Do you like your grocery store?

[maslex]

I got to thinking about this yesterday while talking with a friend of mine. Around here we have Big Y. It's not my favorite store but hey, it's what we have.

My usual Sunday shopping trip includes driving about 20 minutes to the nearest Walmart (which is a Super Walmart) to get all of my toiletries, paper goods, laundry/cleaning stuff, boxed foods (cereals, pasta, etc) canned goods, frozen foods, some dairy and milk (if it's cheaper than the grocery store that week). Then on the way home I stop at Big Y and pick up my meats (which they don't have much of a selection, I think) lunch meats, newspapers (for my coupons ) and whatever I need that's on sale for that week (usually any buy one get one or buy one get two free sales)

It might be because I don't have any other grocery stores around, maybe I'm getting bored with the same store every week, I don't know. But while I was at work the other day, I stopped at a Waldbaums(sp) in another city and I just walked around a bit because it was so different than my store. Seemed like it had more variety of things. And then yesterday, I brought my son up to Staples & Target (which are in a new shopping area) that is about 20 mins from our house (opposite way of the Walmart that I shop at) In this shopping area, they have a Stop & Shop. I popped in there yesterday to pick up a couple things to make apple dumplings and I liked it.

Here's my question though. I have it in my head that I'm saving some $$$ by shopping at Walmart for most of my stuff and then getting the rest at our grocery store. But I'm wondering if I went to Stop & Shop instead for everything, will it be worth it?

I guess I'm just babbling along, but do you feel you save more money by shopping in Walmart (without extra purchases like clothes, electronics, etc....just food) and maybe a local grocery store for the rest or do you think I should just go the other way and do all my shopping at one store (maybe switching to Stop & Shop). And the closest warehouse store (Bj's or Sam's) is almost an hour away. So I don't ever go there.

 

[ancestry]

You really need to price out the items that you buy most frequently at the various stores to see what is the cheapest where. You may or may not be saving money by shopping at Wal-Mart. It varies and it depends.

Fortunately for me we have three grocery stores (Shaws, Hannaford, and Wal-Mart right next to each other. So close that I could walk from one to the other if I really wanted to. Sometimes I save money at Wal-Mart - sometimes not. Usually perishable items (meats, veggies, fruits, etc.) are better bought at Shaws or Hannaford -- they are a better quality and are fresher is not cheaper.

 

[DisneyAndRedSox]

Big Y is my closest store and the are overpriced. They know they are the only store in town (and serve other 3 towns nearby with no store) and take advantage of it. I go 15-20 minutes to Shaws, Stop and Shop and Price Chopper- it all depends on the sale flyer which one I go to. I do a Super Walmart trip at least 1x month (15 to 20 minutes away) and there are a lot of things I save money on. I buy a lot of cleaning products at Target since I get Target coupons in the mail and they let you stack them with manufacturers coupons.

Once a week I go to a local specialty deli/fruit stand and that is where I buy all my deli meat and cheese (Boars Head much cheaper than Stop and Shop, LoL American Cheese $2.99 a pound) and I buy all my milk there (Hood $2.59 gal). Unfortunately this is the time of year when I stop getting produce there- now it is a lousy selection and prices are going back up.

 

[kacaju]

We do not have meats or fresh produce at our Target or Wal-Mart, so I don't really think of them as grocery stores. If I am not in need of meats or produce, I will run to Wal-Mart, just because it is the closest store to me.

Here our grocery stores are plentiful I have an easy drive to Shop Rite, Stop and Shop, A&P, and Pathmart.
in that order is where I shop. The Stop and Shop is the next easiest store to get to, so I will go there if I need to run in quickly. Shop Rite is my favorite.

 

[MichelleinMaine]

I got to thinking about this yesterday while talking with a friend of mine. Around here we have Big Y. It's not my favorite store but hey, it's what we have.

Any chance it's the Big Y in Webster? (Looking at your location, was curious ) I wasn't fond of that one at all, very much geared to the low budget shopper. I like to save a buck and all, but I found the quality of their stuff was just poor. (And, like you said, not a great selection.)

Ancestry- hi neighbor. I wouldn't want to try to walk across that street from Walmart to Hannaford, esp in summer, lol. (Who am I kidding, I try not to even go to those ones in summer!)

 

[scard192]

No Super Walmart or Super Target near me, but I buy what a I can at their regular stores which are nearby but have a limited grocery section. I think Stop + Shop is outrageously over priced. I shop at Market Basket and their prices are really good.

 

[snoopybabe]

I guess I'm just babbling along, but do you feel you save more money by shopping in Walmart (without extra purchases like clothes, electronics, etc....just food) and maybe a local grocery store for the rest or do you think I should just go the other way and do all my shopping at one store (maybe switching to Stop & Shop). And the closest warehouse store (Bj's or Sam's) is almost an hour away. So I don't ever go there.

