Submitted by HappyAstronomer t3_zi5xge in vermont
In Barre-Montpelier I feel like Price Chopper is nicer but more expensive. Would it be a lot more affordable to shop at Shaws or Hannaford? How much cheaper is Walmart? If you're a savvy shopper, where should we go to spend less but still eat well? Not buying a lot of fresh produce FWIW. Thanks
Also, they are very community minded. I work at a food shelf, we get massive donations from Hannaford every day. Sometimes get meat from Shaw's but it comes via the food bank. Never seen anything from Price Chopper.
I do almost all my shopping at Hannaford.
I love to hear this.....I live super close to a Hannford and do all my shopping there as well. My really good friend heads the produce department and he did mention how they do give a lot of their excess away. I figured that was standard amongst all stores.
I go to Hannaford. I like their produce department better
Hannaford is the best balance of price and quality
You don’t know what you’re missing without Market Basket.
MB is only an option if you live near the NH border, though, right? I shop both Hannaford and MB, buying whatever is cheapest at either. With prices recently, though, it's a bit of a crapshoot. MB is usually best for milk, meat, and some produce. Hannaford is better for some brand name items (my spouse is particular about a specific kind of french fries) and their store brand stuff.
It doesn’t get better than this.
https://www.supermarketnews.com/retail-financial/market-basket-named-top-inflationary-times-grocer
I hear ya - luckily my commute takes me over into NH, but if you're in deep VT, then MB isn't an option: https://www.shopmarketbasket.com/store-locations
I’ve never been, where is the closest?
I’m not in barre but I usually shop around. One place has good produce, one has good bread, Always check the flyers. Price chopper used to be cheap and good but got expensive after the rebrand. I feel like if you download the shaws app and clip the digital coupons you’re consistently getting good deals. Hannafords usually pretty good too
The Shaws app has really good deals. I get points and regularly I am able to get free stuff. Recently I got $20 off my total bill of $20 or more. Personally I feel like Shaws has a good selection and moderate prices.
Price Chopper has shit produce.
More now than ever before.
I use the Shaw's rewards system and their digital coupons and I feel like I do pretty well every week. I recommend looking into their app and checking their coupons and the ad where it lists the Fab 5. (The Fab 5 is a system where you get the items for sale as long as you buy any 5 (or more) of the things listed. It's usually pretty easy to do.) You earn reward points as well and the rewards can be exchanged for $X off next purchase depending on how many points you exchange. 12 points = $20 off, for example. Certain items can also be exchanged for the points as well. Idk overall I prefer Shaw's.
That said I used to shop at Walmart for the majority of my groceries and they are cheaper than grocery stores in general. Though with some stuff, not by much. Luckily Walmart and Shaw's are very near each other in Barre/Berlin.
Different stores for the best price is the way to go. As someone who is in all kinds of different stores often, you have to pay attention to prices to know where the deal is. They will all have good prices on certain things. I prefer hannaford generally but mostly because they are the cleanest and seem to treat their employees a bit more decently in comparison to the others. Shaws second and then Price chopper last as far as cleanliness and organization. I will not shop at walmart because of my own dislike of the company for multiple reasons I won’t get into. Like i said though you have to pay attention to prices everywhere even at local stores and dollar general and places like that to find the best prices. Coupons/rewards are key of course but hardly worth the time at any except for large savings. Each place will have a really good deal but only on a couple items.
A relative worked at hannaford in Barre 2 years ago. I assure you, they do not treat their employees well. They lied about pay, scheduled shifts that the relative repeatedly told them they had medical appointments for far in advance (and threatened disciplinary action if they didnt come) and forced overtime but refused to pay (and also got mad that they had OT--which management scheduled).
It sounded like a nightmare
That’s a bad manager not a bad company
I work at a Hannaford and make below the living wage for my area! So better than some…not great
I didn’t intend to say hannaford was a good place to work or any of these stores. Just that compared to the others it’s cleaner and run better so I prefer it for those reasons.
Shop everywhere! Try shopping online with in store pickup? But either way it's not a real win win situation
Online shopping with in store pickup is actually why I have been going to Price Chopper, I don't think anyone else in the area offers it.
Walmart does shaws should don't know hannafords
What you buy weekly and what someone else does can vary enough that there is no one right answer for all of us.
Write up your typical week list and take one morning and go store to store to compare on a spreadsheet. That’s what I did.
Get the app for Shaws. Their stuff seems to be pricier than PC and Hannaford but the deals on the app help a lot. Walmart is cheaper all around but their store brand stuff is pretty low quality.
Hannaford. Between their app and Ibotta, I can get great deals. They source a lot of produce from New England and it is way better quality than PC. I find Shaws is the most pricey for what I tend to buy. We try to source meat locally, so I mostly go for produce - I do recommend the Petes Greens CSA if you want to stay really local.
