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They are the only store (Safeways) near me along with Save On Foods. No doubt they'd kick and scream if Walmart or superstore opened nearby. This is a lower and middle class neighborhood too in metro vancouver. I didn't even laugh at the picture as I'm used to it. If they ever had discounts close to Walmart, I'd be shocked. They are very greedy.
Whenever I go to the Ottawa area I stock up on the real shit direct from the sugar shacks.
If I’m going to be extorted by syrup mafia it’s not going to be over some flavoured corn syrup
The problem is the gap between 50k and 150k
I think that's why a lot of Canadians in Ontario are pissed off at grocery prices... there isn't a middle ground
Thing is they tried to sell slightly "unattractive" food and vegetables at discount prices years ago and it didn't work because everyone wants the good looking vegetables
I think the best option for lower income is food apps and price matching if you have the time to do it... but gas is also expensive
Walmart can get pricy. I had to live in an area where Walmart was the only accessible store and I've found some cheap stuff there but theres no consistency with the pricing.
I find it to be pretty good quality here in SK but it's probably the most expensive grocery store to shop at. The selection isn't as good as some other places depending on what you are looking for.
Not really. They know some sucker is going to pay up which is why they do it. If no one paid up, they'd lower it. This item probably goes bad in a few days too so I'm they'd be wasting money.
One thing I hate about Sobeys is that when essential things like produce, bread, dairy, eggs, etc... are going to expire they will throw them out instead of marking them down because they know you'll get a newer one at full price anyway.
I don't care if they make more money doing that, it is wasteful and unethical. Who is going to pay $4 for a 2 day old list of bread baked in store? Or a 2L of milk that has been on the shelf for a month?
All of the groceey stores (at least the ones owned by Pattison and Weston) are price testing. They'll jack up the prices on specific items and see the maximum price people are willing to pay for it. I kept track of this happening over the course of three months where apple strudels fluctuated between $4-9 before landing on $5.50 for 4 of them. If something seems expensive to you, DO NOT BUY IT. I passed on a $5 head of lettuce the ofher day because I knew the same shenanigans were at play. Imo, this should be illegal or they should require a sign that says something like '200% increase from last weeks price' since people are unknowingly grabbing items they've always bought without looking at the price. Will our government do anything to reign them in? I doubt it.
Surely this stuff just sits there and goes bad? Who would buy a salad for $42? You can go to a decent sit down restaurant and have full meal for that price.
Thrown away under the watchful eye of a department manager whose job is in jeopardy if any of the "waste" actually serves its purpose as food without also serving as a profit vector.
I worked at the dollar store in high school and this is exactly how it was. After the holiday rush (Christmas, Halloween, valentine’s etc.) we would be forced to throw everything in the trash. All the chocolate, candy, and paraphernalia. We weren’t even allowed to have some of the chocolate.
I always wonder about that... why are we maintaining a society that mandates that food is better thrown out rather than given away if nobody will buy it... It's one singular problem, but it really encompasses a lot of the other issues with the whole thing.
I listened to CBC this morning, They interviewed the CEO of Maple Leaf Foods. It basically went like this.
CBC: Do you think food inflation is a problem?
CEO: Oh sure yeah bud. It sucks to be poor, guy. Good thing I'm a McCain and so fucking rich.
CBC: Do you think Grocerie Stores are profiteering on the notion of Inflation?
CEO: Naw Friend, they would never do that. Our profits are down 60%!
CBC: But you are still profitable?
CEO: Oh yeah, never been better bud. Bought a new Yacht as a tender for my other YACHT!
CBC: Why do you think food prices are up so much then?
CEO: Bird Flu Obama Ukraine Trump Covid Millennials Dickcheese Comunists Free Market Ding Dang Doo!
It was the most bullshit, disengenuous interview I've ever heard.
So the thing is profits are down from the pandemic. A lot of the problem is everyone in the grocery store industry made SO MUCH money during the pandemic. What we are seeing is them trying to make changes to reach those profits again.
Only use the big supermarkets for meat cos there’s no other option, all veg etc I get from a nearby Lebanese fruiterie cos it’s way cheaper and almost always better quality. The immigrants aren’t paying $5 for a bell pepper.
Agreed.
Personally I think spinach even tastes a little better, it's just that the texture isn't as satisfying as a piece of iceberg lettuce, especially in a sandwich.
But considering it's cheaper, healthier and (imo) tastes better, I'm fine trading off on texture.
Can confirm! Moisture build up when its in fridge is what kills it. Same goes for Green onions and herbs like Oregano/Cilantro thats still on the stems.
For green onions you can put them in a glass with water and treat them like cut flowers on a window ledge. Or plant the bottoms with roots and a bit of green in a pot and you can grow more.
Same here....plus spinach can be used in alot of other meals, not just salads.
Like others have said, just switch to things that are in season or just havent been hit by the inflation yet...
Damn I bought avacados lately for so cheap ive been living off them.
We did hello fresh for a time (since cancelled). The main takeaway I got from their recipes was to throw a bunch of spinach (more than you think) into hot pasta to wilt down. Goes with pretty much any pasta recipe.
