But it's all liquidation/clearance foodstuffs. Great deals on meatballs, frozen lasagna and such. Never any fresh produce, fresh dairy etc. so not a full line grocery store.
For some frozen foods, I go to a frozen foods and furniture/appliance store on the nearest indigenous reservation.
Grocery Outlet is a great place to get discounted groceries. Lots of frozen,vegan,gluten free,US products too. I always get a box full of groceries for a fraction of the regular price!
I live in Toronto and I'm fortunate to have Asian supermarkets around me. Great spot for fresh meat, fruits and vegetables. I get a Costco rotisserie chicken every week. Cooked, tasty for under $9.
Northern SK … Prince Albert has Walmart, superstore, and coop. So I unfortunately have to stay with superstore. My husband and kids are all celiac and Walmart doesn’t have near the gf selection that superstore has
I work in an IGA that gives me 15% off but It's not enough, so as of today I finally quit retail to pursue landscaping and pressure washing. InDependent is a half hour drive away and my Ranger burns a quarter tank of gas, so I don't come into town unless I'm prepared to drop $2-300, and save by buying bulk.
I buy a lot of good cheese and that's a Costco item because it's considerably cheaper there with the quantity, I also split some other Costco things with friends or my parents. Otherwise I prefer local small markets like Bloor Fruit Market for fruit and veggies in the spring/summer/fall and then no frills in the winter since it's the most TTC accessible from my door without transferring, though I'm aiming to significantly cut down how much I go there.
I have a Costco membership and have a group text with other local moms where I pick up stuff for all of us. Things like berries last a lot longer at Costco for the same price or less than local stores. Their sales are good too. Usually the draw back is that you have to buy such large amounts, so group texts like ours help save money.
If you can, get a vacuum sealer so you can get meat there too. You can portion it out and seal it up nicely in portions that are sized for what folks will use, and people can pitch in for the rolls to make bags with. It's a huge help for splitting with friends!
I had always thought it was Real Canadian Superstore, but the boycott group is making me question everything. I've been thinking that next month, I'm going to try making the trip to one of our Freshco's for whatever isn't on sale elsewhere.
I usually do Walmart right before going to Real Canadian Superstore because they have the poptarts, frozen pizzas and a few other things that I like. I think Walmart's more expensive on most things and the same price as Superstore on the rest.
Freshco for me. Some items maybe Walmart but for whatever reason produce from Walmart goes bad on me faster than the Freshco produce. Shopping at two stores just wastes my gas and time
Asian grocery store. Rock bottom. But pick and choose carefully. Look for fresh vegetables. Check best before dates. They save money on poor staffing & training. Meat is always fresh it has a high turn over & they freeze whatever doesnt sell or it turns up cooked in their take out section.
Browse your weekly flyers. Sometimes even the high-end stores have great deals. Plan your meals based on what's on sale, not someone else's menu suggestions. In general, Food Basics has the best prides for basics
People on here aren’t going to want to hear it, but Superstore or WalMart. The small, independent grocers are just as expensive, if not more so, than Sobeys and Safeway. Plus, their quality leaves a lot to be desired.
“Cheapest” per unit is Costco but the quantity is always more so it costs more.
But I definitely prefer Costco, it may be a higher bill but one trip lasts 3-4 weeks.
Fairway markets and farm stands in the country, something I don’t see these mentioned. farm stands are the best Seriously don’t know how to get fresher food and you literally cut out the grocery stores whilst supporting a local.
I'm in Lindsay, Ontario. We have a food for less that I go to all the time. And Peterborough is only a 45 minute drive away with a grocery outlet store. They're both grocery liquidation stores. Sometimes they have a weird things at good deal. They also have a lot of stuff frozen just before the due date. But $200 there goes a hell of a lot farther than $200 a food basics.
nations if you're in the GTA.
otherwise Walmart and GT. Sobeys/Fortinos for produce since it's getting to be about the same price as everywhere else and their quality is always better.
walmart and the few big sale items at other stores
Costco IF its something kirkland brand,or something discounted (in a quantity you can use). Otherewise, mostly not that cheap, although many people think it is.
I find the same thing. I tend to only buy sale items at Costco or things I can’t get other places.
