Garfielduk

Hope people don't think this is a daft question and I have found a few posts skirting around this subject.

So, in the UK we have a choice of Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury, Morrisons (to name just the larger ones), cheaper ones like Lidl and Aldi (German and Swedish I think) and there are places like Costco and Makro if you want to buy bulk. Of course the ones I have mentioned have varying sizes of store (e.g. Tesco go from an Express store which is a small "convenience type" to one called an "Extra" which is fairly huge. All the Big 4 provide good customer service, Lidl and Aldi are appalling in that respect.

Markets in the UK have never been that good compared to the continent of europe, although some areas may have had better ones than the areas I have lived in.

Are choices in Canada of a similar nature ? Do they have markets and are they any good ? Which shops would you go to and which would you not touch with a barge pole :scared: ?

MrGreen

I've been to real canadian superstores and safeway over there - I love big US/Canadian supermarket's. I'm sure they have Costco there too. The novelty of new brands etc never wears off for me. In Florida they have an English section in Publix where you can buy Oxo cubes for $5 - if you're stupid,...although having said that I bought some for a cottage pie - in Florida!!! Doh!

beeginger

[QUOTE=Garfielduk]Hope people don't think this is a daft question and I have found a few posts skirting around this subject.

So, in the UK we have a choice of Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury, Morrisons (to name just the larger ones), cheaper ones like Lidl and Aldi (German and Swedish I think) and there are places like Costco and Makro if you want to buy bulk. Of course the ones I have mentioned have varying sizes of store (e.g. Tesco go from an Express store which is a small "convenience type" to one called an "Extra" which is fairly huge. All the Big 4 provide good customer service, Lidl and Aldi are appalling in that respect.

when visiting calgary last month we used COOP which was lovely and the meat counter was enormous. plenty of choice with one exception ,WASHING POWDER.
in that particular store the choice was very limited, where we have powder, liquid,capsules,tablets and a massive range of brands canada doesnt.

Purley

Well, I can only tell you about Regina.

Real Canadian Superstore - the prices are cheaper but you have to pack your own groceries and buy plastic bags or take your own.

Extra Foods - they are owned by the same people are Superstore I think, but they pack your groceries and give you the bags for nothing. They are smaller stores so don't have as much selection.

Sobey's (which was called IGA until earlier this year) I guess things are a bit more expensive. I like their produce better than Superstore. They pack the groceries, give you the bags free and they have kids who will take the groceries out to your car and put them in the car for you.

Safeway - don't shop there much. Mostly because the other stores are nearer. They give air miles. They pack your groceries and give free bags.

Co-op - produce is good - not as cheap as Sobey's usually. The pack groceries and you get the bags free.

Apart from those there are independent bakers, fish shops, butchers (my husband owns one). You can get what you want - my husband makes English bangers and chipolotas and English bacon. He mostly makes things if people ask for them.

In the summer months there is a farmer's market outdoors downtown. Its only held twice a week - Wed and Sat.

There are also the market gardens where you can buy fresh produce.

I know that in bigger cities there are permanent markets, but I am just reporting what you can get in Regina.

R2D2

I don't find the supermarket experience here that much different, apart from the fact there are soooooo many and because of this, much quieter.
Here in Sherwood Park we have 2 Safeways, 2 Sobeys, Canadian Superstore, WalMart (ASDA), 2 Save On Foods, and numerous other stores that seem to sell EVERYTHING including foodstuffs ie Zellers
Superstore can be a bit like a cattle market at times, busier than others due to it being cheap and cheerful.
Once you get used to it, you can generally find familiar foods that you are used to. I can get Cream Crackers and Ribena, crumpets and Mince Pies, for example. Although you do PAY for some of these little familiarities.
Fresh friut and Veg is fine. Get Kelloggs cereal from Superstore or Walmart as they are MUCH cheaper there than at the other supermarkets. Ie, a box of Cornflakes was $5.99 at Sobeys but $3.49 at Superstore
They are curently building a Costco here in Sherwood Park, so I'll check that out I think.

britishvixen21

Here in Toronto we have the following:

Loblaws: my fav can compare it to the likes of tesco or Sainsburys, they have a great selection and good prices. not the cheapest but i find the best store to get everything

Sobeys: a little more expensive but still a good quality store, they pack your bags and good customer service, awesome delhis and bakeries and some english stuff like salad cream

No Frills: the only way i can compare this is to lidl, i hate no frills its a deportation officers wet dream, they stores always look dirty and there aisles are too narrow, but they are very cheap.

