"DEAL OR NO DEAL? THAT IS THE QUESTION"

The 'Frugal Fashionista' has got her sensible shoes on and is ready to do battle. With a shopping cart in one hand and advertisements in the other I'm ready to take on T.O. supermarkets by storm in the war against overpricing. Let me explain, flyers are to me what the bible is to a man of the cloth. I rustle through them religiously in hopes of finding popular items on sale to get 'a lot more for my loonie'. Translation: that's the Canuck version of getting 'more bang for your buck'.

Every week flyers pass through millions of consumers fingers. All have the same goal in mind to 'save money'. Sadly, if you're not careful you could end up spending more than you 'bargained' for. I'm fortunate enough to live in close proximity to a some of these stores. So here are a few personal observations I've made for the popular grocery chains. Think of this as my personal report card. Look for the pricing grade below each store.

LOBLAWS SUPERSTORES: It's the one stop shopping all under one roof. Everything from housewares to food to clothes and pharmacy and everywhere in between. The quality is good but you're paying twice as much for what you'd get somewhere else. The last item I bought here on sale was 'Nice & Easy Root Touch-Up' and 'L'Mage Hair Colour' for $5.99 each (regularly $8.99). I was lucky enough to find these in stock. Darn those brunettes and their hair colour! In the end, your total purchases may have you steering clear of this store indefinitely. That is if you don't see it in the flyer. However, with 'Real Canadian' going head-to-head with 'Wal-Mart Superstores' beginning this week (Friday October 2nd to be exact) times may be a changin'. Look for their new 'Rounded Down' pricing program to take affect on over 2,000 items in its Ontario stores to be at par with the discount giant. Perhaps, a way to redeem itself amongst the average consumer. Finally, A new way to save you more ca-ching!
STORE GRADE: C+ (pricing - but may be upgraded to a 'B' once their new program begins)

FORTINOS SUPERSTORES: This is equivalent to its sister 'Loblaws Superstores' with little difference. Same appearance with all bells and whistles of its older sibling just a different name. Once again the quality is good but still is far from bargain central. Surprisingly though, I did manage to find 10kg 'Five Roses' & 'Robin Hood' all purpose flour there on sale last week. This was an absolute necessity especially with the holidays coming around. Sale price $8.99 which was a steal since it's regularly $13.99. However, this week they've got the same flour but in a 5kg bag for $5.99. Also the same hair colouring I purchased at Loblaws was a dollar more here at $6.99. Go figure? The 'Supermarket with a heart' just broke mine in a split second. Any hopes I had for bargains in the 'Fort' were dashed at the sight of this weeks flyer. But wait, if you're a fan of Sunsilk or Finesse hair care or styling products (150-355ml) you're in luck. They're offering a 2 for $4 deal on selected varieties until next Thursday.
STORE GRADE: C-

NO FRILLS: The last on the totem pole for the Loblaws company (and the most affordable of the two at 'lowering food prices') with a convenient in store pharmacy offers weekly sales. This week is no exception with 'The Real Canadian' natural spring water (case of 24) on sale for $1.88. Sounds refreshing doesn't it? This chain is good for keeping stock, in other words you won't be heading in the store to find an empty shelf of sale items. Sadly, unlike another store I know of that's synonymous for this. No names mentioned...*cough*...bad Price Chopper bad!
STORE GRADE: B

METRO: They're formerly 'Dominion' and still 'Fresh Obsessed' (now it's 'food at its best') but their prices still do nothing to help the average consumer. I will say that since this Quebec chain took over their prices have been a bit more competitive. This weeks 'on sale' item was Nestle water (case of 24) for $2.69 with a limit of 2. What these chains don't have are the proverbial bells and whistles the Superstores have but what they do have is a more scaled down version (sans everything in between that can somewhat leave you wondering what it was that you came in the store in the first place for feeling).
STORE GRADE: B-

FOOD BASICS: Their logo 'always more for less' is exactly what it is. But if it's on sale the chances of you actually finding it in stock is about a 75 per cent chance that it'll still be there when you enter the store. This weeks 'price squeeze' items are selected varieties of Coca-Cola or Pepsi (case of 18) for $3.97, along with Breyer's ice-cream (1.89L) in selected varieties for $2.44 and Jumbo Kellogg's cereals in selected varieties for $3.97 while quantities last of course.
STORE GRADE: A-

PRICE CHOPPER: 'Low Food Prices' is the popular logo here but it can lead to enormous frustration if what you see offered in the flyer translates to a bare shelf when you physically get in the store. I've had a love-hate relationship with the chopper for this very reason. The odds are 50-50 that you'll end up leaving with what you intended on getting in the first place. But if you're one of the lucky few enough to find what you've gone in there to buy then pat yourself on the back on a job well done. Here timing is everything.
STORE GRADE: A-

Store such as LONGO's, PUSATERI's, BRUNO's FINE FOODS are not within my area as the others are. But quality is important (as is location, location, location) and not only are they out of my reach but their out of my price range. These cater to the gourmet yuppie crowd willing to spend more for a lot less in their cart. I have comparison shopped in each and have found there is a significant difference in pricing to all of the above stores mentioned.

I would love to hear from the SOBEY's shopper. Sadly, I have none in my own area but have made the trek down to the Queen's Quay location (very impressive!) and aside from its overall appearance I can only imagine it is in direct competition with the above stores I've reviewed.

Cleanliness and Customer Satisfaction Grades Only: Loblaws, Fortinos, No Frills and Metro all rank high on the list. The floor is glistening so much so you could probably eat off of it (not that I would recommend that of course). The least tasty would definitely be Food Basics followed by Price Chopper.

As the saying goes, you get what you pay for and upon first glance if you get the feeling this place is going to end up ravaging the inside of your wallet, it usually does. Whatever you see translates to the cost of what's on the shelves. The question is, is it worth it? Sometimes yes, sometimes no, but only you can be the judge of that. Wherever you shop (or don't) just keep on ruffling through those flyer folks. You never know what bargains may await you at every flip of the page!

GOOD SAVINGS & HAPPY SHOPPING!