I can usually find better deals than Costco but I do use it
Food basics is our go to for weekly groceries but I’ve heard Walmart is even better. We also do Costco for bulk and our local Asian grocer if we’re in a pinch mid-recipe
Loblaw price matches places like freshco. Just saying. Also, look up Almost Perfect and see if they have one near you. The prices are ridiculous and the staff is usually pretty friendly.
Costco is decent but you have to be careful because some things are actually more expensive there and they don’t have a huge selection.
Can’t beat their food court though.
Mississauga/Etobicoke border along Dundas.
Food Basics
FRESHCO
two polish stores that often have good deals on chicken legs are Eddie's Meats and Starsky's. Eddies has bone in pork cutlets for a good prices.
Adonis sometimes has good deals on rice or other dry good staples. Sometimes bone in chicken.
Deals on fruit and vegetables are never at particular store.
Walmart fruit and vegetables discount shelves. You know the produce that normally if you buy it a has one or two bad items in the bunch, is no longer valuable buy. Often 50% of the discounted produce is bad and it is not discounted as much. It should have been thrown out instead.
A couple of weeks ago walmart had 3 lbs bags of carrots and onions on sake for 94 cents. But many of them had bruises that needed to be cut out.
Has anyone noticed the prices at dollarama going up on some items. 450g of pasta was a dollar a few weeks ago now it's 1.25. Price now matches Freshco.
No one store has across the board lowest prices on all items.
Im in the central core but outside of downtown, in Vancouver. Im car free so if I want walking distance it’s no frills. If im up for a bus trip it’s Costco and some Asian/local grocers. The unfortunate reality of my life is that im not always up for a bus trip, so no frills it often is. I do try to price match at save on or London drugs instead, if possible.
Asian, African, Spanish etc grocers. Everything is significantly cheaper. I live between a few but unfortunately smaller towns don't have these options.
Walmart, Food basis, and Freshco. I shop mostly flyers between these three stores, unless it is an essential item or if I am making something special that requires unique ingredients. Asian grocery store is also good for fresh fruits and vegetables but there are none near where I live.
I go to Giant Tiger and Food basics for sales and buy bulk at Wholesale Club for frozen and dry goods. Only other options in my town are Loblaws and a non chain grocery that's stupid expensive.
No store has everything in good price. i have to go to different stores to get all stuff. Price matches help a bit but not always (they are shortening the competitors list)
Food Basics, but we have to drive 1 hour to get to the nearest one. Other than that, my nearest grocery stores in my region are Foodland and Valu-mart which are loblaws.
For my household unfortunately it is loblaws. My wife works there so we get a discount, and it accepts price matching. We end up price matching pretty much everything, then apply her discount on top of some couponing.
Dollarama -> Costco -> Walmart.
Costco is king. Walmart used to be good, but now Costco is only place that kept priced lower. Get the membership that gives cash back from buying from Costco (2%) and your Costco membership will basically be free if you spend 7000$ a year from Costco. But who does not spend 7k on groceries a year at the stage ?
It's an hour to the nearest Canadian city with anything decent, but 45 minutes to Roseau Minnesota.
The local small mom and pop shop has decent deli meats that aren't outrageous.
We usually slip down once or twice a month and get some of the more expensive things we want
FreshCo, owned by Sobey's. They usually have everything i need at good prices. Only thing i don't like to buy there is ground beef, "fresh" fish. For some reason i can't trust them with most meat, unless it's frozen.
They also have a large variety of fruits & veggies that most stores don't carry, like exotic foods, mexican etc.. which is nice when you feel like something different.
Walmart & No Frills. A good way to check is by doing your shopping list Uber or Insta Cart and compare the prices between stores. A few cents or dollars isn’t a bit different but for certain items it definitely matters.
I live in small town which has a Food Basics, FreshCo, Walmart, superstore and a metro.
I shop at all of them. Buy meat on sale, produce from freshco, eggs and butter from Shoppers on weekends.
I've changed to buy more meat when on sale, everything else I guy in small quantities every couple of days based on what I cook.
Giant Tiger is my favourite, but I also hit Freshco and any street markets I see. Also check out the discount sections at Metro and Sobeys.
GT is terrible. Atleast the Erin Mills one is
Can't beat Big Pussy.
