Cookaholics Bulletin Board

So, I'm at the grocery store and the woman behind me is price matching from all the current flyers. I turned to comment on how smart that was and realized we went to high school together. (if you can ignore the "age of forum members" thread we'll pretend it was 15 years ago )
Anyway, I've never done this, although I do look at the local flyers each week and if there's a good enough deal I'll go out of my way to go to that store. Price matching seems to be the more efficient (for me at least) option although I need to look into it a little more, i.e. not sure if I can stock up at the store not offering the deal or whether they will limit quantities.

Just curious as to if anyone here does this and how it works for you.

Jean

Edited to add by Amy: Moved this discussion to Markets & Shopping...better fit.

I do some...I've just come to learn what is typically cheaper where. (I've only got two major supermarket chains near--45 minutes away--me.) And, I look at the circulars each week and make shopping decisions from there. Of course, I'm really lucky to be able to buy some stuff at wholesale from the restaurant.

Amy

About 60% of our food comes from Trader Joe's and they don't price match. Other than that, I do check the online circulars when I'm making the shopping list to see if there is anything I want to take advantage of.

I do similar as Amy. We have 2 major chains and a small family-run market upstate NY where I do most of my shopping. I read thru the circulars each week, make meal decisions based on what's on sale, and also keep a running list of things that need replenishing in the pantry. I try to wait for sales on those. If really need something, I'll either pay full, or suck it up and go to Walmart. But I try to avoid WM as much as possible. Trips there are usually for a longer list that includes other items and I try to keep it to less than 1x every 2-3 months.

Edited to add that we also do quite a bit of shopping @ Trader Joes. Probably 30-40% but it's for the TJ-specific stuff we love so no price matching there. Just for the love of TJ's!

Nance

Since we do all our shopping at a local, family-owned market, this isn't even an option worth considering.

Plus we don't get a newspaper.

I haven't done it, and I'll admit, I get annoyed when I pull my cart in behind someone and they whip out 13 different flyers for a 4 cent savings on each product.

That said, I do read the circulars and note any pantry or freezer stocking items for the two supermarkets in my town (one locally-owned and one employee-owned small chain). I also shop at TJ's in Minneapolis about once a month and of course they don't price match. But most of the items in the circulars are things I don't buy, i.e. processed foods and "enhanced" meats, and I make it a point not to buy something just because it's on sale. My grandmother suffered from that disease, once buying a 50-lb bag of dog food because it was on sale and she had a coupon. She did not, however, have a dog.

So, my local No Frills store will price match to only specific stores. They have some restrictions around what they won't match (2 for X dollars, buy one get one free, and clearance items) and I'm still not clear on how they will match on meats (not really an issue since I go to a great butcher shop or Costco for the majority of my meat).
I'm going to try it this week and see if it's worth the effort.

When I'm working full-time I shop mainly at a smaller chain that has fantastic meat and produce and I don't mind paying a bit more on groceries for the excellent service and selection. I still would do the No Frills for certain products or to stock on on some deals but the time savings at the smaller store makes it a no brainer for me. Now however I have the time so will stretch the dollar as far as possible.

I finally did this the other day....I price matched for Palmolive (1.99 on sale at a supermarket I don't go to, 3.99 at mine) and for boxed beef broth, on sale at mine but .40 cheaper in the same flyer as the palmolive. I would have also used it on strawberries (1.88 versus 2.97) but the store hadn't received their shipment in yet, so I just stopped at the one that had the sale since it's on my way home.
I think I'll continue to do it when something makes sense, but probably won't go crazy trying to cross reference stores and pricing.