In my Super-Couponing classes, I’m often asked the question whether it’s easier just to shop at an “everyday low price” supercenter vs. a “more expensive” supermarket with coupons to get the same savings. If you’ve used coupons for any length of time, you know that you’ll actually get much better savings at the “more expensive” supermarkets by following the sales and matching them with coupons.
This morning, a new Super WalMart opened in our town, and I ventured over to check it out. Now, I’ve been shopping at Dominick’s all week, and I’m very familiar with the sale prices that are currently running over there. So when I walked the aisles at Super WalMart today, I jotted down some of the prices on 21 items that I’ve been buying all week at Dominick’s, matching the same products and sizes. And here’s what I found:
| Item |
Super Walmart |
Dominick’s |
| DelMonte Orchard Fresh jarred fruit | $3.42 | $2.50 |
| DelMonte SuperFruit cup | $1.97 | $1.50 |
| Electrasol / Finish dishwasher detergent | $4.26 | $3.99 |
| Reynolds Wrap – 50 sq. ft. | $3.32 | $2.29 |
| Bertolli bagged pasta sauce | $2.32 | $2.00 |
| Sun Chips | $2.97 | $1.99 |
| Baked Lays | $3.28 | $3.00 |
| Horizon organic milk | $3.50 | $3.99 |
| Special K cereal | $2.50 | $2.99 |
| CapriSun | $1.89 | $1.49 |
| Fiber One toaster pastries | $1.98 | $2.00 |
| Chinet paper plates | $4.24 | $3.00 |
| GoodLife dog and cat food (4lb bags) | $6.97 | $4.99 |
| Kashi frozen pizza | $4.75 | $4.99 |
| Smart Balance Buttery Spread | $2.50 | $2.50 |
| Ocean Spray Cranergy juice | $2.98 | $2.99 |
| Ice Mountain 700ml 6-pack water | $2.00 | $1.99 |
| Store brand bleach – 64 oz (Wal-Mart / Bright Green) | $1.52 | $1.49 |
| Store brand tissue – (Wal-Mart 120ct./ Bright Green 150ct.) | $1.24 | $1.49 |
| Store brand napkins – (Wal-Mart / Bright Green) | $1.99 | $1.99 |
Are you surprised? If you’re a coupon shopper, you’re probably not… the sales prices at a supermarket are almost always lower than the “everyday low prices” of a supercenter. And, it’s worth noting in our market that Dominick’s is viewed as a store that’s “so expensive.” (It’s true that their regular, non-sale prices are MUCH more expensive. But we don’t pay those prices.) On the few items that WalMart had priced lower, the difference was minimal at best.
BUT… take these things into consideration too. ALL of these items are included in the current “Spend $30, get $10 back” deal at Dominicks. So, if you buy $30 worth of them, another third of that price is coming right back to you at checkout! Now, even the items that are slightly higher priced at Dominick’s are actually going to cost less than Super WalMart’s everyday prices:
| Item |
Super Walmart everyday price | Dominick’s sale price | Post $10 Catalina Dominick’s price |
| DelMonte Orchard Fresh jarred fruit | $3.42 | $2.50 | $1.65 |
| DelMonte SuperFruit cup | $1.97 | $1.50 | $0.99 |
| Electrasol / Finish dishwasher detergent | $4.26 | $3.99 | $2.63 |
| Reynolds Wrap – 50 sq. ft. | $3.32 | $2.29 | $1.51 |
| Bertolli bagged pasta sauce | $2.32 | $2.00 | $1.32 |
| Sun Chips | $2.97 | $1.99 | $1.31 |
| Baked Lays | $3.28 | $3.00 | $2.00 |
| Horizon organic milk | $3.50 | $3.99 | $2.63 |
| Special K cereal | $2.50 | $2.99 | $1.97 |
| CapriSun | $1.89 | $1.49 | $0.98 |
| Fiber One toaster pastries | $1.98 | $2.00 | $1.32 |
| Chinet paper plates | $4.24 | $3.00 | $2.00 |
| GoodLife dog and cat food (4lb bags) | $6.97 | $4.99 | $3.29 |
| Kashi frozen pizza | $4.75 | $4.99 | $3.29 |
| Smart Balance Buttery Spread | $2.50 | $2.50 | $1.65 |
| Ocean Spray Cranergy juice | $2.98 | $2.99 | $1.97 |
| Ice Mountain 700ml 6-pack water | $2.00 | $1.99 | $1.31 |
| Store brand bleach – 64 oz (Wal-Mart / Bright Green) | $1.52 | $1.49 | $0.98 |
| Store brand tissue – (Wal-Mart 120ct./ Bright Green 150ct.) | $1.24 | $1.49 | $0.98 |
| Store brand napkins – (Wal-Mart / Bright Green) | $1.99 | $1.99 | $1.31 |