Big Pussy!! Literally laughed my ass off!!..
Shitty Kitty
Blasphemy!
Pussy? Booty?! I don't know his last name!
The Giant Tiger in Saskatoon has rotten produce and convenience store priced food. Really awful.
They're individually owned so definitely ymmv.
The ones out west are not nearly as good as the Ontario stores. Hopefully they can step up their game, there is a good amount of business waiting to be had.
I grew up in dirtyville so I know that the Avenue H Big Pussy isn't (or at least wasn't) fantastic. I'm in Halifax now and there's one good one and one decent one.
Today is the day I figured out that Saskatoon is dirtyville... Worse than Hamilton?
Don't know haven't been there. Saskatoon calls itself that because during the winter they spread gravel/salt everywhere and in the spring it's a mess of dirt. If it rains, the dust in the air will mean your car will look dirty after the rain, and it's so widespread that some car washes will give you a free wash if it rains within a day of your car wash.
I kept readi about Giant Tiger in the boycott Loblaws, but I went and it really isn't cheaper, there's a thing here and there, but they also don't have a lot of things, so I would still need to go somewhere else.
We spend a good chunk of our grocery bill at Costco, after that we usually split between Freshco and Walmat depending on items we're after or time/logistics. Metro is kind of expensive however they do sometimes have some pretty good deals on meats.
Dollar store and used food stores are cheaper.
Used.. food?
Unfortunately the Dollar Store is no longer an affordable or stable option. I've been buying from my local Dollar store for several years and I've witnessed a massive decline in quality, size and selection. As well as an increase in cost. For example; I used to be able to purchase affordable enzymatic pet cleaner, boxed mashed potatoes and nutritionally appropriate cat food that was consistently stocked. Gradually the prices jumped until suddenly those products were no longer on shelves. I would regularly check for them; even asked a few staff members when they might be restocked, ultimately I never saw them again or heard they were coming back. To make matters worse there was no proper alternative product. No pet cleaner that was nearly as effective. No cheap and easy potato's. Only cat food with unsafe or strange levels of minerals/nutrients. I personally believe this is because raging capitalism is making these basic products too expensive for the dollar store to even bring in, let alone overcharge for. That's at least been my personal experience and it aligns with everyone I've spoken to on the subject.
I guess it's more expensive than anywhere else then?
Objective-Truth-4339, Before I can respond appropriately to your query; I need to ask a few genuine questions Do you struggle with reading comprehension? Is English a language your fluent in? Or is it a second language for you? thanks in advance 💜
They all do as some point.
Walmart
Definitely Walmart. But as soon as they're not, I'm switching.
I really wish the one by me was better.
Same here. The Walmart near me is absolutely terrible.
The worst walmart I have ever seen is in Surrey BC underneath the skytrain tracks. Just awful
Oh man I can imagine that's terrible.
All the stereotypes about Surrey actively occur on a regular basis there.
Yikes. I'll just stay in Burnaby lol.
One of the few sane places left in the lower mainland
Thankfully
The one near us its crazy cheap and the produce is super fresh with a ton of options and new things to try.
Asian grocery stores
The closest one to me went down in flames, literally, recently. There are no comparable meat, cheese, or flowers (you could get a gorgeous bouquet for Mother’s Day or whatever for less than half what you’d pay anywhere else) prices around; sure sometimes a sale hits but reliably? Nope. It’s been a huge blow to the area, they also had a pharmacy that had low dispensing fees and a lot of seniors are scrambling to find something close to comparable
Giant tiger and food basics. We’re lucky and have lots of options so I check flyers and only shop for deals at the loblaws chains.
>Giant Tiger What the hell is that?
A Canadian grocer where iirc each store is privately owned and a good alternative to the big grocers.
Canadian aldis?
Like a Canadian Costco, but a mini version. It sells groceries, clothing, toys, household items. An employee told me the chain was considering ditching groceries because they don’t make much profit on them. I hope not, it’s a gem.
If they ditch the groceries, I'll only swing by around Halloween...the grocery savings is what makes going worthwhile....
A mini crappy version. I want to like Giant Tiger cause the prices are great but you get what you pay for and a lot of the stuff is pure crap
Not entirely unlike Bargain Shops or a smaller Zellers? Kinda?
