# any one else notice price jumps at safeway?



## onefishtwofish (Apr 21, 2010)

$2.59 for a can of creme of chicken soup........other than getting just what I need that is on sale I am thinking about switching stores. I may even get a passport so i can shop in the states. someone told me that even if it is say the same brand of soup that the quality of the food down south is inferior. any one that grocery shops down there notice a difference in quality over all?


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## Shiyuu (Apr 9, 2011)

Safeway is always not cheap unless there's sale going on...
and same goes to the Save on Food as well...


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## neven (May 15, 2010)

Stores will lower prices consistently for a long time, then they will slowly creep the prices up after people have made it a habit shopping there. At a certain point another store will start its cycle and shoppers will shift over slowly. Superstore is the most consistent for lower prices, but certain productts are never cheap

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## Pamela (Apr 21, 2010)

Safeway takes 10% off your total purchase on the first Tuesday of every month. I try to do my big shopping there then.


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## beN (Apr 21, 2010)

i find walmart to be great for prices..how can you go wrong on mac n cheese for 0.50!!!


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## BaoBeiZhu (Apr 24, 2010)

my grandparents goes to the states and do their shopping 
my parents started doing that too..
heck the expenses in BC is going insane


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## SeaHorse_Fanatic (Apr 22, 2010)

Shopping down in the States saves quite a bit of money, but they are much freer when it comes to allowing giant corporate farms to use hormones like BST (on cattle to increase milk production) that are not allowed in Canada.

In Canada, to protect independent farmers, we have the quota system. This ensures small producers can make a living at farming; whereas in the States, almost all the farmers are now mega-corporate agri-factories. Does this impact quality? Yes and no, depending on who you ask.

I admit using Foster's Farm chicken from Washington, as well as eggs, milk and Heinz ketchup, due to the fact that my inlaws go down to shop quite frequently. It's just hard to pass up $.99/lb US for thighs or whole chicken, compared to double that or more in Canada.

Anthony


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## STANKYfish (Apr 21, 2011)

That is bizarre price for a can of soup!! Safeway and Save on are way to pricey unless they have sales on. I quite often go to Stupid store, but you also have to watch their fluctuating prices, and buy one for sale price but pay regular after one, even if it is a different flavor. Also notice that prices seem to go up around welfare day  I just try to stock up when there is a sale on. As for going to the states, there are deals to be had. The huge block of cheese is 10.00 when the same here goes for 26.00. Some say the meat down there does not have the strict gov regulations that Canada does  but sure a lot cheaper and probably some comes from here!!
I just can't be bothered with the hassle of the border.


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## gklaw (May 31, 2010)

At some point, we need to stop shopping cross border for the daily stuff like chicken and eggs or else we just feeding our neighbour down south (we may need to) and our price level will stay high. It is a fine line - literally the chicken-and-egg situation.

As far as grocery shop in concerned, my wife shop Save-On. They price match all flyer prices as well as the 10% off Tuesday. They also have point systems which my wife cash in for restaurant gift cards regularly.


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## SeaHorse_Fanatic (Apr 22, 2010)

I do all my own shopping in Canada, both to support Canadian businesses and because I can't stand the border lineups. However, when I have the kids' big bbq parties and have 60+ guests to feed, I did ask my inlaws to bring back some chicken and groceries to stay on budget.

For Felicia's 1 month party three years ago, I bought every in Canada but stocked up on chicken at the local shop which sometimes had small whole chickens for $1.39/lb. It was just hard to pass up cut-up thighs for $.99/lb this summer.

I'd say 35-40% of my grocery budget goes to T&T, 15% to Langley Farm Mkts, 10% to Kin's, 5% to Safeway (just their weekly specials), and the rest is split between the Price Warehouse, Price Smart, Superstore, Save-on, Buy-Low and other smaller supermarkets.


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## bonsai dave (Apr 21, 2010)

My wife and I do most of our food shopping at Pro Organics , costco and we get our meat from an organic butcher shop on the north shore called 3p. We don't really shop at any other big box food stores any more. We can get every thing we need from those 3 places and the prices are not much more.


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## big_bubba_B (Apr 25, 2010)

i don't care were i shop as long is it is a good price and the stuff is good quality . i order from the states allot for things but why pay more when you don't have to . if Canadian stores wanna be competitive then lower prices . and i usually find costco is great for meat at a good price


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## InfraredDream (Jun 24, 2010)

We shop in Costco and Save On foods, stock stuff that can be stocked when on sale. I did not know for the Tuesday and price match in Save On. Will use that in the future. Thanks.
A close friend of mine always go to the States and keeps telling me how much cheaper it is and she can do it in a few hours. I was never able to cross the border on Sat for less than 30-40 min and it just doesn't worth to lose almost the whole Sat. She buys mostly organic, so I guess quality-wise it is good though.