And, also consider the coupons! At Dominick’s, the Ocean Spray Cranergy has $2 hangtag coupons on the bottles, making them just .99 before the $30/$10 Catalina deal. All of Dominick’s store-brand Bright Green products will be $1 cheaper too, because there are $1 off Bright Green coupons in the current Dominick’s flyer and on their site as well. The Ice Mountain water is part of a second Dominick’s Catalina deal, which will net you another $2 back for every 2 6-packs you buy. And at Dominick’s, the Chinet paper plates have peelie coupons on them for buy one package, get another free. So, after coupons and Catalinas, here’s where we are:
| Item |
Super WalMart everyday price | Post $10 Catalina Dominick’s price | Coupon value | Final WalMart price |
Final Dominick’s price |
| DelMonte Orchard Fresh jarred fruit | $3.42 | $1.65 | $1.00 | $2.42 | $0.65 |
| DelMonte SuperFruit cup | $1.97 | $0.99 | $1.00 | $0.97 | -$0.01 |
| Electrasol / Finish detergent | $4.26 | $2.63 | $2.50 | $1.76 | $0.13 |
| Reynolds Wrap – 50 sq. ft. | $3.32 | $1.51 | $0.55 | $2.77 | $0.96 |
| Bertolli bagged pasta sauce | $2.32 | $1.32 | $1.00 | $1.32 | $0.32 |
| Sun Chips |
$2.97 | $1.31 | $1.00 | $1.97 | $0.31 |
| Baked Lays | $3.28 | $2.00 | $1.00 | $2.28 | $1.00 |
| Horizon organic milk | $3.50 | $2.63 | $0.55 | $2.95 | $2.08 |
| Special K cereal | $2.50 | $1.97 | $0.70 | $1.80 | $1.27 |
| CapriSun | $1.89 | $0.98 | $1.00 | $0.89 | -$0.02 |
| Fiber One toaster pastries | $1.98 | $1.32 | $0.50 | $1.48 | $0.82 |
| Chinet paper plates | $4.24 | $2.00 | Doms B1G1F | $4.24/1 | $2.00/2 |
| GoodLife dog and cat food | $6.97 | $3.29 | $3.00 | $3.97 | $0.29 |
| Kashi frozen pizza | $4.75 | $3.29 | $3.00 | $1.75 | $0.29 |
| Smart Balance Buttery Spread | $2.50 | $1.65 | $0.50 | $2.00 | $1.15 |
| Ocean Spray Cranergy juice | $2.98 | $1.97 | Doms $2.00 | $2.98 | -$0.03 |
| Ice Mountain 700ml 6-pack water | $2.00 | $1.31 | Doms $2 off 2 | $2.00/1 | $0.62/2 |
| Store brand bleach | $1.52 | $0.98 | Doms $1.00 | $1.52 | $0.32 |
| Store brand tissue | $1.24 | $0.98 | Doms $1.00 | $1.52 | $0.32 |
| Store brand napkins | $1.99 | $1.31 | Doms $1.00 | $1.99 | $0.66 |
The post-coupon prices, even at Wal-Mart, don’t come close to the post-coupon, post-Catalina prices at Dominick’s this week. At Dominick’s, some of these items are even free, with overage, after coupons. And because supermarkets often have other promotions running at the same time, you may end up with even more free things shopping the supermarket sales. At Dominick’s, buying any 3 Special K products will also earn you a free case of Refreshe bottled water too!
So, is the supercenter really the least expensive place to shop? Matching coupons to supermarket sale prices and promotions truly will save you much more money than shopping at a supercenter.
jewelover says
This is great. I like how this is so outlined for us. I hear that all the time too, don’t waste your time with coupons, save more at Wal -Mart. But I know I get better deals at Jewel then at there any day and this shows it crystal clear.
avenger says
A beautiful example of why we do what we do.
I laugh at the people that say I’m wasting my time and should just take my coupons to Wal-mart. They really do not get how little we pay at the supermarket. I’m bookmarking this to share with some skeptics!
rljonites says
I have never been a big fan of Walmart. I’ve told my mom and sister several times that I find their prices to be higher than Target, Jewel, and Dominicks. I guess that’s because I spend a little extra time working with the coupons and promotions. (I might add, it’s time well spent.) Jewel and Dominicks, etc. need to hire you for their marketing department. Thanks for the great post. I need to share this with the skeptics in my family :)
artofthedeal says
I just added up the end prices for both and the Walmart prices after coupons for all that would be $42.58.
