Grocery Comparison

Well, tonight I started the HUGE task of comparing prices in each grocery store near me. 

Firstly, I wrote up a list of every single grocery item that I use, with the exception of spices.  I made a huge spreadsheet on my computer, printed off a copy, and waltzed down to my local Wal-Mart for my first price records.  Ugh.  An hour later I was nearly sick of looking at the fine print on each can, writing down details such as brands, units of measurement, weight or amount, and price.  I'm sure the sales people were seriously wondering what I was doing, taking hours in each aisle! 

After 2 and a half hours, I was done!!  The "Wal-Mart"column on my spreadsheet is full!  Unfortunately, it's full on paper, filled in with furiously written chicken scratch writing.  Tomorrow I will have to take the time to transcribe it all into my laptop.

I hope to spend the next two weeks doing a massive comparison of all the grocery items in each store so that I have a better idea of where to shop for each item.  I want to know when a sale is actually a good deal, or when I could still get the product cheaper elsewhere.  I want to know what I'm paying for, and I want the confidence that I'm paying the lowest possible price!

My next stop is Safeway, then the Wholesale Club, Superstore, London Drugs, and a couple of local dollar stores.  I am not intending to check Sobeys or Save-on-Foods, as I know that most of their items are more expensive to begin with.  I will still check through their catalogs to look for special deals, but in general, their prices are not in the same category as the other stores.  Their customer service generally exceeds other stores, and their products are of high quality.  But for the purpose of this comparison, I will not spend the time in their stores.

I will post my findings once I am done.  You may hear very little from me in the next week or two as I spend a lot of time compiling my research.  I hope to pass the savings onto you as soon as possible.