Discussions

On Monday afternoon I decided to go around to each of our major Brandon grocery retailers and do a price check/comparison on several common items. Prior to looking up sales/existing prices I chose 13 common products that I've been known to buy myself:  
 
- 2L 2% Milk carton (substituted for jug where not available)  
- 12 large eggs  
- 1 Michelinas microwavable lunch  
- 2L Pepsi  
- Lays 235g bag of chips  
- 1 loaf of D'Italiano/Villagio bread  
- 1 package of Juicy Jumbos (had to play this one by ear a bit to find the most common type of hot dog across as many stores as possible)  
- 1 Delissio rising crust pizza  
- Hunts 4-pack of pudding  
- 1 can of Chunky Beef soup  
- 1 200g box of Kraft Dinner  
- 1 standard-sized box of Nature Valley Crunchy bars  
- 1 525g box of Cherrios  
 
 
Based on the numbers I observed, I came up with two rankings. The first ranks each based on what the total bill for all products would have been on the *current* (sale included) price:  
 
1. Superstore: $32.85  
2. Wal-Mart: $33.14  
3. Shoppers Drug Mart: $39.38  
4. Zellers: $41.95**  
5. Heritage Co-op: $42.76  
6. Sobeys: $43.12  
7. Safeway: $47.00  
8. Stan's: $48.65
Honorable mention: Giant Tiger (see note below)  
 
And the second ranking ranks based on regular prices for the items. Note that neither Superstore nor Wal-mart are included in this ranking since regular prices were not visibly posted for many sale items:  
 
1. Zellers: $43.24**  
2. Heritage Co-op: $44.63  
3. Sobeys: $45.18  
4. Shoppers Drug Mart: $48.97  
5. Stan's: $49.27  
6. Safeway: $49.32
Honorable mention: Giant Tiger (see note below)  
 
Below is a product-by-product breakdown. Any noted sale prices were marked with a *:  
 
2% 2L Milk  
Superstore: $1.22 (assuming some kind of sale/clearance?)  
Wal-Mart: $1.98  
Giant Tiger: $1.99  
Heritage Co-op: $2.65  
Safeway: $2.75  
Sobeys: $2.75  
Zellers: $2.99  
Stan's: $3.19  
Shoppers Drug Mart: $3.19 (price is for jug, carton not available in 2L)  
 
12 Large Eggs  
Giant Tiger: $2.05  
Superstore: $2.12  
Wal-Mart: $2.18  
Zellers: $2.19  
Shopper's Drug Mart: $2.19  
Stan's: $2.19  
Sobey's: $2.29  
Heritage Co-op: $2.29  
Safeway: $2.29  
 
Michelinas  
Wal-Mart: $1.25*  
Superstore: $1.25*  
Heritage co-op: $1.40*  
Shoppers Drug Mart: $1.69*  
Zellers: $1.99  
Sobeys: $2.00*  
Stan's: $2.49  
Safeway: $2.67 (Do have this product on sale in quantity buys)  
 
2L Pepsi  
Superstore: $1.49  
Wal-Mart: $1.58  
Safeway: $1.67*  
Sobeys: $1.99  
Heritage Co-op: $1.99*  
Zellers: $2.19  
Shoppers Drug Mart: $2.29 (do have on sale in quantity buys)  
Stan's: $2.89  
 
Lays 235g chips  
Giant Tiger: $2.47  
Superstore: $2.49  
Wal-mart: $2.50  
Stan's: $2.99  
Sobeys: $2.99  
Heritage Co-op: 3.00  
Shoppers Drug Mart: $3.29*  
Zellers: $3.29  
Safeway: $3.39  
 
D'italiano/Villagio bread  
Wal-Mart: $2.46 (Villagio)*  
Giant Tiger: $2.48 (D'Italiano)*  
Zellers: $2.50 (D'Italiano)*  
Superstore: $2.77 (D'Italiano)*  
Shoppers Drug Mart (Villagio): $2.79  
Heritage Co-op: $3.19 (Villagio)  
Stan's: $3.19 (D'Italiano)  
Safeway: $3.79 (Villagio)  
Sobeys: $4.19 (Villagio)  
 
Juicy Jumbos  
Shoppers Drug Mart: $2.50*  
Wal-Mart: $3.97  
Safeway: $3.99*  
Superstore: $4.69  
Heritage Co-op: $4.99  
Sobeys: $5.47  
Stan's: $5.59  
Note: Price of $5.56 (average of 2 closest comparables) was attributed to Zellers 
 