We go to Old Soul Farm stand on Bridge St. for fresh produce in the summer then hit Hannaford for the staples. Yes, we go from a relatively pricey place to a more affordable one, but Old Soul has great produce!
I really need to start going to Old Soul Farm. I've heard great things and I live less than a mile away.
This doesn't answer your question, nor likely help but I adore Market 32 in Shelburne
From Barre I’d consider a run to NH every other week for groceries and Walmart type stuff. Then just get the fresh produce from the local market on the off week.
Shaws is expensive. Definitely worth buying snacks at Walmart as they tend to be cheapest but watch sale flyers
Weird, I hear this a lot, but I find Shaw's to be cheaper in a lot of ways. I usually do really well at Shaw's.
My kids juice boxes for school are like $1.50 less per box, Usually get 2-for-1 deals on dry goods, produce deals are usually good, and special items like stevia sweetener is like $2-3 dollars cheaper at Shaw's.
This response will most likely be unpopular, but hear me out. I'm further east of you in the NEK and we have 2 locations of White's Market in Lyndonville and a Price Chopper in St. J. Although we would like to shop locally, on our budget we couldn't afford it. We started shopping at Shaw's in Littleton, NH and although we liked it, it was still costly. So twice a month we make the 40 minute drive to either the Walmart in Derby or the Walmart in Woodsville, NH (they are equidistant from me, and I never liked the Barre Walmart). I hate having to shop at Walmart, and if I could I would support every local farmer and buy only locally, but financially we can't. For a family of 3 and a dog, we were paying around $450 every 2 weeks at Shaw's / Price Chopper and now we pay about $300 every 2 weeks - so it's a major savings (I mean, the savings alone pays for our car lease). My wife was feeling ill today and went to Price Chopper to get some comfort food, and noticed the sale prices were the regular prices at Walmart. But the reason we shop at Walmart isn't just about low prices of everyday items, it's about Walmart's in-store brand "Great Value" products; Some of them are exceptional - matching or, at times, even surpassing the original in taste and lower in price. You know your own financial situation best and what you can afford. My wife and I are both teachers, and I'm teaching English to displaced Ukrainians throughout the world and, although I'm incredibly busy every day, my earning capacity is very limited. Buy local, support your community, support every farmer near you - but if you are struggling to make ends meet, Walmart might really help.
I find walmart best for produce price/quality (although its sometimes bare…luck if the draw), as well as milk and eggs and cheese and baking supplies then shop shaws for sales. Always check receipts for accuracy, use the shaws app, and Ibotta. Sales cycle so plan to buy 8 boxes(ok, maybe really 4) of cereal one week, meat for the fridge and freezer at the same time, and the like. Price chopper can sometimes have good sales but I feel like I always spend more when I go there….
Walmart is cheaper than others.Quality seemed comparable for most things.
They're all about the same. Different deals, different weeks. One might carry something another doesn't. It's worth shopping around. If you want generally lower prices but with fewer options, Aldi might be your best bet.
I find Hannaford a bit pricier than Price Chopper generally, but quality often better too. For cheap stuff, I go to Aldi. Walmart is also usually cheap but they are not full grocery where I am at (Rutland). I'm closer to price chopper though so I'll usually go there if I just don't feel like driving an extra few minutes and just need a couple things.
Occasionally shaws has a buy one get one or two that’s worth it. Otherwise they are usually 20-50$ more expensive per shop consistently. Even with the app and all the deals. Honestly we make the trip to Costco or shop at Hannafords.
I just don’t know why they don’t get Arnold Schwarzenegger to advertise for Price Chopper.
I think Hannaford now has a nice manager.
We shop around but depending on what we're looking for we use https://www.mygrocerydeals.com. Especially for deals on proteins / meats.
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I go to Walmart most of the month, it’s way cheaper, but I won’t go at the start of the month or this time of year. It’s too much of a zoo, and there are way too many people with their devil spawn running around creating chaos while the parents scream at eachother.
Fall back is PC or Hannaford. They tend to be 20-30% more than Walmart. Hannaford is poorly laid out, and it’s much busier with the billsville types. again I don’t go around the first but they have more selection on weekends when Walmart gets picked clean. IF I am in a pinch and need to shop at the start of the month I go to Shaws Berlin. It seems that its more expensive than the other 3 (BY A LOT), and that keeps the Tuesday midday pajama wearers spending our tax money away.
I sometimes go to Shaws Montpelier, but I feel uncomfortable pulling into the parking lot with a truck when everyone is in a Prius or Subaru. I feel like I’m being judged like I judge the Walmart people.
Always good to know where you are on the snobbery spectrum ;)
I go to all three depending on where I am what I want and how lazy I am.
