Inflation may have declined, but Canadians are still paying high prices for their groceries. The yearly costs of grocery prices for a family of 4 are expected to increase by more than $1,000 according to the Food Price Report.
Three grocery giants run supermarkets in Canada, including Loblaw Companies Ltd., Sobeys Inc. and Metro Inc. Even discount grocery store Food Basics is owned by Metro. With high grocery prices, inflation and interest rates – how can you ensure you’re getting the best price? Will grocery stores price match – including independent stores?
Does Food Basics Price Match?
Food Basics does not price match. However, some grocery stores, including FreshCo will price-match Food Basics (certain conditions may apply). Instead, Food Basics offers discounts through special offers and weekly flyers. They also offer a special 10% discount for students every Tuesday. Food Basics also recommends shopping the weekly flyer special to save on food prices.
Do Other Grocery Stores Price Match?
Lawblaws, Sobeys and Metro don’t offer price matching, however, some of the grocery stores owned by these chains do. Maxi, No Frills, Real Canadian Superstore, IGA, Save on Foods, Giant Tiger and FreshCo offer price matching.
IGA Price Match Policy
IGA’s “Unbeatable Price Guarantee” offers price matching for competitors within IGA’s geographic trade area. Customers must prove the lower price by showing the item in a competitor’s flyer, IGA will then offer the item for 1 cent less than the competitor advertised.
This offer does not apply to liquor, tobacco products, in-store third-party vendors, gift cards and discounts from loyalty programs. It also does not apply to special offers such as ‘spend this much get this free’, and ‘free’ promotions.
IGA operates in Quebec, Manitoba, Alberta, Saskatchewan & British Columbia.
No Frills Price Match Policy
No Frill’s “Won’t Be Beat” price match policy applies to other supermarkets in the same Geographic Trade Area, for products offered at a lower price. For the item to be valid for a price match, the item must be identical or comparable to the one carried by No Frills. That means the item must be the same brand, type, and size.
Shoppers must provide proof by showing a digital or print flyer (with a date that is still effective) for an item. However, some offers and deals don’t fall under the No Frills’ “Won’t Be Beat” price match policy, including:
- “Spend this much get this free” offers
- Exclusive emails or online offers
- Loyalty program discounts
No Frills has stores across all Canadian provinces excluding Quebec and Newfoundland.
Real Canadian Superstore Price Match Policy
Real Canadian Superstore offers price matching against major supermarket chains. The exact stores you can price match with the Real Canadian Superstore can be checked in-store.
Real Canadian Superstore’s price match policy operates by customers showing a product they sell advertised at a lower price. This does not apply to ‘spend this much get this free’ offers, multi-buy offers, discounts from loyalty programs, clearance prices or offers provided by third-party operations.
Real Canadian Superstore operates in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, Saskatchewan and Yukon.
FreshCo Price Match Policy
FreshCo’s “Lowest Price Guarantee” policy is applicable for stores in the FreshCo’s geographic trade area with products that are carried by FreshCo. Customers who show the competitor’s price via online or print flyer will be offered 1 cent less than the competitor.
Price matching is not applicable for liquor, tobacco, prescriptions and gift cards. ‘Buy this much get this free’ offers, clearance sales, discounts through loyalty programs and ‘free’ promotions are not applicable. Price match is limited to 4 identical products carried by FreshCo.
FreshCo operates in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario and Saskatchewan.
Giant Tiger/Tigre Géant Price Match Policy
Giant Tiger’s price match policy can be accessed by shoppers who can show a current flyer identifying a competitor offering a lower price. Customers will then be offered this item at one cent less than the competitor.
This offer excludes ‘buy this much get this free’ offers, online offers, loyalty programs, competitor misprints or incorrect advertisements, private label products, percentage discounts, rebates and clearance sales.
Giant Tiger operates in all provinces except British Columbia and Newfoundland.
Maxi Price Match Policy
Maxi will price match any item they carry that’s advertised for a lower cost by any competitor located in the same region. This is applicable for any advertisement during its effective date. Price matching is applicable for a maximum of four items.
Simply show the cashier the item that is advertised at a lower price, and they will add a discount to the item to match the competitor’s price.
Do note, that Maxi only operates in Quebec.
Save On Foods Price Match Policy
“Western Family Lowest Price Guaranteed” is Save on Foods’ price match policy, applicable to identical Western Family grocery products offered at a lower advertised cost by a national brand. While Save on Foods doesn’t have a specific number of items you can price match, they do reserve the right to limit the quantities.
Yù™, Sundar™, ValuePriced™, Freshex™, or Western Family Signature™ products are excluded from this deal. Multi-buy, ‘spend this much get this free’ offers, discounts from loyalty programs and clearance sales are also excluded from Save on Foods’ price match offer.
Save on Foods operates in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Yukon.
Other Ways To Save Money On Groceries
Besides price matching, you can save money on groceries by using coupons, cash back programs and loyalty programs.
Coupons
Coupons can be used towards saving on groceries. They can be accessed through retailers’ online apps, flyers in the mail, and sometimes in the newspaper. Coupons can also be accessed through coupon apps, such as Rakuten or Ampli, allowing customers to look for cash back rewards before shopping in-store or online.
Loyalty Programs
Loyalty programs offer points on items you purchase at certain grocery store chains. The goal is to accumulate a significant number of points and then redeem them for money off your future grocery bills.
- Scene +. Shoppers at grocery stores like Sobey’s, IGA, Foodland, Safeway, etc. can earn 1 Scene+ Point for every dollar they spend.
- PC Optimum. This program lets shoppers collect loyalty points for products they purchase at No Frills, Loblaws, Shoppers Drug Mart (Pharmaprix in Quebec), Real Canadian Superstore, Zehrs, Independent Grocer, Valu-Mart, Fortinos, Joe Fresh, Pharma Prix, and Esso.
Credit Cards
Most Canadians use a credit card to purchase their groceries. So why not choose a credit card that offers a reward or cash back program? This way you can accumulate points to put toward future purchases.
Aeroplan
- This Aeroplan frequent flyer program is offered by TD, American Express, and CIBC. Points can be accumulated from any purchase, including grocery purchases, and redeemed towards air travel with Air Canada.
RBC Rewards
- RBC offers RBC Avion rewards which are redeemable at any airline. They offer a wide variety of flights and destinations that accept RBC Avion rewards and they have no seating restrictions and no blackout dates. The RBC rewards points can also be used to cover taxes and fees.
CIBC Aventura
- This reward system applies to any airline. 1 point is accumulated for every dollar spent on groceries, pharmacy purchases, gas and electric vehicle charging.
BMO Rewards
- Points are earned when you use a BMO credit card to make a purchase, including groceries. Points can be applied toward your credit card balance – this can cover the cost of your grocery bill.
