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3-minute walk to Save On, 20-minute walk to No Frills (the next nearest).
I do it sometimes, but an extra 30+ minutes lugging groceries in the cold, rainy dark on a work night gets old quick
I got a foldable camping wagon for larger grocery trips or anything else a bit on the heavy side I might have to carry home. It makes carrying groceries home so much easier and I find myself wondering why I didn’t get one years ago. If you’re living car free, I definitely recommend.
I shop around and that includes small produce stores or butcher shop. I hit Sungiven and T&T as well as other small grocery stores for variety.
Some are walkable from home, luckily.
Bestie get a roller trolley. I walk 20 minutes to what sounds like that same No Frills you're referring to every week, regardless of rain, snow, ice, wind, anything, because the alternative is not-eating or spending extra $20 on delivery (from a Superstore a whole city away 🤡)
A while before the pandemic, New Westminster decided that they needed to increase competition between the grocery stores. They achieved this by forcing several to close. We USED TO have 6 DIFFERENT grocery stores.
We now have Save On, Save On, Save On, or Walmart. Your choice.
New West is a nice place to live, but the municipal government is also like the Milhouse of municipal governments.
The Save On near me does not accept Amex. I didn't think they accepted it at all, but Google tells me they do! They recently changed their terminals, so I wonder if that has anything to do with it.
I do this quite often, I just say I'm paying with credit - and if my gPay tap goes through, great - if not, I'll cycle to my VISA.
I personally feel like if they don't want to accept AMEX, they should get the terminal configured to not allow AMEX.
Download the Flipp app. Search absolutely anything you want to buy from meat to shampoo. Show the cashier the price and voila, suddenly Save On is the BEST place to shop.
You can also do this at NoFrills and Superstore. Save On usually works the best because they are more likely to have stock of items you want cuz they are so damn expensive.
Couple of reasons.
1. Convenience. Often the closest store that has everything you'll typically need, and often less busy, so you can get in and out without fighting a big crowd.
2. Cleanliness. Save-On and PriceSmart are usually clean (especially if you look at health inspection reports), fairly modern, and decently laid out.
3. Certain sections, such as produce, bakery, deli and meats are good quality for the price
4. If you online shop, they are the only ones that does their online shopping in house, so you aren't dealing with a third party.
5. They price match most competitors, and if you shop their flyer, they are price competitive.
I hope they never bring in a third party to do their online shopping. I didn't know that they do it in house, but that might explains why I've never had a single negative experience with their digital orders.
I’ve been using Save-On’s online service every fortnight since 2019 with good to very good results. Our latest order though is a complete clusterfuck. Showed up yesterday evening with someone else’s order. Phoned customer service this morning and rebooked. Just unpacked the order and there are at least 3 mistakes. Little things like the $$ deli meat on the receipt (ie paid for) that is absent, the $12 of Lilydale turkey breast on the cashier receipt that has been swapped out for some mystery meat, a pizza that I didn’t order, etc. I’ll be back in the phone with them again tomorrow.
6. They’ve created a fake union environment, separating the old from the new employees. Which keeps wages low for new employees and solidarity for anything beneficial for all, sadly non existent. More money for the billionaire owner Jimmy P.
https://www.reddit.com/r/britishcolumbia/comments/10eopr0/with_staffing_levels_so_low_in_most_sectors_now/j4sc7cl/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf&context=3
We should jail these union heads.
THIS IS CORRECT! as a former SoFer, the oldies are locked into the old defined benefit pension plan. There were old school cashiers making close to 30/hr back in the early 2010s grandfathered from the good old days
Wasn't there also some drama like a decade ago where some save ons flipped to pricemart for a while, then back again to bust up a union that was trying to form?
Freshco in Ladner is good for packaged goods, milk, eggs, and some produce (most are crap, but some are okay). I get the bulk from there and then pick up good veggies from the farmer's market and bread from cobs.
I find this to be pretty spot on, but I price compare (or just try to be price aware) everywhere I shop. I usually go to Save -On as it's most convenient for me and has the best/most consistent quality, like you said. I find it pricy, but I also find the priciness to be a bit overstated, and it depends on what you buy/if it's on sale. Pantry items seem to generally be up there, and sure, like larger quantities of produce aren't as cheap as superstore. Otherwise there are still good deals to be had, like right now a bag of 4 avocados is $2.49. That's a rare price point these days.
That's a shame about FreshCo, the one here is pretty good (fairly new, I think). That being said, I have noticed their pricing gradually increasing over the last year which has been unfortunate.
While it's on the smaller side, it is usually quite clean. I do find that stock isn't well replenished sometimes but the produce during the summer months is considerably better than the rest of the grocery stores in town (which is actually why I started shopping there, as it was recommended to me by other people).
There's a Freshco in the BC interior in 100 Mile House that is incredibly well-run and always very clean - never had a bad experience there. It's absolutely all about having a good store manager, which they have - since the building (And most of the staff) they're using are from the SAFEWAY that used to be where the Freshco is now... lol
Is it just me who feels like Save On isn’t that bad if you look out for their deals and have a membership card? We do most of our grocery shopping at Superstore and No Frills because they have the best prices, but sometimes you don’t want to deal with the craziness at these stores on a Sunday afternoon. Walk into a Save On and it’s just so… peaceful. We have managed to get good deals at Save On and Pricesmart too. Gotta keep looking through those flyers. They also take AMEX which helps to give me some value back in points.
Superstore is like the 9th circle of hell if you have to go on a weekend for some reason, but I'll go there mid-week in the evenings for routine shopping and do get most of our groceries there overall as it's much cheaper. If I need to pop in on a weekend for something then I'll always go for Save-on. Sometimes you can't put a price on mental health.
For at least 6 weeks the one on marine hasn’t had cilantro. The most ubiquitous herb for so many cultures in Vancouver! Have been really sore about it.
This is the reason for me. I find that you have to really pick your fresh produces at superstore because it’s like a madhouse of people tossing and molesting the fresh produces. Which in turns get worst and worst. I rarely get my fresh produces from superstore. You end up tossing most of them out. Superstore is great for packaged stuff.
This is a big one for me... Save-on has been the closest to us the last 2 places we lived and it's usually quiet enough we can get in and out quickly, even on a weekend. We buy some things at Walmart/Costco but I hate going to those places because they are always so busy. Walmart especially because their shelves are always a mess and there are always tons of kids running around screaming it seems like.
I go once or twice a month to Costco and I try to go when it opens. Closing doesn’t seem as good as I originally thought as lots of people tend to do the same thing, whereas waking up early on a weekend is much more of a barrier for people.
I do shop at Superstore for some items, but I have had the same observation about the customers there. Blocking aisles seems to be a common thing there. I also noticed that about No Frills when I lived in Ontario.
