[montana]

Anyone know where you can get the best deals on groceries? I have been to Countdown and New World, as well as a Super-Valu (small) down the street. So far it seems like Countdown is the cheapest w/ the best fruit/veg and meat selection but having not been here long, maybe its just a fluke.
Also, are the butcher shops more or less expensive than the groc and do they have better quality meat?
Thanks for any advice!

[jubjub]

Best advice seems to be keep your eyes open for specials, sometimes its cheaper to do a shop in one store than another, although we have found Pak n Save/Countdown the cheapest, with Countdown having the better quality meat (although the butcher in our local PnS is lovely man!)

An example of just one item, nappies (my favourite :)) they can range from $16 down to $9 depending on store and offer available at the time.

The butchers can be cheaper (I think), but again keep your eyes open for specials.

Key to shopping over here I have found is research! (if you have the time).

[Park City Partner]

I have spent quite bit of effort checking out various grocery stores. And in fact was looking at my Foodtown receipts vs. Pak n Save receipts today. I have shopped at the Countdown and Foodtown in Glenfield Mall (right behind my house), the Birkenhead New World, Pak n Sav in Albany and the Foodtown in Takapuna. Pak n Save for what I buy is the cheapest but can't really do all of my weekly shopping there. The Foodtown in Takapuna is large and nice and I now go there as my weekly shopping but I buy my produce from a produce shop. The produce shops are cheaper by far than the grocery stores.

I went to Pak n Save to stock up on some pantry items as it is cheaper. The biggest example is So Good Soy milk which is 2.99 at Foodtown an 1.99 at Pak n Save. Other items are quite a bit cheaper but again I can't get everything I want there and it is a bit of a drive. The produce section is quite larege and nice as is the bulk food.

We don't eat much meat so I can't comment on that aspect.

[montana]

Thanks guys. That is all helpful info. I actually didn't even know about the produce shops so that is a great tip! :)
I have found the Warehouse to be pretty cheap for getting household stuff (laundry detergent, drying racks, hangers, etc) but everytime I go there I can't get that stupid jingle out of my head!

[MB]

I used to go to that Glenfield Countdown, and my take on Countdown, based on that branch, is that once we looked closely we found (almost) all of the things there which we were not originally that hopeful of finding... e.g., a gluten-free pasta. And the prices were often pretty good too.

Now we are in the Waikato we do our weekly shop at the local Woolworth's. They're quite friendly in that branch and I do think that -- especially with the cost of petrol maybe making "shopping around" for different items a bit of a false economy -- the prices are okay. Today I noticed that they have started their new plain-label Home Brand range (seems to be replacing Basics for many of their lines) and saw one or two nice surprises in that range such as a jar of perfectly okay freeze-dried instant coffee for $3.29 (usually $4-$11 a jar/bag).

What we have not done yet is to look at seriously changing our whole way of shopping by, e.g., getting/growing organic veggies; going regularly to independent greengrocer for fruit; etc. We might well change some time, but for now Woolworth's is a good one-stop shop for us.

[Jenny & Mark]

Like what you said MB.
For produce and other fresh food, you might also check out the farmers' markets. My sister says that organic items are often cheaper. She lives in Whangarei.

Jenny.

[MB]

Thanks, Jenny and Mark. Will do.

Also, everyone, don't get me wrong re. shopping around. I think it's usually a very good idea, but -- as I said in the real-estate section agent-or-no-agent thread the other day -- for us right now a one-stop weekly shop just seems better for us in the 'money-plus-other-demands'-juggling sense.
And, as mentioned above, frequent stop-start driving and the consequent demands on petrol really might make lengthy bargain hunts a bit of a false economy.

[montana]

Here is the list from a native kiwi (our neighbor here in ChCh) as far as grocery stores go. She said generally this holds true (unless there is a big special), and it does sound like produce shops and butchers can sometimes be cheaper and usually better quality:

Cheapest to Most Expensive:
1. Pak n Save
2. Countdown
3. Fresh Choice
4. New World
5. Woolworth's

[Carol]

Here is the list from a native kiwi (our neighbor here in ChCh) as far as grocery stores go. She said generally this holds true (unless there is a big special), and it does sound like produce shops and butchers can sometimes be cheaper and usually better quality:

Cheapest to Most Expensive:
1. Pak n Save
2. Countdown
3. Fresh Choice
4. New World
5. Woolworth's



Hmmm.....don't think i agree.
I shop at Woolworths most of the time.
the odd time I go to the dreaded Pak n Save - I often find the prices are very much the same. Apart from the specials of course.

