by Chris E.
Member since:
October 15, 2007

Are Your Grocery Stores Competing for your Business?

February 02, 2009 07:38 PM UTC (Updated: February 03, 2009 10:34 PM UTC)
views: 0 | comments: 43

We have four grocery stores just within five miles of my home. Two of which I don't shop at because they are smaller and I don't think the deals are as good. The other two are pretty evenly priced. One of the stores doubles all coupons 50 cents and under all the time. Once a month for a week they triple anything 75 cents and under and double anything from 76 cents to $1. The other store doubles anything 99 cents and under all the time but does not triple anything. The two stores seem to competing with each other and it is making for some great deals for me.

The first store had a big display a couple weeks ago saying they are lowering thousands of prices. Well that with the double and triple coupons it is a great deal. In response to that the other store put out an add saying they were lowering 6000 prices which they did because everything looks lower. In addition to that they are now doubling all coupons $1 and under permanently with a limit of 4 of the same coupons. Well of course the other store decided they would change their policy too. They lowered even more prices and are now tripling all coupons 99 cents and under for one week out of the month and continuing to double the other three weeks out of the month.

I decided to take advantage of that and went shopping three times that week. It is hard to get everything done when I have my 20 month old with me so I did it in separate trips. I was shocked at my savings.

 

Rounding up to the nearest dollar my total was $246 I used $182 in triple coupons bringing my total to $64.

 

I can't wait to see what the stores are going to do next. I have to say this is one highlight in the economy. I am saving a bundle on food.

 

So are your grocery stores competing with each other and if so what kind of deals are you getting?

 

 

Comments: 43

Cindy B. Feb 2, 2009, 7:42pm UTC
If they are, someone forgot to tell me about it, hahaha! Good for you though, sounds like you made some great deals! =)
Rob Appell Feb 2, 2009, 7:44pm UTC
I only have one supermarket that I can get to, Wegmans, and they recently lowered the prices of thousands of items...because a new grocery store opened nearby and were already undercutting their prices. My problem is...I don't have much money for food and can't even afford to buy name brand products to be able to use coupons. I have to buy whatever I can scrape the money up for in order to eat just one meal a day as it is.
Janet "Jax" B. Feb 2, 2009, 7:45pm UTC
Nope, ours aren't competing at all. Quite a few of the grocery stores around me have closed over the last few years. All I have left near me is Publix and Kroger.
Thank you, for sharing

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phil w. Feb 2, 2009, 7:50pm UTC
No competing going on in our little town. But they have begun construction on a Super Wal-Mart ,maybe that will help.
Chris E. Feb 2, 2009, 7:53pm UTC
Rob Wegmans have moved down here to Maryland. We hav one going in about 20 minutes from me. I think I'll have to stay with my stores unless they stop competing aganist each other. You should look out for sales and double coupons because many times the name brands end up being less expensive then the store brands. I had a few items that they ended up paying me $150 or more to purchase them because they add the coupons to the total instead of the individual item.
j - Frugal Mom - r. Feb 2, 2009, 7:58pm UTC
That's awesome Chris.
Angie G. Feb 2, 2009, 8:00pm UTC
I wish I could do that.
Laurie R. Feb 2, 2009, 8:00pm UTC
We have one grocery in town and they charge what they want to charge. They have no one to compete with groceries. They also have a Little Ceasars, Bigby's, pharmacy, DO-It Center hardware and a video store in the store. They do make money. Most people go 20 minutes either way to Ionia or Lansing to shop Wal-Mart, K-Mart or Meijer. I shop Tom's for their sale stuff or when I can't make the trip farther. Otherwise I have been shopping at Wal-Mart or Meijer in Ionia.
Alexis Newell Feb 2, 2009, 8:27pm UTC
Yes, there are 2 major chain stores right across the street form each other and although they've always been competing for customers, it's even more noticeable now. I'm loving being able to get the items I need at a lower price.
Margaret G. Feb 2, 2009, 8:28pm UTC
We have a ton of supermarkets and I'm always getting $5 off $40 and coupons like that in the mail. Sometimes,Giant will have 4 dollar doublers in their circular and they always double 99 cents and under as do several of the other supermarkets here. And I have a Super Walmart 5 minutes away. I do pretty well at the supermarket.
Tim T. Feb 2, 2009, 8:31pm UTC
With so many stores so close together and the relative easy of travel...saving has neverbeen easier. It pays to make a list, utilize the ad specials, coupons (including doubling and combining sale/coupons plus doubling). A lot can be saved with just a little bit of planning. Thanks for the story.
Linda T. Feb 2, 2009, 8:35pm UTC
There are two major chains and a few lower end stores. I don't care to shop at the lower end stores because they are unorganized and very crowded. The major chains don't really compete too much against each other but do have sales.
Rob Appell Feb 2, 2009, 8:41pm UTC
Don't I wish I could buy $150 worth of groceries. I'm lucky if I'm able to spare $100 a month for food. The low-end food I'm forced to buy is still cheaper than name brands with coupons...even when they're on sale and doubling. I don't think I've used a coupon since this past summer...and I used to use them and get great buys all the time...when I had the money to eat like others do.
☃ Shannon K. Wendt Feb 2, 2009, 8:43pm UTC
I know that the groceries stores here have been dropping prices lately. But they need to drop them a lot more for me to be able to buy more than I already do.
Kerrell Goolsby Feb 2, 2009, 9:00pm UTC
Publix, Kroger, Piggly Wiggly, Food Lion and Save A Lot are the five major stores in Macon and yes, they do compete but they're very civil about it. I can also include K-Mart, Wal Mart and Target.
The Red Headed Witch of Gather G. Feb 2, 2009, 9:45pm UTC
not here lol
J F. Feb 2, 2009, 9:52pm UTC
Nothing new here at our stores. I try to shop only once a month. Don't want to waste gas.
Rebecca P. Feb 2, 2009, 10:04pm UTC
We have one small grocery store around my area and it does a healthy bussiness though they neve have coupons
Sandra L. Feb 2, 2009, 10:09pm UTC
Rob, why do you get so little for food? Can you get assistance? I think it's terrible that you have to scrape by the way you do.
Marianne R. Feb 2, 2009, 11:40pm UTC
If they are, I am unaware of it.
Dorothy H. Feb 3, 2009, 1:31am UTC
We have one long time smaller independent grocery store called, The Food Basket, and then Super S Groceries, which is a fairly good sized chain of grocery stores (my place of employment). Aside of these, for such a little town, we have 2 Dollar stores, from which I do not shop (just like Walmart).

