Diff prices and qualities. Also I usually won't go too far out of my way to save a buck or two, but I do plan my routes before I go out and can sneak in a short detour to pick something up.
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Different stores will have different produce from different suppliers. I generally find the quality of the produce at the Granville Island Public Market to be the best in my area. The lettuce & spinach bunches are bigger and cheaper than a local mom & pop grocery store. The English cucumbers sold at the vegetable store located in the middle of the market are bigger than the other two stores, as are the mushrooms. Everything else seems to be the same. The prices at Granville Island are standardized, but the suppliers are varied, so I tend to buy certain produce from certain stores. I know this, as I used to be a buyer for a Yaletown restaurant for many years - I shopped there every morning. They still give me restaurant pricing when I shop there and at Lobster Man...haha....

Like Senna said, different places have different products or differing quality in the products. Also, the price difference can be quite significant if you choose to buy everything from one store. If you buy most things on sale, at different stores, you can save quite a bit. It does add up, because groceries aren't cheap. As for time, if you go and buy groceries at like 9am or 10am in the morning, you can save a lot of time because you're avoiding line-ups and finding parking. By going early, you also get better selection :D

wow.. never knew there is soo much to shopping.

good question

i get most of my stuff from costco b/c there's a wide enough variety to get my shopping done in one trip, w/e i can't get is where a superstore trip will come into play

at costco, typically you'll save about 10% vs superstore if you shop common grocery basket items, that gap widens when compare vs safeway etc

i think teh reason why consumers shop at multiple places is they will find stuff in particular they like, and that might be the only place to get it ie. that bakery has really fresh bread, that meat shop has great cuts of meat etc.

my diet doesn't vary alot hence all of my grocery shopping is satisfied by costco/superstore

I buy my organic groceries from Price Smart Foods on 12th (Canadian Tire complex) and chinese groceries from T&T (1st ave or metrotown)

Fruits and vegetables: Kin's Farm Market...most locations have good quality. Both locations in Langley are very good.

Meats: Han Kook on Kingsway for sliced beef/pork and the occasional steak; Costco for any sort of poultry

Junk food: Superstore, where I get most of my random junk. Sometimes T&T, when I want to get my Asian snack on.


we used to buy from T&T all the time, but it gets pretty expensive, not to mention the quality of their produce is just laughable

I bought kurobata pork and i did make some home made tonkatsu.... well worth the money.

I went to granville island looking for aged meat but didnt find anything. the closest i foudn was wet aged ribeyes. I wanted dry aged. Plus the prices for their cuts are a little steep. Although the stall with the pate's/sausages were awesome.

@orange7: Either b/c there are specialty shops or b/c prices are better at different places..

If the stores are on the way from work, school, etc. then it's worth going to multiple places..

superstore
tnt

costco

same! I'll also got to Safeway occasionally when everything else is closed and I absolutely need something at that moment. Even though I will only buy what I need and won't do a full on grocery run there.

Windsor Meat Company on Main & King Ed is pretty good. :thumbsup:

perishables - Superstore
eggs, some meat and veg. - Costco
mainly for veg. - T&T/Kin's

If I'm in the States for the day I go to WalMart for junkfood, household items (detergent), motor oil, Seafoam, etc...

Fruiticana has cheap produce...but the quality of some items is not high

I usually only get oranges (.49/lb) and coconuts (1.49/each) from them

^usually not high quality, but sometimes i'll grab a couple things there too

Costco (certain items)
Superstore
No Frills
Donald's Market
Fujiya (love their fish cakes)
Shoppers Drug Mart (20X points days)

Superstore (right by where i live)
Walmart (on the way from work)
TNT (for asian stuff)

Donald's Market and Costco mainly.

Save on Foods - everyday groceries
Costco - non perishable items
T&T - asian items
Chinatown - during the summer when i want to go for a walk and the weather is good

Anyone know where to get grass fed beef other than whole foods, choices, etc?
Is there a local butcher/meat shop that sells it?

-Superstore for cheap groceries and milk (produce kinda sucks, but the prices on aisle goods is decent)
-Random trips to Pricesmart and Safeway
-T&T for most Asian foods, meat, produce (milk there is hella expensive).

-Sabzi Mandi for vegetables and immediate ingredients (30 second walk from my place)
-TnT, Hen Long and New Town Bakery for meats, rice, Asian snacks
-Superstore for $1.24 Cokes when they put them on sale
-Safeway for munchies
-Costco for high-quantity items and food samples

I go to Yaohan for all my grocery shopping because:
1) Eye candy.
2) Just the sheer ballerness of shopping at a supermarket full of rich people where the produce is exactly the same as T&T but has a 20% markup on it.

t&t supermarket
Superstore

Other places that we go to sometimes for other stuff: Walmart & Zellers

T&T -Veggies
Superstore- Canned

Not very often but after 1030, Safeway.