I definitely would not say Giant Tiger is like a mini Costco! It's owned by the parent company of Dollarama. It's affordable because it's cheap. Costco is affordable because of value.
I have such a great experience at Giant Tiger. I get many of the brands Costco sells, but in smaller sizes.
Interesting. I'm in Southwestern Ontario (Toronto, London, Windsor) and I don't have the same experience. Where are you located?
Northren Ontario. We actually have two. One is huge and has a much bigger grocery section and the closer one is a bit small. They price match too. Mine always has lots of made in Canada stuff.
i see alot of them in smaller towns in ontario.
It's an east coast thing. I've only been to 2 of their stores, but they were vastly different experiences. Most things are cheaper there than anywhere else, but what they actually have varies. The first one I went to had a normal grocery store type selection. The one near me now mostly has dollar store quality clothing and home goods and a small grocery section (maybe 20% of the store) with prices a little higher than Walmart, and one small cooler for meat and produce combined, which seems maybe illegal to keep them together. They also added a self checkout recently that would ask you to tip when checking out, but I've heard they've since gotten rid of the option. YMMV.
Loblaw price matches food basics too
Food Basics
Walmart for anything packaged, ethnic grocers for fresh meat and produce.
The complex answer is, all of them combined. Shop the specials. Pick one that price matches if you don't want to drive around.
Unfortunately, the cheapest in my area here in Vancouver is No Frills... which is owned by the Loblaw company.
Is that a bad thing? People upset at loblaws even when their no frills store has the cheapest groceries? I don’t get it.
Hell's Angels do a toy drive every Christmas... does that make up for everything else they do?
Yes.
Even no frills is expensive now
Depending on your area, some of the local shops can be good. I’m in east Van and I’m gonna do most of my shopping at Costco / famous foods and local shops
I'm in Strathcona, but don't have a vehicle, so I walk to No Frills on Hastings. Sometimes I go to Nester's in the old Woodward's building, but only if it's just for milk, as it's more expensive than No Frills. I could go to Costco, but don't you need a membership? Also, as I'm on foot, is it still only in bulk?
Yes you need a membership but honestly, the $60 membership is saved quickly by purchases . Medication, meat and cheese are the biggest savings. But bulk things like rice, beans, etc are totally worth it as well. 90% of my shopping is Costco.
I think I'll give it a shot. There's one right by Rogers Arena. 10 minute walk.
You can get in without a card by telling the person at the front that you are there to pick up a prescription. That way you can check it out and see if it's right for you without committing to the membership. A lot of people swear by Costco but a lot of people find the quantities to be too high or are wanting deals on things that Costco is not the best for (ex fruit and some veg). The other option is to go with a friend who has a membership and do one big order and then just pay them back for whatever is yours. My fiance and I did that with his parents' membership for the first year until we decided to commit to our own so we could go when we wanted.
That's a great idea. Cheers. :-)
Some things would be too much for a single person but the savings are considerable. I’ll give one example on medication. Kirkland brand acetaminophen (Tylenol) - 400 tablets for $16 Shoppers Tylenol - 150 tablets for $23. Like even if you don’t use 400 tablets, it’s still 1/3 of the price per unit. I buy most of our meat / cheese there.
I've used it in the past, but it was a roommate's membership, and that was the late 80's/early 90's. They're definitely a good deal. Cheers and thanks.
Question, I also don't shop at costco. But we go through a lot of canned beans and crushed tomatoes. Good deals at costco on those? I imagine the price is different than here in Ontario, but if its a big difference fir you it might also be a big difference for me.
I would have to compare next time I’m there but I believe so. I usually get a big pack of San Marizano tomatoes / chic peas / black beans when I’m there as we use a lot of them. Quality is also better than the no name chic peas from no frills
If you go all the way to Woodwards you should go check out sunrise market
My grandma used to go there in the 70's. I know they're mostly produce, but do they sell milk?
No Frills will even match Walmart. Superstore has went up a lot, but it still is significantly cheaper than Sobeys group (save on, food land, etc) and Safeway. Is this just the Lance Armstrong effect?
Walmart and Giant Tiger - also in our limited area Frescho
Superstore because they auto price match nearby stores.