Super S has been putting out more sales, and in store couupon, like buy one get one free, or buy the sald dressing, and get the dalsd for free, etc...
Carla B. Feb 3, 2009, 4:09am UTC
We do almost all of our shopping at the commissary. The prices are a lot cheaper there for most things than they are anywhere else up here. All we have for choices otherwise are a tiny locally owned grocery store, a chain with three locations in the same town, and a Super Walmart. If we had to shop at those places, our grocery budget would definitely have to go up, or we would have to cut back on some of our more expensive choices. None of them double coupons either.
Elaine S. Feb 3, 2009, 6:33am UTC
None close enough to each other to compete around here.
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Shirley ♡ ☮ M. Feb 3, 2009, 6:36am UTC
Nothing like that where I am. Good for you, on those great deals!
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Ariel Storm Feb 3, 2009, 6:39am UTC
We don't have enough grocery stores for them to compete for business. The is a locally owned chain that is high but has great produce and meat, a Winn Dixie kind of out of way, and a Super Walmart. Since Walmart matches sale prices I shop there, and get my meat at the local chain when its on sale and stock up. For produce I get frozen or go to the farmers' market.
Not here where I am now, but when I lived in NY, I used to double and triple my coupons all the time and I can't tell you how much merchandise (food and cleaning supplies) I had gotten for free. ***sigh*** how I miss those days. Enjoy your bargains!
Darin Waugh Feb 3, 2009, 5:47pm UTC
Nice!!
Dannielle S. Feb 3, 2009, 6:50pm UTC
I'll second Melinda: Wegmans *rocks* -- good quality merchandise, excellent produce, and they always support local growers to the max.

(Melinda: some of my friends from up here helped to open that MD store!)
Chris E. Feb 3, 2009, 7:02pm UTC
Melinda - So it is off again huh? I can't keep up. They keep going back an forth. I thought they had worked it all out. I do have to say I thought the spot they were going to put it in was kind of an odd place for it.

We use to come home from visiting in Rochester with a loaded trunk of things from Wegmans that we could not get here in Maryland.
Chris E. Feb 3, 2009, 7:04pm UTC
"The new Harris Teeter is fabu!!! "

My mother loves it. She still lives in Kings Contrivance so she is in heaven!
Chris E. Feb 3, 2009, 7:38pm UTC
I should have been more clear. We use to do this years ago before Wegmans came to Maryland. There are things we still get in New York though that you can't get in the Wegmans here or at least I can't find them in the Wegmans here. Columbias is still the closest for me but the Frederick one is not to far. I could always send my husband to the Landover one since he is a cop in P.G. country and carries a gun. LOL No way will I go to that one though.
Kathy D. Feb 3, 2009, 10:04pm UTC
Wow - I've never seen TRIPLE coupons!
Linda G. Feb 4, 2009, 9:35am UTC
We have some competition, but an independent family-owned chain "Market Basket" is usually at least 10 percent cheaper across the board than the major chains. Ocassionally, one of the chains will have a loss leader to entice me in, but usualy their sale price is the same as the regular price at Market Basket. What has happened is WalMart has opened two new super stores that are competitive. I do shop Wal Mart for something like juice and Powerade because their everday price is the best. However, I find that the quality of their produce leaves a lot to be desired and that many of their prices are higher than Market Basket.
Marsha C. Feb 4, 2009, 2:20pm UTC

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Courtney C. Feb 4, 2009, 7:40pm UTC
That's awesome!!

The only two that seem to compete with each other near me are Shaw's and Stop & Shop. What's funny is Stop & Shop basically calls Shaw's out by putting "Shaw's price" and then "our price" on the tags in front of some items!!
Amy just hangin' out M. Feb 11, 2009, 6:54am UTC
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