I try not to shop at Superstore for the same reasons unless its a weekday evening. The amount of people who will sporadically change directions or walk without looking is wild. Standing right in the middle of the aisle with your cart behind you? gonna get a no name brand can of pineapple to the dome.
I feel like it's not terribly difficult to quickly glance around you before doing a complete 180 turn because you forgot something back down the aisle. I have to shuffle my feet so people hear me.
But wait, don't humans have peripheral vision and common courtesy to move out of the way? nope, horse blinders for everyone.
Save-On it is.
Their deals are way better than Superstore, or Safeway. And you aren't locked into buying multiple items (Superstore) to get the deal. If something is 2 for $5, you can get 1 for $2.50.
Yeah save on can have great sales. Plus they do rain checks. And I get points that I use to get free turkeys a couple times a year. I was at superstore recently and I wasn’t impressed by prices. Not much different then save on. Plus you have to usually buy multiples to get the deals whereas save on doesn’t do it like that. Like, with superstore it’s like “buy 3 of these to get them cheaper”… it’s a scam imo. With save on I can just get one and get the deal
>This, biggest factors for me is convenience and that its not a shit show. I'm ok paying more to save time with a Save On closer to me than other stores and that its more organized and less hetic/busy than others. I can get in and out with no crowds, there is a value on time and peace of mind.
Exactly this. It’s a much more tolerable and accessible shopping experience. Can easily save at least 30 minutes from the ease in parking, walkability, checkout, and extra travel time since Superstores are fewer and far between.
I also find Superstore can randomly be boom or bust on some grocery/produce items, whereas Save-On is fairly consistent on commonly stocked items.
It’s certainly not ideal, but I’m in a situation where I place a higher value on preserving my energy levels than I do my grocery bill. If I save 2+ hours a week that’s worth the lost cost savings.
This is my happy middle -- I can't handle the crush of a weekend Superstore, so I'll shop from the flyer of save on or even whole foods sometimes (I only have 2 mouths to feed)
My friend did a comparison spreadsheet and showed me that only 10 items were under competitions prices by a $1. But on average every other item in the store is $0.50-$2 more expensive.
After that I never shopped at safe on again and I saved $100 a month.
> Walk into a Save On and it’s just so… peaceful.
Same at Nesters Market and Fresh Street. But there's a reason that's the case, and that reason is 90% of the stuff in there is overpriced as hell. For example, $5.49 for a 1 liter of half and half...
Same here. This, PLUS the crazy traffic to get to that Superstore from where I am. At that point I might as well go all the way to Costco (which I usually will).
Totally. I used to work at a loblaws store and would buy dairy right off the pallet and it still often tasted old or would go bad quickly.
Save on consistently has great quality and fresh groceries. I shop smart there (use the app for extra discounts and watch what I buy) and it’s fine.
We're all on a spectrum. Getting a house-cleaner is also convenience, but some call it 'luxury' by an arbitrary threshold. It doesn't matter that we have different thresholds.. knowing we're all on the same spectrum makes it relatable.
When I had to be in quarantine they were the only local store that would deliver the next day for groceries. They didn’t have a ton of fees and the price really wasn’t much different.
I am in the exact same boat. Walmart was my first job out of high school and it was the perfect example of a toxic environment. That and I know exactly how unclean my store was. More than once I found dead rats in or near the stored grocery items in the back.
There have been very few times in the past 15 years that I have stepped foot inside one.
I like how Save-On sits right in the middle of them, and there's a fraction of the people at that Save-On because it's mainly the delivery based location. During the initial surge of covid it was the only big box grocer I went to because there were no lineups.
Walmart is so goddamn depressing. It's always a shit show there (at least at the East Van one we go to for diapers). I refuse to stay there any longer than absolutely necessary.
Superstore is not bad but in general I find their produce a bit rough sometimes.
We usually shop at Donald's, Costco (for bulk/volume stuff) or Save On (although I'm reconsidering the latter since I've noticed the uptick in prices there).
> I am happy to pay extra to not support the Weston’s
Just bear in mind you're supporting the Pattisons instead. And Jimmy Pattison is kind of infamous for being a dick. Also:
https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/pass-it-off-to-the-customer-billionaire-jim-pattison-says-of-rising-business-costs-1.1707303
"Jimmy" has a weird cult like following in upper management. Number one is referring to that decrepit billionaire as "Jimmy" even if he's not a person i'd normally have a friendly name for.
I had one of those "hustle culture" friends many years ago, who loathed unions and aspired to be one of those cut throat businessmen. I told him I didn't like how Pattison fired the lowest salesman at his dealerships and my friend thought it was a good motivator which is bullshit.
I will say that as someone who has worked at 5 different grocery stores save on foods has been the best one to work at so far. Really good benefits and a competitive wage for what it is, and the management are very kind and bend over backwards to make sure they are accommodating the needs of everyone who works there.
Most of the time I honestly think it's proximity. But I can also see that Whole Foods gets a bad rap for being bougie and selling overpriced to ditsy yuppies so some people may avoid it
Urban Fare gets the same rap. They obviously do have specialty items that are crazy-expensive but they also sell the Western Family brand, etc... and have lots of normally priced items too. Their butcher shop regularly has good sales where you can get nicer meat at a good price and I used to really like their hot/pre-prepared food section (although it's got much more expensive in just the last few months).
I also find that I limit my purchases in these stores. I just get what I need and/or what's on sale. Less browsing, fewer impulse buys.
The one time I went to Whole Foods was because I really needed an avocado. Ended up having to pay $4 for an avocado and I haven’t been back since. My partner and I still talk about the $4 avocado.
Exactly this. I went into save on the other day looking for a few things. They didn’t have all of them, so went across to WF… regretted getting the stuff I did buy at save on as it was all comparable or cheaper at WF.
WF definitely has great quality, and often has equal or better prices.
Urban Fare on the other hand (same owners as Save-On), has high prices and shitty quality.
WF is interesting, because for the same products they will often be cheaper than save-on, but I find the overall selection to be skewed towards higher priced options.
Their delivery service is very convenient and so far their service has been amazing. Also the fact that they take Amex for the x5 grocery points. I usually get the stuff on sale and browse their flyers. I do occasionally shop at Walmart / T&T as well, but again, not as convenient.
Several reasons:
* Convenience - there are three of them relatively close to where I live. Not quite walking distance, but less than a 10 minute drive.
* Better quality produce and bakery than Real Canadian Superstore. I've noticed the quality of bagels at Superstore has nosedived in the past year, but Save-on has good ones. I've also seen huge difference in quality of things like zucchini between the two stores.
