Is No Frills Cheaper Than Walmart?
Grocery prices have increased at abnormal rates since 2020 and more Canadians are trying to find ways to save on their grocery bills. Many are switching to cheaper grocery stores in hopes of finding a good deal.
We compared the price of 26 common grocery items between No Frills and Walmart to determine which was the cheapest. Keep in mind that No Frills offers price matching while Walmart does not. So you are generally better off doing grocery shopping at No Frills simply because they price match.
A word of caution, many No Frills locations now limit the number of items you can price match to 4 and you can only price match to specific stores. They also have weight limits (I believe 1.8kg) for items like tomatoes, apples, and so on.
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Types of Grocery Stores
Before we begin, we first need to establish that there are different grocery store tiers. Premium grocery stores focus on the atmosphere and shopping experience while discount stores focus on providing the cheapest price. Specialty stores provide items that are specific to different regions and are hard to find anywhere else.
Below, we have divided some of the large grocery chains into three categories: Premium, Specialty, and Discount.
Premium
- Loblaws
- Sobeys
- Longos
- Metro
Specialty
- T&T Supermarket
- Adonis
- Farm Boy
Discount
- No Frills
- FreshCo
- Food Basics
- Walmart
First, you want to stay away from Premium Grocery stores because their prices are generally two to three times more expensive. These stores charge more because they always have extra items, are bigger, and have additional features like a Deli section. They’re great for a stroll but not for cheap groceries.
Second, you want to avoid Specialty stores unless you need something that isn’t common. If you want a Middle Eastern brand of tea then it makes sense to visit Adonis, but you should avoid buying cereal from there to save money as it will be more expensive.
Third, you have to realize that you’re better off buying specific items from Costco in bulk. More on that in another post.
Is No Frills Cheaper than Walmart? Price Comparison
| Product | Size | No Frills | Walmart |
|---|---|---|---|
| Penne Pasta | 900g | $2.29 | $2.13 |
| Corn Flakes | 680g | $5.74 | $4.97 |
| Flour | 10kg | $11.99 | $11.77 |
| White Bread | 675g | $1.99 | $1.97 |
| Banana | 1lb | $0.59 | $0.59 |
| Cluster Tomatoes | 1lb | $3.49 | $3.47 |
| Potatoes | 10lb | $4.77 | $6.97 |
| Gala Apple | 1lb | $2.49 | $1.97 |
| Carrots | 3lb | $2.88 | $2.97 |
| Medium Cheese | 400g | $4.99 | $5.98 |
| Unsalted Butter | 454g | $6.49 | $6.48 |
| 2% Milk | 4L | $5.89 | $5.89 |
| Large White Eggs | Dozen | $3.79 | $3.78 |
| Astro Plain Yogurt | 750g | $3.29 | $3.47 |
| Vanilla Ice Cream | 1.5L | $5.49 | $4.38 |
| Table Salt | 1kg | $1.49 | $0.97 |
| Ground Black Pepper | 100g | $2.53 | $2.67 |
| Sugar | 2kg | $2.99 | $3.27 |
| Vinegar | 4L | $2.29 | $2.27 |
| Ketchup | 1L | $3.29 | $3.27 |
| Mayonnaise | 890mL | $4.49 | $4.77 |
| Smooth Peanut Butter | 1kg | $3.99 | $4.27 |
| Canned Light Tuna | 170g | $1.19 | $1.49 |
| Canned Chickpeas | 540 mL | $1.69 | $1.47 |
| Canned Peach Slices | 796mL | $3.49 | $3.47 |
| Regular Chips | 200g | $1.22 | $1.47 |
| Total | $94.83 | $96.18 |
So is No Frills cheaper than Walmart? Yes. Even without any price matching, No Frills was cheaper than Walmart by $1.35. If you add price matching on top of that, you might be able to save a few more dollars on every trip. If every week you save about $3, that adds up to $162 over the year.
Even though No Frills has put restrictions on its price matching, we can’t underestimate the potential savings that can come from this, since you can price match to multiple stores, including Walmart.
About No Frills
No Frills is a discount grocery store chain, which was created by Loblaw in 1978. Loblaw owns about 29% of the market. Like the name implies, the chain offers a no-frills shopping experience to drive down prices and attract budget conscious shoppers.
No Frills is known for its private label brand, No Name with its iconic yellow branding. No Name products can be found across many different stores under the Loblaw umbrella.
No Frills has 282 locations in Canada, across 9 different provinces and 167 cities. No Frills still maintains its price matching policy but has heavily restricted the number of items and stores you can price match.
About Walmart
Walmart Canada entered the Canadian market in 1994 with the acquisition of 122 Woolco stores. As of 2022, they own 18% of the Canadian market. Walmart was a general merchandise store selling everyday items and only started selling groceries in 2006. Walmart is known for cheaper prices and its private label brand, Great Value.
Walmart stopped price matching in October 2020.
