Canadians say they avoid shopping at these grocery stores and discount retailers made the list

"With the prices now, I essentially shop at any store that has flyer items I can afford."

bread products on shelves at walmart store in canada. right: exterior of sobeys store with green sign

Walmart store in Canada. Right: Sobeys store.

Photokvu | Dreamstime, Wwphoto | Dreamstime
Senior Writer

Canadians have revealed the grocery stores in Canada they avoid because of prices, product selection and other reasons.

Many discount retailers that you might expect to be go-tos actually made the list of places where Canadians don't shop.

Narcity recently posted on Facebook and asked Canadians, "Which grocery stores in Canada do you avoid shopping at?"

We received almost 300 comments, and more than 20 retailers have been named by shoppers across the country.

So, here are the top three grocery stores that Canadians avoid shopping at:

  1. Walmart
  2. Loblaws
  3. Sobeys

Someone told Narcity that they don't shop at Walmart because it's American-owned, and another shopper said they have avoided the retailer for two years.

"I used to love them, but lately their prices are always significantly higher than any other grocery store," one Canadian commented about Sobeys.

After those top three retailers, Save-On-Foods is fourth, and Metro is fifth in this ranking.

Costco, No Frills and Safeway are tied for sixth, and Food Basics is seventh when it comes to grocery stores Canadians avoid shopping at.

Someone told Narcity that they avoid going to Costco because the bill always totals $400. Another person commented that they avoid No Frills because it needs a "good bakery and butcher."

Then, FreshCo is eighth, and Real Canadian Superstore, Co-op, IGA, Foodland and Zehrs are tied for ninth.

Your Independent Grocer, Oceans, Longo's, Maxi, Farm Boy, Giant Tiger, Whole Foods and Thrifty Foods aren't the top-ranking retailers on this list, but each store got a few mentions in the comment section.

Some people said they don't avoid any grocery stores because they have to shop at multiple retailers to find the best prices.

One person commented that they go where the "best deals" are.

"With the prices now, I essentially shop at any store that has flyer items I can afford," another person said.

Also, many Canadian shoppers told Narcity that they avoid all American-owned retailers and the grocery stores that have the highest prices.

READ NEXT: The most expensive grocery stores were ranked and Loblaws isn't in the top three

This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.

  • Senior Writer

    Lisa Belmonte (she/her) is a Senior Writer with Narcity Media. After graduating with a Bachelor of Journalism from Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University), she joined the Narcity team. Lisa covers news and notices from across the country from a Canada-wide perspective. Her early coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic earned Narcity its first-ever national journalism award nomination.

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