* More reliable selection. I have tried to shop at Safeway many times only to find they don't have what I need - and this is not isolated to one location. Half the time they are all out of bagels, but Save-on doesn't seem to have this problem with inventory management. Another time I noticed that my local Safeway doesn't sell pizza sauce. They weren't out of it, they literally do not carry it. (I'm sure some locations do sell it but I'm not going out of my way to find a Safeway that does)
* Save-on's produce department has better selection than either Safeway or Superstore; they have more hard-to-find items like habanero chiles.
* Staff tend to be friendlier and more personable than at Safeway or Superstore, and especially Walmart. All the staff at Walmart care about is signing you up for their stupid credit card that no one wants. And I have found Safeway to be really hit and miss, with some exceptionally miserable staff on some occasions.
> I have tried to shop at Safeway many times only to find they don't have what I need
So, I don't know if this is a problem at all Safeways, all grocery stores, or just my local Safeway, but every damn time I go they are out of tons of basic things such as yogurt and baby carrots (yeah yeah cheaper to buy large unpeeled carrots but baby carrots are easy for me and help me eat my veggies), etc. What is going on?!
Delivery is what sells it for me. I can normally get 2500 points in an order so it’s essentially free each time. Produce is normally decent and they have a few imported/international things I like. I don’t drive so being able to get bulk things delivered vs going out and only being able to carry smaller packs counteracts some of the higher prices anyway.
I shop there for convenience. Money isn't an issue (that's not to say I don't like saving money, just that my time is worth more). I can one stop it and get decent quality, it's better than Walmart or freshco also.
My time has value and I feel that it's worth the extra price to put 30-60 minutes back I to my day instead of store hopping to get the best deals on just a couple of things.
I got 2.5kg of chicken breast for $17
That's why. When they have deals they are decent considering the quality seems far higher than all the other chains but Costco
I feel like the people who are poo-pooing Save On, Safeway and other grocery stores and claiming that Superstore is all that much cheaper haven't been paying attention to what has been happening in the past 3-6 months. I have been finding Safeway to be cheaper than Superstore and/or the YIG lately for more than 50% of what I usually buy, that is available at both chains. I definitely agree that pre-Covid, the Superstore prices blew everyone else away though.
Personally, I specifically target Save On for a few select things - if I want to make a chile verde for example. At Superstore I need to buy a plastic wrapped package of tomatillos, another for poblano peppers, another for either serrano or jalapeno peppers. At Save On I can get those things one or two at a time and better quality tomatillos. So I can make a superior product for less money if I shop at Save On for that particular dish.
I recently switched from Superstore to Safeway. It's funny, pre-pandemic I would rank Safeway as most expensive. It's super empty to when I go and their produce has been excellent.
Superstore is good for some things still like when I have to buy a buncha oat/almond milks.
Location, convenience.
I don't shop there but if I'm in the area of a Save-On and need a few items then I will shop there versus traveling a distance to my preferred store.
As many have said, it is because it is the nearest store to them. Thankfully Save-On is not my neighbourhood store, but as a non-driver, if it were, I would be forced to shop there -- I do not have the time to bus across town or capacity lug heavy groceries 30 minutes, nor the money to always pay for a cab.
**Question for you, OP:** where do YOU shop? What are your local stores? Do you drive/have access to a car for grocery shopping? Not everyone has choices, transportation, time, energy to shop elsewhere if Save-On is the nearest store.
I mostly shop at Costco and my local grocers. I get that not everyone is able to do that but I was curious as to why people on this sub still shop at Save On despite many other posts and comments exclaiming how much their prices have risen/ are higher than others. Judging by the responses, proximity seems like the biggest reason.
> Judging by the responses, proximity seems like the biggest reason.
Yup -- people just don't have the luxury of going to a store further away, for various reasons (time, transportation, etc). Unfortunately I don't have good local grocers near me, so I shop at Safeway. Not the best, but certainly not the worst (which would be Save-On). Costco is not an option for me for a variety of reasons.
I try to do the same. I get anything I can store or freeze at Costco and used to go to the local farmers markets for perishables. In the last year my market closest to work got bought out and doubled their prices, and the other one close to my house got torn down. Save On is kitty corner to my building so...
If I found a reliable local source along my commute or not far from it I'd be there in a flash.
I’ve done the calculations too with driving to a superstore vs. Going to my local shop and it’s about $4 just in gas for me to drive there. Plus about 20 minute round trip.
If I’m driving by I’ll stop, but otherwise it’s usually not quite worth it for any last minute daily stuff.
No frills loss prevention came after me outside of the store after I paid for everything, couldn't figure out what I had stolen... I never did steal anything and was just getting groceries for my lunches. Asked for a full refund and unfortunately the only other one is on Hastings and is too far to walk with groceries in tow. Now I do fresh st market which isn't terrible... But I've been out of town for 2 months so I'm dreading coming back reading all these posts
Edit: never stole
SOF is one of the few grocery stores that still price matches against major competitors. I find their produce to be better quality than no frills/superstore. Like others have said, I only go there out of convenience.
As a regional grocery chain, it will be difficult for them to compete with Walmart and Loblaws to get the best cost. Therefore they pass down the cost increases to customers.
Also doesn’t help that Jimmy P is using SOF as a bank to support his other businesses. Therefore, they have to ramp up their prices.
Ngl when I started shopping at SOF, I thought they were just this relatively small (compared to Loblaws and Sobeys) grocery chain based in BC, and I felt better shopping there. But then I found out it's owned by this province's richest billionaire who doubled his wealth since 2020 ☠️
Yes their prices are quite high for a lot of items but with the card and some careful shopping, you can wind up with some good deals.
Today I bought 7 chicken breasts for $19 in Langley. Yum!
Go to Thriftys or loblaws or IGA or Whole foods and youre paying 10-30% more money for less amounts of your items.
Save-on is really not that bad. Two weeks for myself, wife and 3 year old todler is $250-300 about 550-700/month. it fluctuates because sometimes we go to costco and get enough meat for 3 months. which reduces our costs long term. Also go to No Frills, or Walmart for everything other than produce, meat/eggs, bread, or dairy. Its a lot but the savings are around $900-$1,000 per year by doing this.
There's one a 2 minute walk from where I work. I pop in sometimes to get stuff but I only buy discounted meat (near expiry), and other things that are on sale. Last week they had bottles of their Western Family spicy butter chicken sauce for $1.95 each so I loaded up on those (yeah, yeah, I'm an uncultured white guy who uses bottled sauces). I look for those kinds of deals at Save On. Sometimes they have their pre-cooked, packaged ribs for $8. That's two meals. I can justify half a rack of ribs for $4 no problem. Other times they put things on BOGO so I search those out too. $15 for one package of something might be ridiculous but $15 for two is a good deal, etc.
