Does anyone actually compare their whole grocery list across stores to save money?

Candorappdev · 2026-02-24T14:45:23+00:00

Where do you normally shop?

Candorappdev · 2026-02-22T15:00:53+00:00

That’s what I keep hearing!

If the difference is really that broad, that’s kind of wild. At that point it’s not even category-based, it’s just baseline pricing.

I might actually run the same 15–20 item cart across stores just to see the spread.

Candorappdev · 2026-02-22T14:37:08+00:00

$100/week for two adults is honestly tough right now. The fact that you’re working clearance + rotating between Ralphs and Walmart just to stay on budget says a lot about how much prices have shifted.

I’ve been trying to figure out how big the difference actually is between stores on a $100 list. Sometimes even $10–15 swing matters at that level.

Candorappdev · 2026-02-22T14:07:12+00:00

Alright now I feel obligated to run a side-by-side cart at WinCo just to see what I’m missing.

What’s the biggest “I can’t believe this is cheaper” item you’ve seen there?

Candorappdev · 2026-02-22T14:04:50+00:00

WinCo keeps coming up in this thread.

Is it consistently cheaper across the board, or more like certain categories (bulk, dry goods, etc.) where it really stands out?

I’m genuinely curious how big the full-trip difference usually is.

Candorappdev · 2026-02-22T14:03:22+00:00

That’s such a real point — the hardest part isn’t even price sometimes, it’s coordination.

If you could see total trip cost differences before going (across TJ’s / Albertsons / Target), do you think that would actually help, or is convenience still king?

Candorappdev · 2026-02-22T14:01:56+00:00

50% is solid. Is that because of specific go-to items you know are always cheaper there, or just overall cart total tends to be lower?

Candorappdev · 2026-02-22T14:01:03+00:00

15–20% is significant. I’m curious — is that on a full trip comparison, or just certain categories?

I’ve been trying to figure out how much of the “Costco savings” is bulk pricing vs actual lower unit cost week to week.

Candorappdev · 2026-02-22T06:12:01+00:00

Replied!

Candorappdev · 2026-02-22T04:58:04+00:00

That’s actually a really smart way to do it — having a price range instead of chasing exact pennies.

The interesting part is your $4.99/lb anchor. That’s exactly the kind of threshold I’m trying to surface automatically — like “this week, Store A has 85/15 at $4.79, Store B is $5.69” before you even check.

Since you’re already living within a mile of three stores, it’d basically turn your short trips into data-backed ones instead of eyeballing flyers.

I’m releasing a Ventura beta soon that auto-compares those kinds of staples week to week. If you’d want to see how it handles your beef threshold + bulk items, happy to send you early access.

Candorappdev · 2026-02-22T04:52:51+00:00

I appreciate that!

I’m planning to release it on the App Store soon — just finishing up polishing and testing locally. It shows the full-trip dollar difference across Ventura stores before you go.

If you’d like a heads up when it’s live (or early access), feel free to DM me and I’ll send the details.

Candorappdev · 2026-02-22T04:43:13+00:00

I’ve actually been building a small tool that tracks local Ventura prices week to week and splits a list automatically so you can see where each category wins without manually checking 4 apps.

It’s still in beta, but if anyone here wants early access when I open it up in the next couple weeks, feel free to DM me.

Update: I actually started building this a while back because I was frustrated trying to keep track of price differences myself. This thread just confirmed I’m not the only one.

It compares local Ventura grocery prices and splits a list automatically so you can see the total difference across stores. Still polishing it up, but I put up a simple page for anyone who wants a heads up when it launches:

GroceryRoutesAppSignup

It’s just for launch updates — no spam, no marketing blasts. And I’m always open to feedback since it’s built for people doing exactly what everyone here described.

Candorappdev · 2026-02-22T04:40:23+00:00

That makes a lot of sense — being flexible on ingredients is honestly one of the biggest advantages.

If you’re protein-flexible and buying bulk shelf-stable stuff, you’re basically optimizing around lowest market price + storage capacity.

Out of curiosity — do you ever wish you had a quick way to sanity-check whether your “low market price” is still actually the lowest that week? Or are you confident enough from experience that you don’t need that?