I have found I have saved more by not going to Walmart. I go between 2 grocery stores (Harris Teeter & Giant) and with double coupons things are cheaper. I also like their brand name products for when I don't have coupons. I just buy specials when I see them. For example Giant had Special K cereal 4 for $8. With coupons I was able to get my cereal for the mnonth for $6. I have found things go in cycles about once every 4-5 weeks. It takes a little planning & time but I have found it worth it & I don't buy a lot of impulse items.

 

[CleoPahd]

I'm in Mass like a pp so I too shop Market Basket which has good regular & sale prices and you don't need any rewards cards to get deals. We have a walmart supercenter nearby, but it's not as good for some things. I don't think the meats & produce are as quality as someone else stated, but find most of the other items to be competitively priced. We have Shaws & Stop & Shop close by too, but unless something is on some kind of special, the prices are extremely high. I only go there if I notice something in the sale flyer for a really good deal. We don't have a super Target, but ours does have a huge food section. It seems to be hit or miss with some of those items.

OP, it's easy to get bored shopping at the same store week after week...I can relate!

 

[dbd]

I have found I have saved more by not going to Walmart. I go between 2 grocery stores (Harris Teeter & Giant) and with double coupons things are cheaper. I also like their brand name products for when I don't have coupons. I just buy specials when I see them. For example Giant had Special K cereal 4 for $8. With coupons I was able to get my cereal for the mnonth for $6. I have found things go in cycles about once every 4-5 weeks. It takes a little planning & time but I have found it worth it & I don't buy a lot of impulse items.

I totally understand saving money by not going to Walmart! They seemed to have raised prices on so much now, and those things that aren't too expensive are too much of a temptation to overstock on.

 

[Madison'smommy]

I have found I have saved more by not going to Walmart. I go between 2 grocery stores (Harris Teeter & Giant) and with double coupons things are cheaper. I also like their brand name products for when I don't have coupons. I just buy specials when I see them. For example Giant had Special K cereal 4 for $8. With coupons I was able to get my cereal for the mnonth for $6. I have found things go in cycles about once every 4-5 weeks. It takes a little planning & time but I have found it worth it & I don't buy a lot of impulse items.

Same here. I rarely go to Walmart and I have 2 within 3 miles of me. I do most of my shopping at Harris Teeter. I stock up when stuff is on sale and I have a coupon. I don't do "regular" weekly shopping, so each week I usually go to whichever store has other things I need on sale (milk, produce).

 

[KittyHellstrom]

I live down the street (walking distance) from both a Whole Foods market and a SuperFresh and I'm pretty pleased with it. WF has nicer produce and meats but I can get my toiletries and paper goods for cheaper at SuperFresh. If I have the time I like to hit both places in a single trip.

-Kitty

 

[zoemurr]

Once you shop there you have so much trouble going anywhere else.

Not always the cheapest, but often. The expensive stuff is the pre-made, but it is all so yummy and convenient. Sushi, pizza, subs, chinese, salad, you name it. Now they have $6 meals where you get an entree and two sides. Great deal.

Clean, bright, very helpful/knowlegable, (chefs always around to answer questions) free child care, tons of samples, double coupons, everything fresh and lots of local produce. They even have a Santa breakfast, Halloween party, Earth Day Celebration and other workshops for kids (this weekend it was make your own ice cream.)

Love, love, love my Wegmans.

 

[Ephany]

I read an article in the last week or so talking about how much Walmart has raised prices, but we've got so many grocery stores within 10-15 minutes I rarely buy groceries there. I love Publix, especially because when items are BOGO, they ring up at half price so you can use a store coupon & a manufacturer coupon on each item. Occasionally I'll shop somewhere else, but honestly when it's just DD and me, we're not buying enough groceries to justify driving all over town.

 

[KittyHellstrom]

Once you shop there you have so much trouble going anywhere else.

Not always the cheapest, but often. The expensive stuff is the pre-made, but it is all so yummy and convenient. Sushi, pizza, subs, chinese, salad, you name it. Now they have $6 meals where you get an entree and two sides. Great deal.

Clean, bright, very helpful/knowlegable, (chefs always around to answer questions) free child care, tons of samples, double coupons, everything fresh and lots of local produce. They even have a Santa breakfast, Halloween party, Earth Day Celebration and other workshops for kids (this weekend it was make your own ice cream.)

Love, love, love my Wegmans.

So envious! I love Wegman's and wish I had one closer to me

 

[sk!mom]

I shop at and LOVE HEB.

I avoid Super WalMart unless it's the only place to find something- happens only a few times in a year usually around Christmas. I love Target but we don't have Super Target so only very limited grocery choices at our Target.