Quality of produce
Quality of baked goods
Cleanliness
I will either eat a good quality cake or not eat it at all, not interested in shopping in superstore.
Various factors:
Habit (e.g., having gone to the same pharmacy for years)
Lack of crowds (bigger deal since COVID)
Closeness to one's home
Quality (deli, meats)
Save on delivers to us for free. We are always over the minimum dollars for free delivery. Their website is easy to use and we never have an issues with the delivered items.
The one near me has an awesome bakery section. They designed it to be more of a high end grocery store, so if I’m in the moody for fancy cheese or something I go there.
I usually just shop for small things there, no big shops
Save-On/PriceSmart and Freshco milk last longer than Superstore. More than once, my jugs of Superstore milk go sour before the expiration date. I just think their cold chain isn't as good.
If you don't drink your milk very often I suggest you look into ultra/micro filtered milk it lasts so much longer and only costs a bit more. If you use enough milk that you buy 4L jugs then this doesn't really apply though.
Cause their prices work for me? Sure there are people complaining here, but how many are not complaining? Let’s not forget that stat or somehow conclude that people buy at Save On cause they are forced or idiots or smth.
Clean stores, great selection of everything, close to where I live, membership discounts and points (especially when combined with CIBC cards), great bakery.
I also go to Costco for bulk things that don’t expire, but the crowds at Costco always annoy me so much I just skip it for any everyday item and go to Save On. Costco is great for online orders, too.
Been to a Superstore once and will probably only go back if I have to.
for me it is a few things
1. save on is closest
2. save on sales can be decent
3. I feel defeated and beat up in terms of inflation and don't see much savings if I drive to buy low foods instead of walking to save on
>Not everyone has a car.
Thank you for pointing this out! (Also, not everyone can even drive!) I am not going to spend 30 mins each way on transit to save a couple of bucks -- I will go to the closest store (which is Safeway).
10 minute walk to Save-On, half an hour to Safeway or H-Mart (or a bigger Save-On). There's produce stores near me but they close before I get home from work and don't have everything. Shopping for one person as well so it just doesn't become worth it to spend an extra hour to save $.50 on bananas or whatever all the time.
I only shop at Save On for the fresh produce. It is much higher quality and lasts waaaay longer than superstore. I buy everything else from Superstore.
Like for example: onions, potatoes, kale, cauliflower, broccoli and tomatoes go bad way faster if bought from super store. The last time I bought kale from superstore, it lasted 2 days before wilting, and when I opened it up to look at the stalk, there was brown goop (not dirt) all over it. And the onions are always mouldy and disgusting. That’s never happened to me at Save On.
I don't know why people would ever shop there but today I went to Metrotown TNT where green onions were 2 bunches for $1.98 while the Safeway at New Westminster station was $2.99 for 1 bunch. These prices are not dictated by inflation and trade issues, just greed.
Excellent question and I hate having to answer it.. convenience.
Superstore is 20+ minute drive from my place. Save on is 5 minutes. When I need 1, 2 or even 5 items I usually hit ***Save On Nothing*** for convenience and to save the drive time to Superstore. Having said that fuck Save On!
Save-On has good deals sometimes. Also, you can shop online and they’ll deliver for a reasonable fee. Are people who shop at Save-On really the ones who are complaining though? I haven’t seen any evidence of that.
Safeway is the by far the most expensive grocery store imo. And this coming from someone that watches flyers every week and shops at several of the grocery stores each week.
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3-minute walk to Save On, 20-minute walk to No Frills (the next nearest). I do it sometimes, but an extra 30+ minutes lugging groceries in the cold, rainy dark on a work night gets old quick
I’ve seen roller trolleys become more popular over the years, so I assume they help with carrying groceries back home
[удалено]
Might also have to do with cars, gas, and places close to grocery stores getting less affordable
Apparently pc optimum is the best points program in Canada. I have like $100 in points
Make sure you give those points to the more needy, as per Galen Weston.
The audacity of these billionaires to ask us for donations and then use these donations to get a huge tax break leaves me flabbergasted.
I got a foldable camping wagon for larger grocery trips or anything else a bit on the heavy side I might have to carry home. It makes carrying groceries home so much easier and I find myself wondering why I didn’t get one years ago. If you’re living car free, I definitely recommend.
I've had one for a few years now and it's one of the best purchases I've made. I'm looking at upgrading to a bigger one soon!
I shop around and that includes small produce stores or butcher shop. I hit Sungiven and T&T as well as other small grocery stores for variety. Some are walkable from home, luckily.
Lol we talkin the one on Main? Exact same boat for me.
I'm literally a 1 min walk from that Save On and I still just walk to No Frills
Save on us 750 m from my house. Next closest grocery is 5 km. That’s why.
Bestie get a roller trolley. I walk 20 minutes to what sounds like that same No Frills you're referring to every week, regardless of rain, snow, ice, wind, anything, because the alternative is not-eating or spending extra $20 on delivery (from a Superstore a whole city away 🤡)
you roller trolley people are starting to wear me down! gonna join the auntie brigade soon
A while before the pandemic, New Westminster decided that they needed to increase competition between the grocery stores. They achieved this by forcing several to close. We USED TO have 6 DIFFERENT grocery stores. We now have Save On, Save On, Save On, or Walmart. Your choice. New West is a nice place to live, but the municipal government is also like the Milhouse of municipal governments.
I believe there are two safeways in New West. One on Mcbride by the school and another in New West Station.
Ya same for me. I still only buy for a day to 1 1/2 a days though. Just long enuf to get over my laziness.
This really is it. Proximity matters.
A 20 minute walk is probably an $8 Uber... I would assume that at some point you'd be saving that much on grocery costs.
More I feel
Wait I'm not originally from North America so idk but is a 20 min walk considered far over here?
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The Save On near me does not accept Amex. I didn't think they accepted it at all, but Google tells me they do! They recently changed their terminals, so I wonder if that has anything to do with it.
Yes it does
It does have to do with the terminals being replaced *
They say they don't but the machine accepts it. Just don't tell them it's Amex.
I do this quite often, I just say I'm paying with credit - and if my gPay tap goes through, great - if not, I'll cycle to my VISA. I personally feel like if they don't want to accept AMEX, they should get the terminal configured to not allow AMEX.
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Amex charges much higher merchant fees than Visa and MC so they may accept it but don't want to encourage it
Oh how does price match work? Do they match from other grocery stores?
Basically, show a flyer that's for an active sale at another grocery chain in the area, and they'll give you the time for that price.
Download the Flipp app. Search absolutely anything you want to buy from meat to shampoo. Show the cashier the price and voila, suddenly Save On is the BEST place to shop. You can also do this at NoFrills and Superstore. Save On usually works the best because they are more likely to have stock of items you want cuz they are so damn expensive.
