Hi, thanks for that. I thought is was me.

I think " discussion forum" is lost on some ignorant people.

It just goes to show that there is a cross section of society on here. Nice people and some not so nice

Don't normally rant but it touched a nerve............

its a shame you have to be so rude

Jason,

I wouldn't worry too much of offending people on here as you mentioned there is always some tit who comes back with some pathetic sarcastic comment on this site who have really nothing better to do most of the day.

We live in Winchester which according to the most recent UK poll on the top places to live in the UK came out on top...yes number 1.

The nearest Tesco to us is about 4 miles Asda about 15 mile Morrisons 30 mile away the shops in town are dire the nearest out of town shopping of anything that is worth going to is at Hedge End about 40 mins drive

Avereage house price is Just under £300.000 ($600.000 ish before some other smart ass comes back and says "actually at todays exchange rate etc etc etc).

It used to be the capitol of England and is full of stuck up toffs who like it because of the post code status it gives them......Therefore your original question was not that daft mate as someome looking into the UK would think Winchester is the place to be....your better of in Outer Mongolia.

AND before someone says ......why don't you move then moaning git.....I'm still a serving soldier and aint got that choice.

Cheers

As Corky says Sobies and Atlantic Superstore are the equivalent to Tesco and Asda (or pick another well-known supermarket) in NS. I understand that they are actually both owned by the same company! which would seem to explain why they are both pricey. Obviously not much competition. Walmart is here but doesn't really sell food as such.

For wine/beer lookout for something called the NSLC (to us the signage made it look a lot like an insurance company - we drove around for ages looking for the "offy" until eventually we discovered it)

Sobeys and Atlantic Superstores (aka Dominion in Newfoundland and Loblaws in ON & QC) are very much not the same company. They are however, the major grocery chains so equivalent to Tesco, Morrisions etc. Walmart does sell food but would agree that since it sells lots of well everything, that it doesn't feel like a foodstore. F'r example you wouldn't go there for your fresh produce.

NSLC (Nova Scotia Liquor Corp) is the equivalent to off licence's in the UK & would be the place to buy liquor (that's spirits), wine & beer. I think (& I'm sure a local will correct me if I'm wrong) that you can buy beer at corner stores & gas stations as well. What you will notice is that you can't go into your local Sobeys and buy liquor like you can in Tesco. Also the NSLC is a virtual monopoly - there is one independent 'offlicence' in the Bedford Mall & I believe another somewhere else - but essentially the NSLC is it. On the plus side they carry a reasonable range of English beers and the prices are better than here in NL.

Living in a more isolated region - on this lump of Rock - I envy you Nova-Scotians your shopping opportunities and the availability & low cost of fresh produce and cheaper alcohol. When we visit Halifax we tend to fall upon Pete's Frootique with unrestrained glee.

Hi, i have just looked at the Atlantic Super Store site, very helpful, not sure about the Bear Paw Burgers?
What are the Taxes on shopping? are they added on top of the selling price?
Jason

It's the shape of the burger not what it's made from

Taxes are harmonised in NS @ 14% - add it on to nearly all prices you see for cars, clothes, dining out, services, etc. Not all foodstuffs in the stores are taxed, only what is considered 'luxury' items. Thankfully, real estate is not taxed on top.

Here is a link to Nova Scotia HST which explains it all.

Takes some getting used to. Wish it was all 'hidden' just like in the UK. It would be much simpler.

PS Atlantic Superstore sells Yorkshire Puddings ;-)

Hi Jason - taxes differ from province to province....here in Ontario two taxes are added: provincial (PST) and Goods & Services (GST) making a total of 14%. This link might be useful:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Provincial_Sales_Tax

Good Luck with everything..........

...somebody told me that Empire Company (who own Sobey's supermarkets) also own roughly a 50% stake in Atlantic Superstore too. So although the stores are different inside and sell some different products, doesn't mean there is actually much in the way of real price competition between them.

It could just be one of those rumours though!

Well Atlantic Superstore is a brand of Loblaw Companies, so Empire would have to have a 50% stake in Loblaws overall which is perhaps less likely. The point that in Eastern Canada at least there is not very much competition in the grocery sector driving prices is one I'd definately have to give you!

Basically there are three grocers in Canada, so competition is limited. Plus logistics in a large largly unpopulated country will add to the cost of stuff.

Loblaws
Sobeys
Metro

Between these three groups they own virtually every major "brand"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...s#.C2.A0Canada

It may or may nor have been a stupid question, but it did come over to me at least as a "Is there <insert common everyday thing> in Canada?" type question, and could perhaps have been more clearly stated. My answer would have been "Yes". Thicker skins required all round. If you've got nothing useful to add, bite your tongue. If no one answers you, then rethink the question.

For AB and BC, I'd add Safeway as a major grocer.

The Dominion brand is confusing - originally owned by Argus Group (prop. Conrad Black, O how my heart bleeds), the group was split up and sold off in all directions in the late 80s/early 90s: in Atlantic provinces, Dominion supermarkets are now a trading brand of Loblaw (although IGA originally bought the Nova Scotia stores but Loblaw then bought the NS operation of IGA before the Sobeys merger - confused yet?); in the GTA, Dominion is a brand of the Metro group; a couple of stores in NW Ontario were bought by Safeway; most other Dominion stores in AB and BC were closed down.

I don't know of any ownership stake that Empire has in Loblaw through Atlantic Superstores, but given how strongly Loblaw and Sobeys have competed against each other not only in going after retail sales but in M&A spheres as well I would be very surprised to learn of such an ownership link between them.

Halifax or Ulan Bator ; now that's a tough choice

or is that inner Mongolia?

Hi, This may have been a stupid question but this is the longest thread i have ever started, maybe people are bored of talking about exchange rates, snow and employment, all important subjects but variety is the spice of life. I only wanted to look at a website to see general grocery prices to help plan our trip, well to be honest i am trying to fill up the time with meaningless searches of everything Canadian till we go in 10 days time. Look forward to 'What do i do if i see a bear' thread and 'Do they sell PG tips in NS'.
Jason - currently searching ice hockey in NS.