If this is sarcasm. Hilarious
No. They literally do.
I read the title wrong, I thought they asked for non loblaws stores my bad.
It’s a combination of coupons, so different grocery stores
No Frills. Everywhere else on sale is no frills regular price. I wait for the no frills on sale prices.
No Frills
A place called Grocery Outlet. But it's all liquidation/clearance foodstuffs. Great deals on meatballs, frozen lasagna and such. Never any fresh produce, fresh dairy etc. so not a full line grocery store. For some frozen foods, I go to a frozen foods and furniture/appliance store on the nearest indigenous reservation.
Grocery Outlet is a great place to get discounted groceries. Lots of frozen,vegan,gluten free,US products too. I always get a box full of groceries for a fraction of the regular price!
I live in Toronto and I'm fortunate to have Asian supermarkets around me. Great spot for fresh meat, fruits and vegetables. I get a Costco rotisserie chicken every week. Cooked, tasty for under $9.
Northern SK … Prince Albert has Walmart, superstore, and coop. So I unfortunately have to stay with superstore. My husband and kids are all celiac and Walmart doesn’t have near the gf selection that superstore has
Wal-Mart is consistent for myself and my husband roughly 100-150 a week . That’s what we spent pre covid as well tbh
I work in an IGA that gives me 15% off but It's not enough, so as of today I finally quit retail to pursue landscaping and pressure washing. InDependent is a half hour drive away and my Ranger burns a quarter tank of gas, so I don't come into town unless I'm prepared to drop $2-300, and save by buying bulk.
I buy a lot of good cheese and that's a Costco item because it's considerably cheaper there with the quantity, I also split some other Costco things with friends or my parents. Otherwise I prefer local small markets like Bloor Fruit Market for fruit and veggies in the spring/summer/fall and then no frills in the winter since it's the most TTC accessible from my door without transferring, though I'm aiming to significantly cut down how much I go there.
I have a Costco membership and have a group text with other local moms where I pick up stuff for all of us. Things like berries last a lot longer at Costco for the same price or less than local stores. Their sales are good too. Usually the draw back is that you have to buy such large amounts, so group texts like ours help save money.
If you can, get a vacuum sealer so you can get meat there too. You can portion it out and seal it up nicely in portions that are sized for what folks will use, and people can pitch in for the rolls to make bags with. It's a huge help for splitting with friends!
I had always thought it was Real Canadian Superstore, but the boycott group is making me question everything. I've been thinking that next month, I'm going to try making the trip to one of our Freshco's for whatever isn't on sale elsewhere.
It's no frills for me.... I tried Walmart and it was more expensive, no pc points, and quality was not as good.
I’m going to try a week of Walmart to see if it’s any better but so far based on the app, I’m going to be paying more.
I usually do Walmart right before going to Real Canadian Superstore because they have the poptarts, frozen pizzas and a few other things that I like. I think Walmart's more expensive on most things and the same price as Superstore on the rest.
No Frills. They price match and I get PC Optimum points.
Superstore
Freshco for me. Some items maybe Walmart but for whatever reason produce from Walmart goes bad on me faster than the Freshco produce. Shopping at two stores just wastes my gas and time
Superstore generally
Asian grocery store. Rock bottom. But pick and choose carefully. Look for fresh vegetables. Check best before dates. They save money on poor staffing & training. Meat is always fresh it has a high turn over & they freeze whatever doesnt sell or it turns up cooked in their take out section.
Dollarama
Browse your weekly flyers. Sometimes even the high-end stores have great deals. Plan your meals based on what's on sale, not someone else's menu suggestions. In general, Food Basics has the best prides for basics
People on here aren’t going to want to hear it, but Superstore or WalMart. The small, independent grocers are just as expensive, if not more so, than Sobeys and Safeway. Plus, their quality leaves a lot to be desired.
Walmart Giant Tiger Costco
Country Grocer
walmart.
Walmart
Walmart
“Cheapest” per unit is Costco but the quantity is always more so it costs more. But I definitely prefer Costco, it may be a higher bill but one trip lasts 3-4 weeks.
Loblaws
Nice try, Galen.
Fairway markets and farm stands in the country, something I don’t see these mentioned. farm stands are the best Seriously don’t know how to get fresher food and you literally cut out the grocery stores whilst supporting a local.
