Changes at the grocery store

**Emjo** · 10-02-2008, 04:09 PM

Just wondering if anyone else is noticing the same phenomenon...my mom and I were discussing to today how it's harder to find loss leaders and generic items, as the store is often out of stock by the time we get there! I usually do my shopping on Monday mornings, and my store runs its sales Saturday to Friday. Usually by that point the shelves are empty...it didn't used to be that way!

Anyone else noticing this? I think with the way the economy is going, more and more people are shopping frugally...which means less for the rest of us! My new plan is to start shopping on Saturday mornings, as soon as the store opens...hopefully that will improve things!

**Ceashels** · 10-02-2008, 04:32 PM

There have been a few store items that have been gone by mid week if I stop at the store. I plan on switching my grocery day to Fridays to shop for the following week. I'm hoping I can scoop up on some deals then.

**peanut** · 10-02-2008, 05:03 PM

I'm finding this. I'm planning a very early morning shop on Saturday to stock up on things. I really need to hit the clearance racks for some items. Also produce is on sale this week, and I need some to can and freeze.

Jean

**Cricketlegs** · 10-02-2008, 05:06 PM

The store brand at my store is going well and if you buy five or more everyone you buy you get at %5 off. My reciept was full of %5 off items.

I was a very happy shopper but the cheese is yuckola!

**Gibs** · 10-02-2008, 06:51 PM

We have noticed the same thing here, and a lot of the stores are covering there hineys so they dont have to give out rain checks by adding While quanties last or special purchase.

**Lady_V** · 10-02-2008, 07:04 PM

Rain checks??? I wish our grocery stores did that! I'd be happier if they took printed coupons...

I did notice something the last time I was there... a lot of things are 'missing'. Not just empty shelves... but items that have been sold for years are no longer carried.

I buy a 3 pound canister of Dominos sugar a few times a year and fill them from the 5 pound bags. I was down to only 1 canister (the others, when not used to hold sugar, get used for other things, and eventually crack). Gone...

At another grocery store, I noticed the selections are being pared down as well, instead of 5 brands of something, there are 2 or 3 and that includes the store brand.

I also noticed them carrying more 'stuff'.

**Marie78** · 10-02-2008, 08:20 PM

Very few loss leaders, if any at all. The generic items are still available when I am looking for them. I have noticed a lot more bulk items at the grocery than ever before.

**cheapskate 49** · 10-02-2008, 08:25 PM

We were over in the U.S. today and went to the Meijer store-now usually prices have always been cheaper than in Canada-but today I was amazed at the prices, many items were priced the same and many were actually more- sugar was $2.19 a bag I can get it here for $1.89,now I know that I don't have the opportunity to use any coupons or to hit the sales all the time, but in the 40 years we have been here I've never seen this kind of price difference-and it's mainly on food my craft items and fabric are all cheaper in the U.S.

**frugalchick** · 10-02-2008, 08:47 PM

The loss leaders are quickly becoming a thing of the past....at least it looks that way here for us. We are pretty much store brand people.....but even that is rising....argh!

**walker24** · 10-02-2008, 09:30 PM

I have noticed the generics are gone more often than not. I've have pretty good luck with albertsons substituting name brand.

**TheRootedNomad** · 10-02-2008, 10:19 PM

I've actually noticed a different version of generics has come out at some of the stores. Now Kroger not only has thier brand, which they've elevated to I guess what's suppose to be a fancy generic (private selection), but they also carry Great Value. This version is in a mostly white package with a little red and blue on it. The packaging is pretty close to the old PathMark generics mom used to buy when I was a kid. My one son comments on the wagon pretty much being red, white, and blue now when we shop there. "Is that the American brand???"

That's an actual question.

The loss leaders are definately harder to find and the prices are taking big jumps again here. I think we're actually a little behind most of the country though. (Either that or our chains are just REALLY compettetive here) I've just started seeing the second wave of drastic dairy jumps over the last few weeks. When they jumped though, they jumped. Generic cream chees went from $1.08 to $1.69 almost overnight. (and the stock guy at Meijer said it's getting ready to go up a little more)

Milk is still a frequent loss leader here. It's about the only one. Someone generally runs it on the front page of their ad for $2 or $2.50 a gallon.

Kroger and Meijer do pretty good at keeping things on the shelves but they've had the occassional empty spot as well. The other grocery stores always have huge gaping holes now.

**katholc** · 10-02-2008, 11:03 PM

Here, its not so much the loss leaders or lack of sale items, its the lack of people. I have gone to Kroger during the middle of the day on Tuesday or Wednesday and its virtually empty. At the same time, I've gone to the Aldi's and it's full with 2 registers open and both with lines.

**dcompton** · 10-02-2008, 11:42 PM

Fortunately, we can still get rain checks here.

The trend here seems to be the "buy 10 among this list of items and get $x off." It forces you buy more to get the best sale price. So far, it hasn't been a huge issue since it can go in the stockpile, but it's annoying that it's replacing ordinary sales, and I can see how it could really hurt those on very tight budgets that can't buy 10, not matter how good the price. However, sometimes it really drops the price. I very rarely shop at Albertson's because they are so expensive, but today I got 10 cans of olives, a luxury I have never stockpiled, for .50 a can. Couldn't pass that up, especially since it was on my way.

Another marketing ploy I'm not fond of is the "register" coupon that you get for "your next shopping trip." I love Walgreens and shop there all the time, so I can always use them in the short time frame they allow. But it's a little underhanded only giving you the good price if you come back and buy more stuff later.

Ah, well, times are hard for everyone.

**reginaastralis** · 10-03-2008, 12:25 AM

I've noticed a difference, but what I found slight amusing was a local news channel reporting the "differences" on two different grocery stores (Publix and Sweet Bay) When they did the same price comparison shopping last year, Publix was way ahead of Sweet Bay, but over $2. This year, they only beat them by 18 cents. Of course, this could do a lot with different sales and such, but it's pretty obvious that the sales just aren't there anymore.

An Aldi's opened up across the street about two weeks ago, and it was all over the news. The reporter showed a couple of prices, but even he was most excited about the fact that milk alone was a dollar cheaper than most grocery stores. In fact, I laughed last week at Publix's ad were milk is the "most afforadable for you" at $3.57 a gallon.

It doesn't seem like a year has gone by, but my pocket book can tell you it sure has.

**Luv2BeFrugal** · 10-03-2008, 02:11 AM

Well, there are still a few loss leaders here from time to time...

Stopped at the "expensive" grocery store on Sunday and picked up a dozen eggs for 1.25 and a pound of ready-to-eat carrots for 1.25 (got two of each). Of course, everything else was insanely priced, so that's all I got.

There are fewer loss leaders here...but still the occasionally good find.

We're all frugal...we'll pull through this just fine!!