that Chocodile Twinkies cost $.50 more at Walmart than at Kroger? I figured if anything, they'd be the same price, or maybe higher at Kroger. I realized this by using the Walmart Savings Catcher app. Now I know to buy my Chocodile Twinkies at Kroger, instead of Walmart. I know there are some very low prices at Walmart, and some are obviously higher, but sometimes it's difficult to know which items to purchase at which store. If you've noticed a much higher price at one store on a particular item, let us know here, so we'll know to be aware of that price/item if it's one we buy.
Yeah, a few pennies is one thing, but a 50 cents difference can really add up. While you would think Walmart would have cheaper prices than anyone else, considering their purchase volume, it simply isn't the case. They have some cheap things, but others, not so much. I know that their eggs tend to be higher than they are at other stores around here. Occasionally, they are less (when local providers have more demand than supply), but for the most part, I can find cheaper eggs. Doesn't the savings catcher thing guarantee you the lowest price? I thought they "comped" stuff or gave you the lowest prie if you could find a match (I remember doing that back in the day with sales papers in hand, since around here stores can be miles apart). I will keep my eyes open though, and let everyone know if I come across something (brand) specific. Good thread.
It's not nearly as good (or useful) as it once was, but it still serves a purpose. For instance, last week, I spent about $100 and that was the only thing i got money back on...50c on the Chocodile Twinkies, out of $100 of items purchased. When I first signed up, I would get back a lot more, and they were also doubling the money back when you transferred it to the American Express BlueBird card. I signed up for the BlueBird card and still have it. It seems some of the cashiers are better at taking funds from the card and applying it towards the balance, so it's best to know the exact amount on the card, otherwise some of them are incapable of doing it. What it seems they've done is to remove many local stores from the list of those they compare prices with, which detracts from the amount you'll get back, since some stores, particularly convenience stores and gas stations, will mark a few items down specifically to draw shoppers in. I guess Walmart ended up having to pay out a lot to compensate for those super low eggs, milk and bread prices for those stores. They have also cut back significantly on the items they compare prices on. Since I buy generics and the compared prices are only on name brands, a lot of what I buy doesn't qualify for comparison.
First of all your post attracted me to the Chocodile Twinkies as i have not seen those or heard of them. Are the healthy? I am intrigued to try them next time I am in the US. One imagines Wal-Mart to always be cheaper, but that isn't the case as it is about the buyer being more aware of the recommended retail price of an item. Most stores will price match and it would be unusual for a store not to such as Wal-Mart, but they may do if it is brought to their attention. You could try that and see what response you get from head office, or a simple tweet? Maybe do it out of curiosity and as an experiment?
FYI Diane Lane..the Hostess company is going to start selling friend twinkies at 4.76 per box,,just in case we weren't killing ourselves fast enough with regular twinkies that is.. I might try a box for the sheer novelty, but I can guarantee it is not going to be a regular part of my shopping routine!
@Ke Gordon I saw that! I might do the same, but I'm not sure yet. Deep fried Twinkies sound kind of sickening to me, although I'm sure I'd enjoy them if i tried them. It's probably more a matter of my queasy stomach right now. @Theo I wasn't aware of the price difference until I got home and plugged it into the SavingsCatcher system and heard back a few days later. Since they're comparing them via the app, they're aware of the price difference, and SavingsCatcher is their way of price matching, although they have significantly decreased the number of stores they will compare and match the prices with, and it seems that would be their store policy, since SavingsCatcher is their invention. I don't know how they handle requests for price matching while in the store, because I tend to buy the items at the store I'm shopping at based on whether they're the best price. Chocodile Twinkies are Twinkies dipped in a chocolate coating. It's not as hard as a magic shell, but doesn't usually melt in the hand unless the room/hand is very warm. They're the only kind of Twinkies I buy, and they're yummy .
One item that is much cheaper at Walmart than at Kroger is canned salad shrimp. I buy the cheap cans all of the time because shrimp salad is one of my favorites, and Kroger charges over $3 for their cheapest cans of broken shrimp. The same item is just over $2 at Walmart; so I always buy my shrimp from there. I was shopping at Aldi's today, but I couldn't even find any shrimp there, and barely any tuna. I tink that maybe I just am missing the isle where it should be at, because the tuna was only on one of those displays at the end of a row of shelves. Next time I go, I am going to ask if they have canned shrimp; because I am thinking it will be cheaper at Aldi than even Walmart maybe.
I wish Aldi was a full service grocery store, but it seems they only stock some things, but I would still need to go to another store for the rest of the items on my list. I don't recall seeing canned goods at all, although they probably do have some. The store near me is very small, at least the grocery portion is. The rest is apparently the stock section, and is of course off limits to customers. There are really only about 3 aisles in the one I've been to, so I doubt they carry canned shrimp. That's probably something I would buy, as well, since I would like to use them for shrimp fried rice. I have priced them before at Kroger, and they're out of my budget.
The main problem with Aldi, at least for me, is the needing to bring along my own bags, and also having to have a quarter handy to secure a shopping cart. The other day, I went to the thrift store, which is in the same shopping center area as Aldi's is at, and then I went to Aldi to do a little grocery shopping. Of course, I didn't have anything to put my groceries in, and rather than purchase bags from them, I just took everything out to the car in the cart, and then brought out some bags when I got home. I know that some places, it is usual for people to have to bring their own shopping bags, and I used to have several of the heavy-duty plastic ones, but I can't find them anymore. If we are going to be shopping at a store where I need to have my own bags, I guess that I will have to get more of them, and remember to keep them in the back of the stationwagon from now on.
Sometimes I can find some cheaper items at stores that are located faraway from my local area, I have to consider the transportation costs whether is worth the time and energy spent to reach that destination or not, thus is more convenient for purchasing any kind of goods but dailies. Otherwise, I just buy it at local stores.
I alternate between purchasing stuff at 711 and Mini Stop (also a 24 hour convenience store) and I also notice that some items are cheaper in 711 and some are cheaper in Mini Stop. So I just take note of these discrepancies and just buy the cheaper one at the appropriate store, that is if I have the time and I'm in the mood to take a longer walk, since one store is farther from where I now live.