I've also been making some serious spinach omelettes with frozen spinach (usually I use the cheapest no name type that comes in bricks). Thaw, squeeze the water out, add to your egg mixture, then make an omelette with a sharp cheddar as the filling.
Both are great ways to get your greens in.
"smoothies" are a great way to get greens too. I hate truly hate brocolli / spinach / brussel sprouts, pretty much most green vegetables, but throw them in a blender with a bit of yogurt and some frozen berries / fruit and you can't even taste the gross stuff ha.
I just use the fresh spinach though i'll buy frozen to have on hand.
I'm not a chef by any stretch but I did read somewhere to not overcook spinach as something happens to it after a certain temp/time.
So if I'm making a soup i'll literally add it at the end as I remove the pot from the element.
Be sure to warm it up to get the nutrients.
[Something to do with oxalis acid.](https://www.vegetariantimes.com/health-nutrition/nutritionist-advice/nutrition-face-off-raw-vs-cooked-spinach/)
Spinach prices have gone up quite a bit too though. I used to buy a box of the spinach at No Frills for $3 and change. Same box is over $5 now.
EDIT: I should clarify that the price jump I am referring to has been within the year of Q4 2021 to now.
I’ve also found the quality isn’t as good. You get boxes that go mushy within a few days frequently now. I cook it down in those instances, but still, pretty annoying
If you are sick of spinach salads, freeze the bag of spinach, then crumble it up. Large handful in a blender, with a frozen banana, a pinch or two of stevia/artificial sweetener, a cup of milk, and 1/8 tsp of mint extract makes a pretty good imitation McDonald's Shamrock shake. Can't even taste the spinach and it fools little veggie hating kids lol. I often put a scoop of vanilla protein powder in it too.
Romaine lettuce still isn't even that expensive. 6 hearts are still only around $7-$8 at costco.
What's expensive is laziness. Don't want to pay $42 for a party size salad? Make it yourself.
Oddly enough, lettuce itself has gone back down (just not prepared food like salads). Bought a head of lettuce for 3.99 during the Xmas holidays. It just wasn't packaged and I had to cut it to pieces myself.
Oddly? Nothing odd about the price spike in lettuce if morons actually read the news.
There was a temporary shortage due to crops being wrecked by extreme weather
Ofcourse it was going to come back down.
This shows how disconnected we are from our food. I swear people view grocery stores as some black box that magically spawns food and can't comprehend that there's external factors going into the price of everything
Nobody uses their brains, they just want to spend no effort and be outraged. Lettuce (impatiens necrotic spot virus), Eggs (Avian flu), Maple syrup (Massive yield spring 2022 creating artificially low prices), Caesar salad (it's a fucking family size and pre-made - this is idiot tax) can all be explained but why look for reasons when one can look to their pitchfork.
*conversation at Loblaws head office*
Grocer #1: "Sir, The peasants appear to have swapped their preference of greens from lettuce to spinach. What should we do?"
Grocer Overlord: "Eww, fucking YUCK. Those plebs eat that? They truly are the unwashed masses...
...swap the prices and call it a shortage, or a disease or don't. Whatever, fuck them."
A lot of them are realizing that. My girlfriend is from Brazil and not in that state yet as her rent is still affordable. But for the new ones coming in, expect to have five other roommates and work a job you get exploited in pay wise if you want to live here.
We are becoming like those exploitative nations that bring in foreign workers, let them live in squalor 4-10 in a residence, just so they can send a few hundred bucks home and we get cheap labour.
Shame!!
That's how it is with a lot of international students anyway. Of course some want to permanently move here. But a lot come with the intent to return home afterward, because it will make them much more competitive in their job market if they went to university in North America/Europe.
I moved abroad several years ago and the housing and grocery situations in Canada make me see red.
To any young people in Canada: you can leave if you really want to. Your skills need to be appreciated, and you need a chance at earning a chance to live your dreams. Consider leaving Canada if that is the right call for you. It was the best decision of my life.
This is common though. For most of the temporary foreign workers - coming here to work 3-4 months then going back home is like the equivalent of them working a full year in their home country.
Cheaper for them to come here for the short period then go back. Plenty in the Southeast Asian community who do exactly this. They either stay at the farm, or they stay with relatives for a few months then fly back.
Loblaws is the upmarket store brand of the Loblaws family. Superstore is their mid-market store, and No Frills is the downmarket.
Sobeys/Safeway are the upmarket store, FreshCo is their downmarket store.
Metro is the upmarket, Food Basics is their downmarket store.
If one were to list out all of the Loblaws family...
Loblaws, Extra Foods, Fortinos, Freshmart, No Frills, Provigo, Real Canadian Superstore, Atlantic Superstore, Maxi, Dominion (in Nfld), Shoppers Drug Mart/Pharmaprix, SuperValu, T&T Supermarket, Valu-mart, Zehrs Markets, Real Canadian Liquorstore, Wholesale Club, and probably some more I'm missing.
And Lawton's is owned by Sobeys.
Shoppers actually has some of the best deals on food though, at least where I am. $3.50 eggs, $4.50 butter, 3/$11 pizzas.
If they are near by it's still worth checking the flipp app for deals. Something like large bags of flour or something can very occasionally be on a really good sale. Otherwise I shop at walmart, because walmart is what I can afford.
