Just a 47-year-old mom of 2 in Northern California. My kids are Monkey Monkey(MM) and Drama Llama (DL). I am married to Monkey Hubby (MH). Was having a discussion with our neighbors about local grocery stores.
The local/big grocery chain is Raley's/Bel Air.
It is a somewhat upscale grocery store chain.
We do also have a Safeway (which was much later in coming). Albertson's went out of business.
Anyway, as the Raleys and Bel Airs get closer to our home, and the other stores dissolve, we have been frequenting then MUCH more.
I think initially we rather avoided them. In fact, we were very disappointed with their selection. They didn't carry a lot of products that we buy (& we really mostly buy boring, average stuff. LOL).
But when one opened up within walking distance, and no one else seemed to notice (the place is largely a ghost town) we got hooked on Bel Air.
Around the same time they totally changed their marketing strategy. From "upscale" to "low price leader."
Though their stores are still VERY nice, has unparalleled customer service, and has its share of expensive food, we have also found it one of the best places to bargain shop.
So we were sitting around chatting about grocery stores with neighbors and they were all going on how expensive Bel Air was.
Um, we actually find Safeway to be MUCH more expensive overall.
I couldn't help but wonder what they were buying. LOL. BEcause what you buy will make all the difference at either store.
But I also wondered if they even pay attention to prices at all - or just judged by appearance.
I find the whole thing very interesting.
I have friends with double the grocery budget who hit up Costco, Sam's Club and Trader Joes, thinking they are doing quite well.
I hate to burst their bubble when I say we spent half as much at Bel Air last month. LOL.
Of course Costco is something we could never really justify with the cost of membership. We always thought, "Maybe that will make more sense when we have kids." & I think it might, on some level.
But it is interesting to join a community like this where the overall conclusion seems to be that Costco was over-priced.
Costco = Over-priced?
Bel Air = low price leader?
Who would have thunk?
I guess this is when it pays to look past the marketing, and to really look at the prices.
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Reminds me...
I had given up on price books because there is just not enough hours in the day.
But I did photocopy a grocery receipt to share here. I kept a copy and I think maybe that is what I will do going forward, keep copies. It isn't terribly organized. You kind of wish the stores would alphabetize their receipts.
BUT I think it is better than nothing. It gives me something to look back over.
So I am going to work on my very lazy, half-hearted price book. Just keeping receipts.
Curiosity has gotten the better of me lately, with rising grocery prices. But I don't have much to look back on, as far as what we paid historically. So this will be MUCH better than nothing.
Appearances are Deceiving
July 6th, 2008 at 02:36 pm
July 6th, 2008 at 03:11 pm 1215357117
For perishable items, this may not be ideal, but for non-perishables, it is perfect.
July 6th, 2008 at 03:16 pm 1215357383
Costco's per pound price is close to half what it is at Bel Air for most fruits, chicken, ground turkey, butter, cheese, flour, sugar, rice, yeast, chocolate chips, baby carrots and I'm sure there are more items, but that's what I buy. Oh, flour tortillas and Orowheat bread. I shop very carefully, and I have a large family to feed.
I have a "loop" that I make, hitting 5 different grocery stores (Nugget, Costco, Safeway, BelAir and SaveMart) in a short period of time, to take advantage of the sales. I don't get to it every week--depends on what's on sale. I agree that Safeway is probably the most expensive, although they work hard at making you think you're getting a good deal.
Nugget is more of an upscale store, but I don't think it's more expensive than the others (and the produce is MUCH better so I buy there if I can't get to the farmer's market or don't have it in my own garden.) It depends on what you buy, and I buy almost ZERO convenience foods. Occasionally I'll buy a box of granola bars if they are cheap or goldfish crackers for the kids, but not often. I make nearly everything from scratch and we eat lots of fruits and vegetables.
I save my receipts and tape them into a notebook. Not really organized, but I know where they are and can check prices if I'm not sure.
July 6th, 2008 at 03:39 pm 1215358769
July 6th, 2008 at 07:21 pm 1215372109
July 6th, 2008 at 08:33 pm 1215376390
That is interesting. Here in N. California, Costco is by far cheaper than the grocery store for most items, if you are willing to buy in bulk. When we lived in the DC area, the same was true. I had assumed that Costco prices were fairly similar nationwide... who knew?
July 6th, 2008 at 08:36 pm 1215376606
Monkey Mama, maybe things at Costco have changed since you last checked?
July 6th, 2008 at 11:46 pm 1215387982
Obviously it is very different for a larger family. & depends how you cook.
My observations were really more about IRL - how people go on how great Costco is but spend twice as much on average, for the same # of people. Obviously they are buying a lot of stuff they don't need; or wasting it, etc. I would expect savingadvice shoppers to be a little different. Though I haven't seen many Costco supporters here, so interesting to see them come out of the woodwork.
I won't be a Costco convert any time soon because we don't have one anyway.
July 7th, 2008 at 01:41 am 1215394861
YMMV as far as Costco is concerned. From Seattle (the belly of the beast) the only regular deals that I've really gotten is on clothing, batteries, and a lunch of samples
Plus you have to drive there, and since either you feel like you have to or end up filling the back of your car, we don't go there enough to justify the $50 membership.
July 7th, 2008 at 07:35 pm 1215459328
I am sure the gas is well worth it for many, but not the case here at all.
Lately they just price the same as Arco (& there is an Arco on every corner).