#superdough: The Mystery Shopper: Think of It As An Adventure. Louis Shalako.

Cleverly disguised as an eccentric...

Louis Shalako

In my first visit ever to No Frills, another form of deceptive marketing: Buttig sandwich meats, clearly marked $1.33. It's bold black ink on a yellow tag. That sure sounds cheaper than Food Basics, ($1.69.) I grabbed two. Looking at the grocery receipt, it turns out I paid $1.98 each. Virtually invisible to the older shopper: Three for $3.99. I saw the flyer, but I did not see this. I was there for the chicken wings, also a sort of civilian reconnaissance. I just want to have a look. For another three cents, I might have had three packets...and that, ladies and gentlemen, would have been an actual bargain.

But.

This is why Canadians are getting increasingly pissed-off at the grocery industry. It wasn’t all that long ago, when Walmart had the same product for $1.25. They do make a beautiful little sandwich, you can get two small bun-type sandwiches out of one packet, assuming a bit of lettuce, onion, mustard, cheese, mayo…load them right up. $1.98 is just plain ludicrous.

Next time I'm in the neighbourhood, maybe I'll try Foodland in Bright’s Grove or Wyoming. God knows I love reading the grocery flyers...I have read Metro and Loblaw’s, the Walmart flyers. Metro and Loblaw’s are high-end and I’m not likely to go there or maybe I should, once in a while—think of it as an adventure. There’s a small grocer in the north end of town, I haven’t been there in years. I’m an old guy, it gives me something to do, right. I could go there for the seafood, and it’s a good idea to eat more seafood, right? Almost anything is better than low-end fish sticks, a sliver of meat and a lot of breading, assuming you’ve been to Giant Tiger.

#fuck

One of my observations is that the self-checkout at No Frills does not accept or dispense cash. I like the ones where you can chuck a handful of coins in there, otherwise you end up with a jar of nickels and dimes that have to be dealt with sooner or later...

#argh

Analysis. I've never been in the store before. I really should have brought the reading glasses. The Buttig Black Forest Ham, (right in the middle of similar product), is clearly marked $1.49. Yet the corned beef, ham, chicken, etc., are marked, bold black lettering on yellow, $1.33. The first question I asked myself was why the ham was not marked down. Also, Food Basics has it, regular price, $1.69. What would anyone think? What would you think? Skip the ham and grab the corned beef, right? Imagine my surprise to have spent $1.98 x 2 for 55-gram packets of lunch meat.

One tomato, $1.98/lb., that's comparable anywhere. Two dollars for no-name onion soup mix, I can get that anywhere with store brands. Oddly, the Selection is a superior product in my opinion, bearing in mind I don't use it for soup, only chip dip. I have paid as much as $3.79 for the name brand, which might be preferable if you are actually making soup. I got green onions for $0.99. Foodland's flyer had the same product for $1.49. You have to be careful when comparing prices on ‘wrapped’ broccoli crowns ($1.98, Food Basics), and those that are unwrapped, ($3.49, Foodland). You could pay someone to unwrap them, charge $1.51 more per item, and make it pay...okay, the Schneider’s Chicken wings, at a price of $9.88, at a claimed savings of two dollars, seems all right. That’s why I went in the Kyle’s No Frills, (Sarnia, Ontario), in the first place. At Food Basics, the so-called regular price is $14.99, which is pretty astronomical. They also change the price weekly, with an average (monthly) selling price substantially lower, and a yearly average price something else…confused yet…???

I’m not too fond of sticking quarters in to get a shopping cart, and I was lucky enough to find one basket just inside the door...I have to admit, with my eyes, I tried getting in the exit for a while, but that did not work. No Frills is a relatively small store, it seemed clean enough and everything. At the time of day, the demographic definitely skews to the high end of the age range.

Just for the historical record, they did reach out for more information on Facebook.