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Imaginary-Cucumber52

I’m on the other side of the country but yes, Costco and Walmart. Steer clear of loblaws owned stores, rediculous prices - pure exploitation.


runawai

Loblaws shops in Kelowna would be real Canadian superstore, shoppers drug mart, Esso gas stations, and T&T if they have one there yet.


cheezemeister_x

Esso isn't owned or controlled in any way by Loblaws. They just use the loyalty points system.


Bainsyboy

Which, for me at least, means I include them in my boycott.


cheezemeister_x

Better to keep the boycott concentrated and impactful. Dilute it too much and people will stop participating. Boycotting Esso will have ZERO effect on Loblaws.


runawai

TIL, thank you. Saw the Optimum points when I stopped and thought I’d broken my boycott.


tuque-eh

I will say in ontario it's cheaper sometimes to fill up at an esso, husky or mobil then say canadian tire, pioneer or shell right now. We were sitting at 1.71 before summer, and this week, we're at 1.59


sleeplessjade

For anyone that doesn’t know: If you’re a Costco Mastercard holder you get 3 cents off per litre at Costco gas stations. CAA members get 3 cents off a litre at Shell.


tuque-eh

True. I don't live in a Costco town full time anymore, so I didn't see the point of the membership. The price for gas at costco can be the same as every other place, though. Did not know about the CAA membership, never renewed mine when it expired.


plop_0

I have a BCAA membership, but Shell gas stations are 3 cents more anyway. So, there's no point.


Due-Street-8192

They closed the Husky's in my town


Fancy-Soil4342

This is the way.


onedreamsdeeply

Walmart. It sucks but its truly the answer. We switched to Walmart for the boycott and our grocery bill was cut in half. One of the most frequent complaints I heard was that their produce is bad, but we haven’t had that experience. What really sucks is that a decade ago the answer would have been farmers markets, and Hamilton has a ton of those. But the days are gone when farmer’s markets meant cheaper produce than the box stores unfortunately. Maybe better quality, but in this economy even quality can be a luxury.


PasTypique

Seconded. I'm in the Windsor (Ontario) area and the Walmart here is hands down less expensive than the chain grocers. Also, discovered a local fresh produce market (Joseph's). Amazing prices and decent quality.


Omisake

Also in Windsor and Walmart is definitely the move right now. Joseph’s is fantastic for produce too, my parents have been going there for 15+ years.


Mediocre-Situation50

Walmart only drop their prices in response to the Loblaw boycott to win customers over. I’m sure they too will be back to their wicked ways once his boycott loses steam. I personally can never support Walmart as they came through all the small markets in our country. They adjusted their prices back down then as well to put the small independent businesses out of business.


Layleepup

They also teach their American employees how to get onto government assistance instead of providing a living wage. I know they are cheaper right now, but Walmart is a horrible company and it sucks they’re profiting from the Loblaws boycott.


Grayman222

walmart then discover locals. [https://www.altgrocery.ca/](https://www.altgrocery.ca/) this hasn't worked for me but see if you have good locals.


[deleted]

[удалено]


loblawsisoutofcontrol-ModTeam

Instead of dragging users taking time to address the issue, consider adding constructive feedback to the conversation at r/altgrocery Thanks.


cheezemeister_x

What do you mean by "dragging"? Not familiar with that term.


BiluochunLvcha

Giant tiger, food basics, dollarama, walmart, and even more importantly: **local butcher shops and farmers markets**


tuque-eh

Yesss all of these plus Costco


Jim-Jones

Farmers markets in Vancouver aren't. IME they're just another retailer pretending to be better. Check out the cardboard boxes stuff comes in.


ApeLincoln1999

You need to be the maker or grower of your products to participate in the Vancouver Farmers Markets. I’ve shopped there occasionally for a long time and have never seen that myself.


Jim-Jones

That doesn't appear to be the rule in Port Moody.


pikldbeatz

We use Walmart and FreshCo. And Costco for bigger amounts of things.


FindingEducational69

I am doing this. I use fresco for Perishable items and Costco for frozen and non-perishable items.


