Lvh76

1. Am I just shopping in the wrong places or are paracetamol and ibruprofen just ridiculously expensive in Canada?

2. What is the supermarket hierarchy in Ontario? I shopped at Loblaws the other day and it seemed quite pricey, is Sobeys pricier?

I can see most of you shaking your heads at this thread thinking 'typical newbie, she'll learn'

Many thanks

Leish

Tangram

1. The latter
2. Groceries are expensive in Canada unless you go all pikey and use coupons and flyers and spend all day going from shop to shop.

Lvh76

Thanks Paul. I really don't think I have the patience to go all pikey so i'll just have to get used to it. How long is it before you stop comparing stuff to UK prices?

Tangram

I stopped a couple of years ago as I had no idea what prices were back in the UK and I was using prices ( tyres, car service etc ) that I was used to 5 years ago so not a fair comparison. Now I just think it's expensive in dollars without the comparison.

dgagitw

They are if you buy small packets of brand name versions. Rexall sell plastic bottles of own brand generic ibuprofen at much more reasonable prices though.

Edit: and, if you want cheaper groceries, then go to one of No Frills or Food Basics. They're the downmarket brands for Sobeys and Metro but sell much of the same stuff for around 20% less than the higher end stores. I tend to get my staples from there and then go to nice places (e.g. St Lawrence Market) for the nice stuff.

justkidding

Costco has great prices on pharmaceuticals and lots of other things. You still have to compare prices though. Watch for their weekly specials.

iaink

1: Dunno, I just get them from the supermarket for a few bucks?

2: Loblaws and Sobeys branded stores on a par, but Loblaws itself, and Sobeys own a number of brands across a broad spectrum. I shop at "No Frills", the bottom feeder of the Loblaws family. You get Loblaws "presidents choice" products in a less fancy environment, you have to bag your own stuff, but its probably 20+% cheaper overall If I had to guess if you shop smart.

richardm123

After living here for five years M&S seems like a bargain!!!

Deeny

Hi,

I would agree with the above posters...No Frills wins price wise. I've found it difficult to do a weekly shop in one place. I tend to get the basics at No Frills (the fruit and veg is good quality) and top up locally.
Shopping took ages at first as I had to read all the labels...beware of hidden sugars.

Overall, I think it evens out compared to the UK. We quickly stopped thinking in pounds as we get paid in dollars but I do miss being able to pop to the local convenience store for a cheap bottle of wine. You have to plan to go to LCBO and the prices still smart...

christmasoompa

That is 'ridiculously expensive' by UK standards though Iaink - 16p for a packet here!

gillyd65

Paracetamols - get family/friends to bring them over for you - 16p a packet or get someone to post them out to you like they did for us and still do for my OH - OR stock up when you visit the US.
During the 2nd world war my mums Canadian cousins used to send my mum and her family food parcels to keep them going. When we moved over, it was my mum sending us food parcels from the UK to keep us going! How times change

Steve_

Safeway is usually the cheapest place for pharmacy stuff, plus you get airmiles.

Metro is usually considered the cheapest in Ontario. Personally I preferred Longo's. Loblaw's (aka Canadian Superstore) basically copies Tesco's and Asda and is sort of a mix of the two. Sobey's (Empire) is to my mind more like Waitrose, but it depends on the store to some extent.

All I know is a gallon of Tropicana costs $7.49 in Loblaw's, in Sobey's it's $8.99.

Shopping in Canada is more of a shop around experience, you might be able to get everything from one supermarket in the UK, I've never been able to do that here. Certain stores have better deals and better discounts on certain items.

Also, find a decent butcher, I don't think any of the supermarkets do too well in that dept. although Loblaw's seems to be the best, here at least.

Steve_

I personally think Rexall's is the priciest, at least the ones here are. Shopper's Drug Mart is also pretty expensive. London Drugs (which isn't in Ontario) is also pricey but they give discounts if you buy enough.

I eventually figured out why people shop in Safeway even though I can't stand the place usually - they have the best prices on pharmacy stuff, generally speaking. Also their loyalty scheme is one of the better ones. I don't bother because I don't fly a lot so airmiles don't help me.

Steve_

Don't bag stuff even in Superstore here.

iaink

In "No Frills" its often $5 or less.