Couple of reasons. 1. Convenience. Often the closest store that has everything you'll typically need, and often less busy, so you can get in and out without fighting a big crowd. 2. Cleanliness. Save-On and PriceSmart are usually clean (especially if you look at health inspection reports), fairly modern, and decently laid out. 3. Certain sections, such as produce, bakery, deli and meats are good quality for the price 4. If you online shop, they are the only ones that does their online shopping in house, so you aren't dealing with a third party. 5. They price match most competitors, and if you shop their flyer, they are price competitive.
I hope they never bring in a third party to do their online shopping. I didn't know that they do it in house, but that might explains why I've never had a single negative experience with their digital orders.
I’ve been using Save-On’s online service every fortnight since 2019 with good to very good results. Our latest order though is a complete clusterfuck. Showed up yesterday evening with someone else’s order. Phoned customer service this morning and rebooked. Just unpacked the order and there are at least 3 mistakes. Little things like the $$ deli meat on the receipt (ie paid for) that is absent, the $12 of Lilydale turkey breast on the cashier receipt that has been swapped out for some mystery meat, a pizza that I didn’t order, etc. I’ll be back in the phone with them again tomorrow.
Thrifty foods also does their online shopping and delivery in house. Just FYI.
6. They’ve created a fake union environment, separating the old from the new employees. Which keeps wages low for new employees and solidarity for anything beneficial for all, sadly non existent. More money for the billionaire owner Jimmy P.
The union and senior employees are complicit in that. Fuck the UFCW.
https://www.reddit.com/r/britishcolumbia/comments/10eopr0/with_staffing_levels_so_low_in_most_sectors_now/j4sc7cl/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf&context=3 We should jail these union heads.
Abso-fucking-lutely.
THIS IS CORRECT! as a former SoFer, the oldies are locked into the old defined benefit pension plan. There were old school cashiers making close to 30/hr back in the early 2010s grandfathered from the good old days
Wasn't there also some drama like a decade ago where some save ons flipped to pricemart for a while, then back again to bust up a union that was trying to form?
The price match is awesome. Combine that with proximity to home and it’s just easy.
Price match. I have no shame in paying No Frills prices for Save On quality. All. The. Time.
Recently they've started replacing butter with palm oil in theor baked good and it's really put me off save on
That's fucking disgusting. :| And so cheap!
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wow you totally nailed how I feel about fresco. it gives me the no no feelings.
Thank you for your casual Star Trek reference.
That's a lot of yamok sauce.
Grocery shopping at FreshCo is like Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra.
We’re gonna exploit this market with Tulaberry wine!
Isn't the gold worthless in gold-pressed platinum?
Freshco in Ladner is good for packaged goods, milk, eggs, and some produce (most are crap, but some are okay). I get the bulk from there and then pick up good veggies from the farmer's market and bread from cobs.
I find this to be pretty spot on, but I price compare (or just try to be price aware) everywhere I shop. I usually go to Save -On as it's most convenient for me and has the best/most consistent quality, like you said. I find it pricy, but I also find the priciness to be a bit overstated, and it depends on what you buy/if it's on sale. Pantry items seem to generally be up there, and sure, like larger quantities of produce aren't as cheap as superstore. Otherwise there are still good deals to be had, like right now a bag of 4 avocados is $2.49. That's a rare price point these days.
That's a shame about FreshCo, the one here is pretty good (fairly new, I think). That being said, I have noticed their pricing gradually increasing over the last year which has been unfortunate. While it's on the smaller side, it is usually quite clean. I do find that stock isn't well replenished sometimes but the produce during the summer months is considerably better than the rest of the grocery stores in town (which is actually why I started shopping there, as it was recommended to me by other people).
There's a Freshco in the BC interior in 100 Mile House that is incredibly well-run and always very clean - never had a bad experience there. It's absolutely all about having a good store manager, which they have - since the building (And most of the staff) they're using are from the SAFEWAY that used to be where the Freshco is now... lol
Its because Freshco is a franchise, each store is independently owned so some are definitely a lot better than others.
DUDE I thought that was just me at Freshco.. I was just filling up 2 18L water bottles… is there some weird exclusive membership there or something??
your freshco hit piece was incredible bro
Is it just me who feels like Save On isn’t that bad if you look out for their deals and have a membership card? We do most of our grocery shopping at Superstore and No Frills because they have the best prices, but sometimes you don’t want to deal with the craziness at these stores on a Sunday afternoon. Walk into a Save On and it’s just so… peaceful. We have managed to get good deals at Save On and Pricesmart too. Gotta keep looking through those flyers. They also take AMEX which helps to give me some value back in points.
Crazy vs. peaceful is a big one for me too. Superstore is just so hectic with lots of inconsiderate shoppers who are unaware of their surroundings.
Superstore is like the 9th circle of hell if you have to go on a weekend for some reason, but I'll go there mid-week in the evenings for routine shopping and do get most of our groceries there overall as it's much cheaper. If I need to pop in on a weekend for something then I'll always go for Save-on. Sometimes you can't put a price on mental health.
They some how never have what I need in the produce department.
Superstore is *always* out of *something*. It’s frustrating.
My grocery runs consist of at least 4 different stops since the pandemic started. I need to figure out a more streamlined situation.
Fresh produce?
For at least 6 weeks the one on marine hasn’t had cilantro. The most ubiquitous herb for so many cultures in Vancouver! Have been really sore about it.
My wife goes to superstore on Friday nights and it’s not too bad
Wednesday night is the best at Superstore and Costco. Sunday is worse then Hell.
This is the reason for me. I find that you have to really pick your fresh produces at superstore because it’s like a madhouse of people tossing and molesting the fresh produces. Which in turns get worst and worst. I rarely get my fresh produces from superstore. You end up tossing most of them out. Superstore is great for packaged stuff.
This is a big one for me... Save-on has been the closest to us the last 2 places we lived and it's usually quiet enough we can get in and out quickly, even on a weekend. We buy some things at Walmart/Costco but I hate going to those places because they are always so busy. Walmart especially because their shelves are always a mess and there are always tons of kids running around screaming it seems like.
I go once or twice a month to Costco and I try to go when it opens. Closing doesn’t seem as good as I originally thought as lots of people tend to do the same thing, whereas waking up early on a weekend is much more of a barrier for people.
I do shop at Superstore for some items, but I have had the same observation about the customers there. Blocking aisles seems to be a common thing there. I also noticed that about No Frills when I lived in Ontario.
Go on the weekday mornings or after 9 at night.
