PLATTSBUGH | If you thought you could save money by grocery shopping in the United States, think again. While visiting two supermarkets in Plattsburgh this week News they found that American prices no longer had the marked advantage they once had over Quebec prices.
For our investigation, we compared about twenty products to those found on our grocery shelves. In order to obtain the best possible basis for comparison, we have not taken into account applicable taxes and promotions. We also converted US prices to Canadian dollars for analysis purposes.
With the exception of meat, the chance of significant savings in Uncle Sam land is rare. Overall, only 7 of our 20 selected US products are cheaper than in Quebec.
“A lot of people think we can save more in the United States,” says Sylvain Charlebois, director of the Analytical Science Laboratory at Dalhousie University. This applies to several categories such as milk, eggs and poultry. It is usually cheaper.
“The rest are the same amounts in US dollars.”
An example that describes this observation well is a package of four peppers of different colors. Whether north or south of the border, the price is $5.99. With the exchange rate, we are talking about a difference of two dollars in favor of Quebec customers.
The weakness of a fool does not help
“Prices were more favorable when the dollar was at parity. Today it is no longer the case. In terms of variety, we have some products that we won’t have access to. The production capacity is greater in the United States,” adds Mr. Charlebois.
Which product wins the best deal award in our analysis? It’s a chicken. We’re talking more than a $4 difference in favor of American grocery stores for a package of two boneless breasts.
- Listen to the Maréchal-Dumont meeting where Isabelle Maréchal compares big box grocery store prices to Dollarama prices via Radio QUB :
From Quebec on the shelves
On our visit to Market 32, we came across a Quebec product in the fruit and vegetable aisle.
We saw carrots from Légunord, a vegetable producer from Saint-Gédéon, in Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean. It was interesting to see how a Quebec company competes with American farmers.
The Belle Province product was priced at C$2.71 per 2 lb bag. Surprisingly, they are cheaper than certain places in Quebec.
Price battle
United States Advantage (prices in Canadian dollars)
- Chicken: Discount champion of our 20 products. It can be found for 3.99/lb (C$5.42) and is not on sale. Ultimately, we are talking about a difference of more than $4 between Quebec and the United States.
- Quebec price: $12.64
- US price: $8.24
Photo by Mathieu Boulay
- Strawberries: We were lucky enough to come across a product that can also be found on our shelves out of season in Quebec. At $3.99 we got a good deal.
- Quebec price: $5.99
- US price: $5.43
Photo by Mathieu Boulay
- Avocados: We originally thought this product would be much cheaper due to the proximity of the United States to Mexico. It wasn’t like that.
- Quebec Price: Between $1.79 and $2.99
- US price: $1.70
Photo by Mathieu Boulay
- Celery: This is a vegetable that gets a lot of attention in Quebec because of its price. The advantage of American grocery stores in a small difference.
- Quebec price: $3.49
- US price: $3.39
Photo by Mathieu Boulay
- Pork: After poultry, pork is also cheap south of the border. We were able to find several types in the refrigerators of the grocery stores we visited.
- Quebec price: $6.42 per 1.43 lb package
- US price: $5.82 per 1.43 lb. package
Photo by Mathieu Boulay
Quebec advantage
- A bag of four different colored peppers: we were in for a big surprise. The price quoted on both sides of the border was identical.
- Quebec price: $5.99
- Price in the United States: $8.15 with exchange rate
Photo by Mathieu Boulay
- Cereal: We compared the popular cereal brand. The weight of our box is not located in Quebec. After a little calculation, we concluded that the price per 100 grams was more favorable for us.
- Quebec price: $1.45 per 100 grams
- Price in the United States: $2.28 per 100 grams
Photo by Mathieu Boulay
- Blueberries: the price of this product was again the same in Quebec and in the United States. Of course, given the exchange rate, we have a better price in Quebec.
- Quebec price: $4.99 per pint
- Price in the United States: $6.79 per pint
Photo by Mathieu Boulay
- Apples: For the purpose of the exercise, we chose MacIntosh apples. We could achieve the same result with other varieties. We were surprised by the amount on the US side per pound ($3.38 after the exchange rate). Finally, we see a significant gap between the two places.
- Quebec price: $13.34 per 5.36 lb bag
- US price: $18.16 per 5.36 lb. bag
Photo by Mathieu Boulay
- Oranges: Although oranges are produced in the United States, this is not reflected in customer accounts. Besides the price, we only find 4 lb bags in the United States versus 3 lb in Quebec.
- Quebec price: $7.88 for 4 pounds of oranges
- US price: $9.51 per 4 lb bag
Photo by Mathieu Boulay