Where I live there are 2 major supermarkets - Hannaford and Price Chopper. The question is where is the better place to shop? Or, which one will save you the most money?
I was given the opportunity to find out just that - which place will save my family the most money.
There is one particular store I shop more at and that is for the purpose of location, and because honestly, I always thought they were cheaper.
As you all know by now, or are just learning, I LOVE coupons, and LOVE to save money. I think I get a natural high when I come out of the store (any store for that matter) thinking, yeah, I beat them. I know personally I did not beat anybody, though I feel a winner, and better yet - a winner who used coupons and got extra savings.
The only downfall I find with living in an area where there are just 2 supermarkets, is that because there are only the 2 stores and there isn't a huge competition wherein some areas have multiple competitors, neither offer double coupons. That would definately save me even more money.
The first week, I went to Hannaford. I was provided with a gift card to Hannaford to do my normal weekly shopping,together with buying 20 like items to compare prices at both stores. The second week, I went to Price Chopper and purchased 18 of the same items I purchased at Hannaford the week before. I did purchase 20 items at Hannaford for the price comparison at Price Chopper, though Price Chopper was out of the 2 products and I was unable to do a cross-comparison of those products. The following list is a breakdown of the prices and costs.
Hannaford Price Chopper
Krakus Ham $ 8.18 ($7.99/lb) $ 8.36 ($8.49/lb)
LOL American Cheese $ 6.17 ($5.99/lb) $ 6.92 $6.99/lb)
Doritos $ 2.59 $ 3.99 BOGO
Pepperidge Farm Goldfish $ 2.00 $ 2.19
2 lb. onions $ .99 $ 2.50
Arnold Sandwich Thins $ 2.50 $ 3.19
Capri Sun Juice Box $ 2.00 $ 2.79
Gatorade (64 oz) $ 1.97 $ 1.99
Ball Park Hot Dogs (16 ct.) $ 5.99 $ 8.69
Santitas Chips $ 2.00 $ 2.00
Villa Valenti Pasta Sauce $ 2.79 $ 2.89
Freihofer's Split Top Wheat Bread $ 3.39 $ 3.39
Nabisco Chips Ahoy with Heath $ 2.50 $ 2.50
Friendly's Ice Cream $ 2.99 $ 2.99
Boboli Thin Crust $ 4.39 $ 4.59
Oscar Meyer Lunchable $ 2.69 $ 2.59
Vlassic Bread & Butter Chip pickles $ 2.66 $ 2.99
Snack Pack 4-pack Tapioca Pudding $ .99 $ 1.00
$56.79 $65.56
So, seeing from the above totals, Hannaford was cheaper. For the most part, other than the Friendly's Ice Cream, Feihofers Bread and Nabisco Cookies, Hannaford does have lower prices on the majority of their items, so you may want to check both ads come Sunday when it is time to do your weekly grocery list, taking into consideration sales and coupons. Speaking of coupons, when it came time to pay for the groceries, it took everything I had not to able to use coupons (even my husband,who went shopping with me, looked at me when the total came up and said, it's killing you not to use coupons, isn't it?). If I was able to use coupons, this total would have been at least $20 cheaper, at both stores. That is the minimum, I am sure, with some savvy shopping, I definately could have saved a lot.
Hannaford now participates in their own printable coupons. Check out their web site to access coupons today. You are able to print 2 coupons per computer. I believe the coupons change each week, so if there is a website to sign up for emails, I would definately recommend using your "other email account" for your weekly reminders.
Disclosure: Hannaford provided me with the gift cards to shop at both Hannaford & Price Chopper Supermarkets. In no way did receiving the gift cards, change my opinion to make me write a more favorable post. I visit both stores and will continue to do so in the future, though may visit one store a bit more now that I was able to make this comparison.
