It's been years since shopping at most big-name Canadian grocery stores felt like an affordable experience.

Food inflation, shrinkflation, skimpflation, and general price-gouging — consumers have been experiencing them all while grocery chains rake in record profits.

But shoppers can hardly stay quiet about the sorry state of affairs. Many have taken to social media to air out their grievances and shock.

A recent thread on X highlighted how the same products are priced very differently at major Canadian grocery stores like Superstore, Giant Tiger, No Frills, and Gateway.

"This isn't inflation, this is pure greed," wrote X user Charlene, who bought a bottle of Lea and Perrins Worcestershire sauce from Giant Tiger for $2.97.

Charlene shared a photo of her receipt from Giant Tiger next to her phone, which displayed the price of the sauce (same brand and size) at Superstore — an alarming $4.49.

She specified that neither product was on sale.

In a second post, Charlene compared store-brand artificial vanilla extract prices at the same two stores for 250 ml bottles.

Giant Tiger's Giant Value bottle cost $3.97 per her receipt, while Superstore sold No Name artificial vanilla extract for $5.49.

Here’s another:
Artificial vanilla extract, store brand

GT - $3.97
SS - $5.49 pic.twitter.com/mtLusMrymA

— Charlene (@charalaffe) January 13, 2024

The shopper's post quickly garnered attention, with others sharing worrying price differences they've spotted at Canadian grocery stores in her thread.

One X user compared the price of Catelli pasta sauce at No Frills ($1.44) and Loblaws ($4.49). While the product appears to be a special price on the No Frills flyer, the difference is still shocking, considering the stores belong to the same company.

May I also present:
Catelli pasta sauce: No Frills vs. Loblaw (same company) pic.twitter.com/MraTQEO4YA

— . (@a_ldnont) January 13, 2024

Then, a Canadian shared the price of a 375-gram pack of Maple Leaf Lazy Maple bacon they spotted at Superstore — $9.49.

Bacon
Gateway $1.97
Superstore $9.49 !!!! pic.twitter.com/Urkr0O5qQU

— Gold Den Gurl (@PuddyCat15) January 13, 2024

At the time of publishing this article, the product was unavailable on Superstore's shopping websites but cost $8.49 at Loblaw-owned Valu-mart and $5.97 (on sale from $7.97) at Walmart.

It is also on sale at Loblaws at $3.99, down from the regular price of $7.99.

Some shoppers in the thread felt these comparisons were unfair, given that each store could have a different loss leader product and have higher staffing requirements, especially if it has a deli, bakery, or butchery department.

However, given the soaring profits major grocery chains have been seeing, many feel they are fair in criticizing their high prices.

The grocery stores are currently experiencing literal record profits while there are record food bank lines. And families are having to make difficult decisions about what they can afford. It is very important we shop at discount grocers and send a message to corporate greed https://t.co/zzYdzVkEhP pic.twitter.com/mb5RH3Lepg

— Frank Grimes Jr. (@FrankGrimes_Jr) January 13, 2024

A lot of shoppers said they liked the prices at Giant Tiger.

One reply explains that the "Company was founded right here in Ottawa too, in the Byward Market. The original store is still open! Love me some Giant Tiger discounts."

And their reservations with Loblaw and its outgoing CEO, Galen Weston Jr., remain steady.

pic.twitter.com/KAw68ialuS

— David Warren (@rollercitygnar) January 13, 2024

In response to Charlene's post, John Ng, who plays Mr. Chin in the Canadian TV series Kim's Convenience, recommended two ways to shop at Canadian grocery stores.

"You can find different savings at every grocery chain. Even at Loblaws, there are deals. You simply have to be savvy at comparing weekly flyers," Ng posted. "But, if you can only do one-stop shopping, then Food Basics is king, not Giant Tiger or Walmart."

Pretty solid tip if you have the time to plan your grocery shopping carefully!

How do you like to shop? Do you have any do's and don'ts? What of your tried-and-tested money-saving tips would you like to share with other Canadians struggling with sky-high food prices?