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## neven (May 15, 2010)

for those of you who use save on points, if you prefer to cash in your points for groceries, just make a trip to price smart since staple food items are always available through points


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## bonsai dave (Apr 21, 2010)

Be careful when buying can good from the US. Make sure it is bpa free. It's banned in Canada but not in the Us . They line the walls of the can with bpa.


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## InfraredDream (Jun 24, 2010)

I only use my points in the store when there are "get it for... when you use points". I find it good enough.


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## big_bubba_B (Apr 25, 2010)

no frills here in alberta is usualy way cheaper then anywhere else


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## BaoBeiZhu (Apr 24, 2010)

SeaHorse_Fanatic said:


> I do all my own shopping in Canada, both to support Canadian businesses and because I can't stand the border lineups. However, when I have the kids' big bbq parties and have 60+ guests to feed, I did ask my inlaws to bring back some chicken and groceries to stay on budget.
> 
> For Felicia's 1 month party three years ago, I bought every in Canada but stocked up on chicken at the local shop which sometimes had small whole chickens for $1.39/lb. It was just hard to pass up cut-up thighs for $.99/lb this summer.
> 
> I'd say 35-40% of my grocery budget goes to T&T, 15% to Langley Farm Mkts, 10% to Kin's, 5% to Safeway (just their weekly specials), and the rest is split between the Price Warehouse, Price Smart, Superstore, Save-on, Buy-Low and other smaller supermarkets.


Personally, i dont like to travel that far so i rather buy my own stuff locally since metrotown is only 5 min drive And i dont buy that much 
but my grandparents and them are a bit different, house of 12 to feed. so they do need quite a bit of groceries every week

oh and the 60+guest party, remember to invite your close neighbor hey? LOL


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## neven (May 15, 2010)

big_bubba_B said:


> no frills here in alberta is usualy way cheaper then anywhere else


that is because they pay almost exclusively minimum wage with very little raises. i think even the store manager makes only $15 /h. The chain was brought in to further reduce employment costs throughout loblaws when bargaining with extra food employees weren't able to obtain the severe wage cuts they were after. That is why there is no more extra foods in maple ridge, they were locked out years ago.


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## big_bubba_B (Apr 25, 2010)

but hey is cheap so i buy there and honestly what is Canadian , everything is mostly owned by an American giant business group . and if you don't buy at a place because they pay crappy . is your business . but i like deals and will go where they are


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## Morainy (Apr 21, 2010)

We have organic food delivered every week by Spud (www spud ca). I order online and it shows up at the door, everything from veggies and fruit to cereal, milk, bread, lentils, frozen items and sometimes cakes. 

We get things like toilet paper and laundry detergent from Safeway on sale, and many other things (batteries, peanut butter, Kick Ass coffee, toothpaste) from London Drugs as they often have great deals.

However, for the past few years most of the things we cook with on a day to day basis come from Spud, or sometimes Whole Foods.


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## fishykisses (May 11, 2010)

every 2-3 week i go across the border to get groceries. We have a big family and it really pays to cross border shop. 
i just can't pay $21 for 2 chickens when they're less than $5 each across the border, not to mention cheese. It's ridiculous the price difference. Honesty all the meat i buy says hormone/antibiotic free and i feel it taste better from there for some reason. if i need to just pick something up i'll shop at Superstore, i find their prices better than the rest and veggies i buy from Kins or Langley farm market.


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## Grete_J (Oct 5, 2010)

Safeway has always been an expensive store. They're american owned, & IME, most american owned stores in Canada are priced higher. Their sale prices are Superstore/No Frill's regular prices. 

I prefer shopping at Donald's Market, the No Frills on Broadway (Thursday's only.... long story), any of the OFG companies (Save On, Pricemart, BuyLow). Prices will fluctuate depending on the economy at the present time. Remember last year when grain prices were through the roof?


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## Elle (Oct 25, 2010)

We shop at Thrifty's for dairy (Island farms rocks) and quick trips, Costco (for bulk staples and non-food items and sometimes beef), Spud (for bulk organic staples) and assorted farm markets and co-ops. I'll go to Superstore for some stuff I can't get at Costco, but I rarely buy fresh food there because I don't trust them an inch (they were caught a year or two back repackaging past-due fish). We're also going to try Pro Organics, just haven't been out there on a Saturday yet. I also go to Whole Foods once in a while, but they're way too overpriced to shop there regularly.

