Bellbrook graduation 2012
Fairfield Senior 2012 graduation
Kroger Aquatic Center opens
Home > Blogs > Here's the Deal > Archives > 2009 > May > 17
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Poll: What is your favorite grocery store?
In this week’s Here’s the Deal column, I took a look at Dayton-area grocery stores. I noted what their actual prices were on a random day last week and what the shopping experience was like at each store.
I visited six area supermarkets — Kroger, Walmart, Sam’s Club, Meijer, Cub Foods and Dot’s Market — and noted what I thought to be the positives and negatives. I mentioned that most folks weigh prices, location and comfort level when choosing a favorite store.
And it made me wonder what grocery stores were the top picks for Miami Valley shoppers and why. What are your thoughts?
Permalink | Comments (30) | Post your comment | Categories: Sunday columns, Talking point
Here’s the Deal: Comparing grocery stores
Last week on the Internet I came across a free one-day pass to shop at Sam’s Club. The coupon expires May 25.
Sam’s Club, which has three area locations, is a member’s-only store that offers what it calls “warehouse savings,” and specializes in selling things in bulk.
I hadn’t shopped at Sam’s, and the coupon made me wonder if their savings were worth the membership fees for a typical family.
Also last week, I was reading the new book by The Wall Street Journal’s Smart Money editors called “1,001 Things They Won’t Tell You.”
The book has lists of the top 10 list of things insiders won’t tell you about many industries, including warehouse clubs and supermarkets.
The book notes that warehouse clubs often have long lines, less variety and that if you use the store credit cards, the interest can be inordinately high.
About supermarkets, the book notes that the term “special” can be misleading and not really offer a discount, and that “fresh” also is a relative term. The book added that stores with loyalty cards make up their losses by overcharging those who don’t use the cards.
These comments and the Sam’s coupon convinced me that a comparison shopping trip was in order, and motivated me to find out exactly how much specific items cost at Dayton-area grocery stores and what stood out about the shopping experiences.
So, on a random day last week, I went to an area Kroger, Dot’s Market, Meijer, Cub Foods, Walmart and Sam’s Club. I compared 10 popular grocery store items, which were chosen blindly before the trip.
At the bottom of this column, I noted the prices as marked on the merchandise — some were “on sale” and some were not.
Many of these stores have perpetual or revolving sales on these core items, and others might inflate an “original price,” so I went with the price at checkout.
Also recorded is the price “with card,” if applicable. If you are going to shop at a store that requires a card, you should use it to get the most savings possible.
Observations
I knew Sam’s Club sold in bulk, but I didn’t realize there weren’t many other options. In 7 of the 10 items compared, the amount has been calculated to find out how much it would cost in the comparative size. That bears noting.
The actual cost of this shopping trip would have been $95.22 (instead of the listed $39.34), because you would have to buy the items in the jumbo sizes. That would include 44 pounds of dog food, 30 six-packs of Oreos and 72 slices of cheese. You would, however, not have to shop as often.
At an area Kroger, the sign for the milk said, “$1.98 with card,” but didn’t mention another price.
When I asked an associate at the store, she said that the $1.98 was the price for everyone, regardless of the sign. She added that they were “trying to keep as close to Walmart as we can.”
But Kroger, even using the card prices, still came in last place for savings. Walmart and Meijer, which divide their stores between grocery and other merchandise, both came out favorably in the price comparison.
Meijer did well because many of these items were “on sale.” Walmart’s items were not listed as sales, as part of the store’s “everyday low prices” mantra.
However, it is good to remember that it can be an inconvenience when shopping at these superstores when you have to go to the other end of the building to get something.
At the Walmart I visited, to get the pet food was a hike; and at Meijer, the toiletries section was on the far end as well.
Cub Foods and Dot’s Market both had competitive prices, without the overbearing feel of some of the larger stores. Cub was the easiest of the stores to navigate, and Dot’s had a smaller selection than most, but was efficient.
Conclusions
If you need to buy larger quantities of food or stock up, Sam’s is a good choice. If you don’t have use for things in bulk, it is not as beneficial.
As far as other stores, where you choose to grocery shop depends on a combination of factors — price, location and comfort level.
Here is some information toward that end, but find out which works for you.
That is the only way to get the best deal.
Here are the prices I found at Kroger, Dot’s Market, Meijer, Cub Foods, Walmart and Sam’s Club, in that order for the grocery items below. (*Items sold only in larger size; price has been calculated for comparison.)
Ground chuck (per pound): $2.79, $2.59, $2.90, $2.19, $2.25, $2.88
Milk (one gallon): $1.98, $1.98, $1.98, $1.98, $1.98, $1.94
Oreos (standard package): $2.98, $3.59, $1.99, $3.50, $2.50, $1.44*
Cheerios (14-ounce box): $2.88, $2.99, $2.78, $2.50, $2.86, $2.22*
Purina One Dog Food (18 pounds): $24.59, $23.99, $18.29, $21.39, $16.97, $14.45*
Tide detergent (70-ounce box): $6.49, $7.49, $8.29, $7.99, $7.97, $9.16*
Dozen eggs (brand store carries): $1.19, $.95, $.98, $.98, $.92, $1.09*
Wonder bread (classic white loaf): $2.49, $1.69, $1.69, $1.59, $1.77, $1.57
Kraft American Cheese (16 slices): $2.49, $2.49, $2.00, $1.79, $2.38, $1.64*
Coke (12-pack of cans): $5.09, $3.66, $4.58, $4.00, $3.98, $2.95*
Total: $52.97, $51.42, $45.48, $47.91, $43.58, $39.34*
Permalink | Comments (5) | Post your comment | Categories: Sunday columns
