As Statistics Canada publishes the new inflation figures in the country this morning, a new study reveals that it is possible to save a lot if you know where to buy groceries.
“Be loyal to Super C and Walmart. You will pay less over the year if you always do your grocery shopping at these two brands, ”insists the spokesperson for Protect yourselfMarie-Noelle Lajoie.
The Quebec magazine analyzed the price of 49 basic products – canola oil, romaine lettuce, cheddar cheese, peanut butter – during 56 visits to the six main supermarket chains.
Photo taken from LinkedIn
Marie-Noelle Lajoie. Spokesperson for Protect Yourself
Walmart and Super C preferred
When buying national brands, the basket is $242 at Walmart and $286 at Metro plus. For economy brands, the basket is $201 at Super C and $243 at IGA extra.
Provigo, IGA and Metro are in both cases at the back of the pack, while Maxi is close behind Super C.
The price difference identified by Protect yourself equals a reduction in the grocery bill of $2,070 per year if you shop in the right places.
Costco and Dollarama are not part of the list since several products or major brands cannot be found there.
stay true
Interestingly, the magazine recommends not running the specials from place to place and sticking to one brand. For the economic basket at $201, the exercise would have saved at most $5.
“It’s not much if you take into account the price of gasoline that it would have cost us to move from one place to another. It is therefore better to choose your supermarket according to the discounts of the week and stick to a single visit”, can we read in the report.
Protect yourself had done a similar analysis in 2016 and 2019, which allowed the magazine’s team to identify another upward trend: “reduflation”.
In 13% of cases, the product has reduced in size — for example, all cheeses have gone from 460 g to 400 g — and sells for the same price, or even more.
Whether the product has shrunk or not, many customers notice the difference.
“The meat especially, it’s cheaper at Super C,” says Manuel Barroso, 62, in front of the Super C on boulevard des Laurentides, in Laval.
The school janitor simply “can’t afford to go anywhere else,” which is “more true than ever” with high inflation.
Basket cost groceries in the main banners
- Walmart : 242 $
- Super C : 247 $
- Maxi and Co.: 250 $
- I try the brands: 280 $
- ALL extras: 282 $
- metro plus : 286 $
Source: Protect Yourself