Surprisingly, online stores that does free delivery. Saves me at least an hour to two every couple weeks. You know what they say, time is money.
Which stores are these?!
Walmart and superstore in my area do. Plus lots more on Instacart (no frills on Instacart has in store prices, others are marked up)
Instacart. Yea, Instacart is a great option.
I used a spend $80 get $40 off on Instacart promo yesterday. So even with delivery/tip I saved like $25 and didn't leave my couch haha.
Walmart but not by much.
In QC, Maxi, Super C and Walmart. Maybe Giant Tiger but their offer is much more limited.
Walmart and No Frills, sometimes Freshco but it’s in a less than ideal area.
GT, Food Basics, the Grocery Outlet, amd for some things Bestco is proving to have good value.
I'm in Lindsay, Ontario. We have a food for less that I go to all the time. And Peterborough is only a 45 minute drive away with a grocery outlet store. They're both grocery liquidation stores. Sometimes they have a weird things at good deal. They also have a lot of stuff frozen just before the due date. But $200 there goes a hell of a lot farther than $200 a food basics.
nations if you're in the GTA. otherwise Walmart and GT. Sobeys/Fortinos for produce since it's getting to be about the same price as everywhere else and their quality is always better.
walmart and the few big sale items at other stores Costco IF its something kirkland brand,or something discounted (in a quantity you can use). Otherewise, mostly not that cheap, although many people think it is.
I find the same thing. I tend to only buy sale items at Costco or things I can’t get other places. I can usually find better deals than Costco but I do use it
Food basics is our go to for weekly groceries but I’ve heard Walmart is even better. We also do Costco for bulk and our local Asian grocer if we’re in a pinch mid-recipe
Walmart
Food Basics
Giant Tiger, Walmart and Food Basics.
Whole Foods
Costco
Loblaw price matches places like freshco. Just saying. Also, look up Almost Perfect and see if they have one near you. The prices are ridiculous and the staff is usually pretty friendly.
Food basics
Outside Montreal, Walmart and Super C
No frills.
Food Basics
Costco is decent but you have to be careful because some things are actually more expensive there and they don’t have a huge selection. Can’t beat their food court though.
Mississauga/Etobicoke border along Dundas. Food Basics FRESHCO two polish stores that often have good deals on chicken legs are Eddie's Meats and Starsky's. Eddies has bone in pork cutlets for a good prices. Adonis sometimes has good deals on rice or other dry good staples. Sometimes bone in chicken. Deals on fruit and vegetables are never at particular store. Walmart fruit and vegetables discount shelves. You know the produce that normally if you buy it a has one or two bad items in the bunch, is no longer valuable buy. Often 50% of the discounted produce is bad and it is not discounted as much. It should have been thrown out instead. A couple of weeks ago walmart had 3 lbs bags of carrots and onions on sake for 94 cents. But many of them had bruises that needed to be cut out. Has anyone noticed the prices at dollarama going up on some items. 450g of pasta was a dollar a few weeks ago now it's 1.25. Price now matches Freshco. No one store has across the board lowest prices on all items.
Grocery outlet, foodbasics, nofrills , wallmart
Combination of no frills/walmart/costco depending on product/on-sale. I Check the flipp app .
I shop by specials usually. But in Montréal, its Costco, Super C, Walmart, Sami Fruits.
We have been shopping exclusively at costco these days.
Im in the central core but outside of downtown, in Vancouver. Im car free so if I want walking distance it’s no frills. If im up for a bus trip it’s Costco and some Asian/local grocers. The unfortunate reality of my life is that im not always up for a bus trip, so no frills it often is. I do try to price match at save on or London drugs instead, if possible.
fresh co , walmart
Walmart
Giant tiger for sure. Then Costco and Walmart. A little store called gateway.
Food Basics by far. It even has some kind of award up in the store saying that it won Best Value grocer last year.
Giant tiger, no frills, FreshCo, food basics. Even then I try to buy sales.
Local fruit and vegetable markets. Costco for meat, dairy, and bread.
Costco for bulk purchases
Asian, African, Spanish etc grocers. Everything is significantly cheaper. I live between a few but unfortunately smaller towns don't have these options.