I switched from one of the No-frills in Guelph to a Food Basics. I instantly noticed a drop in price on a ton of my staples. We're talking multiple dollars per item, not a couple cents.
Reddit Hug of Death claims another victim.
Bookmarked to test out, I use Flipp quite regularly as well as stock track for non grocery items. Always great to have other tools to save some money, thanks!
Ha I can see that, getting tons of hits probably! Excited to try it out.
Would it be possible to have a column that is solely devoted to the "price per _____"? Like gram/oz/ml.
I see you have a column similar in QUANTITY but it seems like it just scrapes the size data...where the price per would need to do some math.
I pretty much exclusively but via price per so it'd help me a ton!
Its a pretty cool app. Would it be possible to relax the formatting for postal codes. For example: L3v7e8 L3V7E8 L3V-7E8 and L3v-7e8 should all be accepted formats.
Meanwhile in France they have nation wide strikes and riots because their government proposed raising the retirement age 2 years. Seems considerably less significant compared to getting gouged out the ass for basic necessities like food, and yet here we are...
Sorry, but if you see a $42 price tag on a caeser salad, and you choose to buy it anyway, that's on you.
Have groceries become more expensive? Yes absolutely. But that's not the normal price of salad.
The solution to a $42 salad at Sobeys is to go to another store and buy a $5 salad instead.
If you wanted to spend $42 on Caesar salad, you could go to Costco and buy a huge $27 wedge of parm and still have $15 left over for lettuce and croutons and some store bought dressing.
The Great Canadian Wholesale Club sells a gallon of Renee's Mighty Caesar dressing for $33. Just saying.
[Link](https://www.wholesaleclub.ca/might-caesar-dressing/p/21032796_EA) for those that wish to partake.
Yea I dunno where I picked up the habit but for like a decade I only ever bought things that were in the flyer. I would make my shopping list based on the flyer that came out for the week.... 100% of the things I bought were on sale. I just thought that this is what everyone did. I found out I was the odd one. I buy more food that isn't on sale now, but whenever I make a shopping list, I still make sure to first find out what's on sale in the flyer.
yeah i'm not sure what's happening here or why is there out rage.
Don't buy the salad. They can mark up as much as they want but prepared salad is a luxury and you pay the premium for that on top of paying the premium for sobeys.
It's like people going to wholefoods and then get mad that asparagus water is 6 bucks. Don't go to wholefoods if you want cheap groceries.
YIG, a lower tier of loblaws store than sobeys, sells salad kits for 6.99$ with dressing or 4.49$ without dressing. They have a range of options and many include "mixed salad" ingredients like cheese or shredded carrots, craisins or croutons.
Inflation is a huge problem. Grocery prices are a huge problem. That said, as per usual, people choose the shittiest examples and yet people still vote them up. Like seriously a party size pre-made caesar salad of all things? This is akin, but somehow even worse, than the posts about prices up north and showing the price of a jug of orange juice.
Okay, that salad is insane, but the maple syrup is nothing out of the ordinary. It's often expensive, and they are comparing it to May, right at harvest time when maple syrup is at its cheapest.
Unfortunately this won't make it where it needs to. There is an entire industry of international immigration consultants and school recruiters that push immigration to Canada just as much as the government.
My father came to this country with $20 in his pocket and a dream of abundant, reasonably priced prepackaged salads. He never imagined his children would have to buy ingredients separately, tossing the salad like a jailhouse crook.
The Canadian dream is dead.
As a naturalized citizen who achieved the immigrant dream, this isn't the reason you shouldn't immigrate to Canada.
Frankly put, you'll make more elsewhere and get better service for your dollar, too.
Unfortunately the current immigration policy produces the same problems as outsourcing labour but brings that problem home to pasture instead.
The solution to our economic woes does not lie with importing labour to do the low wage jobs that the locals want higher pay to do. The solution is to import the best people for the job and pay them fairly while putting the boot down on special interest groups and closing corporate tax loopholes.
Unfortunately the reason our politicians don't do this is because they don't have the integrity to stand up for the people of this country ahead of their own personal corporate agendas in office.
I've seen several videos of international students using food banks and promoting the concept of "free food for students" all over social media...
People are being duped into thinking their lives are gonna be better here, when they just end up in the same poverty cycle as current Canadian citizens.
Hey now, you have the 'freedom' to 'choose' between several different stores, each with their own logo and colour scheme- surely the free market is alive and well.
$42 for a packaged salad? I can go to Boston Pizza and get two, with chicken added, and a pop for less than that. That is even served to me. It used to be that lotteries were a tax on the stupid. Apparently going to the grocery store is dangerous for stupid people too.
$14.99 for a 500mL maple syrup is certainly outrageous, but PC-brand maple syrup was always ripoff. Loblaws sells a 1L jug of 100% pure maple syrup from a different brand for $17.99 (or $16.49 at the Superstore), and before all this inflation it was maybe $13.99 or $14.99.
I think people still believe immigrants are coming here to "seek better life and make some money"....