Delissio  
Superstore: $4.97*  
Wal-Mart: $5.97*  
Shoppers Drug Mart: $5.99*  
Sobeys: $7.29*  
Zellers: $7.99  
Heritage Co-op: $8.49  
Safeway: $9.49  
Stan's: $9.89  
 
Hunt's 4-pack pudding  
Zellers: $0.99*  
Superstore: $1.65  
Stan's: $1.67*  
Shoppers Drug Mart: $1.69*  
Giant Tiger: $1.77  
Wal-Mart: $1.77  
Sobeys: $1.99  
Heritage Co-op: $1.99  
Safeway: (Did not carry. Were assigned their Jello 4-pack price of $2.50 as that in my estimation was their closest comparable)  
 
Chunky Beef Soup  
Giant Tiger: $1.97*  
Wal-Mart: $2.27  
Superstore: $2.27  
Zellers: $2.49  
Heritage Co-op: $2.50*  
Sobeys: $2.78  
Safeway: $3.19  
Stan's: $3.29  
Shoppers Drug Mart: $3.49  
 
Kraft Dinner, Original, 200g box  
Giant Tiger: $1.47  
Superstore: $1.57  
Wal-Mart: $1.57  
Zellers: $1.59  
Heritage Co-op: $1.69  
Stan's: $1.79  
Shoppers Drug Mart: $1.79  
Sobeys: $1.89  
Safeway: $1.99  
 
Nature valley Crunchy bars  
Giant Tiger: $1.97*  
Wal-Mart: $1.97*  
Superstore: $1.97*  
Shoppers Drug Mart: $1.99*  
Sobeys: $2.50*  
Zellers: $3.19  
Stan's: $3.49  
Heritage co-op: $3.79  
Safeway: $3.79  
 
Cheerios, 525g box  
Wal-Mart: $3.67  
Superstore: $4.39  
Heritage Co-op: $4.79*  
Zellers: $4.99  
Sobeys: $4.99  
Safeway: $5.49  
Stan's: $5.99  
Shoppers Drug Mart: $6.49  
 
 
 
And just for fun, the most optimal shopping trip based solely on price would've been:  
2L 2% Milk: $1.22, Superstore  
12 large eggs: $2.05, Giant Tiger  
Michelinas: $1.25, Wal-Mart/Superstore  
2L Pepsi: $1.49, Superstore  
Lays 235g chips: $2.47, Giant Tiger  
D'Italiano/Villagio: $2.46, Wal-Mart  
Juicy Jumbos: $2.50, Shoppers Drug Mart  
Delissio: $4.97, Superstore  
Hunts pudding: $0.99, Zellers  
Chunky Beef: $1.97, Giant Tiger  
Kraft Dinner: $1.47, Giant Tiger  
Nature Valley bars: $1.97, Superstore/Wal-Mart/Giant Tiger  
Cheerios: Wal-Mart: $3.67  
TOTAL: $28.48  
 
 
NOTES  
- these prices are of course only from Monday, March 9. Prices are known to fluctuate by day/time of day
- Safeway did not carry Hunt's 4-pack of puddings, so a Jello 4-pack (at best possible sale price) was substituted  
- Giant Tiger did not carry 2L Pepsi, Delisso, Michelinas, 525g Cheerios (had 400g), Juicy Jumbos. Due to volume of products not carried, there was no fair way to include them in this short of cutting back on a lot of the products surveyed  
- **Zellers did not carry Juicy Jumbos. An average of their two closest comparables was used  
- D'Italiano and Villagio breads were used as comparables. Was difficult to otherwise find a consistant comparable in bread, something I thought it important to include  
- Shoppers Drug Mart and Stan's IGA had 225g boxes of Kraft Dinner on sale. Unfortunately not enough retailers carried that quantity for it to be included in this comparison  
- Since this was intended to simulate a real shopping trip solely for the items mentioned, quantity discounts on sale items were only included if that quantity was available on the purchase of a single item
- it should be noted that Safeway has quantity discounts on Lays, Michelinas, Chunky soup. Those discounts to my understanding are not available on the purchase of single items.. but if I were buying in quantity, I would've saved more than what is reflected in this list  
 
I hope some found this interesting and useful. Because of the amount of time/work that goes into this I of course won't be able to make this a weekly thing unless someone else wants to step up and try doing the same thing. I do hope to do it every few months and try a different combo of products, days, etc.