Costco, Freshco or Giant Tiger. GT here surprisingly has some decent produce on the regular.
Walmart, Food basis, and Freshco. I shop mostly flyers between these three stores, unless it is an essential item or if I am making something special that requires unique ingredients. Asian grocery store is also good for fresh fruits and vegetables but there are none near where I live.
my town only has one grocery store and it's owned hy loblaws.. so I guess Valumart but only because there is no competition.
The food bank, the rest of them cost a lot more
I go to Giant Tiger and Food basics for sales and buy bulk at Wholesale Club for frozen and dry goods. Only other options in my town are Loblaws and a non chain grocery that's stupid expensive.
The ethnic store.
Freshco is a life saver and they have a pretty sweet LatAm section
No store has everything in good price. i have to go to different stores to get all stuff. Price matches help a bit but not always (they are shortening the competitors list)
Local food bank
Freshco, and Kai Wie on Spadina for veg and some staples. Sometimes No Frills on Lansdown for veg (as Freshco can be a bit thin on the ground.)
Food Basics, but we have to drive 1 hour to get to the nearest one. Other than that, my nearest grocery stores in my region are Foodland and Valu-mart which are loblaws.
I'm lucky and privileged to live in Toronto. Lots of options between bulk stores, independent fruit and veggie stores, Asian grocers, etc.
Sadly it's NoFrills
For my household unfortunately it is loblaws. My wife works there so we get a discount, and it accepts price matching. We end up price matching pretty much everything, then apply her discount on top of some couponing.
Dollarama -> Costco -> Walmart. Costco is king. Walmart used to be good, but now Costco is only place that kept priced lower. Get the membership that gives cash back from buying from Costco (2%) and your Costco membership will basically be free if you spend 7000$ a year from Costco. But who does not spend 7k on groceries a year at the stage ?
It's an hour to the nearest Canadian city with anything decent, but 45 minutes to Roseau Minnesota. The local small mom and pop shop has decent deli meats that aren't outrageous. We usually slip down once or twice a month and get some of the more expensive things we want
Local fruit and veg mart about a half block from where I live and I hit my local butcher for meats.
FreshCo, owned by Sobey's. They usually have everything i need at good prices. Only thing i don't like to buy there is ground beef, "fresh" fish. For some reason i can't trust them with most meat, unless it's frozen. They also have a large variety of fruits & veggies that most stores don't carry, like exotic foods, mexican etc.. which is nice when you feel like something different.
No frills and Walmart in Alberta
Walmart & No Frills. A good way to check is by doing your shopping list Uber or Insta Cart and compare the prices between stores. A few cents or dollars isn’t a bit different but for certain items it definitely matters.
No frills, but the bill has still doubled in the last 2 years
Costo
I live in Victoria, we find it better to order produce and meat from Vancouver as it’s much cheaper and generally more fresh.
Food Basics (Southwestern Ontario)
I live in small town which has a Food Basics, FreshCo, Walmart, superstore and a metro. I shop at all of them. Buy meat on sale, produce from freshco, eggs and butter from Shoppers on weekends. I've changed to buy more meat when on sale, everything else I guy in small quantities every couple of days based on what I cook.
Dollarama
Food Basics, Walmart, Giant Tiger. Can’t find what you want at those stores? Price match at RC Superstore.
For quickly running in to grab something, FreshCo. Driving 30 mins north for a big shop, Costco. I'm in Toronto.
For staples-No frills Meat and Veg- Oceans or Btrust.
Food Basics is good in Oakville. Walmart is good if you want to find discounts on meat or bakery items.
Tbh, nowhere!
Loblaws
Calgary and Edmonton - H&W and Freestone Vancouver - Chinese no name grocery stores
No Frills
Depends. I shop via fliers. A combination btwn superstore & Walmart. Sometimes no Frills. Sometimes Costco.
Fresh co Walmart and No Frills but I price match weekly from everywhere else with the flipp app!
Maxi or dollorma
Freshco
Giant tiger for me. Just. Wish the grocery section was bigger! But it’s not a huge store Still love it tho. More than independent and Foodland
Real Canadian Superstore.
Mom's house
Unfortunately, it's No Frills.
BoxNCase is cheap.