Want to reduce your grocery bill every week? Here’s the scoop on successful grocery store price matching in Canada. 

It’s hard to get the best prices on all of your groceries in one stop. Each grocery store offers different promotions on different products. Milk might be on sale at one store, while another has a promo on bread. Limiting your shopping to only one location means missing out on a great deal, but zipping around to multiple locations is time-consuming and wastes gas.

Price matching is one solution to this problem, and it allows frugal Canadians to save money all in one stop. It’s not hard to do, but it does take a little strategy to be worth the hassle. Here’s a quick overview on how to make the most of your grocery budget.

What is price matching?

Price matching is taking advantage of the sales prices of multiple grocery stores while only visiting one store. This is achieved by the price matching rules of the grocery store. Stores offer price matching to retain customers and remain competitive in the market. 

The basic method for price matching is to show proof that a different store is currently selling an item at a less expensive price. The store then matches the price. At times, they will even offer a further discount, such as “if you find a lower price, we’ll match it, and give you an extra percentage off”.

For best results, check out the store’s price matching policy prior to shopping, and have a copy of it on hand when you sally forth.

Is price matching worth it?

You can save a lot of money price matching, but make sure you follow these two guidelines:

Is the price matched item already on my list?

Saving money on an item you need and were going to buy anyway is a no-brainer. But if you end up buying a bunch of things that weren’t on your list (but couldn’t resist because they’re such a great deal), your anticipated savings are going to dry up pretty quickly).

Use an online app

The days where you have to sit down with paper flyers and clip out all your offers are long gone. There are some great mobile apps for download that do all the heavy lifting for you. A great time saver for planning, shopping and at the checkout! If you haven’t got one yet, try Reebee or Flipp, available from your app store.

Because price matching can be time consuming (at least in the beginning, while you get the hang of it), try to shop during early morning hours in order to avoid crowds of other shoppers. Cashiers and managers (and the people behind you in line) may be more receptive to price matching requests during this time. 

Stores that offer price matching in Canada

There are many stores that offer price matching in Canada, and some offer additional discounts over the match. Note that some locations may not honour price matching, so check with a cashier or manager on the way in, before you invest a lot of time on your list. Here’s a shortlist of stores that commonly offer price matching: 

• Extra Foods
• Giant Tiger
• Loblaws & Real Canadian Superstore
• London Drugs
• No Frills
• Walmart

Visit our blog for more articles on how to save money.

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