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Groceries - Wal-Mart vs Sobeys

Groceries - Wal-Mart vs Sobeys

Dean Stewart
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 101

Dean Stewart
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 101

Groceries - Wal-Mart vs Sobeys
7/23/2016 at 7:44 PM

Ok I used to be a rep for Gillette Canada and one the the big food retailers (Safeway) used to be nicknamed the fat cat of retail grocery. Is it me or since Sobeys bought out Safeway, prices are way out of line? We kinda get the same things over and over and we seem to get nothing at Sobeys for $100 and so much more at Wal-Mart. Sobeys the fat cat now meaning less price breaks and name their price for more profit. Your thoughts?
don brown
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 4956

don brown
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 4956

I have to agree
7/23/2016 at 8:31 PM

Took a few years to convince the better half that there were less expensive places to shop than Safeway, Sobeys now seems to be on that list as well, sad thing to say is even Co-op is finding itself on the don't stop there list. We really notice the differences in prices since grocery shopping is usually stocking up for a couple of weeks. Some people don't like Superstore compared to Wallmart, but I find the prices comparable between the two, although you have to watch prices more in superstore on different sized items.
Always enjoyed shopping in Sobeys, but at times it just comes down to the dollars.
don brown
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 4956

don brown
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 4956

Brand names
7/23/2016 at 8:57 PM

We usually hit giant tiger as the last stop, and in the winter time I sort of like eating Habitat pea soup, or pea soup with ham, and if you compare the same product at the three stores Giant Tiger is always the cheapest, same can be said about large bags of frozen fries, or VH sweet and sour sauce or plum sauce. It seems that milk prices are pretty well equal at all three, Giant Tiger used to have the best price on the 4 litre jugs.
Tamara79
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 2102

Tamara79
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 2102

I can't compare
7/23/2016 at 9:45 PM

When it comes to canned and boxed goods, then yes I agree Walmart is cheaper than Sobeys. Dairy is also cheaper at Walmart. I do not like boxed meats though so do all my meat shopping at Sobeys because it's cheaper and I find better quality than Superstore. I do have to be careful with Walmart though for alot of their boxed things like Granola bars etc because Walmart has different quantities than Superstore (less per box) so although it seems cheaper its because you are getting less. Same goes for fruit, and the quality tends to be better at Superstore.
wonderment
Joined: Aug 2014
Posts: 392

wonderment
Joined: Aug 2014
Posts: 392

:)
7/24/2016 at 12:56 AM

I haven't been able to afford to shop at sobeyes without a big sale (which they rarely have) in a long time. We honestly just gave up and don't even bother with it at all, same as Safeway. It's superstore or walmart for my family
pnutbut
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 49

pnutbut
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 49

groceries
7/24/2016 at 8:57 AM

We buy most of our groceries at Walmart we find the prices better especially for kids stuff. Our main shop is there. But we go to sobeys for our produce, veggies and sometimes meats. Or even quick things we need to grab it's sobeys unless it's diapers or something for my kids
Adam

Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 15663

Adam
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 15663

Sobeys
7/24/2016 at 9:12 AM

Sobeys was never the cheapest when I'd done price comparisons. Walmart and Superstore seemed to have that title, then a middle bracket with Sobeys, Coop, Zellers, then Safeway and Stans. That was a few years ago now before Sobeys even bought Safeway (hence the dated Zellers, Stans references) so might be time for a new comparison... but if anything my assumption is that Safeway is moderating a little bit on some items to get closer in line with Sobeys. The one thing I've noticed with Sobeys the last few weeks that I'm not a huge fan of... is it just the items I look at or has there been an increase in sales where you have to buy multiples to get the sale price?

We usually end up at Sobeys for I'd say 4 out of 5 grocery trips, buying on sale items when we can. Produce seems to be more reliable, meat selection works best for us for how we shop, location in our case is convenient and the big Air Miles promos (Spend $100, get 100, etc) tip the scales their way.... especially when that 100 Air Miles is worth as much as $20-30 on some redemptions. They also seem to do a good job of hiring and maintaining a friendly staff. Am looking forward to seeing how the new location turns out.
We do keep a separate "Walmart list" of bigger ticket items we need to buy ($10-15 and up) for when we're in that part of town. On those items we feel Walmart (or Superstore) will be cheaper no matter what sales come up elsewhere and so when we can we avoid buying them at seemingly higher markup at other stores.
Jym
Joined: Apr 2015
Posts: 82

Jym
Joined: Apr 2015
Posts: 82

Walmart lacking
7/24/2016 at 10:01 AM

I've found the past couple weeks wal mart has not had items on shelf in grocery department. I've been a faithful Walmart shopper but find myself at superstore more often now. Fruit and veggies are better quality. Also some baby items are much cheaper. I save $5 buying pampers at superstore compared to wal mart. My only negative thing to say about superstore is some of the staff is not very helpful. I once asked a fella where the hummus was and he honestly replied "I don't know what that is sorry" and the other day I asked a lady where the cream cheese was and she asked another employee if they even sold it. I know a lot of restaurants will have tests for new employees about their menu's - why not incorporate this for people working in grocery stores?
summergal
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 1554

summergal
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 1554

....
7/24/2016 at 10:01 AM

We live out of Brandon and try to do most of our grocery shopping in Brandon, we go to Walmart for dry goods, dairy, and baby items and then sobeys for the rest. I like the produce and meat way better at sobeys. A few time I have bought produce at Walmart and the day or two later when I went to eat it, it was mouldy/rotting wasn't worth the money to throw it out. At sobeys I watch what's on sale for meat and stock up with what we like. I have noticed lately though that my local coop has really good prices on chicken and steak so we have been getting some of our meat there.

