Food prices

[occasional thoughts]

I'm a fairly careful shopper, and now that I'm on a semi-fixed income, I have to be even more vigilant. I have been blown away and then some by the rapidly increasing prices in our grocery stores in the face of the alleged economic downturn in the last couple of years. Of my "favourites" I find that Safeway is the most radical in raising prices, and I'll give a specific example.

The Maple Leaf packaged fresh meat dinners (pot roast, meatloaf, etc.) (600g to 680g) were $9.99 about a year ago, and they've been going up in 50c increments ever since, to where they were $14.99 a couple of weeks ago. They were on sale for $7.99 last week, and when the sale ended, their new regular price was $15.49. Is this Safeway or Maple Leaf behind these increases?

This example is not unusual but typical in the grocery aisles in my experience. Wal-Mart does bring some minor sanity to grocery prices, but their selection is incomplete so one has to stray to other venues to get everything. I hardly bother visiting Save-On anymore.

What this brings into further doubt for me is the veracity/integrity of the published inflation rates for Canada. They do not reflect my day-to-day experience.

[mexi cali]

No kidding. For me, I have found Saveon to be the biggest offender as I don't shop at Safeway. They will often offer buy one/get one and when you shop for these "deals", it appears as though the regular price has been increased to a point where when you do the comparison, the second item may only be discounted marginally as opposed to free.

You have to be diligent and many of us don't have the time to be checking on all of our everyday items which I am sure the chains rely on.

The system at RCSS where you have to bag yourself negates the opportunity to check individual prices as items are scanned because you're to busy trying to keep up with the bagging process to watch.

Strawberries, many other fruits and veggies fluctuate dramatically from one week to the next. Chicken. I am convinced that BC chickens must ingest gold dust as part of their diets. Beef. Some of the most expensive cows I have ever come across are for sale in our grocery stores.

every timeI come back from grocery shopping, I am amazed at how little I got for my money.

[occasional thoughts]

Was shopping for creamed honey the other day at Wal-Mart. The house brand was $4 and change, Bee Maid was $5+ for the 500 g, and $8+ for the 1 kg. (all not on sale). I bought the latter. Boy was I shocked walking through Safeway a few days later and noticed that the Bee Maid 1 kg. at Safeway was almost $15.

[fluffy]

It's nice to be able to depend on a food store to give you the best deals across the board, but sadly that's rarely the case. Generally speaking, Save-On will out-do Safeway on a mixed cart. Our local Wal-Mart here in Penticton isn't a superstore so selection is limited in the grocery department, still there are enough standard items regularly priced way below the competition to make it a regular stop, plus a few items that can't be found elsewhere. Another regular stop here is the Old Town Farm Market for produce. Substantial savings if you shop the specials.

Don't get me started on peanut butter.

[steven lloyd]

removed off topic - Jennylives

[fluffy]

removed off topic - Jennylives

[occasional thoughts]

Over the years, in my experience, Save-On (Overwaitea) has gone from competitive to fat cat. I used to do most of our shopping at Save-On, but now I hardly visit there other than for pharmacy, which I have left unchanged for continuity's sake. I'm surprised that Save-On would beat Safeway in a shopping cart comparison, but maybe it is and continues to be marginally better. One thing I'll say, and notwithstanding their high regular prices for most things, nobody does a better blood-bath price cut than Safeway. They recently put on our favourite deoderant for $1.49, regular $3.79 I had to get a raincheck, for 20 items!

[GoStumpy]

I know Coffee has gone up considerably...

I bought Western Family 1KG unground for $12.49 for at least a year... about a year ago... on sale it was $9.99.

Now it goes on sale at $13.99 and regular is almost $16!!

[Lady tehMa]

I flyer shop. I also work at the other end of town from where I live, so I do my shopping "on the way". I do multiple stops at all sorts of different places - I don't mind it, I rather enjoy it.

Fruit packers on clement often has great prices. Sun Rype is where I buy school snacks (if I can get there when the warehouse is open). IGA, Coopers, occasionally Safeway or Save-On (depending on the flyers). Superstore has some good deals(mainly non-perishables, the herbal select Stevia is cheapest there). I shop greengrocers and the occasional butchers', depending on sales. It is worth it to buy lunch meats at Illichmann's or Med Market. The oriental grocery by Yamato is great too. And let us not forget Costco. As a mom in a family of 4, where two of those are teens? Costco packs are just the right size . . .

I also grow food and am trying to get more in to canning.

[grammafreddy]

I know Coffee has gone up considerably...

I bought Western Family 1KG unground for $12.49 for at least a year... about a year ago... on sale it was $9.99.

Now it goes on sale at $13.99 and regular is almost $16!!

Maxwell House and Folgers regularly go on sale for about $7 these days for the 900 gr size. I watch the flyers for them. Do you find that much taste difference between ground and unground?

[GoStumpy]

Unfortunately for me, I have a wife. LOL! She won't drink folgers or maxwell house.

Reaaally tempted to just buy it, put it in a different tin, and not tell her... that's not a bad idea...