How to Navigate a Grocery Store for Savings

There has been a swing in favor of grocery stores with everyday low prices in recent years and away from the weekly specials and member cards that have been popular in many supermarkets. This has been driven in large part by Wal-Mart, which is now the largest US grocery chain, according to Bloomberg.com.

The weekly specials usually are based on ad flyers and loyalty cards, with the supermarket sacrificing the advertised specials to get people in the store, then charging more for most staples. The convenience and flexibility of the everyday low pricing option is appealing, but the money saving claim can be deceptive. With the right grocery shopping technique, which I will demonstrate with this week's ad, the loyalty card stores will always be a better deal since everyday low prices are rarely lower than weekly sale prices.

That said, the money saved and the preferred type of grocery store depends on the attitude of the consumer when approaching grocery shopping. In this analysis I will be discussing how to save the most money while still maintaining a healthy variety of foods so my approach will be one of frugality and culinary adventure. I enjoy grocery shopping as one of my favorite chores due to the mix of analytical and creative thought required.

In the Utica, NY area, there are several Wal-Marts, several loyalty card supermarket chains, local chains that still rely on ads in the weekly paper, and a couple high end places with no grocery loyalty cards and every day high prices. As an inveterate grocery explorer I have done a considerable amount of shopping at all these places and have observed the pricing trends that each relies on and formulated a generic strategy to optimize grocery savings using each .

Loyalty card supermarkets offer the greatest savings, but require the greatest amount of flexibility. To maximize savings here, focus on produce, meat, seafood, deli items, dairy and other relatively expensive items that usually command a premium. The key with a loyalty card or ad based store is to work with what is on sale and only what is on sale. They overprice nearly everything else to make up for the sales.

Head to these grocery stores for the premium items on a weekly basis, planning meals around the weekly selection to get a great variety of vegetables, fruit, cuts of meat and cheese. Aim to get 75 - 100% of items on a weekly receipt reflecting sale prices if possible. Better yet, don't buy anything that is not on sale. This strategy requires that staples be stocked in advance, which is the foundation of this grocery shopping strategy.

Pick up storage friendly staples such as rice, pasta, flour, sugar, cereal, canned goods, frozen food, potatoes, and condiments in bulk when they are on sale. For example, when canned tomatoes go on sale, buy a case of them. Since sales on staples are less frequent than other sales at these stores, it is necessary to stock up to last until the next staple sale or risk paying more than the staple is worth when it runs out.

To streamline the weekly shopping trip, first check for staple sales. As the meal foundation, these are most important and should always take budget priority. Generally grocery staple items will be found in the center aisles, so start with the cans and dried goods and finish up with the frozen section. Make sure to pick up enough of each sale item to last till the next anticipated sale. Generally there are multiple brands of any given item and one will be on sale at least monthly. Unless a brand matters, maintaining a 4 week supply of an item should be sufficient. Next, get variety by looking at produce and bakery sales, followed by sales on dairy, meat, deli and seafood as budget allows. Only buy enough of perishable sale items to be used within a week or so since they won't last much longer than that and even sale items aren't a good deal if they spoil.

Here is an example using only this week's Price Chopper sales.

Staple:

Cereal

• PC Cereal 1.99

Condiment

• Hellmann's Mayo large size 3.49
• Skippy Peanut Butter 1.99
• Heinz Ketchup 1.99

Canned/Dry Goods

• Crushed Tomatoes .99
• Tomato Paste .50
• Generic Pasta .99
• Organic Refried Beans .99

Frozen

• Breaded Boneless Chicken Value bags 25% off
• Italian Meatballs frozen 25% off
• Cheese Ravioli 10/$10

Premium:

Produce

• Cantaloupes 2/$3
• Cabbage .39clb
• Kiwi 3/.99c
• Baby Bella Mushrooms 2/$4
• Blackberries 2.99

Bakery

• Freihofer's Bread BOGO

Dairy

• Cheese Singles 2/$3
• Cheddar Cheese 2/$3
• Yogurt 10/$4

Meat

• Ground Chuck 1.99lb
• Oscar Meyer Bacon BOGO
• Plumrose Ham Steaks BOGO
• Pork Chops 1.79lb
• Boneless Chuck Roast 2.99lb

Seafood

• 16 - 20ct Raw Frozen Shrimp 6.99lb

Sample Weekly Menu:

Breakfast Options:

Bacon and Eggs, Kiwi, Blackberry and Cantaloupe salad, Yogurt, Toast with Peanut Butter, Cereal with Milk

Lunch Options:

Ham Steaks, Toasted Cheese Sandwich, Cheese Ravioli with Marinara Sauce, Baked Macaroni and Cheese

Dinner Options:

Pork Chops and Steamed Cabbage in a crockpot, Toasted Cheeseburgers with Sautéed Mushrooms, Spaghetti and Meatballs

Options Available with Common Staples:

Shrimp Pasta Primavera with Frozen Vegetables, Chuck Roast with Potatoes and Carrots, Baked or Fried Chicken with Frozen Vegetables and Mashed Potatoes

There you have it. The only things missing here are milk and eggs, which I do not purchase from a grocery store, often finding them cheaper at convenience stores. I always assume that these items are on hand.

Of course, the greater variety of stores that can be visited on a weekly basis, the more selective menu options can be. When I have time I like to visit 2 - 3 stores per week, or at least check out the ads of more than one store to pick the sale selection I like best, but this is not often possible. Almost all the time, whichever store I happen to stop by will have a sale with everything I need to keep the kitchen going for the week.

If necessary staples run out and are not available on sale or something extra is needed, then the every day low price stores and the higher end specialty stores can fill in the gaps. This is the only time I visit one of these stores as regular grocery shopping is significantly more expensive.

Source:

Chris Burritt and Carol Wolf, Wal-mart's Store-Brand Groceries to Get New Emphasis, Bloomberg.com