Superstore seems out of the way for us as we usually just hit up everything we need on 18th street while we are in Brandon.
Khakz
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 1694

Khakz
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 1694

Here's a challenge...
7/24/2016 at 11:08 AM

I have a challenge for everyone out there who says Wal-Mart is cheaper...

I live in Sask, so I myself can't do the Brandon challenge, however do a price check on staple goods: 4L milk, Wonder Bread, Imperial Margarine, 12pk store brand soda, large bag of old dutch chips, box of kabob keurig coffee, 1L Sunrype Apple Juice, 500g Kraft Peanut Butter, and 12pk Hot Dogs (store brand).

These are items every store has, and compare the non sale price, and I can bet Wal-Mart will be one of the more expensive places. When I did this in Sask, here is how it panned out, cheapest to highest:
Superstore
Sobeys
Giant Tiger
Safeway (yes, the peanut butter and coffee were more at Safeway than Sobeys)
Wal-Mart
No Frills
Co-op
Extra Foods
Shoppers Drug
London Drug
YIG / Independent

Milk prices in particular were shocking. When not on sale, Shoppers was the highest. When on sale, Shoppers was the lowest. Bread was cheapest at Superstore. Wal-Mart and London Drugs had the highest prices for coffee and peanut butter.

Take the challenge. Compare non-sale like items, and you will see Wal-Mart has dropped the ball on being the best price.

summergal
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 1554

summergal

Joined: May 2009

Posts: 1554

....

7/24/2016 at 12:42 PM

Khakz said "I have a challenge for everyone out there who says Wal-Mart is cheaper...

I live in Sask, so I myself can't do the Brandon challenge, however do a price check on staple goods: 4L milk, Wonder Bread, Imperial Margarine, 12pk store brand soda, large bag of old dutch chips, box of kabob keurig coffee, 1L Sunrype Apple Juice, 500g Kraft Peanut Butter, and 12pk Hot Dogs (store brand).

These are items every store has, and compare the non sale price, and I can bet Wal-Mart will be one of the more expensive places. When I did this in Sask, here is how it panned out, cheapest to highest:
Superstore
Sobeys
Giant Tiger
Safeway (yes, the peanut butter and coffee were more at Safeway than Sobeys)
Wal-Mart
No Frills
Co-op
Extra Foods
Shoppers Drug
London Drug
YIG / Independent

Milk prices in particular were shocking. When not on sale, Shoppers was the highest. When on sale, Shoppers was the lowest. Bread was cheapest at Superstore. Wal-Mart and London Drugs had the highest prices for coffee and peanut butter.

Take the challenge. Compare non-sale like items, and you will see Wal-Mart has dropped the ball on being the best price. "

It depends what you are buying, some stuff is cheaper at this store and other stuff is cheaper at other stores. I'm not going to go to every store to get the cheapest thing at each one. So I will go to Walmart and buy what is cheaper there than sobeys since I also need to buy other non food items there, than hit sobeys on the way out of town.

Also the 1 kg Kraft peanut butter is cheaper at Walmart than a few places I've seen, by a few dollars

CatMan
Joined: May 2012
Posts: 1144

CatMan
Joined: May 2012
Posts: 1144

Multiple Items
7/24/2016 at 2:08 PM

Yes Adam, I've noticed that at Safeway now a lot of the items have to be bought in multiples in order to get the sale price.
Always buy bread at Giant Tiger, the Deli World Light Rye bread which is $3.49 at Co-op is quite often on sale for either $1 or 4/$5. Can't beat that.
coffeefan
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 2101

coffeefan
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 2101

...
7/24/2016 at 2:38 PM

Majority of my shopping is at Walmart. Prices are good and it is very convenient. The odd time we will stop at Safeway (Corral Center just to avoid the Walmart lines if we only need a few items. Superstore is our next go to place. I haven't been to Sobey's in years. Coop is our go to for cakes and that's it
Kato
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 779

Kato
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 779

....
7/24/2016 at 5:12 PM

We have a Safeway in town so the majority of my shopping is done there. I concentrate on buying whats on sale whenever possible. It's starting to sell multiples to get a sale price too. My response is to not buy anything under that kind of sale. Especially perishable things. Shop sales at Co-op too. Some things we buy at Walmart when we're in Brandon . Splenda is half the money there. Bread from Giant Tiger. Can't beat that price and it's fresher too.