But Hannafords is prolly the best.
depends honestly on your location. but i like hannaford
Shop around, shop online. Sometimes there are extra discounts offered just for buying online rather than in store and I find I spend way less because you can't really impulse buy in the online format. If you can go direct to a farm to get something, do that.
I’m not in Barre or Montpelier but, personally I go to all 3 and Walmart for certain things
When I was in VT I could always rely on Hannaford and some kind of local co op place to get the best deals and most fresh or ~hard to find in vermont items~
I still don't understand how you guys don't have at least one Market Basket. I'll send some tweets for you.
Living in NH with three Shaws within 8-10 miles, I only use them for a quick run. I also have MB just outside of being more convienent and they are also comparing apples to oranges. Shaws is shareholder run and at one point around the time of the pandemic firing up they were ripe for a VC purchase or worse,bankruptcy...and it showed. Prices were way up.
We stopped and drove the extra for MB proces and sales but a considerable downgrade in produce, as they seem to bid on closer to expiration so there's that issue when stocking up.
Someone said "shop everywhere" amd that's pretty much what we do, mostly avoiding Shaws...yes, even Whole Foods has some deals and Wegmans [and even Costco] when I'm mobile for work in MA works great sometimes, especially for buying in bulk, specifically chicken. I pay close attention to chicken prices and Wegmans and Costco have the better pricing on thighs and whole chickens, which I don't mind at all breaking down or debunking.
So yeah, we've come to know where to get specifics [mainly proteins] that won't turn your grocery bill into a nightmare. Shop at one store only and you'll pay more, full stop. Just my take
Get banned from all three amd get scurvy like me!
Market 32 is decent. Where I am the only option on foot is the worlds worst grocery store, commodities.
Hannaford. Shaw’s is expensive as fuck and price choppers tend to be trashy and gross, except the big one on shelburne road.
Thrive market online is a good solid place to get organic or gluten free staples to save $
Thank you for not saying hannafords. there's no s. All Vermonters love to say hannafords and for some reason it drives me bananas
it’s banana not bananas
I’m one of the ones calling it hannafords 😈 sorry I just can’t help it lol
I stopped shopping at Hannaford when they elected to be the only grocer in VT that is fine screwing dairy farmers and refuses to sign on to the milk with dignity program.
They sell the same milk as any other store though.
Store brand. Not Hood, Monument Farms, etc. https://www.wmtw.com/article/milk-with-dignity-campaign-for-migrant-farm-workers-targets-hannaford/40758660
Edit - So some are confused by this. I’m referring specifically to the in house private label brand. Not the brands you can buy anywhere, to include hannaford.
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This is a lie. I literally deliver produce to around 30 different Hannaford stores between New York and Vermont and there are always different types of milk trucks there, including Hood and Monument Farms (the ones you mentioned specifically) unloading their product.
And I've personally bought Monument Farms from there as long as I can remember and well before I delivered there.
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Ok I didn’t think this would be complicated. Hood owns Booth Brothers. Hood produces Hannaford private label milk. Yes hannaford sells the same brands as nearly every other store in vermont. Those referenced above plus a number of smaller, mostly organic brands.
I don’t know who bottles the private label brand for shaws and price chopper. It could be Hood, I’m sure a quick Google search could confirm.
So not sure what lie you think is being perpetrated here but those are facts.
Now on to the milk with dignity program. It was first agreed to by Ben And Jerry’s and subsequently all the Vermont grocery stores, except for hannaford.
So now, what is that program you wonder? In short it says “The Program enlists the resources of participating food industry leaders, who commit to source their milk in compliance with the fundamental human rights of dairy workers, to improve farm labor conditions and help offset farmer’s costs of compliance by providing farmers premium prices for milk.”
Meaning that price chopper and shaws require the milk being sold under their brand is sourced from farms meeting those basic standards. Hannaford does not.
You literally said they sold nothing but store brand milk in your post. Which you were wrong about and now you're moving goalposts from "they only sell store brands" to "they sell all brands but they do it differently than the others!"
They sell a wide variety of milk, don't be spreading misinformation VermontArmyBrat
Good to know. I'd happily pay more for milk knowing that my money goes to paying dignified farmer wages and local family farmers not Big Dairy Inc. I'll avoid the Hannaford brand. Perhaps they wont sign on because they source their milk from far away across multiple suppliers not New England?
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When they realize the error
I wrote it correctly, but freely admit to saying it wrong.
People saying Costcos annoys me a little though.
Fun fact: There is only 1 N in Kangamagus, and I don't think anyone pronounces that one right.
Russian_Rocket23 t1_izpy4bq wrote
Hannaford has a rewards app with some nice deals. Their generic brand products are pretty solid quality too. Getting the apps for all the stores, then seeing what coupons are available that week is probably your best bet to save $$$.