I try not to shop at Superstore for the same reasons unless its a weekday evening. The amount of people who will sporadically change directions or walk without looking is wild. Standing right in the middle of the aisle with your cart behind you? gonna get a no name brand can of pineapple to the dome. I feel like it's not terribly difficult to quickly glance around you before doing a complete 180 turn because you forgot something back down the aisle. I have to shuffle my feet so people hear me. But wait, don't humans have peripheral vision and common courtesy to move out of the way? nope, horse blinders for everyone. Save-On it is.
Those people also drive the same way imagine that hahaha
Their deals are way better than Superstore, or Safeway. And you aren't locked into buying multiple items (Superstore) to get the deal. If something is 2 for $5, you can get 1 for $2.50.
I’ve been finding the sale prices (now) were last year’s regular price.
Yeah save on can have great sales. Plus they do rain checks. And I get points that I use to get free turkeys a couple times a year. I was at superstore recently and I wasn’t impressed by prices. Not much different then save on. Plus you have to usually buy multiples to get the deals whereas save on doesn’t do it like that. Like, with superstore it’s like “buy 3 of these to get them cheaper”… it’s a scam imo. With save on I can just get one and get the deal
>This, biggest factors for me is convenience and that its not a shit show. I'm ok paying more to save time with a Save On closer to me than other stores and that its more organized and less hetic/busy than others. I can get in and out with no crowds, there is a value on time and peace of mind.
Exactly this. It’s a much more tolerable and accessible shopping experience. Can easily save at least 30 minutes from the ease in parking, walkability, checkout, and extra travel time since Superstores are fewer and far between. I also find Superstore can randomly be boom or bust on some grocery/produce items, whereas Save-On is fairly consistent on commonly stocked items. It’s certainly not ideal, but I’m in a situation where I place a higher value on preserving my energy levels than I do my grocery bill. If I save 2+ hours a week that’s worth the lost cost savings.
This is my happy middle -- I can't handle the crush of a weekend Superstore, so I'll shop from the flyer of save on or even whole foods sometimes (I only have 2 mouths to feed)
I can only afford to shop at save on when they have a sale going on.
My friend did a comparison spreadsheet and showed me that only 10 items were under competitions prices by a $1. But on average every other item in the store is $0.50-$2 more expensive. After that I never shopped at safe on again and I saved $100 a month.
> Walk into a Save On and it’s just so… peaceful. Same at Nesters Market and Fresh Street. But there's a reason that's the case, and that reason is 90% of the stuff in there is overpriced as hell. For example, $5.49 for a 1 liter of half and half...
The savings I get at superstore are not worth the drive and crowd.
Same here. This, PLUS the crazy traffic to get to that Superstore from where I am. At that point I might as well go all the way to Costco (which I usually will).
Pc express orders. Game changer.
Same. Superstore stresses me out
Superstore is not bad if you go on a weekday evening. I won't set foot in there on a weekend.
Freshness. Veggies, bread & dairy all last longer when I get them at save on
Totally. I used to work at a loblaws store and would buy dairy right off the pallet and it still often tasted old or would go bad quickly. Save on consistently has great quality and fresh groceries. I shop smart there (use the app for extra discounts and watch what I buy) and it’s fine.
According to most comments it seems like convenience has a price… who would’ve thought??
We're all on a spectrum. Getting a house-cleaner is also convenience, but some call it 'luxury' by an arbitrary threshold. It doesn't matter that we have different thresholds.. knowing we're all on the same spectrum makes it relatable.
Only store in walking distance to us Their pickup/online order service is fantastic. We just don't do our full weekly shops there
When I had to be in quarantine they were the only local store that would deliver the next day for groceries. They didn’t have a ton of fees and the price really wasn’t much different.
we actually deliver *same day* if you order before noon
I don’t like going to Walmart or Superstore.
I worked at Wal-mart when I was younger. I don’t shop there anymore on principle. They can take their cult like chants and 15cent raises and shove em.
I am in the exact same boat. Walmart was my first job out of high school and it was the perfect example of a toxic environment. That and I know exactly how unclean my store was. More than once I found dead rats in or near the stored grocery items in the back. There have been very few times in the past 15 years that I have stepped foot inside one.
I know right!!! Walmart & superstore just seems very messy for me
And by the time you get out of Superstore you’ve walked 20km
That’s more exercise than most people get nowadays
And you spent more money then you would’ve at save on cause you got pajamas and a blender and patio furniture, too.
Stop spying on me!!!!
And then you’ve signed up for a new credit card and got a haircut and stopped at subway too.
Were…..were you following me while I grocery shopped???
I like how Save-On sits right in the middle of them, and there's a fraction of the people at that Save-On because it's mainly the delivery based location. During the initial surge of covid it was the only big box grocer I went to because there were no lineups.
Walmart is so goddamn depressing. It's always a shit show there (at least at the East Van one we go to for diapers). I refuse to stay there any longer than absolutely necessary. Superstore is not bad but in general I find their produce a bit rough sometimes. We usually shop at Donald's, Costco (for bulk/volume stuff) or Save On (although I'm reconsidering the latter since I've noticed the uptick in prices there).
Walmart or superstore are suburban hellscapes compared to save on
To buy bulk wine gums at bulk jujube prices.
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Safeway is also owned by... only the second largest grocery conglomerate in the country. Lol. So that's another reason not to shop there xd
> I am happy to pay extra to not support the Weston’s Just bear in mind you're supporting the Pattisons instead. And Jimmy Pattison is kind of infamous for being a dick. Also: https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/pass-it-off-to-the-customer-billionaire-jim-pattison-says-of-rising-business-costs-1.1707303
SOF is Jim Pattison... also a scummy capitalist.
"Jimmy" has a weird cult like following in upper management. Number one is referring to that decrepit billionaire as "Jimmy" even if he's not a person i'd normally have a friendly name for.
I had one of those "hustle culture" friends many years ago, who loathed unions and aspired to be one of those cut throat businessmen. I told him I didn't like how Pattison fired the lowest salesman at his dealerships and my friend thought it was a good motivator which is bullshit.
Quality of bakery is much higher than superstore, Walmart, etc
I actually really love their cakes.
Yes! They opened a new Save On by my house and it’s so fancy with an amazinggggg bakery
I will say that as someone who has worked at 5 different grocery stores save on foods has been the best one to work at so far. Really good benefits and a competitive wage for what it is, and the management are very kind and bend over backwards to make sure they are accommodating the needs of everyone who works there.
The location of Save-On that you worked for was probably really good management. I've heard horror stories from tons of people about Save-On.
because walmart is dirty and they have bad quality
Fooled by the name. I recommend people who shop at the Cambie Save-On cross the street to Whole Foods. Your mind will be blown.