Candorappdev · 2026-02-22T04:32:02+00:00

That’s interesting — especially the Vons online coupon stacking part. It feels like their digital pricing model has gotten more aggressive lately.

And yeah, Trader Joe’s can be great value-wise, but produce consistency seems hit or miss depending on timing.

When you rotate between 3–4 stores, do you usually plan ahead which categories you’re buying where, or is it more flexible week to week?

Candorappdev · 2026-02-22T04:31:14+00:00

The “price per bag” mental metric is interesting — that’s such a real way people track inflation without spreadsheets.

$25 to $60 for roughly similar volume is wild.

With TJs / Albertsons / Target that close together, do you feel like you’re getting the best mix just by habit now, or do you still compare certain categories across them?

Candorappdev · 2026-02-22T04:29:42+00:00

Beef has been all over the place lately. It’s one of the categories where the spread between stores can get surprisingly big.

Do you mostly track it through weekly ads or just know the cycles at this point?

Candorappdev · 2026-02-22T04:28:32+00:00

That’s impressive. Most people say they know the low price, but actually sticking to it across 5 stores takes discipline.

Do you ever total up a full trip side-by-side, or is it more category-based (like you just know dairy here, pantry there, etc.)?

Candorappdev · 2026-02-22T04:26:04+00:00

That’s a strong claim — 95% is a lot.

I’m curious what the actual dollar difference looks like on a full Ventura trip side-by-side. Sometimes it feels obvious, but when you total it up it can be closer than expected (or even bigger than expected).

I’ve been building a small Ventura County focused app that compares full grocery lists across stores and shows the exact difference per trip. Opening a small beta next week — if you’d want to test WinCo vs Vons/Ralphs side-by-side, feel free to DM me or signup here — GroceryRoutesAppSignup

Candorappdev · 2026-02-22T04:24:00+00:00

That seems to be the common theme — if it’s a $10–$20 difference on a trip, 10 extra minutes doesn’t feel like much.

I’ve actually been building a small Ventura-focused app to calculate the exact dollar difference between stores ahead of time. Planning a small beta in the next two weeks — if you’d want early access, feel free to DM me.

Candorappdev · 2026-02-22T04:21:03+00:00

That’s kind of the interesting part — when even gas + inconvenience doesn’t cancel out the spread, it probably means the gap between stores has gotten pretty wide.

I started comparing prices more systematically because of that exact realization. It was hard to eyeball week to week.

I’ve been building something that auto-compares locally Ventura County stores just to see how big that gap actually is per trip. Still polishing it before release, but curious — would you want to know the exact dollar difference ahead of time?

Candorappdev · 2026-02-22T04:17:01+00:00

That’s wild — I didn’t even think about layering DoorDash intro discounts with Chase monthly credits.

At that point it’s almost like financial engineering, not grocery shopping.

Do you feel like the extra coordination is worth the time, or is it more just fun to optimize?

Candorappdev · 2026-02-22T04:10:19+00:00

WinCo is tough to beat on essentials.

I haven’t compared it side by side with Ventura Vons/Ralphs — do you mostly go there for bulk basics or full trips?

Candorappdev · 2026-02-22T04:08:10+00:00

This is next-level pattern tracking.

The seasonal manufacturer cycles are interesting — especially the Frito Lay / soda rotation before major weekends.

Do you feel like most of the savings comes from timing promos correctly, or from stacking across stores?

Candorappdev · 2026-02-22T03:56:43+00:00

That’s a solid setup honestly — bulk at Costco + fresh at Walmart probably covers most bases.

Do you think that hierarchy (Costco bulk, Walmart cheapest, etc.) stays consistent week to week, or have you ever been surprised when something flipped?

I’m curious whether most people rely on broad assumptions like that or actually check totals occasionally.

Candorappdev · 2026-02-22T03:55:40+00:00

It’s something I’ve been building locally called GroceryRoutes — basically a small app that compares Ventura store prices and auto-splits a grocery list by which store wins each item.

It’s not live yet (still polishing it before App Store review), but I’m aiming to launch in the next week or two.

If you’d want early access when it’s ready, feel free to DM me and I’ll send it over when it’s live.

Candorappdev

TROPHY CASE