IGA: i always think of IGA as a little like safeways, good food though although i find a little pricey.

Dominion: also a little like sainsburys about the same prices as sobeys. customer service not as good.

Price Chopper: a little like no frills and another kind of Lidl, but a little better. still not a very good store layout and no fresh counters (not the ones ive been in anyways)

think thats it, there are more im sure, but they have been my experience, i shop in either loblaws for my big shop or sobeys for small stuff as its just up the road and 24 hours.

Linda P

[They are curently building a Costco here in Sherwood Park, so I'll check that out I think.[/QUOTE]

We went to the Costco in Edmonton, I wasn't that impressed, to me it's a bit like Macro in the UK, yes there are some bargins, but on the whole you could buy most items cheaper at the regular stores (without paying the $50 to join)

Linda

louisbourg

hi there
try www.sobeys.ca
www.atlanticsuperstore.ca

have a look at their weekly online flyers , it will just give you idea's on prices
but it all depends where you are in canada i guess
we visit N.S so i can only tell you what they have really

pricechopper
co-op
sobey's
atlantic superstore

sharon

Garfielduk

Thanks for the Feedback, there have been some good responses. Sounds like the choice is as good as the UK and I like the sound of packing your bags and taking them to the Car option. Great !!!

CDNReturner

Noone seems to have mentioned the farmers markets. Some towns (maybe even most) have farmers markets. Here in Guelph it's only on Saturday mornings until 12 but the vegetables are usually fresh and cheaper. The in season fruit and veg are usually dirt cheap, ie. apples, strawberries, peppers, etc.

Toronto has Kensington market (I think) downtown somewhere but unless you live nearby it's too much of a hassle to get to.

Souvenir

Despite the large number of names, there are only a handful of corporate groups in the supermarket world. IGA, for example is part of Sobey's, while Loblaws owns a number of no-frills operations (we're talking franchise here).

If you're looking for staples (rice, pasta etc) you may as well go to the cheapies, with your own bags. For fresh produce and more variety, the Loblaws, IGAs, Barns etc are better.

Tip: supermarkets with in-store pharmacies don't sell cigarettes.

Another tip: don't go food shopping in Quebec after 5pm at weekends.

dbd33

Kensington market is more for clothes than food. The St. Lawrence market is the one for food and we think worth a trip once a week. We often wonder, if we moved to the country, how we would get food as good as at the market. Items we get there which I don't think are widely available are bread flour, grits, okra, raw milk, raw milk cheese and prime beef.

Judy in Calgary

That's interesting. I assume that's the case in Ontario and Quebec, the provinces in which your signature says you've lived, and perhaps some other provinces too. In Calgary the supermartkets with in-store pharmacies also sell ciggies. This forum has taught me a lot about regional differences in Canada.

britishvixen21

The loblaws i shop at has a pharmacy and a smoke shop, and also i always mean to go to the st lawrence market down on Front St as im fairly close but i keep forgetting im glad to hear its good il check that out on saturday

Souvenir

There clearly are differences. I've never seen a supermarket in ON or QC where you can walk out the door with both ciggies and prescription medicine. There is a smoke shop at my local Loblaws but you can only get into it from the outside.

Another big difference between QC and ON is that I can buy beer and wine in a supermarket (and pretty much everywhere else, come to think of it).

The QC employment legislation is a bit of a pain, though. At weekends, stores are limited to five staff after 5pm, so the deli counters etc shut and it ban take ages to get through the checkout (you even have to pack your own bags dammit!).

Another thing we do at the supermarket that we didn't do before is take back the empties for the deposits. Beer bottles to the service desk; beer cans, soft drink cans and plastic bottles to the machines.