 

[scrapquitler]

I have a good variety of grocery stores near me. Within about 15 minutes I have 4 Stop and Shops, Price Chopper, Aldi, Super Walmart, Shop Rite, and Big Y. There is also a good produce store. We used to have Shaws until earlier this year, but they closed all the Shaws in CT. The one near me became a Shop Rite (which simply moved from a few miles up the road into the Shaw's building).

Normally, I buy a lot of things at Walmart, but never produce or meat. Aldi is a lot cheaper for a lot of things,, but I never go there because I don't think it is clean. Most of my meat/produce I buy at the Stop and Shop closest to me. I like to go to the produce store, but rarely do because it is kind of out of my way. I don't go to Price Chopper often because it is kind of out of my way as well, though when I am in that area I will stop and get a few sale items.

Surprisingly, I have found that the two Stop&Shops closest to me have VERY different prices. The one a little bit south of me has much higher prices across the board (20-75 cents on virtually every item).

Stop and Shop is really not any higher priced that Shop Rite. When I compared, Shop Rite was higher on several of the things I normally buy. Big Y is almost always higher than Stop & Shop, except that their buy one get 2 sale is great and I try to remember to get those items when they have that sale.

 

[CobraBubbles]

Walmart is one of those mystery places. You can get most things that are not food cheaper at Walmart. Their everyday prices on food, for the most part are at least competitive with other regular grocery stores and a lot of times cheaper, also.

The Good:
They are cheaper than the high end grocery stores, for sure. Also keep in mind that you can price match all other stores which might save you some trips. I feel that if you don't like couponing or planning, Walmart is the place to go to save money. If Walmart does run a sale they can be really good. For instance last year around thanksgiving stuffing was 77 cents...good time to stock up, this year a big heinz ketchup was $1. If you hit those sales you can stock up for a bargain.

The Bad:
If you do couponing most other stores do double or triple coupons, so you have the opportunity to get a better deal. (Walmart doesn't double, but there have been times when I've gotten better deals there using single coupons, so you have to know your prices.) Walmart does not run as many sales on food as other stores...they don't really have the meat sales, etc. They do a flyer every 2 weeks, and sometimes don't really include food at all, so the rollbacks could be pretty random, and hard to plan. And also, it's much easier to impulse buy non-food items there, making your bill much higher.

Intangibles:
To me it seems that Walmart has a LOT of stuff, but in certain categories they lack. For instance, I think Target has a much better baby section, but you're gonna pay more. Sometimes it's worth it though to get a better selection. Same with food, they have no international section. My husband is Scottish so I like a good international section. If you can find places like Aldis or other really cheap food stores, they are generally cheaper than Walmart, also. The quality of certain items might be better elsewhere, as well, like produce or meat. On the other hand, if you don't mind generic, most of Walmart's Great Value items are very good, so that can save you some money. The few things I didn't like in Great Value (like the tuna) they are trying to improve. And if you buy things like toiletries at the grocery store I guarantee they'll be cheaper at Walmart. Grocery stores always mark them up.

 

[mrsklamc]

I avoid Wal-Mart if possible...not all for $ but also because of my own mental health. For one thing they rearranged the whole store and tried to make it more like Target- news flash, you aren't Target, you are Wal-Mart. Secondly, their really does seem to be a different mentality in our Wal-Mart- people are just oblivious. It's like they are so overwhelmed by the sheer amount of stuff, aren't paying attention to where they are going, etc. I haven't had this experience in every Wal-Mart- I don't at the one closer to my work, but the one by our house is just maddening for whatever reason...

To answer OP's question, yes, I love my grocery store- Meijer. The only thing is sometimes you have to watch to make sure items are scanning properly.

 

[maslex]

OP here. So I did my shopping this morning. I spent about $185 at Wamart and about $65 at Big Y.

After reading everyone's responses, I realized that I do have an Aldi's about 15 mins from me (heading north) then there's the Stop & Shop about 5 mins north of that. And if I went another 10 mins north, I could hit a Price Chopper. Maybe next week I could try one of them?

I know in my original post it said that all I had here was BigY, but I meant to say that's all I had in the direction that I travel (always head south of here) lol For some reason, I always thought of Stop & Shop and Price Chopper being more expensive than Big Y. But hearing everyone else, it seems the other way around.

Does anyone know when Price Chopper's sale week begins? What about Stop & Shop?

We do have a Target in the same shopping center as the Stop & Shop, so maybe I could hit Target for my paper products, cleaning stuff, HBA, etc and then head over to Stop & Shop for my meats/produce? Maybe next week I'll try it and see how it works out compared to what I'm doing now!!!

Thanks guys!!! Now off to cut my coupons!!! One more thing....someone mentioned something about Target coupons (where do you get those?)

 

[mrsklamc]

If you are just starting out I would say Google (or look on swagbucks) for couponing to disney. It will line up all the target deals to get you started.