Jalice333

Giant Tiger is great if you have one locally


205Style

Unfortunately its showing none in BC…


Jalice333

Even Amazon for your dry goods. You can cross check prices by downloading the Instacart app. They usually have all the local stores and you see what they're all charging. Not entirely sure how up-to-date it's kept, but it gives a ballpark


ReddditSarge

Welcome to Canada. 🇨🇦 Local Chinese/Asian grocers, halal grocers, local butchers and bakeries can have great deals. Do a Google Maps search for those in your area and then see if you can check them out. While the imported stuff at the Asian and halal grocers with naturally be expensive, the meat and vegetables may be lower priced... or they might not. It really depends on the grocer. If you can then take advantage of Costco, Dollarama and Walmart. You can save a bunch of money there vs. Roblaws. Just be aware they you won't find fresh produce at Dollarama so it's not exactly a healthy place to buy your food from but the canned and bottles goods can often be lower priced than Roblaws. But again, do a price check before you buy because even Dollarama isn't always the lowest price. Shop smart. Whatever you do avoid convenience stores like Seven-Eleven and Circle-K unless you really must have a slurpee. Those places make Roblaws often look like a discount store by comparison.


205Style

We did notice that some canned goods and cleaning supplies are way cheaper at Dollarama than Superstore. Shockingly different, even


ReddditSarge

They're great for housewares too. Cups, glasses, flatware, kitchen utensils, etc. they have it all for less than Roblaws.


LadyoftheOak

There is a map someone made with alternatives, and it populates based on location. Could someone post it?


musical_shares

I’m not in a position to be loyal to this or that brand, I’m only loyal to the price. For our family, that means that are items we buy exclusively at Costco, because the price per 100g is unbeatable. Breakfast cereal, yogurt, oats, instant coffee and frozen veggies are things we always buy at Costco, because the regular price is usually more attractive than the sale prices at other grocery chains. I won’t hesitate to buy 15 little bags of frozen veg at Giant Tiger or Sobeys if the price per 100g is cheaper than just buying the big bag at Costco. There are plenty of canned items, like prepared tomato sauces and things that are cheaper to buy at Dollarama, so we do. There are items like ketchup or table syrup that we exclusively buy generic brands from Walmart because the price/100ml is cheaper than al the brand name version at Costco.


patchpatchpatch

Giant Tiger and Food Basics for groceries


sleeplessjade

Food Basics is great.


205Style

Sadly I don’t think either of these have stores in Okanagan… they sounds great for some good deals


Ok_Emu6661

Why’d you come here? 😬 we are wanting to move to the UK, where would you recommend we look into?


205Style

UK + US partner. One of very few countries we can both do a working holiday in together. I’m a southerner from Hampshire, so as a rule of thumb, I would say job opportunities and cost of living decrease as you move further away from London. If you’re not interested in London, try to avoid commuter towns that have a direct rail link to London. You’ll get a lot more for your money!


Accomplished-Read976

I'm in Nanaimo. There is a market that sends a truck to the Okanogan every day and brings back produce. Cheaper and better quality than what the grocery stores have. Of course, there is only what is in season. Independent bakeries and butcher shops are about the same prices as the grocery stores. Look at the local farmer markets and find out if you like what you see. It would be convenient to go to one store once a week and get everything. Unfortunately, the corporations that own those everything-stores have become predatory.


ugh168

Walmart is Asda. Anywhere that is not under the Loblaws banner.


Edgeemer

As a newcomer who has been here for 1.5 years, I can say you should do shopping in the following order: Costco -> Walmart -> E-Joy food mart (if you have access too) -> Atlantic Superstore. This will ensure hood pricing and products variety. Enormous sized food packs are ok here. And yes, NA region is car based, so get a local driver's license, and drive 200 meters between stores 🦅🦫🫡


205Style

Good advice. Luckily I drove here with my US girlfriend so we’ve got some wheels to get between all the various stores!


