Supermarket Sweep #2
Understanding Grocery Price Trends
Welcome back grocery store aficionados, we're back with another deep dive on grocery prices.
Our shopping list remains consistent, with one minor tweak noted below. This time, we're comparing Loblaws and Farm Boy. Let's unpack the carts.
🛒The Grocery List 🛒
As Farm Boy didn't have the large format 400g packages of cheese, we chose an aged cheddar 280g cheese block at both Loblaws and Farm Boy*.
- 1 Pound of Bananas
- 2L 2% Milk
- 1 Avocado
- 1 Box of Cheerios
- 1 Pound of Chicken Breast
- 12 Eggs
- 1 Loaf of Bread
- 1 Pint of Strawberries
- 1 Pound of Potatoes
- 280 g of Cheese*
- 1 Bag Tortilla Chips
🥊Loblaws v. Farm Boy 🥊
Our perennial contender, Loblaws, is back in the ring. The challenger? Farm Boy, another Sobeys-owned brand that's Canada's answer to Trader Joe's—think house-brand everything, artisanal vibes, and, as noted above, no bulk cheddar. This setup meant we picked up Farm Boy's own tortilla chips and in-house baked bread instead of the usual Tostitos chips and Dempster's bread.
The Receipts:
The Groceries:
After adjusting for weight differences and ensuring we're comparing apples to apples (or, in this case, cheese blocks to cheese blocks), here's how the numbers stack up:
| Items | Loblaws | Farm Boy |
|---|---|---|
| Tortilla Chips | 5.99 | 4.99 |
| Cheerios | 5.99 | 6.99 |
| Eggs | 3.93 | 3.99 |
| 2% Milk | 5.34 | 5.29 |
| Cheese | 5.39 | 8.49 |
| Strawberries | 6.99 | 5.99 |
| Banana (1 pound) | 0.69 | 1.29 |
| Avocado | 2.99 | 2.99 |
| Chicken Breast (1 pound) | 5.39 | 7.99 |
| Bread | 4.29 | 3.99 |
| Potatoes (1 pound) | 2.99 | 2.99 |
| Total | $51.49 | $54.99 |
The Verdict 📊
TL;DR: Loblaws edges out Farm Boy by a modest 7% in total cost.
Comparing these prices to our July numbers, there aren't many shockers. At Loblaws, strawberries and Tostitos saw slight price hikes, while chicken prices dipped—though that might just be a savvy selection of their $13 pre-packaged portions. Prices for Cheerios, milk, avocados, bread, and potatoes held steady.
The outlier? Eggs. In July, a dozen large eggs at Loblaws cost a mere $2.89. Fast forward to September, and they're up to $3.93, aligning with both Farm Boy's pricing and FreshCo's July figures. Interestingly, the producer price for a dozen large eggs in Ontario remained consistent between $2.59 and $2.68 in 2024, suggesting that Loblaws offered eggs at near cost back in July.
Then there are the high-margin suspects: tortilla chips and Cheerios. FreshCo had Tostitos priced at $2.99 in July, but Loblaws bumped it from $5.49 in July to $5.99 in September. For Cheerios, FreshCo offered the 350g box at $3.49, while Loblaws and Farm Boy are charging $5.99 and $6.99, respectively. Cereal inflation, anyone?
Final Thoughts 💡
What's the takeaway? Loblaws remains the slightly more economical choice, but the margin isn't vast. Farm Boy's niche appeal and house-brand strategy offer a different shopping experience—one that might justify the extra cost for some consumers. Specialty branding and targeting a younger, urban demographic can influence pricing structures, especially when bulk options are limited.
As we continue this grocery odyssey, it'll be fascinating to see how these trends evolve, especially as we venture beyond the Sobeys umbrella. Will other chains offer better deals, or will we find ourselves reminiscing about the "good old days" of $2.89 eggs?
Stay tuned for our November edition, where we'll crunch more numbers, explore new stores, and perhaps uncover why your box of Cheerios now costs more than a large latte.