Meijer ~ Question: Kroger vs. Meijer vs. Giant Eagle (x-posted)

[lindypup]

Talk about an embarrassment of riches...

I just moved to the Toledo area and I am so pleased to find 3 great grocery stores in which to do my coupon shopping! Not to mention 2 drug stores.

I have a good idea which drug store I'll go with, but I am having trouble deciding which grocery stores will be most worth my while: Kroger, Meijer, or Giant Eagle. I really need to narrow my focus on one, and perhaps keep an eye on another store's sales. With my schedule and half-hearted commitment to couponing, I figure I can shop one effectively, two MAYBE, but for sure not all three.

Which would you recommend, and why? I am familiar with Meijer as it was in my old town...but I am intrigued by my other two options!

Thanks!
Kate

[funnyface12345]

Hi Kate...I am in central Ohio, north of Columbus. Here is what I have discovered.

To me..Giant Eagle (which is about 45mins for me) is the most expensive of the bunch..I've only run in there once and was shocked.

Kroger is next in line..more expensive than Meijer however they double up to .99 so I tend to do a lot of "sale/coupon" shopping there..and that's where I tend to get the best percentage. You also have shortcuts and cellfire, you can't really depend on them though...they seem to only work when they want to.

Meijer is the cheapest of the 3 however they only double up to .50 and only double 2 like coupons, but you can get some really great deals combining mealbox.

With all of that said..since I'm still in the stocking up/getting it together stage of all of this..I tend to get my normal needs + sale/stock up items at Meijer and shop the sale/coupon at Kroger.

I also have all 3 drug stores but I really just focus on Walgreens...I might ad CVS or Rite Aid in eventually but not yet.

I would suggest finding out your stores coupon policies and who is coupon friendly and going from there. Some Krogers only double certain amount of coupons...mine are limitless...or at least I haven't found a limit.


I hope that helps..and makes sense...lol

[cintinative]

you need to PM Manders13--she shops all three! I do a mix of Kroger and Meijer. (We don't have GE here.) Depending on the week I might do one or the other. A lot of people here in SW Ohio hate Meijer--they have been changing their policies and making things more difficult for couponers in general down here. However, I still find there are some things I can consistently get for less at Meijer than Kroger. Unfortunately that means mulitiple transactions because of the doubling limit (two like coupons).

[lindypup]

Thanks for the advice! I am pretty sure I'll stick with Meijer because I am a light-weight couponer who wouldn't feel too limited by Meijer's policies - and the lower prices overall have me sold. But I think I will follow GE and Kroger for a few weeks to see which deals I like better - and go to one or the other for free/nearly free items.