I know vast majority people immigrating from China are not going to rent a one bedroom basement like twenty years ago...
they come here to SPEND the money they earned back home...
clean water, clean air, and big house... they don't mind paying 42 dollar salad... I just went to a party.. the host, an international student only have grape airlifted out of Korea... $49/LB
This is why I live most of the year in Mexico. I miss my homeland, just not the cost of living.
Grassfed beef from my farmer in Canada - $6.95/pound and I have to buy the whole cow.
Grassfed beef from my farmer in Mexicos - $5/pound and all ribeyes and NY strips
A single mango (not ripe and terrible) in Canada - $2-3 per mango.
Several kilos of perfectly ripe mangos in the market in Mexico - $$2-3
My old Canadian phone plan $244/mon
My identical service Mexico plan $25/mon
And so on. It's insane the gouging we Canadians take.
LOL $41 for Salad??? this is hilarious and sad at the same time....it'll probably end up in the trash as I can't see anyone paying for this....but then again...
Canada's food production infrastructure has been crap to nonexistent for years - at least that is the feedback I got from people in retail. Easy to take advantage of.
Lol you're at Sobeys.Idk I take these things with a grain of salt. No shit groceries prices are going up and have been for a while
But some of you talk about buying groceries like you just found out about sales coupons and food basics.
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I was already in the wrong tax bracket to shop at Sobeys.
They are the only store (Safeways) near me along with Save On Foods. No doubt they'd kick and scream if Walmart or superstore opened nearby. This is a lower and middle class neighborhood too in metro vancouver. I didn't even laugh at the picture as I'm used to it. If they ever had discounts close to Walmart, I'd be shocked. They are very greedy.
I bought 5 PC maple syrup of them when they are on sale @ 6.00 bucks a pop. stockpile.
Whenever I go to the Ottawa area I stock up on the real shit direct from the sugar shacks. If I’m going to be extorted by syrup mafia it’s not going to be over some flavoured corn syrup
And I thought I got a deal at 8.99
Grocery stores by tax bracket Whole Foods / Farmboy / Longos 200k+ Metro / Sobeys / Loblaws 150k+ No Frills / Food Basics / Freshco 50k+ Walmart / Dollar Store / Food Bank < 50k
I'm basically a combination of the last two.
The problem is the gap between 50k and 150k I think that's why a lot of Canadians in Ontario are pissed off at grocery prices... there isn't a middle ground Thing is they tried to sell slightly "unattractive" food and vegetables at discount prices years ago and it didn't work because everyone wants the good looking vegetables I think the best option for lower income is food apps and price matching if you have the time to do it... but gas is also expensive
I would say that I am getting through the same situation
Where's my boy costco at?
Probably need 70k+ to run a car without being car poor So in its own tax bracket, probably 70k+ to 100k+ (savings for families)
Walmart can get pricy. I had to live in an area where Walmart was the only accessible store and I've found some cheap stuff there but theres no consistency with the pricing.
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I find it to be pretty good quality here in SK but it's probably the most expensive grocery store to shop at. The selection isn't as good as some other places depending on what you are looking for.
Those prices almost make me think they’re trolling people
Not really. They know some sucker is going to pay up which is why they do it. If no one paid up, they'd lower it. This item probably goes bad in a few days too so I'm they'd be wasting money.
One thing I hate about Sobeys is that when essential things like produce, bread, dairy, eggs, etc... are going to expire they will throw them out instead of marking them down because they know you'll get a newer one at full price anyway. I don't care if they make more money doing that, it is wasteful and unethical. Who is going to pay $4 for a 2 day old list of bread baked in store? Or a 2L of milk that has been on the shelf for a month?
I hate that. It’s disgusting that we allow that in this country, meanwhile we have people who can’t afford food.
If someone cannot even afford food than what can the government do
All of the groceey stores (at least the ones owned by Pattison and Weston) are price testing. They'll jack up the prices on specific items and see the maximum price people are willing to pay for it. I kept track of this happening over the course of three months where apple strudels fluctuated between $4-9 before landing on $5.50 for 4 of them. If something seems expensive to you, DO NOT BUY IT. I passed on a $5 head of lettuce the ofher day because I knew the same shenanigans were at play. Imo, this should be illegal or they should require a sign that says something like '200% increase from last weeks price' since people are unknowingly grabbing items they've always bought without looking at the price. Will our government do anything to reign them in? I doubt it.
Surely this stuff just sits there and goes bad? Who would buy a salad for $42? You can go to a decent sit down restaurant and have full meal for that price.
Nobody, that thing 100% ended up in the trash 3 days ago.
Locked in the dumpster
Thrown away under the watchful eye of a department manager whose job is in jeopardy if any of the "waste" actually serves its purpose as food without also serving as a profit vector.
I worked at the dollar store in high school and this is exactly how it was. After the holiday rush (Christmas, Halloween, valentine’s etc.) we would be forced to throw everything in the trash. All the chocolate, candy, and paraphernalia. We weren’t even allowed to have some of the chocolate.
I always wonder about that... why are we maintaining a society that mandates that food is better thrown out rather than given away if nobody will buy it... It's one singular problem, but it really encompasses a lot of the other issues with the whole thing.
It's slowly changing. some European countries have laws now where any food that's about to be expired is to be sent to food banks.
