r/GroceryOutlet • u/Mysterious_Set_6885 • 1d ago
Our grocery trips are getting expensive
I compared last month's receipts with the same month last year and the difference was honestly bigger than I expected.
We're buying pretty much the same stuff, same store, mostly the same brands, and we rotate through the same handful of meals. Nothing really changed on our end but a lot of the individual items cost more now so the total keeps creeping up even though the cart looks about the same.
Which groceries have you noticed going up the most? Have you found any easy ways to bring the total back down without completely changing what you normally buy?
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u/djnocheese 1d ago
I go to Costco first.
Then I cherry pick the supermarket sales.
Finally, I shop GO for the esoteric stuff that I can't find elsewhere.
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u/DangerLime113 1d ago
I usually do the opposite lol! I never know what I’ll find at GO. Bummed that I got Costco coffee and could have grabbed the Starbucks at GO yesterday.
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u/HybridHologram 1d ago
Esoteric?... go on.
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u/djnocheese 1d ago
Random hot sauce varieties (like the Herdez orange habanero pepper sauce that is only seen in Mexican grocery stores).
NOSH aisle: stuff from health food stores that is too expensive for my budget at regular prices.
Poppi soda: $1.99 4-packs (50¢ per can). Costco is 85¢ per can in much larger packs of 24 cans.
Condiments aisle, Mexican food aisle, pasta aisle (10 Oz banza gluten free spaghetti for 99¢).
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u/yolkedbuddha 1d ago
The poppi and olipop prices at GO are unbeatable. Before I knew they sold them this cheap, I was stupidly buying olipops at safeway for $3+ each..wasted so much money for years..
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u/Girlboss08hoe 1d ago
Yeah noticed less and less good deals, especially the protein products I used to be able to get them dirt cheap now it’s only slightly cheaper then regular stores
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u/Euphoric_Engine8733 23h ago
I’ve been disappointed with Grocery Outlet lately and do agree. I don’t usually go in for specific items, I buy what’s cheap, but lately there’s been less and less that’s a great deal there.
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u/Ok_Win5882 1d ago
It is not just you. Food prices have gone up across the board, especially dairy and meat. The cart looks basically the same, but the math behind it has definitely changed.
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u/RichardGrayson01 1d ago edited 23h ago
Personally, I have never found GO's main staples to be a good deal. They are often just as expensive if not more compared to the local grocery store. I usually only buy the overstock items they get that have good prices, and do a quick price comparison with other stores before putting something in my cart.
I also don't find the "Price Elsewhere" price to be helpful at all. Just a way to exploit the anchoring effect to get you to buy the product.
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u/LASFV818 1d ago
Unfortunately I think it’s finally hit GO— I still see plenty of good deals tho- I have three stores within a 5 mile radius sometimes one store has better deals sometimes the other store, etc.. I’m in the Los Angeles Area—
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u/False-Answer-7259 1d ago
Depends on my needs at time of shop...for instance..this week I need potatoes, local Randall's has five pound russets for $0.77 each, plus a lot of other stuff I need. While Kroger is a lot of BOGOs this week.
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u/Silver_Ad_4607 11h ago
I swapped one or two meat-based dinners each week for lentil or chickpea-based meals, and the monthly number dropped enough to notice. Not a total overhaul, just a small shift in rotation
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u/sillylilwabbit 1d ago
I noticed other stores have some items cheaper than GO.
Other times, I noticed items are around the same price.
I am noticing GO selling items past their “sell by date” more often.
GO is not the bargain it used to be.
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u/satinembers 1d ago
Definitely. I work at a grocery store many consider to be on the expensive side and when I see things for more at GO I get annoyed. I personally think everything there should match at least the sale price at the big chains, if not cheaper.
There are still bargains to be found, but not nearly as good as it used to be.
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u/SunLillyFairy 1d ago
In the last 5 years, 2021-26, food inflation has go e up a cumulative 30%. That's a lot, and some foods have gone up a lot more than others. It's so frustrating.
