Shopping At A Chain Grocery Instead Of Running To Different Stores

     For the next couple of weeks I am going to do all my shopping at the store I work at. It is a large chain super market in the southeast. After months of shopping around at other venues I am going to only buy from my store. I did an earlier post about chains, big box and discount earlier.
     The only way I am going to get close is the store brand generic goods. Which ours is of very high quality. Take advantage of buy one get one frees and and two for ones. In many instances I have still found that a place like Aldi is less expensive per item. Many of the the individual items are 20 to 50 cents a peice difference.
     The last time I was at Walmart the difference in canned goods and staples was not that much. Walmart has seemed to eliminate a lot of their great value line. I still have to drive a car to get there.
     Shopping at Aldi or Save A Lot means getting into a car and driving across town. Taking your own boxes and bags. And driving back. Taking an hour or two. Plus gas. Plus worrying about getting into an automobile accident.
     At my store lets just talk about paper towels. You get a pretty big roll for $1.30. At Aldi a smaller roll for 99 cents. Plastic garbage bags, sandwich bags, and storage bags are about the same in price. Our house brand detergent is $2.99 theirs is $1.99. Spaghetti is $1.29 vs 99 cents. Again that 20 to 50 cent difference holds true.
     Meat wise our beef is much better. I have not noticed much difference in prices on chicken and pork. The beef sirloin I bought at Aldi fell apart like it was a bunch of Steak Ums glues together when cooking. I haven't had any issues with the chicken of pork. Just a limited selection. Things like smoked sausage and Italian sausage are consistently less expensive at Aldi. Unless there is a sale at our store. Likewise for cold cuts.
     Frozen convenience foods are less costly too. But check the portions as they may be smaller. Condiments like salad dressing, mustard, ketchup are less too on the house brand. Dry seasonings like minced onion, salt, pepper, oregano, season salt etc are too.
     Produce is of a limited selection but less expensive most of the time. They have a few teasers like potatoes for $1.79 for a five pound bag or sometimes ten pound bag. But I cannot use a ten pound bag before it goes rotten. 
     If the cost per item is usually 20 to fifty cents difference lets average that out to 30 cents. So on fifty items you will save $15 per trip and 100 items $30. That can add up to $795 a year based on a weekly trip of fifty items.
      It just depends upon what is important to you. Selection, service and convenience. Or just best prices. For those who do not have an automobile your local grocer is you only choice anyway. Our store has a pharmacy, bakery, deli, produce department and a staffed meat department for custom assistance. The deli has business that would make most restaurants jealous. It is also a kind of social place. Were neighbors run into each other and chat. And if you are not a bar fly, club grouper, or belong to organizations this may be your biggest social venue. Did I mention the hot chicks that come into the store? Everyone at Aldi is just kind of moving along in an efficient manner hoping that no one will see them and think they are a cheapskate.