Because Capitalism If it doesnt turn a profit for the already wealthy it must be destroyed
Something like 1-3% of Canadians are millionaires. What could a banana cost, $10?
It doesn't cost Sobey's $42 so they just throw it out. Not a big loss to them.
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It's a party salad!
Looks like 6-8 salads in one
Absolutely criminal what the big grocery retailers are up to.
I listened to CBC this morning, They interviewed the CEO of Maple Leaf Foods. It basically went like this. CBC: Do you think food inflation is a problem? CEO: Oh sure yeah bud. It sucks to be poor, guy. Good thing I'm a McCain and so fucking rich. CBC: Do you think Grocerie Stores are profiteering on the notion of Inflation? CEO: Naw Friend, they would never do that. Our profits are down 60%! CBC: But you are still profitable? CEO: Oh yeah, never been better bud. Bought a new Yacht as a tender for my other YACHT! CBC: Why do you think food prices are up so much then? CEO: Bird Flu Obama Ukraine Trump Covid Millennials Dickcheese Comunists Free Market Ding Dang Doo! It was the most bullshit, disengenuous interview I've ever heard.
So the thing is profits are down from the pandemic. A lot of the problem is everyone in the grocery store industry made SO MUCH money during the pandemic. What we are seeing is them trying to make changes to reach those profits again.
Well said. Our govrrnments are failures top to bottom. We finance their political class lifestyle at our desteuctiin.
Only use the big supermarkets for meat cos there’s no other option, all veg etc I get from a nearby Lebanese fruiterie cos it’s way cheaper and almost always better quality. The immigrants aren’t paying $5 for a bell pepper.
We've started buying bulk frozen meat from the butcher and it's honestly cheaper than the grocery store (and WAY better).
Spinach is cheap. I’ve been using that instead of lettuce. Pretty easy swap.
Spinach is also miles better for you
It’s miles better and the taste is honestly pretty inoffensive. It’s just less crunchy lettuce to me, particularly with dressing.
Agreed. Personally I think spinach even tastes a little better, it's just that the texture isn't as satisfying as a piece of iceberg lettuce, especially in a sandwich. But considering it's cheaper, healthier and (imo) tastes better, I'm fine trading off on texture.
Spinach is the best. I find it doesn't keep quite as long though.
Add a piece of paper towel to the package. This absorbs the moisture and will help it stay fresh (and not slimy) for longer
Good tip! Thanks for sharing, that should eliminate a slight inconvenience from my life.
This. Also ziploc has bags specifically designed for produce (believe they’re called ziploc produce bags), they help a lot too.
Can confirm! Moisture build up when its in fridge is what kills it. Same goes for Green onions and herbs like Oregano/Cilantro thats still on the stems.
For green onions you can put them in a glass with water and treat them like cut flowers on a window ledge. Or plant the bottoms with roots and a bit of green in a pot and you can grow more.
When my spinach starts going off I freeze it and then use it in smoothies or pastas.
Same here....plus spinach can be used in alot of other meals, not just salads. Like others have said, just switch to things that are in season or just havent been hit by the inflation yet... Damn I bought avacados lately for so cheap ive been living off them.
We did hello fresh for a time (since cancelled). The main takeaway I got from their recipes was to throw a bunch of spinach (more than you think) into hot pasta to wilt down. Goes with pretty much any pasta recipe. I've also been making some serious spinach omelettes with frozen spinach (usually I use the cheapest no name type that comes in bricks). Thaw, squeeze the water out, add to your egg mixture, then make an omelette with a sharp cheddar as the filling. Both are great ways to get your greens in.
"smoothies" are a great way to get greens too. I hate truly hate brocolli / spinach / brussel sprouts, pretty much most green vegetables, but throw them in a blender with a bit of yogurt and some frozen berries / fruit and you can't even taste the gross stuff ha.
I just use the fresh spinach though i'll buy frozen to have on hand. I'm not a chef by any stretch but I did read somewhere to not overcook spinach as something happens to it after a certain temp/time. So if I'm making a soup i'll literally add it at the end as I remove the pot from the element.
That moment when avocado toast becomes the cheaper option for millennials
And has actual nutritional value!
Be sure to warm it up to get the nutrients. [Something to do with oxalis acid.](https://www.vegetariantimes.com/health-nutrition/nutritionist-advice/nutrition-face-off-raw-vs-cooked-spinach/)
Cabbage is also always cheap. Still $1/head here vs lettuce at $5+. So tasty if used correctly.
Cabbage was 69c a head a few years ago.
They had to raise the price because of all the 69 head jokes.
That's the price per pound of cabbage in Ontario.
It’s priced per lb. There’s no way your getting an entire cabbage for a dollar in Canada
Cabbage is the best
Spinach prices have gone up quite a bit too though. I used to buy a box of the spinach at No Frills for $3 and change. Same box is over $5 now. EDIT: I should clarify that the price jump I am referring to has been within the year of Q4 2021 to now. I’ve also found the quality isn’t as good. You get boxes that go mushy within a few days frequently now. I cook it down in those instances, but still, pretty annoying
Yup. And I like spinach better.