The Dominick prices were $13.13.
That’s significant. If I’m doing my math right you saved about 69% over Walmart. Great great example especialy for people who don’t get it like we all do.
DiamondCass says
I’m a young married mom of a just-turned-2-year-old, and I used to be completely ANTI-WALMART. However, when our living and job situation changed, I couldn’t justify shopping at Jewel (which by the way is across the street) because I would end up paying $.50-$1 more for staple items like milk, eggs, or butter, and increasing multiples for things like frozen pizza, shredded cheese, etc, and that definitely adds up. I would come home with so much less if I shopped at Jewel than if I spent the same amount at Walmart. Granted, I learned to hate buying produce and poultry from Walmart, as it never lasts as long or seems as fresh. (I seriously wonder about their stocking methods sometimes.) Even though I became great at hitting our fixed $80/week grocery budget, my husband would still seem confused at the small amount of items I brought home for that price.
Last week my girlfriend told me about your website. I’ve become obsessed pretty quickly!!! I can’t believe that you can actually MAKE money buying groceries, or reduce your costs by 80%!! I have to mention that I used to be a non-believer in coupons, as I thought they’d cause you to buy items you wouldn’t otherwise buy, therefore making you spend more money than originally intended. Last week I found 2 coupons for things already on my list, and using them at Jewel caused my total savings to total $9.75.
This week, after trying your method of matching sales with coupons and catalinas, my total savings between 3 stores was about $35 PLUS $8 in catalinas!! Prior to reading your website, IF I shopped at Jewel, my savings usually read $2-3 per trip.
I cannot thank you enough for creating this site and taking the time to keep us all informed. Instead of feeling half-guilty and worried when I got home from the stores today, I felt excited and proud that I am helping our family’s bottom line. Now I know there is a better way to shop!! I am so excited to continue accruing coupon inserts for future shopping trips. I know my savings will only increase from here on out! And, two of my girlfriends are coming with me to your class scheduled next month in Cary.
Thanks again for sharing your wisdom!!!
silviavm says
I used to shop at aldi and walmart and I can say that it was never really exciting because the brands were generic and unheard of and actually not very tasty. They do not carry many of the items at Jewel or Dominicks so you really cannot compare them. I can’t say that I have ever really been a name brand person but now thanks to couponing, I have been able to reap the benefit of savings as well as good taste and many quality items! Some people accuse me of hoarding and others admire my stockpile but want me to build theres as oppose to them doing it themselves. Many more pros to couponing than cons! I believe that the work that it put into couponing needs to be elaborated on because really it is made easier thanks to wonderful sits like yours but its lots of work and Dominicks is much more complicated than Jewel and Meijer and one must master the work or one will give up before you know it!
I can say that it does disturb me a bit that more people like me, in financial constraints, don’t coupon more. I read your article about the type of people that coupon and I was sad because I feel that there should be something done for more financially strapped people to shop this way rather than just the middle class type folks! Could it be that they are middle class now because they learned to be couponers, therefore more money conscious? I think that the manufactures have alot to do with this because they target the middle class more than the lower class people. I read your reasoning for the stigma of couponing and I think there is even more to it like the things that I mentioned above.
Jill, what do you think about the recent commercials about the desire for government to tax more grocery items? Thanks for letting me express myself and for your very informative and useful site!
williamjang says
This was a useful post and I think it is rather easy to see from the other comments as well that this post is well written and useful. I bookmarked this blog a while ago because of the useful content and I am never being disappointed. Keep up the good work.
Momma Goddess says
And now you are going to hand feed us every week, right Jill?
:^)
Patch says
I shop at Merionette Park, IL Dom’s. Good service, attentive staff. The store is well maintained, and they have a larger selection of certain items. Yes, they are expensive, but compared to Aldi’s, which is a bargain basement pack the groceries yourself store..Dom’s may be the better experience.
Patch says
Paid 2 dollars without coupons, using savers card. this was cheaper than 2.49 at Walgreens, which also was a good deal for high quality OS drinks..the lime added flavor was delightful..
jugannelson says
I wouldn’t agree with everything in this written piece, but you do make some excellent points. Either way it absolutely was a well thought out and great read so i thought I would leave you a comment.
T-Nonie58inLA says
Though many love to demonize Wallmart, Wallmart in our small market matches sale prices in our area. Also in our area Wallmart is almost always cheaper than other grocery chains.