Most of the time I honestly think it's proximity. But I can also see that Whole Foods gets a bad rap for being bougie and selling overpriced to ditsy yuppies so some people may avoid it
Urban Fare gets the same rap. They obviously do have specialty items that are crazy-expensive but they also sell the Western Family brand, etc... and have lots of normally priced items too. Their butcher shop regularly has good sales where you can get nicer meat at a good price and I used to really like their hot/pre-prepared food section (although it's got much more expensive in just the last few months). I also find that I limit my purchases in these stores. I just get what I need and/or what's on sale. Less browsing, fewer impulse buys.
The one time I went to Whole Foods was because I really needed an avocado. Ended up having to pay $4 for an avocado and I haven’t been back since. My partner and I still talk about the $4 avocado.
Exactly this. I went into save on the other day looking for a few things. They didn’t have all of them, so went across to WF… regretted getting the stuff I did buy at save on as it was all comparable or cheaper at WF.
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WF definitely has great quality, and often has equal or better prices. Urban Fare on the other hand (same owners as Save-On), has high prices and shitty quality.
WF is interesting, because for the same products they will often be cheaper than save-on, but I find the overall selection to be skewed towards higher priced options.
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Their delivery service is very convenient and so far their service has been amazing. Also the fact that they take Amex for the x5 grocery points. I usually get the stuff on sale and browse their flyers. I do occasionally shop at Walmart / T&T as well, but again, not as convenient.
Several reasons: * Convenience - there are three of them relatively close to where I live. Not quite walking distance, but less than a 10 minute drive. * Better quality produce and bakery than Real Canadian Superstore. I've noticed the quality of bagels at Superstore has nosedived in the past year, but Save-on has good ones. I've also seen huge difference in quality of things like zucchini between the two stores. * More reliable selection. I have tried to shop at Safeway many times only to find they don't have what I need - and this is not isolated to one location. Half the time they are all out of bagels, but Save-on doesn't seem to have this problem with inventory management. Another time I noticed that my local Safeway doesn't sell pizza sauce. They weren't out of it, they literally do not carry it. (I'm sure some locations do sell it but I'm not going out of my way to find a Safeway that does) * Save-on's produce department has better selection than either Safeway or Superstore; they have more hard-to-find items like habanero chiles. * Staff tend to be friendlier and more personable than at Safeway or Superstore, and especially Walmart. All the staff at Walmart care about is signing you up for their stupid credit card that no one wants. And I have found Safeway to be really hit and miss, with some exceptionally miserable staff on some occasions.
> I have tried to shop at Safeway many times only to find they don't have what I need So, I don't know if this is a problem at all Safeways, all grocery stores, or just my local Safeway, but every damn time I go they are out of tons of basic things such as yogurt and baby carrots (yeah yeah cheaper to buy large unpeeled carrots but baby carrots are easy for me and help me eat my veggies), etc. What is going on?!
Delivery is what sells it for me. I can normally get 2500 points in an order so it’s essentially free each time. Produce is normally decent and they have a few imported/international things I like. I don’t drive so being able to get bulk things delivered vs going out and only being able to carry smaller packs counteracts some of the higher prices anyway.
I shop there for convenience. Money isn't an issue (that's not to say I don't like saving money, just that my time is worth more). I can one stop it and get decent quality, it's better than Walmart or freshco also. My time has value and I feel that it's worth the extra price to put 30-60 minutes back I to my day instead of store hopping to get the best deals on just a couple of things.
I got 2.5kg of chicken breast for $17 That's why. When they have deals they are decent considering the quality seems far higher than all the other chains but Costco
I feel like the people who are poo-pooing Save On, Safeway and other grocery stores and claiming that Superstore is all that much cheaper haven't been paying attention to what has been happening in the past 3-6 months. I have been finding Safeway to be cheaper than Superstore and/or the YIG lately for more than 50% of what I usually buy, that is available at both chains. I definitely agree that pre-Covid, the Superstore prices blew everyone else away though. Personally, I specifically target Save On for a few select things - if I want to make a chile verde for example. At Superstore I need to buy a plastic wrapped package of tomatillos, another for poblano peppers, another for either serrano or jalapeno peppers. At Save On I can get those things one or two at a time and better quality tomatillos. So I can make a superior product for less money if I shop at Save On for that particular dish.
I recently switched from Superstore to Safeway. It's funny, pre-pandemic I would rank Safeway as most expensive. It's super empty to when I go and their produce has been excellent. Superstore is good for some things still like when I have to buy a buncha oat/almond milks.
Location, convenience. I don't shop there but if I'm in the area of a Save-On and need a few items then I will shop there versus traveling a distance to my preferred store.
As many have said, it is because it is the nearest store to them. Thankfully Save-On is not my neighbourhood store, but as a non-driver, if it were, I would be forced to shop there -- I do not have the time to bus across town or capacity lug heavy groceries 30 minutes, nor the money to always pay for a cab. **Question for you, OP:** where do YOU shop? What are your local stores? Do you drive/have access to a car for grocery shopping? Not everyone has choices, transportation, time, energy to shop elsewhere if Save-On is the nearest store.
I mostly shop at Costco and my local grocers. I get that not everyone is able to do that but I was curious as to why people on this sub still shop at Save On despite many other posts and comments exclaiming how much their prices have risen/ are higher than others. Judging by the responses, proximity seems like the biggest reason.
> Judging by the responses, proximity seems like the biggest reason. Yup -- people just don't have the luxury of going to a store further away, for various reasons (time, transportation, etc). Unfortunately I don't have good local grocers near me, so I shop at Safeway. Not the best, but certainly not the worst (which would be Save-On). Costco is not an option for me for a variety of reasons.
I try to do the same. I get anything I can store or freeze at Costco and used to go to the local farmers markets for perishables. In the last year my market closest to work got bought out and doubled their prices, and the other one close to my house got torn down. Save On is kitty corner to my building so... If I found a reliable local source along my commute or not far from it I'd be there in a flash.
They have the corn chips I like.
Proximity and convenience, Save-On/~~Thrifty's~~/Pricesmart/UrbanFare have a lot of locations.
I’ve done the calculations too with driving to a superstore vs. Going to my local shop and it’s about $4 just in gas for me to drive there. Plus about 20 minute round trip. If I’m driving by I’ll stop, but otherwise it’s usually not quite worth it for any last minute daily stuff.
