scrubbedexpat091

It's easier getting grocery pick up slots now, lines to get into the store are longer, so seems maybe people are choosing to go back to shopping vs online ordering and pick up and the crapshoot it can be.

BristolUK

Quite often, when the Instacart page changes to say a shopper is putting your order together, it can be 30-40 minutes before anything happens.

Is this because they are waiting outside the store to get in or because they logged on to your order early(perhaps to reserve it if it was an easy one or some other reason) and they've not even left home yet?

I had one where something was in the cart very quickly but it's usually at least half an hour.

Pizzawheel

After revelling in my last can of UK-bought baked beans, I swore no more experimenting with the local ones. Then I found that WalMart at Golden Mile now has a little british section. Four pack of Heinz (meh) beans, just under $8. Decent value. Treated myself to a jar of Branston at the same time!

BristolUK

It seems just about every Walmart store has a Brit section, there just don't seem to be signs advertising it as such. And that was before they started to go 'super centre'

When I 'discovered' it I was just aware of "something I'd not seen for a long time" coupled with "Oh look they're selling it as well as Bulk Barn" and then suddenly realising I was looking at Rose's Lime marmalade, Jacob Club biscuits, Branston, Haywards Pickled Onions (proper brown ones), Piccalilli, Custard creams, Bourbon creams, Flakes, Hobnobs and so on...

Jerseygirl

I get quite a few British goodies from Walmart on Dundas, Heinz Beans, Batchelor’s Mush Peas, Branston, picked onions to name a few. Fortunately I stocked up before lockdown.

Mr Lee

They do in Quebec too...although from memory, buying it was quite the rigmarole. They not only checked my ID (I was 48 at the time!) but took it away to some office before returning to give me the go ahead to buy a couple of cases of Quebecois beer.

Mr Lee

Sadly not mine.
And it's a fairly new one too (Alliston, ON). I have to drive to Barrie for such luxuries.

BristolUK

They'll probably make up for it and when they do you'll be able to get the other Club biscuits instead of just orange ones.

scrubbedexpat091

Pork seems to be in short supply, tried 3 times now to get some pork chops of some sort, and 3 different stores no luck, all out.

Groceries have certainly gone up in price, no doubt. Doctor wants me to eat low fodmap foods, but goodness is it ever expensive, so not entirely sure we can afford to do this low fodmap thing.

Frozen berries, strawberries, pineapple 4 bags total. (cheaper than fresh fruit)
2kg bag of chicken. no name frozen brand
2 boxes corn flakes, pain
Basmati Rice
Stevia
24 eggs
Lactose Free 1% Milk Two 2 liter cartons
2 bags cut Cut Broccoli, frozen
Naval Oranges, 2lbs
5lb bag whole carrots

This was $120 and its barely anything...ha ha

spouse of scouse

Bloody hell, that is expensive I roughly priced what the same shopping list would have cost here, it was $70, when converted that's CAD$64. That sure is an expensive place to live.

scrubbedexpat091

Food in Canada tends to be high.

This last shop was at Super Store one the cheaper stores, I just did a mock shop on Save On for the same items (different brands but same type and size) and price there would have been 2.00 cheaper roughly, but Super Store is closer, we didn't get the cheese or the pork chops or kiwi fruit as the store was apparently out, if those were included, it would have been $146.

In So. California where my dad lives, the same items would cost $62 US$ which is $86 CAD$ approx.

Eating in Canada is expensive and lately the prices are going up pretty quickly, less sales as well.

I am tired of stomach issues so I really want to try this low fodmap diet, but I don't think its viable.

I've always said, get to pay premium prices but don't get premium wages in Canada.

BristolUK

Js doesn't seem to be able to get the deals generally available here. A previous list for $65 would have cost me $45.

This list I reckon $70 for me (assuming it's frozen chicken breast) and then the Basmati. I buy a 4.5kg bag for $14 (other brands are available for less) so $84 if it's a big bag.

spouse of scouse

I'm quite surprised that food prices in Australia, at least in my part of it, are lower or equivalent to those in Canada. I'm so used to hearing people here complain about the price of food, and about how Oz is one of the most expensive places in the world to live, that I guess some of that infiltrated my brain. Another good reason to roam far and wide on BE, you get the real story

spouse of scouse

That certainly seems to be the case, in Vancouver at least. Bristol's hood seems to offer more opportunity to shop around and get the deals.

BristolUK

Sssshhhhh...you'll wake those people who are convinced I spend my time making 17 trips over dozens of hours a week saving 5c here and 20c there, poor souls