As woolworths is much closer for us - and much more pleasurable to shop in - it wins hands down for me.

[MB]

Hmmm.....don't think i agree.
I shop at Woolworths most of the time.
the odd time I go to the dreaded Pak n Save - I often find the prices are very much the same. Apart from the specials of course.

As woolworths is much closer for us - and much more pleasurable to shop in - it wins hands down for me.

Re. Pak n Save:
the couple of times we've been in one (limited to just one branch, I should add), I have had the same kind of feeling I used to get in the US visiting Costco. That is, I can see their strength if you buy quantities of a range of 'dry' everyday goods -- kitchen towels, tinned food, peanut butter, multi-litres of juice, big slabs of cheddar, packet noodles, etc. -- but I come out feeling a bit baffled 'cos so many recommend these stores yet I don't usually find the compelling bargains in goods that we really want or buy regularly. Both PnS and Costco also have a towering-aisle feeling that I don't like as much as ordinary supermarket layouts.

At Woolworth's, more or less everything is available in the kinds of proportion we need for our small family, and it has a reasonably okay selection so you can choose from, e.g., free-range vs. 'regular' or gluten-free vs. wheaty. And as Carol says we really don't find the prices bad at all. And from what I know of Carol and of our own family (er, if you see what I mean) we really aren't crowing from the vantage point of endlessly deep pockets or spendy habits. I genuinely don't find Woolies that expensive, relatively, after OneCard discounts.

Finally, just to make my position clear: I will look again at PnS, esp. other branches. Also, I do think it's probably great for certain things and if you have a big family. And if you have to watch every single cent and are doing well just to feed your family each week, I think it probably comes into its own. Plus, it could well turn out to be a case of "more fool us" if we are missing bargains at PnS and spending extra where PnS regulars are saving. But I do want to try a few more branches of PnS in case the one we went to -- which seemed big and new enough -- just does not make the best case for the chain.

I'm certainly not dismissing PnS. We'll try again. :nice1

[Carol]

I genuinely don't find Woolies that expensive, relatively, after OneCard discounts.

:nice1


I just got a $50 voucher!
Wahoo!!!

I too hate those towering shelving units.
God knows what would happen in an earthquake.....
I even hate the carparks in PnS!!!!!!


Every now and again I give myself a big treat and shop online at Woolies.
It is very quick - I have numerous shopping lists stored there for different types of weeks.
I love it. But it IS a treat.
It's just great being able to do it if I choose to..

[MB]

I just got a $50 voucher!
Wahoo!!!

Wahey! Nice one. Get us a half-rack of VB and a bottle of Giesen Sauvignon Blanc, will ya? :laugh (Vera has adored that particular NZ wine since we found it back in the US. It's usually about $16.95 here, so we can only get the odd bottle when it's on special. Highly recommended.)

By the way: I know it's an obvious thing to say, but maybe these 'on-paper' supermarket price comparisons can't quite take into account what a given family actually buys each week. That is, we get a lot of Basics/Home Brand goods, plus some fresh meat and fruit/veg, and apart from a particular kind of bread I like and certain packets of cookies, we don't buy a lot of branded stuff. Maybe some of these comparisons focus on such branded lines.

BTW, 'extra' expense on our weekly bill comes from two things in the main: the fact that two of the three of us don't eat gluten and so have to buy stuff like slightly pricey gluten-free pasta ($3.68 per bag as opposed to 95c for regular), and the fact that I buy beer! :laugh

Anyway, Carol, enjoy your extra $50. :nice1

[K&CS]

Hi Montana

Whereabouts in Chch are you? I agree with Matt and Carol that Woolies is generally the best. I've used them all and sometimes decide to do a Pak n Save to save money, but it generally isn't much cheaper (not for us anyway). Woolies is also a much more pleasurable shopping experience. As others have said, you just have to look for the bargains and use your 'One' card.

Kate