If you are sick of spinach salads, freeze the bag of spinach, then crumble it up. Large handful in a blender, with a frozen banana, a pinch or two of stevia/artificial sweetener, a cup of milk, and 1/8 tsp of mint extract makes a pretty good imitation McDonald's Shamrock shake. Can't even taste the spinach and it fools little veggie hating kids lol. I often put a scoop of vanilla protein powder in it too.
Romaine lettuce still isn't even that expensive. 6 hearts are still only around $7-$8 at costco. What's expensive is laziness. Don't want to pay $42 for a party size salad? Make it yourself.
Spinach has actual nutritional value unlike lettuce anyway Edit: Kale is another good option and even healthier than spinach
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Don't forget arugula. It's zesty and often sold mixed with spinach. A little box full is 3.99 at No Frills.
Oddly enough, lettuce itself has gone back down (just not prepared food like salads). Bought a head of lettuce for 3.99 during the Xmas holidays. It just wasn't packaged and I had to cut it to pieces myself.
Oddly? Nothing odd about the price spike in lettuce if morons actually read the news. There was a temporary shortage due to crops being wrecked by extreme weather Ofcourse it was going to come back down.
This shows how disconnected we are from our food. I swear people view grocery stores as some black box that magically spawns food and can't comprehend that there's external factors going into the price of everything
Nobody uses their brains, they just want to spend no effort and be outraged. Lettuce (impatiens necrotic spot virus), Eggs (Avian flu), Maple syrup (Massive yield spring 2022 creating artificially low prices), Caesar salad (it's a fucking family size and pre-made - this is idiot tax) can all be explained but why look for reasons when one can look to their pitchfork.
*conversation at Loblaws head office* Grocer #1: "Sir, The peasants appear to have swapped their preference of greens from lettuce to spinach. What should we do?" Grocer Overlord: "Eww, fucking YUCK. Those plebs eat that? They truly are the unwashed masses... ...swap the prices and call it a shortage, or a disease or don't. Whatever, fuck them."
I was talking to a Filipino foreign worker and he said with the cost of living it's cheaper for him to move back home to work.
The head chef of our local Thai restaurant just went back home too because she’ll be ahead financially and family is there. It’s not a bad idea
A lot of them are realizing that. My girlfriend is from Brazil and not in that state yet as her rent is still affordable. But for the new ones coming in, expect to have five other roommates and work a job you get exploited in pay wise if you want to live here.
We are becoming like those exploitative nations that bring in foreign workers, let them live in squalor 4-10 in a residence, just so they can send a few hundred bucks home and we get cheap labour. Shame!!
It has been like that for a while. Just that landlords realized immigrants can be squeezed further.
Ya this has been happening at least 10 years where I am.
Dubai vibes. How long till we steal their passports?
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At least with Qatar the locals are rich as fuck. Even the locals here are struggling.
Ya but when Canadian oligarchs exploit foreigners for cheap labour while cramming them all into slums it's not racist somehow. That's the difference.
Almost half the Indian guys I went to school with have gone back to India.
That bad huh?
That's how it is with a lot of international students anyway. Of course some want to permanently move here. But a lot come with the intent to return home afterward, because it will make them much more competitive in their job market if they went to university in North America/Europe.
I moved abroad several years ago and the housing and grocery situations in Canada make me see red. To any young people in Canada: you can leave if you really want to. Your skills need to be appreciated, and you need a chance at earning a chance to live your dreams. Consider leaving Canada if that is the right call for you. It was the best decision of my life.
This is common though. For most of the temporary foreign workers - coming here to work 3-4 months then going back home is like the equivalent of them working a full year in their home country. Cheaper for them to come here for the short period then go back. Plenty in the Southeast Asian community who do exactly this. They either stay at the farm, or they stay with relatives for a few months then fly back.
Correct, even doing this isn't making enough money anymore.
Likely helps if they’re able to sneak in on a visitor visa and work under the table for 4/5 months not paying any taxes
No frills , Walmart and independent Asian grocery store = save money Sobeys, loblaws, longos = $$$$
Loblaws is the upmarket store brand of the Loblaws family. Superstore is their mid-market store, and No Frills is the downmarket. Sobeys/Safeway are the upmarket store, FreshCo is their downmarket store. Metro is the upmarket, Food Basics is their downmarket store.
Don't forget Shopppers Drug Mart. Also owned by the Loblaws company.
If one were to list out all of the Loblaws family... Loblaws, Extra Foods, Fortinos, Freshmart, No Frills, Provigo, Real Canadian Superstore, Atlantic Superstore, Maxi, Dominion (in Nfld), Shoppers Drug Mart/Pharmaprix, SuperValu, T&T Supermarket, Valu-mart, Zehrs Markets, Real Canadian Liquorstore, Wholesale Club, and probably some more I'm missing.
Independent grocer
Wow had no idea on T&T
40+ brands that last time I had to associate with them.
If you're buying groceries at a drug store you're doing it wrong.
And Lawton's is owned by Sobeys. Shoppers actually has some of the best deals on food though, at least where I am. $3.50 eggs, $4.50 butter, 3/$11 pizzas.
For whatever reason, my shoppers always has the 1L of cream on for $3.29. Hell of a deal. Though a 1 Liter of milk is $2.99 and only $1.79 at Safeway.
