How to find the best deals on Indian groceries

When you come to Canada as a newcomer,  your priorities are aligned with being as frugal as possible. Till the time you settle in, find your bearings and get some employment. This post is targeted towards helping you find the best deals in the market especially on groceries.

Indian groceries

Any Indian who comes to Toronto wants to retain their authentic taste of cooking. Hence you look for same vegetables, same spices and oils. In case you happen to live in an area like Brampton, Missisauga or Scarborough which has a lot of Indian ethnic population, you would certainly find a lot of stores which keep the stock that you are looking for. For others, settled a little far or in Toronto, there are quite a few options.

1. Gerrard Street: There is something like a Gerrard India Bazaar in Toronto where you have quite a few Indian shopping outlets. The one i have shopped a few times is Kohinoor Foods.
2. Walmart: Walmart specifically sources some vegetables from India like Kadi patta, Lauki, Guar and so many more. They also have Indian spices like MDH, Haldiram namkeens and a lot of other stuff. Buy those things here which you cannot get anywhere else or cannot get cheaper at other places. Generally green vegetables are expensive at Walmart and you can get better deals. The best thing at Walmart is $1 or $2 deals. Typically there will be a small section where they will have small packets marked as $1 or $2. You will find packets of fruits and vegetables apart from bakery items. These are really really great deals and gets you the groceries at a fraction of a price. The only caveat being they are nearing their shelf life and you would have to consume them early.
3. Metro, Foodbasics, Nofrills, Loblaws, Shoppers Drug Mart: Metro is kind of reasonable, Loblaws is a bit expensive, NoFrills is more competitive. Having said that these still are more expensive than other options. These stores have different flyers for the promotions they run every week and typically the items included in the flyers are good bargains. So keep an eye out for them. Shoppers Drug Mart runs a promotion where Senior people (more than 65 years age) get a 20% discount on the stuff that they buy on Thursdays. You just need to use a PC Optimum loyalty card while checking out stuff.
4. Local stores: It takes some time to find out some local stores but they offer the best deals. I have some Chinese operated stores nearby which offer the best prices for most of the vegetables. These stores also have $1 dollar deals and these are certainly a great grab. You might have to explore a little but finding the right grocery stop is worth it as it can save you lots of money.

Price Match

Flipp is a free money saving app that gives you access to weekly promotional flyers of hundreds of local retailers like Metro, Shoppers Drug Mart and Walmart. It is a great platform to find good deals. Most of these giants have the facility of price match and hence while buying, in case you find a cheaper deal available on a different store on the app, ask the Store Manager or the Billing executive for a price match.

How Flipp works:

• Download the Flipp app to your phone and set it to your location.
• Search for a product and you will see the current deals available.
• Shop in-store or online and save money.

In case you know any better places to shop or better ways to find a deal, please mention under the comments and I shall be happy to modify the article to include such information.