Need Help On New Idea For SufficientSelf - Price Finder / Organizer

[patandchickens]

As Pat said, regional variations are going to make this a nightmare - heck, even within Massachusetts the variations are amazing.

Yup> As another illustration, prices here (45 min N of Toronto) are significantly different for some sorts of items than they are in Mississauga, on the SW side of Toronto. In this case I *think* it is largely a matter of different demand for (and willingness to pay for) different sorts of items depending on the ethnic groups living in the two areas. I can also tell you that another 45 minutes north of *here*, in Beaverton or Lindsay, prices are yet again significantly different, probably because of being more 'out in the sticks'.

Might work well for a particular small area where you happen to have enough members all living there and contributing to the database. Otherwise, I just don't see it, sorry.

Pat

 

[Dace]

Well this may not exactly be what you are looking for but it is regional and does track rock bottom prices.


http://www.thegrocerygame.com/

You really get the biggest bang if you are using coupons, as they pair coupons with the best sale prices. The site allows you to sign up to receive a weekly list of sale items from the stores of your choice. You can sign up for a 4 week trial for $1 after that if you choose to continue the membership it is a base $10 per 12 weeks plus $5 per additional store. I spend $20 every 12 weeks and save way more than that on weekly basis on my groceries.

 

[krjwaj]

I like the concept, but there is SO much regional variation I am highly skeptical it could be made to work, unfortunately...

That's true. Besides the pricing difference, stores themselves vary by region. For exmaple, our big chains here are Harris Teeter, Lowe's, Kroger and Food Lion. But I think prices even fluctuate from town to town.

Having said that, I do think it would be an interesting benefit to the site!

 

[Wildsky]

GOod idea if it can work, I think we're all so spread out it might be tricky - I mean I bet my prices are WAY better than those in CA.

I have difficulty as well, and need to start keeping track myself, I can compare items IN the store, like the cheese... but I never remember what the price was last month to even know if its better or worse month to month.

 

[NurseNettie]

As Pat said, regional variations are going to make this a nightmare - heck, even within Massachusetts the variations are amazing. Prices in western MA are similar to that in southern New Hampshire (where we do most of our pantry/staple shopping - not hard, we drive through every other weekend and always have a cooler in the back). Here in southeastern MA the prices vary from town to town - the Shaws here in Hanson is cheaper than the Shaws in Hanover - and the two towns are contingent! Higher per capita in Hanover, and Shaws knows it. (Shopping in Shaws makes be break out in hives, when I see those prices, compared to Market Basket up in NH - although I have to say, Market Basket in Raynham, MA has the same prices at the NH stores - go figure. And for those of you in the area, if you have a Market Basket nearby, consider frequenting it - the prices are so much better than any of the other big supermarkets everyday.)

Sorry, I digress

I'm following this thread to see some more great ideas, but had to jump in when I saw you mention Market Basket in Raynham....... When I lived in Holbrook, MA I LOVED going there!! I grew up in Salem, MA and we had Market Baskets very close-- when I moved to SE Mass, it took awhile to learn my way around and when I found the Raynham store, I was in love!!!!

Now, in Northern Maine, my choices are VERY limited- but I've found a couple places that are far better than the others, and travel about once a month or every six weeks to the 2 places I like ( about 50 miles from here) and stock up big!

 

[coopy]

Nifty check out gasbuddy.com and see if that is what you are wanting to do. It gives you gas prices from all over the US and Canada. People from all over put in the prices. Check it out if you haven't already.

 

[punkin]

Maybe if you could do something by zip code. Although, that may be a nightmare. Say maybe if I found Evaporated Milk for $.50 in 37303 at WalMart. Would this be a data base where all that criteria could be entered?

This would be a really helpful tool if we could input our zip code and see the best prices for our area.

 

[hoosier girl]

There is a web site, www.couponmom.com, that posts sale prices (updated weekly) at the major grocery chain for your zip code/state, eg. Kroger. In addition, the site also lists sale prices for Walmart and Walgreens (these are not specific to your area). In addition to posting the sale price, any unexpired coupons for each sale item is also posted. You can also use this site to print coupons. There is no fee for this service.

 

[Nifty]

Yeah, there are a lot of sites that are great at showing local coupons and sales, but (at least what I've seen) don't have a way to help you know if the price (sale or not) is a good one.

My wife's tried keeping the information in excel in the format:

ground beef: $x.xx / lb
cheese $x.xx / oz
boneless skinless chicken breast: $x.xx / lb
milk: $x.xx / gal

I'm just wondering if a bunch of people submitted that kind of information it would be cool to see what a "good" or "standard" price would be. I know some stores jack up prices then offer coupons or have "sales" which make things seem cheaper, but it is just a perception game.

Thanks for the feedback everyone. I'll keep noodling on this and will keep encouraging my DW to continue to keep track of what the true "good prices" are.

 

[Dace]

Nifty, Grocery Game does note rock bottom prices, they are all color coded. A good sale is in black text, stockpile prices are blue and free items are green.

I have done CouponMom but found that they missed a lot of good sale items. I can easily save way more than I spend on grocery game each week so to me it is worth the membership fee.

Edited to add that when I compare store fliers to what are the real rock bottom loss leaders items...they are rarely the ones that are in big flashy print in the weekly store ads!