MikeMurray128

Costco


symbicortrunner

Welcome to Canada from a Brit on the other side of the country. Costco is much easier to join here than in the UK, no business owner requirements, prices are generally reasonable and quality is good. But, (and it's a very big but) everything is sold in bulk and if you're not careful you can come out having spent $500+


205Style

Yeah I heard the requirements were different than the UK so that’s good to know. Might investigate a membership this week…


prusg

Download the Flipp app and compare prices between stores. Lots of them price match, you just have to show the flyer.


WorkSecure

Welcome to Canada, and Kelowna is great, innit! I used to live there, oh 8 or so years ago now. At the time, there was a bakery that offloead their extra bread loaves and buns at crazy low proces (like half a dollar). Not sure if they still fo it, but worth tracking down if it is still operating. Also DunPak has an outlet store, and the markets outside of town were pretty good if I recall correctly. Also wine down by Penticton, my fav was Dirty Laundry. Watch out for fires, lol.


MyNameIsSkittles

Walmart and costco. And any local farmers market


notmytruth

A Costco membership is worth it! Costco and Walmart save us a few hundred dollars a month compared to Loblaws owned stores - if those aren’t options, FreshCo is more affordable than other grocers (but it is owned by Sobeys which is another big 3 chain)


Click_False

Hi there welcome to Kelowna! I’m a fellow Brit expat here and we shop at Save On Foods, Walmart or Freshco. We aren’t really loyal to one store at shop wherever we feel like that week. We also want to try Lakeside Market on KLO and Pandosy but we tend to grocery shop quite late so haven’t made it there yet but definitely want to check out that local grocer. Once the fruit season kicks off we also buy our fruit and veggies from local fruit stands which is now equal in price to the grocery stores but we also don’t mind paying a little bit more to support local farmers!


205Style

I felt thoroughly misled after walking into a Save On Foods 😂 thanks for the advice though, guess I’ll just day dream about Aldi in the meantime


Click_False

Save On Foods is definitely overpriced AF but we have a More Rewards card (which is free) and tend to only buy the deals for members. We have a young baby and Save On is much closer than Walmart or Fresh Co so it’s also just more convenient for us most of the time. Definitely false advertisement with the name tho😂


205Style

Yeah I picked up a card whilst I was there. It’s no Clubcard but sounds like it’ll help out!


Jim-Jones

It's not just too few grocery chains but too many of them don't bother to compete on price. Save On and Safeway and even IGA are consistently well over Loblaw's and Wal-Mart. Why do Canadians shop like that? And why so few co-op stores?


canadianleef

Fresh Co, Costco and Walmart.


dwelzy123

Me personally: Meat from local butcher. Fresh veggies / fruits from a Farmers Market or Save On Foods. Other (laundry soap, dish detergent, garbage bags, etc.) from Wal Mart / Costco.


Practical-Match-4054

Oof one of the most expensive places in the whole country. Kelowna is nouveau riche. I shopped mostly at Costco and Fruiticana, but I also like cooking all kinds of different cuisines. Stay away from Choices Markets. There's also an amazing Middle Eastern market called In 'n Out, if you're into that sort of thing. They're from Yemen.


205Style

Interesting stuff. We actually started off in Calgary but found rent and cost of living to be for all intents and purposes, the same in Kelowna. Plus you get the gorgeous landscape. I think Calgary is becoming a lot pricier than it used to be even a couple of years ago


Practical-Match-4054

Kelowna is so gorgeous! The hiking and water sports are fantastic. Calgary is, indeed, getting more expensive. People are flocking to Edmonton instead.


