Multiple Grocery Store Shopping

[lfw]

I have a question. I apologize if it has already been posted somewhere else.

I know part of saving money at the grocery store is studying the flyers and buying products that are on sale and for the best price, but is it really thrifty to grocery shop that way? What I mean is that if one shops at 2 or three different stores to save on items then are they really saving? I mean the time and gas put into to traveling to different stores, to me doesn't seem as though it would be.

I usually shop at one store every week, whichever one advertises the most items on sale that I use. I do that with drug stores too. I either shop at CVS or Brooks depending on which one has more of the items I use on sale.

I just wondered what other people on here thought.

Thanks.

Lisa

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

Surely it depends on how far one must travel to the stores and how much the savings are. I have two supermarkets no further than three blocks away, and about a half dozen small markets, bakeries, butchers within 8 blocks, so it is no trouble to go where the deals and/or the desired quality is.

I try to walk frequently (so as not to have much to carry) to the two closest stores. There is no gasoline involved, and I get a bit of healthy exercise. I have a short list for today and will visit both stores. I heard recently that urban dwellers get more walking exercise than suburbanites. Living close to things we also can save on gasoline and car usage.

[fairy74]

I'm lucky because I live in a small town, 2 of the three stores we shop at are in the same shopping complex, the other we walk to. Agree with you that if you are driving all over you are probably not saving too much.

[getforfree]

I have 6 big grocery and drug stores nearby. I have Walmart, Foodmax, Walgreens, Winco, Riteaid, Raleys. I also have Goodwill there. To visit all of them I have to drive about 5 miles. But to visit at least one of them, I have to drive 3 miles. So it doesn't make much difference. I usually combine all the stores in one trip. I also have Safeway and Albertsons, but to get there, it would take 8 miles for each, so I don't go there, unless there is something super cheap, and I can get a lot of it, to make up for the trip. I might stop by there on my way from work if I have to drive by. So, I guess, I live in a really good location for grocery shopping.

[Fern]

i always try to consolidate my trips; if it's out of my way, i don't bother.

[lfw]

Thanks for all your replies. Unfortunately I live in an area where the grocery stores are close together if you are driving. I often wondered if I was cheating myself by only shopping at one store.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

Consolidate my trip into one and all my stores are really close together. Like within a 2 minute drive.

[tinapbeana]

i shop at one main grocery store and one health food store, both on the same road about 4 miles apart. there are 2 different chains of grocery stores between me and my normal store, so if they are offering something on sale i will stop in and pick it up en route.

walgreens and cvs are both about 1 mile from where i work, on the way home, so ditto visiting them en route if there's a worthwhile sale.

[Ima saver]

We have two grocery stores in town, both about 5 miles away. I generally do shop at both of them because they carry different items that I can't buy at both stores. I usually buy my steaks at Bi lo cause they are usually on sale. I buy most things at Ingles cause they are a little cheaper.

[Bookie]

I shop at two grocery stores as well, and they are within 2 miles of one another and 4 miles from home. In addition, I have a Dollar Store within walking distance for fill-in purchases between grocery trips.

[zakity]

We live sort of rural. If we have an activity or errand that takes us near one of the stores that has a sale, we hit that store then.

[disneysteve]

We live in a major metropolitan area, densely populated with shopping choices, all of which are along routes that we travel practically every day. We never have to go out of our way to visit any of the grocery store chains in our area. It is very easy to detour into one of them if we know they have a particularly good sale one week. So no wasted time or fuel for us. Only wasted money if we pass up the good deals.

[Aleta]

I think that you save the most money if you do shop at different stores, study the flyers, become familiar with the stores and everyday prices, use coupons, and try to buy in bulk.

I save my most money when I usually buy a 24 roll of toilet paper for $4.00 or $4.50 and have coupons. You can also save if the 4 roll size ends up being less than the 6 rolls (4x6=24.) You can have 6 coupons and it comes out less. The bulk buys are what I like to buy.

[shelbylovesmelby]

If the the grocery stores around here weren't under a mile appart I wouldn't go out of my way to catch a deal. KWIM?

I usually shop where the prices are cheapest.... Aldi's & then I usually pick up things they don't carry, meat, some produce, or don't like their version of @ the regular store provided the price is right KWIM?