It would be better if everyone forgot Shoppers. Fuck that dumpster.
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Metro absolutely sucks where I live. Small stores, shit selection, and high prices. I never shop there. It’s almost as bad as Shoppers Drugmart
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Only reason my family has survived this bullshit is Costco has not nearly been as bad on the price gouging.
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I have the executive membership. The give me back way more than I pay them in membership fees.
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Yep, a double salad kit in Costco costs 10% more than a single (same) kit in Freshco. Only problem being, how does one finish it in time...
Yep.
No frills is owned by Loblaws unfortunately.
Well shit, Loblaws (independent grocer) is the cheaper option in my town. The co-op here is so much more expensive.
$2.99lb ground beef and $4.49 butter this week.
If they are near by it's still worth checking the flipp app for deals. Something like large bags of flour or something can very occasionally be on a really good sale. Otherwise I shop at walmart, because walmart is what I can afford.
I switched from one of the No-frills in Guelph to a Food Basics. I instantly noticed a drop in price on a ton of my staples. We're talking multiple dollars per item, not a couple cents.
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Can also use FLIPP which is pretty good too. I wanna try yours though but it seems to be down?
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Reddit Hug of Death claims another victim. Bookmarked to test out, I use Flipp quite regularly as well as stock track for non grocery items. Always great to have other tools to save some money, thanks!
Ha I can see that, getting tons of hits probably! Excited to try it out. Would it be possible to have a column that is solely devoted to the "price per _____"? Like gram/oz/ml. I see you have a column similar in QUANTITY but it seems like it just scrapes the size data...where the price per would need to do some math. I pretty much exclusively but via price per so it'd help me a ton!
Its a pretty cool app. Would it be possible to relax the formatting for postal codes. For example: L3v7e8 L3V7E8 L3V-7E8 and L3v-7e8 should all be accepted formats.
I actually like the layout of this better than flipp. I'm interested in trying it, so let me know when it's back up if you can
There is no civil unrest for this. We just keep feeding the greedy rich
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Meanwhile in France they have nation wide strikes and riots because their government proposed raising the retirement age 2 years. Seems considerably less significant compared to getting gouged out the ass for basic necessities like food, and yet here we are...
Let's start why don't we?
Ya if we rioted like france…
I hope one is organized. not anything crazy but civil and "peaceful".
Sorry, but if you see a $42 price tag on a caeser salad, and you choose to buy it anyway, that's on you. Have groceries become more expensive? Yes absolutely. But that's not the normal price of salad. The solution to a $42 salad at Sobeys is to go to another store and buy a $5 salad instead.
If you wanted to spend $42 on Caesar salad, you could go to Costco and buy a huge $27 wedge of parm and still have $15 left over for lettuce and croutons and some store bought dressing.
The Great Canadian Wholesale Club sells a gallon of Renee's Mighty Caesar dressing for $33. Just saying. [Link](https://www.wholesaleclub.ca/might-caesar-dressing/p/21032796_EA) for those that wish to partake.
With consideration for our already strained healthcare system, please don't buy a gallon of Caesar dressing.
You're right, I'll take two.
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Yea I dunno where I picked up the habit but for like a decade I only ever bought things that were in the flyer. I would make my shopping list based on the flyer that came out for the week.... 100% of the things I bought were on sale. I just thought that this is what everyone did. I found out I was the odd one. I buy more food that isn't on sale now, but whenever I make a shopping list, I still make sure to first find out what's on sale in the flyer.
Well said. Prices have gone up accross Canada. But in most places it is not eye-gouging like that.
Unless you are in Iqaluit or something lol.
yeah i'm not sure what's happening here or why is there out rage. Don't buy the salad. They can mark up as much as they want but prepared salad is a luxury and you pay the premium for that on top of paying the premium for sobeys. It's like people going to wholefoods and then get mad that asparagus water is 6 bucks. Don't go to wholefoods if you want cheap groceries.
I laughed at asparagus water. All the smelly pee and none of the fiber
Worst part is that salad will be marked down to 50%, which is still 50% too much, and then just be thrown away.
Where can you buy a $5 salad?
I can buy a $5 salad at Metro near me. (Eastern Ontario)
YIG, a lower tier of loblaws store than sobeys, sells salad kits for 6.99$ with dressing or 4.49$ without dressing. They have a range of options and many include "mixed salad" ingredients like cheese or shredded carrots, craisins or croutons.
Inflation is a huge problem. Grocery prices are a huge problem. That said, as per usual, people choose the shittiest examples and yet people still vote them up. Like seriously a party size pre-made caesar salad of all things? This is akin, but somehow even worse, than the posts about prices up north and showing the price of a jug of orange juice.
Okay, that salad is insane, but the maple syrup is nothing out of the ordinary. It's often expensive, and they are comparing it to May, right at harvest time when maple syrup is at its cheapest.
I find it's cheapest in January/February, when they want to get rid of the old stock. It's $5/can at Maxi this week for Bernard brand.
Just immigrated there, prices are crazy high. That is coming from a French!
I moved here from the UK in 2005 it was so cheap then. Not sure what happened but time to move back to the UK I think.
