Re: Groceries
 

I hope you grabbed some - their meat looks to be very good! https://www.sysco.ca/Products/Produc...alty-Meat.html

I suppose now that so many restaurants have had to close their doors or at least restrict the amount of customers they can have, they need to sell off their stocks before they go past the sell by date.
Nice one! :D

Re: Groceries
 

Yes I grabbed some pork chops.

I figured it's restaurants having less business and Sysco had to find somewhere to sell excess stock/broaden their market a bit during this time, but seemed to be selling pretty swiftly. The steak is exactly the same shape and thickness you would expect in a restaurant, isn't cut like a typical retail steak, but I am not a huge fan of steak so I stuck with the pork chops.

Wal-Mart must have gotten a smokin deal on it though to be selling it for such a low price.

We didn't buy it, but they also had lobster, 2 pack for $15 2lb each, but not sure if that is a good price, but first time ever seeing lobster at Wal-Mart, frozen of course, not live.

Re: Groceries
 

Sysco here were having weekly truckload sales, where they would literally sell catering packs of food from the back of a freezer truck. I never went as the pack sizes were always too big for our freezer, but they were wildly popular.

Re: Groceries
 

M&M flyer this week.
Asian Party Pack - $9.99. Normally $14.99...Instacart price $16.79
Chicken Strips 3lb - $16.99. Normally $25.99...Instacart price $29.19

:frown:

Re: Groceries
 

Apart from Loblaws, I think all the other grocery stores around here use their own delivery service. I wouldn’t use Instacart if they offered me a gold watch. :thumbdown:

Re: Groceries
 

I think they were doing something similiar in Vancouver in the spring, but can't remember exact details. Some of the chain restaurants were doing a buy all the ingredients and cook from home type things, but not sure if they were popular, same price as their regular menu really, but you had to go pick it up, then go home, and make it, so not really a good deal....

Loblaws (the company itself not the specific stores with the name since Loblaws owns so many different brands.) seems to be testing delivery in some markets, so they might be considering expanding if that goes well and dumping IC.

The only chain doing delivery where we are is Save On, but they are more expensive than Wal-Mart or Super Store so we never use them, we just grocery shop ourselves, or use the buy online pick up option that Super Store and Wal-Mart offer.

Problem with all these stores is they do all the ordering picking in store, so you never know if your going to get everything which is a pain, so it's why we just go ourselves into the store 99% of the time.

I can't imagine a grocery store is anymore high risk than my wife going to work, if anything going to work and spending 8 hours with someone in an office is higher risk than 30-40 minutes walking around a store no spending any significant time near others.

Re: Groceries
 

The Covid-19 app on my phone doesn't notify unless I've been near someone positive for 15 minutes or more. That doesn't seem like it's going to report anyone I've met in the store.

Re: Groceries
 

I think there's capacity for huge variation in this comparison. Just a few people occupying one floor of a large building and either on the ground floor or able to use stairs, thus avoiding shared elevator and plenty of toilet space for the numbers; or large number of employees occupying several floors using elevators, water coolers, coffee lounge, canteen, meetings etc
Then travel; do you share a bus, tram or metro system with loads of other people 'strap-hanging' or go to work in your own private car?

For the supermarket you might be close to someone picking over fruit or veg rather than a 'drive-by' (:lol:) tossing into your cart of a packet of pasta or be close to someone as they turn away from someone else so as not to sneeze on them and you get it instead.

I also imagine that people working with each other day in day out will have a greater sense of responsibility towards each other whereas people in supermarkets may be more carefree on the basis that they're not with someone for long.

Re: Groceries
 

Walking down the hallway, elevators and stairwell at home is probably about the same risk as a grocery store, might be higher since nobody wears masks in the elevators, hallways or in their apartments, where 99% of the people in grocery stores have a mask on.

Those you live with a likely the biggest risk to your health overall since you spend the most time with them.

My wife leaves 4 times a week for 8 hours each time, I leave the house like once a week to the grocery store, so if I get it, it probably wasn't from the grocery store.

Re: Groceries
 

Yes I get that. But in a reverse scenario, my SD leaves the house to go to work at her store. I have the odd medical appointment and we have groceries delivered. If I get it, it's likely from my SD picking at up at the store she works in.

Re: Groceries
 

Is this thread turning into a Covid thread?