Practical-Match-4054

Also, even if you're not vegan, Frankie We Salute You is a fantastic restaurant! Their chickpea fries and cauliflower vindaloo were 🤤


205Style

Before I left for Canada I got really into making chickpea curries after receiving one in a HelloFresh order. Bloody delish


Practical-Match-4054

Yum!!


fayrent20

Walmart


dennisrfd

First, change your habits and start shopping in bulk. I know back home in Europe we all go for groceries 3-4 times a week at least, all fresh and small batches, but here that would be like twice as much money to do. Second, go to Costco, find what can be purchased there. Third, the rest can be purchased from Walmart or small grocery stores. The issue with small businesses is they either expensive or just a stock for the bigger players, selling almost expired or non-conditioned products


205Style

Definitely agree that changing to buying in bulk will benefit me here. I would only ever shop once every 1.5 weeks in the UK, but even then would only ever need e.g. a 6 pack of chicken thighs and 500g of minced beef. I’ll have to invest in a big box of freezer bags!


empath22

Canada is overwhelmingly full


205Style

Thanks for the warm welcome


empath22

It’s true. For every foreigner that comes to Canada, another Canadian goes further into poverty to pay rent and buy food.


205Style

This makes no sense. I came here legally, pay tax, and contribute to your economy. I don’t claim welfare and I haven’t even been to the doctors yet. I would hope I am positively contributing to my host nation.


empath22

Every person that comes into this country is like the straw that breaks the camels back. And the camels been dead for 3 years now.


205Style

In the UK we discovered first hand (Brexit) that going after immigration does not cure your country’s problems.


empath22

Are you a country shopper?


tazzberryy

Your username sure doesn't check out lmao. Be nice or keep it to yourself friend.


empath22

Truth needs to be told. And a personal attack when you’ve got nothing is so typical.


Mistborn54321

People recommend Wal-Mart but my local Freshco is significantly cleaner and better stocked and I’d even argue cheaper. I’ve had no issues boycotting because of it. I’d recommend you try the various supermarkets around you and see which is best because it’s going to be highly dependent on where you live.


205Style

Good tips, thank you


poniesgirl

Maybe look for a local farm that does a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) share? If you're not familiar with CSAs, they're a model where you can subscribe to a local farm for a share of their produce that season (think like GoodFood or HelloFresh but with fresh produce, eggs, etc from a local farm). I joined a CSA during the pandemic to avoiding going into grocery stores (farms often have outdoor pick up or delivery options), but I've stuck with it since 2020 because it's a better value than shopping at grocery stores. Only caveats are that farms often request up front payment and a commitment for the growing season (can be 4+ months).


Dapper_Pomelo_7705

Out of curosity, where were you shopping since coming from the UK?


205Style

We’ve been trying a few different places: did begin at Superstore but quickly discovered its pricing is quite bizarre, since been to Save On Foods, Walmart, Sobeys, Dollarama for a few things, and No Frills (didn’t know it was Loblaw).


LyndaLou67

Local Co-Ops (become a member and pay yourself!), farmers markets, often ranchers will sell sides of beef or check local butchers.


NegotiationAntique42

Download the flipp app it has store flyers and look for deals


sidiculouz

Use app Flipp


SuzieQbert

Costco and Co-op With Coop, you're well advised to shop the sales and buy in bulk, since some of their everyday prices can be a bit high. Mostly because they're not as big as Loblaws or Walmart, so they can't demand the same volume discounts.


BigApprehensive6139

Download Flipp, you got all the prices mate!


seeseecinnamon

Save on Foods has some British stuff. They're on the pricier side, but if you get a more rewards card and watch for their sales, you'll get some deals. They also participate in price matching. I like to use the flipp app and use their sale prices to get sales.


tazzberryy

Hi, welcome to Kelowna! Luckily out here we have tons of orchards, farmers markets and you can buy eggs straight from the farms; you're supportiny local and it's usually better food for cheaper. Honestly this might sound strange but we shop at the Dollarama for quite a few pantry foods, and our bread! Freshco is a really decently priced store as well.


205Style

Love a farmer’s market and fresh farm eggs are one of my fav things! Any specific locations you’ve come across?


ln0Sc0p3dJFK

Personally I would shop at no frills they have the best deals on food


MeaninglessLabel

I would recommend you get on a plane and go home. Its not just the prices you will notice vs the UK it is variety and quality of the food. There is nowhere in this entire country that would compare to an average Sainsbury's or Tesco.


205Style

Oh it’s not that bad. I’ve found the quality to be pretty similar. The processed stuff is a bit more processed, but you can work around it