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It pays to shop around for groceries and other items.
Recently we started shopping regularly at two grocery stores, since one was where we buy groceries for a housebound family member.
Shopping at two places gave us a better idea of price differences and a shot at specials in both places.
Then a discount store came to Moose Jaw and a few visits there found even better prices.
The fruit juice I bought for almost $5 was priced $4 at the discount store — a 20 per cent difference
Several trips later it was $4.50 and the price at our regular store was $4.69. Apparently competition brought that price down.
About a year ago that $4.69 was $3.69.
The discount store offered whole pineapples for $6.99, the same size as elsewhere — another $2 saving.
The discount store offered bread at 94 cents a loaf. That loaf was much larger than our regular store’s and didn’t go bad sitting out as soon as the others. It must be filled with preservatives.
That is a 165 per cent saving. Bread at the others is around $2.65 a loaf.
By my calculations potential savings over a year will amount to $500 – not huge in today’s buying power, but every penny kept in our pockets helps in these trying times.
One aspect of food shopping is called shrinkflation — smaller amounts in the same-sized package with the same or higher price
We buy Kraft Dinner occasionally. Over a year or two the price has shot up from about a dollar a box to $2.98 -$2.99.
Durum wheat prices haven’t increased by almost 200 per cent, but profits from Kraft Dinner must have.
You see, the box now is less than half full of product. The first time we bought a half empty box we thought the production line failed.
It happened again and we knew shrinkflation was the culprit.
We used to get enough from one box for one meal and another from leftovers. Now we’re lucky to have any leftovers.
The bathroom deodorant I have been buying has also started shrinkflation. The see-through bottle is less than half full, where it once was about 80 per cent full.
I noticed an article recently about a store that labelled products doing shrinkflation. That should be a law.
Shopping around helps. As a retired person I have the time. A family where both parents work has little time to shop around. Yet they could really benefit from the practice.
Ron Walter can be reached at [email protected]
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the position of this publication.
