Bob

Anyone else noticed how big the fluctuation in prices are?

Allergy meds in Target are around $20 for 30 pills for own brand, but Walmart, they're $10 for 60.

Hannafords own brand laundry and dish detergents are about half the price of Target.

Baby food, Walmart is cheapest for Beach Nut, Gerber is about the same but they have a different variety to Target or Hannafords, and Wegmans have other varieties for about similar money.

Meat at Hannafords and Wegmans is pretty much the cheapest around here.

Frozen foods, veg especially are generally much better and cheaper at Trader Joes.

Walmart is pretty good for bathroom products, but rubbish for fresh foods, the apples are double the cost of those at Wegmans.

Hannafords has the cheapest Brit snacks by miles, Aero's for $1.30....but Wegmans has a better selection of sauces.

So any other places that have great prices for certain things?

E3only

I saw a documentary where they concluded that the same stores in different areas sell drugs at different prices. So not only are drugs priced differently within competitors, but within the same chain they tend to sell stuff at different prices depending on where they are in relation to competitors.

So for a zipcode to have rite aide, CVS, Walgreens, Safeway etc chances are better prices....

penguinbar

Sometimes medications are cheaper without going through insurance as well. A medication that I'm on was just under $9.00 for a 30 day supply(generic) at CVS under my old insurance. The same meds are just under $8.00 for a 90 day supply at Costco!
You also do not need a Costco membership to use their pharmacy. I'm near practically every pharmacy. I think CVS has the worst drug pricing and awful pharmacy techs!

I use Costco's own brand Kirkland for several items.

nethead

I can't say I notice a huge variation in prices around here.

Bob

Wegmans is offering free antibiotic prescription meds, well our new one is at least, there wasn't a mention of a expiration of the program either, so who knows.

Quite handy with those with kids who might get sick along the winter and need penicillin or what not.

fatbrit

I'm with you. I think that the US has the best and worst prices in the world -- and it's bloody hard work finding the best ones.

Bob

Really? That's good going. I notice is most in summer with fresh fruit and veg, especially the cost of sweetcorn.

Down our way, most grocery stores were selling around 6 for a buck, but where we were living, closer to Boston, was 60c a cobb, that's quite a difference.

Then again, up in Maine, you could get a bakers dozen for a buck, which is a massive difference, especially as getting it from a farm stand up there would be local, but the grocery store like Stop and Shop, would be sourced from the same place as down here, some place in NJ.

Bob

Yeah, I hate the idea of going to different grocery stores for certain things, but around here, it's worth the effort as it makes for huge savings, but then again only because they're all pretty close to each other, either by home or right where the missus works.

Up in Maine, completely different story, you might just have the one grocery store and have to go 40 minutes for an alternative big store, so obviously wouldn't be worth the effort.

HumphreyC

There are huge variations - In fact the Hannaford at Gardner - the next city west from me was infamous for being way more expensive than other Hannafords and the other chains in the region. Dunno why that would be - an over zealous manager hiking the prices perhaps? As a general rule the Ghetto Basket - aka the downtown market basket in this town is the cheapest for most things but Hannaford is a way more pleasant shopping experience and has better selection. For some reason we avoid Shaws completely.

The wife and the rellies seem to go mainly to farms in the summer for fruit and veg rather than buying it from the supermarket. I assume that must be because it is cheaper or better quality.

penguinbar

My friend in Long Island said one of her local stores has some free prescriptions as well. I wish I could find that in Manhattan. I got to a bagel shop where you get 15 for the price of a dozen. I ususally by most of my fruit during the warmer months from the street vendors. They get the produce from farmers markets. There are several near me. Some better than others. Usually 5 bananas for $1.00, 3 cucumbers for $1.00 .,Berries are really reasonable summer time as well. I only have to walk a block or two for them.

Bob

Another thing I've noticed, premie baby formula...most places only sell the Enfilmil Enfacare...bloody expensive.

Some places like Target sell the Similac version, same price.

Walmart is the only place that makes a own brand, which is $9.50

Wegmans is the cheapest of the branded stuff, at $14

Target/Walmart have the branded stuff at $16 and then Hannafords and Stop and Shop have it around $18-19.

It's a tiny tub too, 12 oz or so and barely a weeks supply....about double the price of regular formula, very cheeky.

Oh, Enfamil have those $5 rebate cheques you can use every now and again for these, Similac also send out these rebate cheques but often have the premie stuff excluded :/

Hellopaul

I think a lot of shops assume you're going to use one of their many coupons, if you have the time to find/remember them.

The big supermarkets here (Vons, Albertsons, Ralphs) are very expensive and a bit crap, so we never go there, especially when there's Fresh & Easy (Tesco) and Trader Joe's selling superior stuff for less, in a far more pleasant, less crowded environment.

Plus it's very hard to get decent organic food at the big places, and I certainly don't fancy eating strawberries that have had salmon DNA forced into them using poo (E coli virus). Eating only organic food certainly increases the grocery bill, but it's the only way to be (reasonably) sure that you're not eating toxic genetically modified crap and supporting the most evil corporation in the world - Monsanto.

Wow - that kinda turned into a bit of a rant, didn't it?!

S Folinsky

We use F&E a lot. But Trader Joe's "less crowded"??? Of the stores you mention, TJ's is the most crowded. We avoid TJ's inasmuch as the only two things they have worth buying are Two Buck Chuck and unsalted crunchy peanut butter. Ralphs & Vons have better produce. Our local Albertsons has an excellent butcher. [When we are willing to pay a tad more, Gelsons -- across the street from our local TJ's].

BTW, F&E ice cream is particularly good. We wonder who makes it for them.

penguinbar

I had a great organic market a few blocks away from me that was really reasonable but unfortunately they lost their lease. The space has been empty for over a year now. Alot of people I know shop at Fairways but I find them way over priced. I buy an all natural Almond butter at Costco for $5.99. The same size and brand is $22.99 at Fairway!!! Since Fairway and Costco have opened up the Supermarkets such as Morton William's and Gristede's have been lowering some of their prices but a few have closed .

Anian

Safeway is the closest to me but is really expensive for most things. Albertsons is next closest and is very cheap but has little variety. Fred Meyer is a few more miles away but is only slightly more expensive and has a good variety, so we go there for 95% of our grocery shopping. The store is very new and has a free childcare service, so it is very nice to shop there in comparison.