For most meat, I use Organic World in Maple Ridge, have for years. We also buy a whole lamb and about half a pig once a year from a friend's farmer buddy upcountry who does his own raising/slaughtering, have the meat butchered and freeze it. I'm looking for somebody interested in splitting a cow, as we've also done that in the past. During the salmon runs, we buy whole fresh fish off the docks or the boats, process them and seal and freeze them as filets and salmon burger patties. Properly vacuum sealed, they keep for nearly a year. I'd keep chickens for eggs, but unfortunately we're not allowed to in our area, so when I can, I trade with friends who do have chickens for their eggs. Otherwise I get the free range/hormone/antibiotic free ones.

I'm VERY picky about what goes into my food, so I tend to stay far, far away from anything that's processed and I am very wary of anything that's produced via the agribiz farm industry. That rules out a lot of foods for us right away that most people buy when they shop across the line. I make my own stock, soups, jams and spaghetti sauce, and I freeze tons of stuff. It saves time and money, and I'm much happier about the salt/sugar/garbage quotient. It also doesn't take significantly more time on a regular basis. I spend about 12 hours every summer to can about 200lbs of tomato sauce, and also make my own jam and antipasto with berries and veggies that I buy at local farms or markets. Given the cost of canned sauce (not to mention the crap that goes into it) it's a killer bargain. 

I'm not very fond of Save-On or Price-Smart (don't like how they treat their workers), Safeway is US-owned and I utterly refuse to set foot in Walmart. They're union busting, child labour supporting, worker-exploiting backstabbing greedy and evil representatives of everything that's wrong with corporations, and I wouldn't give them a cent if they were handing out gold bricks. In fact, I spit on their parking lot if I have to cross it. I like Thrifty's because they make a real effort to stock local products, treat their staff well, and the service is always stellar. I'll pay more to support that in my community.

If anyone's interested in learning some canning techniques, let me know. Citrus season is coming, and I'm planning to do some marmalade.


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## Morainy (Apr 21, 2010)

Wow, Elle! Canning 200 pounds of your own tomato sauce every summer -- that's impressive!


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## Elle (Oct 25, 2010)

Thanks! I can't look at a tomato for a few weeks afterwards, but the result is worth it. The thing about canning is that it's really not that impressive...it's several hours of basic grunt work and prep and mess that means you save HUGE on food. I think I spent about $120 for 200lbs of fresh Keremeos organic roma tomatoes, plus 12 hours of time plus maybe $20 in tomato paste and extra canning supplies (lids etc that needed to be replaced). I got about 30 jars of sauce out of it. When you figure that the equivalent sauce to what I make costs about $8-$9 at the store, that starts to add up really fast.

Think of it as Xmas dinner with a longer payback.


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## Niffarious (Oct 2, 2011)

I do a lot of my grocery shopping at small, local markets. I find the produce to be better quality and far cheaper...and even other products tend to be less expensive. That surprised me, as one would assume the bigger box stores to have lower prices...

But this way, I get to save a little and support local businesses.


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## big_bubba_B (Apr 25, 2010)

we got to the farmers market here in town but honestly stuff that say organic is full of beans i was a long haul driver and did the produce runs to California . plus you don't think when they spray the Fields it doesn't blow over to the "organic farms' anyone can wash vegetables and what not and call it organic .


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## Arcteryx (Nov 23, 2011)

For those crossing into the States, I suggest you get a NEXUS pass. $50/family member, kids are free, but it's good for 5 years. At $10/year, I'd say that's worth skipping through that 75 minute line-up at 6PM on a Saturday night.


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## Shell Dweller (Jul 11, 2010)

I do most of the shopping for me and my wife, as I dont mind stopping at the store on my way home from work. I shop mostly at Superstore but only buy things on special, except for milk and other items which are never on sale. We have a 10 ft long wall in the laundry room with floor to ceiling cabinets which is usually fully stocked with everything from soup to nuts. We could probably eat for 4 months without shopping except for milk, dairy and produce with what we have on hand. 

As for meat we dont eat as much beef as we used to, but prefer to buy the large box of boneless chicken breasts when on sale. Either grilled, baked or in stirfry's. We also eat more fish, salmon or cod. We do buy some beef steaks, bison steaks, etc from Organic World in MR when 2 for one. About the only processed meals we buy are Delissio pizza and Bassils Chicken lasagne when on sale. 

We too make our own stock, soup, pasta sauce, jams, pickles, etc. I buy produce at Langley FM as I find the produce fresher than other places. We also have a large garden where we grow lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, peas, beans etc and in the summer we have fresh veggies, salads all the time. We also try and freeze some garden produce for the winter.