This time of year we concentrate on the garden.
plus zero
Joined: This month
Posts: 1236

plus zero
Joined: This month
Posts: 1236

it is
7/24/2016 at 5:50 PM

not that bad. Plan ahead and I look for sale which are the same price somethimes in 2 or 3 stores. There are some items a bit more pricey than the other and vice versa with other stores.
happytee
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 398

happytee
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 398

...
7/24/2016 at 7:25 PM

I use the Flipp App to comparison shop for a week. We don't live in Brandon but when I go in I don't mind going to a couple of spots.

Coop had a great sale on chicken breasts - regular ~ $35 on sale for ~ $15! Unfortunately ended today, but the whole chickens are still on sale. They often have great sales on hamburger too $2.99 a pound
Adam

Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 15663

Adam
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 15663

Prices
9/4/2016 at 3:56 PM

Haven't done a deep enough shop comparison at either store to see how price cuts measure up, but thought it was relevant to bring up the price cuts Sobeys/Safeway are touting on "1000s" of items at stores in Western Canada including Brandon. Link below is Saskatchewan, but close enough!
http://leaderpost.com/business/local-business/sobeys-to-unveil-everyday-low-pricing-at-26-saskatchewan-stores-on-friday

summergal
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 1554

summergal

Joined: May 2009

Posts: 1554

....

9/4/2016 at 4:17 PM

Adam said "
Haven't done a deep enough shop comparison at either store to see how price cuts measure up, but thought it was relevant to bring up the price cuts Sobeys/Safeway are touting on "1000s" of items at stores in Western Canada including Brandon. Link below is Saskatchewan, but close enough!
http://leaderpost.com/business/local-business/sobeys-to-unveil-everyday-low-pricing-at-26-saskatchewan-stores-on-friday
"

Shopped at sobeys yesterday and noticed some price cuts, would have noticed more I'm sure but most of the stuff I needed was meat and produce so didn't hit most of the aisles. Was pretty happy on the price cuts on the frozen fruit!!

CatMan
Joined: May 2012
Posts: 1144

CatMan
Joined: May 2012
Posts: 1144

Still Have to Watch
9/4/2016 at 5:18 PM

The other day (afte the price cuts), bought a 2pk. of Dove Soap at Safeway for $3.19. Then went to Walmart and a 4-pk. of the exact same soap & bar size was $2.97. Felt a bit ripped off.
Never_give_up
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 362

Never_give_up
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 362

Multiples
9/4/2016 at 7:10 PM

I shop mainly at Superstore, I'm not sure why but Walmart drives me crazy! I like Co-ops 10 for $10 sales, and with Co-op you don't have to buy 10. If you buy 2 it's $2. Any other store it seems if you don't buy the quantity you don't get the sale price. I shop what is on sale, and buy in large quantities, so rarely pay full price for much. I don't remember the last time I was in a Safeway or Sobeys, find them way to expensive.
north of 54
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 300

north of 54
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 300

Lucerne milk is the reason I buy less at Sobeys
9/5/2016 at 12:31 PM

Ever since head office mandated that Sobeys had to carry Lucerne milk (and only Lucerne milk) I have spent less money at Sobeys and more at Walmart. I have spoken to the manager and he says there is nothing they can do about the milk situation and I'm not the only one complaining about that product. So, I shop at Walmart for Dairyland milk and spend almost half my food dollars there now.
Caroline

Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 1347

Caroline
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 1347

Preference
9/5/2016 at 4:09 PM

We prefer Coop far and above any of the other stores for the bulk of our groceries. We buy very very little in the way of canned/boxed .. preferring home made /fresh over chemicals. I'll buy from Coop over Walmart/Superstore regardless of price when it comes to produce . Won't even entertain the idea of buying meat from those stores. It's either Coop or locally produced
sammy
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 8749

sammy
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 8749

.
9/5/2016 at 7:24 PM

Walmart....great when we need more than just groceries but sometimes their selection is too small (not all flavours and sizes). Their produce is a waste of money unless you're eating it within a couple of days. They're not always the cheapest anymore I've noticed recently. Great for coupons and price matching

Sobeys....will likely always be my favourite store especially for meat and cheeses. Their prices have really dropped IMO which is great. Produce has always been my favourite place to buy. Staff has always been nice

Coop....gets a bit more of our money since we followed Leeann (pharmacist) there but still the most priciest store IMO so I usually only shop their 10 for $10 sales. Produce is nice but sometimes not enough selection. Meat has been good. Best grocery store cake (but Courtney's is our fav!)

Superstore....rarely go there but they do have some things we like. I don't find it super cheap compared to other stores and my husband refuses to buy their meat. I watch the till so I hate having to bag my groceries lol. Have found they have the wrong scanned price the most often but they honour SCOP and are usually really good at applying it

Safeway...best grocery store floral dept. Prices have dropped since Sobeys bought them. I can't stand the robotic staff though and for some reason it really bugs me. I know it's their job but they just don't come across as genuine and it feels like they're reading from a paper. I know, it's a petty complaint!