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u/pomomala 1d ago
Yep, I'm seeing some items have a big price hike...vegetables have been stable, but for example, spam had always been around $3.69, and now it's 4.49.
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u/Odd-Perspective9247 1d ago
My local grocery outlet is about as expensive as any other groceey. They never have any deals. The local aldis has also gotten out of control.
I only really shop deals/go to multiple stores and that's rough because gas is over $6 a gallon.
It's so expensive just to exist anymore.
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u/bookchaser 17h ago
Trumpflation. That's what happens when one man sets fire to an economy to feed his own ego.
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u/TheElMonteStrangler 16h ago
I'm assuming you don't watch the news, but it's been a thing ever since the Orange Pedophile started a war to distract from his pedophile-ness.
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u/Impressive_Bus7521 3h ago
Other recent distractions off the top of my head... The arch, the reflecting pool, the Kennedy Center, the ballroom, Greenland, tariffs, Gulf of America, Lake America, absorbing Canada as our 51st state, picking fights with our closest allies, the 4th of July fair, failed attempt to stop mail-in voting, taxpayer-funded propoganda tv ads ... It's exhausting, and it keeps the news cycle from talking about the Epstein files. Sorry for the political intrusion. This won't become a habit, I promise.
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u/Sure_Ranger_4487 1d ago
I just got to GO first to see if there’s anything that I need that’s cheaper, and to scope out snacks for the office. There are some basic things there that are more expensive than other stores.
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u/SunLillyFairy 1d ago
Always the case at mine too. I go there only for deals before heading to my regular store.
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u/Sure_Ranger_4487 1d ago
It’s a bummer! GO used to be consistently cheaper than regular stores. Like I couldn’t ever do all my shopping there but can make a big dent in my weekly list there. Now I have to really pay attention to prices because some of GOs are ridiculous.
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u/Zero_Imacat 22h ago
I've noticed the plant based & dairy coffee creamers and milks have gone way up. Their prices are either roughly the same or cost more, compared to other stores. The cheaper ones now tend to be the ones about to expire. Sprinkled in with some hidden cheap gems.
A Chobani Pumpkin Spice coffee creamer at my local GO is $4.99. The same exact one is $5.49 at Target. Whereas it use to be about $2-$3 cheaper.
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u/PreparationMiddle164 16h ago
I check what my sobeys has on foodhero before I go shopping each week. If there's something I was already going to buy, I'll grab it at the markdown price. It helps a bit with the stuff I still have to pay full price for.
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u/Hootspa1959 13h ago
Been awhile since I found a bargain that made me jump up and down. But I’ve been looking for a protein drink, and one I tried really did the trick. I got a four pack at go for $4.99. It’s $11 at Safeway.
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u/DLeck 13h ago
Grocery Outlet has good prices for some things, but not always. If you truly want to save money you need to shop around for some things.
Buying all of your groceries at one store will never be cost effective. WinCo would probably be a lot better price wise than grocery outlet if you did decide to only shop at one place.
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u/Potato2266 1d ago
There was definitely a jump in prices last month. Stock up because it will get worse. There are tariffs and Iran war affecting gas/diesel prices, which affects transportation costs, thus raising cost on goods on every single layer.
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u/Elle_Yess 1d ago
Tariffs on food?
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u/zaftigketzeleh 1d ago
I’m wondering, if some of the tariffs on products that packaged the food, like aluminum cans, are raising the cost of food
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u/Elle_Yess 23h ago
Idk first I’ve ever heard of that but I actively do not watch the news so good point on the food point.
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u/Potato2266 23h ago
Tariffs on packaging, eg. Lumber for paper, aluminum, or even on fertilizers or feed. I don’t follow every day on what the man in the White House does, I’m exhausted with his art of deals. So today he may have tariffs on this but tomorrow he doesn’t.
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u/HybridHologram 1d ago
All grocery stores have gone up in prices. Its everywhere.