We have 4 blueberry bushes and reap at least 40lbs of berries every year. Year before we picked close to 80 lbs. We trade fresh blueberries with one friend for fresh vacum packed whole salmon or fillets. Another friend trades fresh vacum packed salmon or canned salmon for my pickled beets and blueberries.

I very rarely shop at Save On or Safeway as I find prices way to high.


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## SeaHorse_Fanatic (Apr 22, 2010)

With one small greenhouse and a huge yard, last summer, we went from late May to early October without having to almost any fruits or veggies.

In the two 8x3 raised garden beds I grew: 

Cauliflower 
Broccoli
New Zealand Spinach
reg. Spinach
Sugar Peas
String Beans
Carrots
Onions/Purple Onions
Yukon Gold Potatoes
Bok Choi
Pak Choi
Gai Lan

In the 5x5 greenhouse I grew:

Japanese Baby Cucumbers
Long English Cucumbers
Cherry Tomatoes
Roma Tomatoes
Red Bell Peppers
Zucchini

In the rest of the garden I have:

16 Blueberry bushes (5 varieties)
30 Strawberry plants (everbearing and standard)
8 different types of herbs (ie. Rosemary, thyme, cilantro)
Lemongrass
Two varieties of Thornless Blackberry
Three varieties of Raspberries (including two thornless varieties)
Fig tree
Fuji apple tree
4 Fruit Combo tree (peach, apricot, 2 types of plums)
Huge plum tree
2 Fuyu Persimmon trees
Watercress
Goji berry bush

This year I plan to build a 8' x 12' x 10' tall wood and two ply polycarbonate greenhouse for my koi pond and citrus tree collection:

1 Improved Meyers Lemon
1 Eureka Lemon
1 Vietnamese Cooking Lemon
1 Key Lime
2 Calamansi

and soon to add a three Citrus Combo Tree (Ponderosa Lemon; Pomelo; Blood Orange).

I figure in two or three years, my family will be almost self-sufficient for fruits and vegetables for over half the year. My mom wants me to grow beansprouts too but at $.59/lb at T&T its just not worth it.


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## Elle (Oct 25, 2010)

Even with just containers, you can grow lots. I grow a lot of herbs, especially in summer.


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## onefishtwofish (Apr 21, 2010)

Finance-related videos - Money - MSN CA

how grocery stores get you to spend more


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## big_bubba_B (Apr 25, 2010)

well i went to no frills and spent 125 bucks and got tons of stuff my gf went to sobeys and spent 57 and got didley i think no frills is the way to go , they had wicked sales on some items and the normal priced items were still cheaper then safe-way and what not and was the brand name stuff


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## enzotesta (Dec 20, 2011)

someone has to pay my wage ...you will notice items drop in price as they increase prices on other items to offset their loss. Many companies do that...also when you notice...70-80% off in department stores...ask yourself....70-80% of the inflated original price. Nothing is free in life except a handshake and a smile....LOL


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## big_bubba_B (Apr 25, 2010)

didn't say it was free . but two bucks and a dollar for some things is great when you are paying 3-4 bucks for it at other stores. why would i give my business to a place that costs more. being local or not and like i said before "organic" foods as they call them i can throw a sticker on anything and call it organic then jack the price up


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## SeaHorse_Fanatic (Apr 22, 2010)

Just found a box of "shoestring potatoes" with "0 TRANSFAT" in bold on the packaging, but 4g of transfat per serving on the Nutritional breakdown list on the back. How's that for false marketing!!!!


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## neven (May 15, 2010)

advertising for transfar free only requires the amount of transfats fall below a certain percentage of the daily intake. Around a week ago global news did a piece on this sort of thing


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## InfraredDream (Jun 24, 2010)

neven said:


> advertising for transfar free only requires the amount of transfats fall below a certain percentage of the daily intake. Around a week ago global news did a piece on this sort of thing


Really? WOW! Gotta read some more on the topic


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## Elle (Oct 25, 2010)

> we got to the farmers market here in town but honestly stuff that say organic is full of beans i was a long haul driver and did the produce runs to California . plus you don't think when they spray the Fields it doesn't blow over to the "organic farms' anyone can wash vegetables and what not and call it organic .


This is a really good point, and it's why I really try to avoid buying produce out of the USA (organic or not) unless it's something we can't grow up here. California is horrible for pesticide use. The upshot for me is that I tend to only eat stuff when it's actually in season, (strawberries etc) and I can get it locally from places I trust.


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