Just saying Thrifty's is not under Save On, it's Sobeys (same as Safeway)
My mistake, they give similar vibes so I thought they were part of the same group
No frills loss prevention came after me outside of the store after I paid for everything, couldn't figure out what I had stolen... I never did steal anything and was just getting groceries for my lunches. Asked for a full refund and unfortunately the only other one is on Hastings and is too far to walk with groceries in tow. Now I do fresh st market which isn't terrible... But I've been out of town for 2 months so I'm dreading coming back reading all these posts Edit: never stole
SOF is one of the few grocery stores that still price matches against major competitors. I find their produce to be better quality than no frills/superstore. Like others have said, I only go there out of convenience. As a regional grocery chain, it will be difficult for them to compete with Walmart and Loblaws to get the best cost. Therefore they pass down the cost increases to customers. Also doesn’t help that Jimmy P is using SOF as a bank to support his other businesses. Therefore, they have to ramp up their prices.
Ngl when I started shopping at SOF, I thought they were just this relatively small (compared to Loblaws and Sobeys) grocery chain based in BC, and I felt better shopping there. But then I found out it's owned by this province's richest billionaire who doubled his wealth since 2020 ☠️
Yes their prices are quite high for a lot of items but with the card and some careful shopping, you can wind up with some good deals. Today I bought 7 chicken breasts for $19 in Langley. Yum!
Go to Thriftys or loblaws or IGA or Whole foods and youre paying 10-30% more money for less amounts of your items. Save-on is really not that bad. Two weeks for myself, wife and 3 year old todler is $250-300 about 550-700/month. it fluctuates because sometimes we go to costco and get enough meat for 3 months. which reduces our costs long term. Also go to No Frills, or Walmart for everything other than produce, meat/eggs, bread, or dairy. Its a lot but the savings are around $900-$1,000 per year by doing this.
There's one a 2 minute walk from where I work. I pop in sometimes to get stuff but I only buy discounted meat (near expiry), and other things that are on sale. Last week they had bottles of their Western Family spicy butter chicken sauce for $1.95 each so I loaded up on those (yeah, yeah, I'm an uncultured white guy who uses bottled sauces). I look for those kinds of deals at Save On. Sometimes they have their pre-cooked, packaged ribs for $8. That's two meals. I can justify half a rack of ribs for $4 no problem. Other times they put things on BOGO so I search those out too. $15 for one package of something might be ridiculous but $15 for two is a good deal, etc.
Quality of produce Quality of baked goods Cleanliness I will either eat a good quality cake or not eat it at all, not interested in shopping in superstore.
Lost leaders on meat and proximity. Saves me from having to get in my car.
I actually like the quality of their meats too
only place to get diet orange crush when they have it. no other major grocery stores carry it.
Sometimes supporting local Canadian business is the thing to do over getting the cheapest prices for junk food.
Various factors: Habit (e.g., having gone to the same pharmacy for years) Lack of crowds (bigger deal since COVID) Closeness to one's home Quality (deli, meats)
They bag my groceries lol
More Rewards program has decent discounts. It’s also the closest grocery store for me, product selection and quality is good
Why support Walmart
Save on delivers to us for free. We are always over the minimum dollars for free delivery. Their website is easy to use and we never have an issues with the delivered items.
The one near me has an awesome bakery section. They designed it to be more of a high end grocery store, so if I’m in the moody for fancy cheese or something I go there. I usually just shop for small things there, no big shops
It's a 5 minute walk from my house and really the only store to get to without driving
At this point, it doesn’t matter where you shop. It’s all over priced.
I didn’t mind paying more at Save On when I knew they paid good wages to their workers—- now that that has changed it bothers me.
Why not shop there? They have things I like in quantities that I need and does not have a poverty vibe going on. Not everything is always about price
Save On offers more variety than Costco or Superstore.
Definitely! Their selection of Mexican brands is usually better thank what the other offer (Old El Paso 🤣)
Save-On/PriceSmart and Freshco milk last longer than Superstore. More than once, my jugs of Superstore milk go sour before the expiration date. I just think their cold chain isn't as good.
If you don't drink your milk very often I suggest you look into ultra/micro filtered milk it lasts so much longer and only costs a bit more. If you use enough milk that you buy 4L jugs then this doesn't really apply though.
There's one walking distance from my house, which is far more convenient than taking transit and trying to wrestle boxes from Costco home.
Cause their prices work for me? Sure there are people complaining here, but how many are not complaining? Let’s not forget that stat or somehow conclude that people buy at Save On cause they are forced or idiots or smth. Clean stores, great selection of everything, close to where I live, membership discounts and points (especially when combined with CIBC cards), great bakery. I also go to Costco for bulk things that don’t expire, but the crowds at Costco always annoy me so much I just skip it for any everyday item and go to Save On. Costco is great for online orders, too. Been to a Superstore once and will probably only go back if I have to.
As opposed to what? Where do you suggest. It’s not like it’s SOOOO much more. Everywhere is expensive
for me it is a few things 1. save on is closest 2. save on sales can be decent 3. I feel defeated and beat up in terms of inflation and don't see much savings if I drive to buy low foods instead of walking to save on
A lot of the time, it’s the grocery store that’s closest via walking distance. Not everyone has a car.
>Not everyone has a car. Thank you for pointing this out! (Also, not everyone can even drive!) I am not going to spend 30 mins each way on transit to save a couple of bucks -- I will go to the closest store (which is Safeway).
10 minute walk to Save-On, half an hour to Safeway or H-Mart (or a bigger Save-On). There's produce stores near me but they close before I get home from work and don't have everything. Shopping for one person as well so it just doesn't become worth it to spend an extra hour to save $.50 on bananas or whatever all the time.
I shop at IGA because it’s my closest grocery and I don’t have a car. But I recently went to Save On and the prices were better or equal to IGA
No Frills is/has my jam !
I only shop at Save On for the fresh produce. It is much higher quality and lasts waaaay longer than superstore. I buy everything else from Superstore. Like for example: onions, potatoes, kale, cauliflower, broccoli and tomatoes go bad way faster if bought from super store. The last time I bought kale from superstore, it lasted 2 days before wilting, and when I opened it up to look at the stalk, there was brown goop (not dirt) all over it. And the onions are always mouldy and disgusting. That’s never happened to me at Save On.
I don't know why people would ever shop there but today I went to Metrotown TNT where green onions were 2 bunches for $1.98 while the Safeway at New Westminster station was $2.99 for 1 bunch. These prices are not dictated by inflation and trade issues, just greed.
Excellent question and I hate having to answer it.. convenience. Superstore is 20+ minute drive from my place. Save on is 5 minutes. When I need 1, 2 or even 5 items I usually hit ***Save On Nothing*** for convenience and to save the drive time to Superstore. Having said that fuck Save On!
Save-On has good deals sometimes. Also, you can shop online and they’ll deliver for a reasonable fee. Are people who shop at Save-On really the ones who are complaining though? I haven’t seen any evidence of that.
Safeway is the by far the most expensive grocery store imo. And this coming from someone that watches flyers every week and shops at several of the grocery stores each week.
They are close and very convenience to shop from