Re: Groceries
 

It was getting close but there was a link in terms of the likelihood of picking it up shopping for groceries. ;)

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Considering every post related to buying groceries, I wouldn't say it was that close.
I'm making my BLT breakfast and when I sliced the tomato on top, was shocked at how woody it seemed around the outside. I think it came in a flashfood $5 produce box. The Roma on the bottom is from Superstore produce dept. In the middle of winter we expect the tomatoes to be woody in the centre as well, so tend to use canned toms instead as they're more flavourful, but until now everything (radishes, cukes, etc has been top notch. That one tomato can go in a sauce, I suppose, but I hope it doesn't signal the decline in quality already.
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/british...6f6d9da630.jpg

Re: Groceries
 

If I want to make sangria I can. I'll just have to pick a day when I'm not going to have to work. :lol:
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/british...20fa01eeda.jpg

Re: Groceries
 

I was curious about what the Marcangelo seasoned pork is like, and then thought why not the sausages too... and then I just bought the steak in case there was any room left in the freezing compartment. I keep a plastic tub of ice and an ice cube tray in there, so it takes a little organisation.
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/british...19574df57d.jpg

Re: Groceries
 

Wow, they are damn good specials!

Re: Groceries
 

Yes, but not quite as good as it looks, because it's overpriced. Those small packs of sausages are $5 elsewhere, so a decent discount would be $2.50. The large tray packs are on for $5 quite often when discounted, but not often bangers. Not that Free From stuff either, that's supposedly somehow healthier and costs more. If I'm frying pork sausages it's too late for that. It's a bit of a thrill tbh, snagging what I think is a bargain (most of it sold quickly) and I don't mind the easy pickup. I walk in with mask and sanitize, turn left to customer service and give them my name and they walk over to the fridge and hand it over, and I turn left again and I'm outside. It's good to buy enough to justify driving to where the store is, (the app says 4km to this one). According to the super-inflated ego of the flashfood app, I've saved $509 and 64km of CO. I'll bet. :lol:

Re: Groceries
 

I'm a fan of buying bulk when prices are good too. I do have to curb my enthusiasm though, I still shop as if I have 3 ravenous teenagers.

Those trays of pork sausages are $8 here (CAD 7.60) I'd only ever had beef snaggers before I met scouse and was quite puzzled as to why he wouldn't eat them. Here, a snag on the barbie means beef and you have to hunt for the pork ones. But I must bow to his good taste, I really like the pork ones now.

Hey, go with what the app says, any boost to the ego's good! :lol:

Re: Groceries
 

I went back and bought 2 more of the hot Italian since they still had them. That's the flavour I usually get, and since I'm driving up there anyway. The maple flavoured breakfast sausages I got some time ago were Free From, and they were pretty good.

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I love the chilli ones but even Cumberland are a bit too spicy for scouse's delicate constitution. Not that you'd notice he has a delicate constitution if you saw how much cake he can put away in one sitting :lol:

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I can't speak for the bacon wrapped ones - it's still in the freezer - but the seasoned pork loin ones, with the pup-up thermometers, are pretty good and worth the normal price of $9 or $10 :nod:

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If you get a chance to get a 'free from' Turkey, they are superb.. I bought one 3 years ago and it was the best turkey I've had since I was a kid.. haven't been able to get hold of one since, unfortunately.
https://www.presidentschoice.ca/prod...3_pc-free-from

Re: Groceries
 

Picked up an organic turkey from Sam's Club this year for my daughter's family. I slow cooked it overnight and she said it was very moist and had a great turkey flavor. A little more expensive than the supermarket turkeys, but it was the day before Thanksgiving and I had to take what I could get. Overnight cooking is now the way this family is going with cooking the bird.

Re: Groceries
 

I went back on the app and bought 4 packs of lean Angus ground beef @2.50, then took another look minutes later and bought a pound of shucked oysters (I think that's a pint jar) for $9. I really like fried oysters, but don't have them very often. They even bring back memories of good times with friends and relatives a long time ago. I remember buying oysters in Vancouver's Chinatown or at Save-On Meats on Hastings, sometimes shucked or sometimes live for the bbq, and it became sort of a tradition.
For special events at the bar, I sometimes fired up the smoker out the back door and made smoked oysters; a big hit!

