I've always thought of markets as a treat — the kind of place you go for a fresh lunch, artisanal cheese, or a loaf of homemade bread. Not somewhere you’d do your full weekly grocery run.
I thought of Toronto's iconic St. Lawrence Market, with its vibrant fruit and veg displays and hundreds of independent vendors. It's one of my favourite places in the city, but I've never done my grocery shop there.
Fresh fruit at St Lawrence Market.Ellie Hutchings | Narcity
Curiosity got the better of me and, at the risk of leaving a large hole in my wallet, I decided to compare it to my usual No Frills haul.
No Frills
I visit No Frills to pick up groceries at least every other week, so I know exactly what to expect from my local store. It's efficient, budget-friendly, and — let's be honest — not exactly inspiring.
Operated by the same company as Loblaws, No Frills has built a reputation as one of Canada's most affordable grocery chains.
In fact, Narcity readers previously voted No Frills as Canada's cheapest grocery store as well as the country's best value.
So I wasn't convinced that an independent market would beat it on price.
For this shop, I grabbed a mix of staples from the veg aisle: peppers, mushrooms, eggplant, cucumber, lettuce, onions, avocado, and garlic.
I also chucked in a pack of bagels and a block of Scottish Cheddar.
The priciest item? The cheese — at $8.49.
The vegatable aisle at No Frills.Ellie Hutchings | Narcity
St Lawrence Market
For someone who is used to the fluorescent lights and epoxy flooring of No Frills, doing a grocery shop at St. Lawrence Market was like stepping into a different world.
Wandering through the vibrant rows of fruit and veg, with a Trader Joe's bag on my shoulder, it felt like I was living out my cottagecore dreams.
But there's a price to pay for the whimsical feeling of shopping at an independent market — quite literally.
Ellie stocks up on veg at St Lawrence Market.Ellie Hutchings | Narcity
The Irish cheddar I picked up here was $11.99 (notably more expensive than at No Frills) and, surprisingly, not as good as the cheaper version.
Sure, there were a few less costly options at the market, but just like the marble cheese that I steer well clear of in No Frills (no offence if you're a fan), I was willing to splash out a little for something that doesn't taste or feel like silly putty.
On this occasion, it backfired.
That said, some items did feel worth the splurge.
If you're a regular at St Lawrence Market, you'll probably be familiar with St. Urbain bagels (I'm a big fan of their egg and cheese sandwich).
Half a dozen of their everything bagels set me back $5.50, which is $3 more than a six-pack in No Frills. But the difference in quality was clear.
And here's where things got interesting: not everything was pricier.
To my surprise, two items of veg were cheaper from the market than my No Frills shop: lettuce and mushrooms.
Here's the full price comparison:
- Cheddar cheese: $8.49 at No Frills / $11.99 at St Lawrence Market
- Bagels: $2.49 / $5.50
- Bell peppers: $3.99 for four / $2.33 for two
- Mushrooms: $4.99 / $3.82
- Garlic: $0.99 / $1.11
- Avocado: $2.99 for four / $2.50 for one
- Eggplant: $2.80 / $3.49
- Cucumber: $1.69 / $1.99
- Lettuce: $3.79 / $2.99
Ellie's grocery haul at No Frills.Ellie Hutchings | Narcity
The verdict
Overall, No Frills still came out significantly cheaper, which didn't exactly shock me.
Some people might think shopping at a market should be cheaper because you're cutting out the middleman, but they often offer higher-quality products, which means a heftier price tag.
And big grocery chains benefit from something called economies of scale, meaning they can keep prices lower by producing and selling at massive volumes.
But that's not to say that I'd never shop for groceries at St Lawrence Market again.
If you can afford to spend a bit more, certain items — like fresh bagels or specialty cheese — are worth the extra cash for something that's a little bit tastier.
And more delicate produce like lettuce or fresh herbs can last much longer when bought from a market, so you don't end up wasting half of them when they turn to mush in the back of your fridge after about two days.
I'm also a big advocate for supporting local and independent businesses, so I'm happy to spend a few extra pennies to do this.
But the biggest lesson learned? Don't assume everything is cheaper at big grocery stores.
As the lettuce and mushrooms showed me, it's well worth doing your research before you shop — you might be surprised by the cost difference for some items.
The opinions expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Narcity Media.
