Better Shop Around to Find Best Grocery Deals

By Ashley Smith, The Telegraph, Nashua, N.H.

May 20–We all have reasons for shopping at “our” grocery store.

Maybe you like the supermarket around the corner because it’s close, or the one across town because it’s cheap. Maybe you pay a little more to shop at the store with the best layout and product selection.

But in an increasingly dismal economy, a lot people are forced to give a little more weight to just one factor — cost.

A recent comparison of food prices at five grocery stores in and around Nashua suggests where you shop does make a difference. The total bill for the same 11 items ranged from $35.74 to $42.13 — a difference of $6.39, meaning we spent 15 percent more at the most expensive store than we had at the least expensive.

Of course, a study comparing so few items was not meant to be scientific. The Telegraph recognizes that stores have different prices from week to week, and that a 15 percent difference with one group of items doesn’t necessarily translate to a 15 percent difference with another group of items.

Perhaps more revealing is how much total food costs have gone up since The Telegraph last did this kind of comparison. In 2005, twice as many items cost just a few dollars more — $41 to $46, depending on the store.

It’s probably not a surprise that Wal-Mart and Market Basket were the cheapest this time around (and last). The total bill at the Wal-Mart Supercenter on 101A in Amherst was $35.74, and the tab at Market Basket just four cents more at $35.78.

“By lowering our margin we’re able to pass that savings onto the consumer,” Mark Ciaramella, grocery market manager for the Amherst Wal-Mart and 11 others, said. “As big as we are, we are able to buy in large quantity so we pass that savings on.”

Market Basket could not be reached for comment.

The 11 comparison items were all brand name products, and most of them staples. The list included milk, orange juice, ground beef, bananas, eggs, butter, ice cream, bread, peanut butter, cereal and coffee.

All five stores were visited May 7-9. Sale prices were used in the comparison, and store savings cards were used where available.

The Super Stop and Shop in Hudson was the most expensive of the bunch, with a total grocery bill of $42.13. Compared to the least expensive stores, most of the difference in price could be linked to just two items — coffee and ground beef.

The ground beef price of $4.49 a pound was nearly $2 more than the next most expensive. Folgers Classic Roast coffee in the 39-ounce container was $9.49 — compared to a Market Basket sale price of $5.99 on the lower end.

Milk was noticeably higher at Stop and Shop than the other stores, but the Starbucks ice cream was one of the cheapest there — just one penny more than Wal-Mart and exactly $1 less than Shaw’s.

In response to the comparison, Stop and Shop released this statement:

“Different items are promoted at different times, which can radically alter the results of a “price check” study. In spite of outside influences on retail prices, Stop & Shop constantly looks at ways to be more efficient to offer our customers the best value.”

The company pointed to special promotions not offered by others stores — namely a $10 off coupon offered to customers who spend $100 on their Stop & Shop Card.

The remaining two stores, Shaw’s and Hannaford, were very close in price. The total bill at Hannaford on Coliseum Avenue in Nashua was $40.37. The Shaw’s on the Daniel Webster Highway came in slightly lower at $39.14.

Hannaford doesn’t offer discount cards, but the card was a must at Shaw’s, trimming about $5 from the total bill. Applying for the card was pretty painless — about 30 seconds of paperwork right at the register.

Hannaford could not be reached for comment, but Shaw’s said this in a statement:

“Shaw’s and Star Market provide their customers with great ‘overall’ value with a combination of convenience, selection, service, freshness, in-store experience and price … Shaw’s and Star Market continuously evaluate the landscape to ensure that their stores are well-positioned to compete in their respective markets.”

—–

To see more of The Telegraph, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.nashuatelegraph.com

Copyright (c) 2008, The Telegraph, Nashua, N.H.

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.