Re: Groceries
 

My Instacart shopper today was called Joseph :rofl:

Re: Groceries
 

My wife was at the supermarket yesterday and she said that it was absolutely mental, like the Christmas rush has already started. On the plus side, she managed to get a load of fresh squid so that was tea sorted last night.

Re: Groceries
 

Went to the drug store to mail a letter Monday. It was nuts. Also took 40 mins in the line up. Didn't help Shoppers only had 1 clerk working.


From now until mid Jan I will be doing my annual avoid all big box stores unless absolutely necessary.

Groceries will be order online and pick up.

Re: Groceries
 

If it were not hard enough to afford food, it's only gonna get worse in 2021.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/foo...port-1.5832370

bread, meat and vegetable prices are expected to rise the most.

Re: Groceries
 

Yes that was pretty crappy news....unfortunately its the first of many increases no doubt. :frown:.

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Certainly not unexpected though, considering the hit producers are taking.

Re: Groceries
 

No its not. But it will be one of many increases, including huge tax hikes... :(

Re: Groceries
 

Which taxes do you think will be going up? While small businesses are struggling and new benefits are being announced, where can they apply the screws? Not on fuel while travel is stymied, not on meals while restaurants are going bankrupt, not an increase in sales tax while stores are half shut down. Billions of stimulus dollars certainly have to come from somewhere, but I don't think the government can start clawing it back in the middle of the pandemic. Maybe they would like to increase income tax on the very wealthy, but.I would expect a soft approach to that as well.

Re: Groceries
 

My neighbour is working nightshift and said she'll bring my flashfood purchase from her store home with her in the morning, saving me a trip - what a sweetie!
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/british...bb57d858f3.jpg

Re: Groceries
 

Nice purchases!! I tried some of the white fox cheese last week...its good, and I love goats cheese, infact I just love cheese, except for mild cheddar... any other cheddar is great.

Re: Groceries
 

Wal-Mart had some of those $1.50 each restaurant pork chops again so got some of those this morning. Not really a savings really, but less fat and they taste better than the typical grocery store pork chops. They also had restaurant style steak but they were $6 each, but in a restaurant would be $30+ so still a good deal overall.

I haven't had a chance to use flash app yet, I check it through the week, but so far haven't found anything worth getting yet.

Re: Groceries
 

What are restaurant style pork chops/steaks? Some new branding?

Walmart had legs of lamb for $22 instead of $32 this last week. Oddly that was the price quoted on Instacart but the ones we managed to get all had the higher prices on. In one case the shopper left the receipt with the price matching the stickers. Our Instacart receipt (what I actually paid) shows the $22.

It made a nice change for something to be cheaper with Instacart than it would have been in person. :lol:

Re: Groceries
 

Sysco Specialty Meats. They are packed in the same way restaurants would receive them, just vacuum sealed and frozen, no flashy packaging or branding, just a barcode and "Sysco Specialty Meat" below the barcode.

Like this but with a barcode label on it. Just pork but the only photo I found was beef.

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/british...1c0cf50785.png


I saw bags of frozen lambchops for $22 this morning as well, but I don't have freezer space and the chops are so tiny...ha ha. I think they were from New Zealand.

Re: Groceries
 

I've checked your 2 stores a few times and the pickings are kind of thin. The few produce boxes I've seen don't look as good as ours either. My criteria are; is it something I want? Is it a good deal? Is it worth going to pick up? (This is where it is sometimes worth getting several things, but not just one). Also, because a lot of it is time sensitive, will I use it in time so it doesn't spoil? I've made a few mistakes and had to throw a few things out, but overall it's been good.
edit; for example, the 750ml Saputo Cocktail Bocconcini cheese at Kelowna Superstore for $5. I bought 2 of those for $2.50 ea (I'd passed them over at $5 several times) and used them sliced on pizzas for a month - but I only used one carton! I have an unopened carton I bought on Nov 4 that I may have to toss. If it was feta I wouldn't be worried.

Re: Groceries
 

Yes, I would only buy things I could freeze or use pretty quickly. I hate buying food and having it go bad before I can eat it.

I have noticed food is a tiny bit more expensive here, but generally not by much and only because there isn't a plethora of small ethnic grocery stores which in Vancouver can have some pretty decent prices.

Re: Groceries
 

What sort of things were you buying at the ethnic stores?