Unfortunately this won't make it where it needs to. There is an entire industry of international immigration consultants and school recruiters that push immigration to Canada just as much as the government.
My father came to this country with $20 in his pocket and a dream of abundant, reasonably priced prepackaged salads. He never imagined his children would have to buy ingredients separately, tossing the salad like a jailhouse crook. The Canadian dream is dead.
Lmaoo
even the "cheap" places like food basics and no frills are too expensive.
As a naturalized citizen who achieved the immigrant dream, this isn't the reason you shouldn't immigrate to Canada. Frankly put, you'll make more elsewhere and get better service for your dollar, too. Unfortunately the current immigration policy produces the same problems as outsourcing labour but brings that problem home to pasture instead. The solution to our economic woes does not lie with importing labour to do the low wage jobs that the locals want higher pay to do. The solution is to import the best people for the job and pay them fairly while putting the boot down on special interest groups and closing corporate tax loopholes. Unfortunately the reason our politicians don't do this is because they don't have the integrity to stand up for the people of this country ahead of their own personal corporate agendas in office.
I've seen several videos of international students using food banks and promoting the concept of "free food for students" all over social media... People are being duped into thinking their lives are gonna be better here, when they just end up in the same poverty cycle as current Canadian citizens.
Our economy is based on stealing the life savings of immigrants and selling our houses to each other.
Can confirm. 5 years, >$30,000 and still going. The process might be fucked but at least they’re rude about it.
We're growing it from the heart outwards. I mean what don't you understand 'bout dat?
>selling our houses to each other. Selling our houses to China\* fixed that for you
Monopolies gonna monopoly
Hey now, you have the 'freedom' to 'choose' between several different stores, each with their own logo and colour scheme- surely the free market is alive and well.
$42 for a packaged salad? I can go to Boston Pizza and get two, with chicken added, and a pop for less than that. That is even served to me. It used to be that lotteries were a tax on the stupid. Apparently going to the grocery store is dangerous for stupid people too.
It’s $14 at Costco for the…Costco size. I’m on day 3 of Caesar salad as my meal. I probably have 2 more days of giant salad all to myself.
[maybe you could use some company to help eat that salad eh?](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0Zk8xt30eI)
This is a party sized salad. Not saying the price isn't silly, but comparing it to even two at a restaurant isn't a good comparison.
The minute rice I buy has double, chicken has skyrocketed and even bottled water(18.5L) is up 33%. This is straight up price gouging.
How big is party sized?
$14.99 for a 500mL maple syrup is certainly outrageous, but PC-brand maple syrup was always ripoff. Loblaws sells a 1L jug of 100% pure maple syrup from a different brand for $17.99 (or $16.49 at the Superstore), and before all this inflation it was maybe $13.99 or $14.99.
I think people still believe immigrants are coming here to "seek better life and make some money".... I know vast majority people immigrating from China are not going to rent a one bedroom basement like twenty years ago... they come here to SPEND the money they earned back home... clean water, clean air, and big house... they don't mind paying 42 dollar salad... I just went to a party.. the host, an international student only have grape airlifted out of Korea... $49/LB
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This is why I live most of the year in Mexico. I miss my homeland, just not the cost of living. Grassfed beef from my farmer in Canada - $6.95/pound and I have to buy the whole cow. Grassfed beef from my farmer in Mexicos - $5/pound and all ribeyes and NY strips A single mango (not ripe and terrible) in Canada - $2-3 per mango. Several kilos of perfectly ripe mangos in the market in Mexico - $$2-3 My old Canadian phone plan $244/mon My identical service Mexico plan $25/mon And so on. It's insane the gouging we Canadians take.
How is your phone $244 a month?
Why would you shop at Sobeys, that place has always been crazy expensive.
Clearance yogurt for $1, occasionally other heavily discounted items. Definitely not for everyday shopping.
I find at Sobeys some type of meat is usually heavily discounted and the rest I try and buy on sale. I hit up Freshco for veggies and fresh produce.
The $42 salad was $41.99 and was a mis-print of $14.99, just FYI
...and yet bananas are criminally inexpensive...
I rang up some grapes the other day and they were like $16. Give me a fucking break.
As long as I've been able to comprehend value and what constitutes a good price, grapes have always felt overly expensive.
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Immigrants don't eat salads and avocado toasts anyways.
Only rich people buy pre made salads obviously.
LOL $41 for Salad??? this is hilarious and sad at the same time....it'll probably end up in the trash as I can't see anyone paying for this....but then again...
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So buy the salad ingredients and make it yourself for way cheaper?
Get real pal, I didn't immigrate to Canada to make salads from scratch.
Should x-post this over at /r/india
Naw they're busy taking advantage by getting free food from food banks and then posting it on YouTube https://youtu.be/pfogy5kcfCU
Who is buying a $42 salad? If we the consumer refuse to pay the prices they have to bring them down know?
Canada's food production infrastructure has been crap to nonexistent for years - at least that is the feedback I got from people in retail. Easy to take advantage of.
Sobeys was always overpriced garbage you morons, shop somewhere else
Lol you're at Sobeys.Idk I take these things with a grain of salt. No shit groceries prices are going up and have been for a while But some of you talk about buying groceries like you just found out about sales coupons and food basics.