Can real Canadian superstore price match Asian grocery flyer

Well go ahead , go ask . You won’t know if you don’t try .

ilovetoyota wrote: ↑ For example, lean ground pork is sold at $1.99 per pound at Nations fresh food, can I ask RCSS to price match?

Any successful story?

Yes and no.

Yes, RCSS will PM local competitors including small and/or Asian ones. At least my local RCSS does. Actually I did it last week.

However, meat, poultry and fish are a special case. That has to be PM'd at the meat counter. Those folks are very finicky about PMing and will look for any opportunity to deny you. With something like "lean" ground pork they may argue that theirs is n% fat, while the competitor's has a different percentage or their ad doesn't specify. Because of this they can't be sure it's exactly the same item and thus it can't be PM'd.

Another gimmick to watch out for. A lot of meat/poultry at RCSS is labelled "PC Free From..." Of course it's more expensive than meat/poultry that's free from their "PC FF..." labelling. Since this labelling is proprietary to Loblaws they won't PM it with anyone else outside their chain. Worse, when a competitor has a sale on some item, SS won't have any of that item that isn't labeled "PC FF..." IOW they use this to thwart PMers. They've done it so often that it can't just be a coincidence.

bylo wrote: ↑ Yes and no.

Yes, RCSS will PM local competitors including small and/or Asian ones. At least my local RCSS does. Actually I did it last week.

However, meat, poultry and fish are a special case. That has to be PM'd at the meat counter. Those folks are very finicky about PMing and will look for any opportunity to deny you. With something like "lean" ground pork they may argue that theirs is n% fat, while the competitor's has a different percentage or their ad doesn't specify. Because of this they can't be sure it's exactly the same item and thus it can't be PM'd.

Another gimmick to watch out for. A lot of meat/poultry at RCSS is labelled "PC Free From..." Of course it's more expensive than meat/poultry that's free from their "PC FF..." labelling. Since this labelling is proprietary to Loblaws they won't PM it with anyone else outside their chain. Worse, when a competitor has a sale on some item, SS won't have any of that item that isn't labeled "PC FF..." IOW they use this to thwart PMers. They've done it so often that it can't just be a coincidence.

The situation you’ve run into ... might be store (or chain = RCSS) specific
Remembering that RCSS is part of PC+ Loblaws Corp’s DISCOUNT DIVISION

We primarily shop in their mainstream stores in both Quebec & Ontario
Loblaws, Independent, Valu-Mart, Provigo etc

At all the ones I have been in / frequent
The PC Free From is a DISTINCTIVE UPSCALE LINE
With plenty of options stocked in the Meat Dept just beyond it

The only time that I didn’t set out to buy FREE FROM and ended up with it
Was because regular chicken was hard to come by during the height of Covid
When I placed an order thru PC Express for curbside pick up

Understandable ... the cheaper chicken choices SOLD OUT FIRST

But usual times ... lots of chicken options
PC Free From - Maple Leaf Prime - Blue Menu - Halal Chicken - Air Chilled - Club Packs - and just regular chicken

Deciding which one to buy... is the better value in any week
Is by far the biggest challenge

Asian stores are more expensive for vegetables, fruits and daily item, they are cheaper in meat and fish product.

There’s nothing much worth to try if fish and meat product are excluded

bylo wrote: ↑ Yes and no.

Yes, RCSS will PM local competitors including small and/or Asian ones. At least my local RCSS does. Actually I did it last week.

However, meat, poultry and fish are a special case. That has to be PM'd at the meat counter. Those folks are very finicky about PMing and will look for any opportunity to deny you. With something like "lean" ground pork they may argue that theirs is n% fat, while the competitor's has a different percentage or their ad doesn't specify. Because of this they can't be sure it's exactly the same item and thus it can't be PM'd.

Another gimmick to watch out for. A lot of meat/poultry at RCSS is labelled "PC Free From..." Of course it's more expensive than meat/poultry that's free from their "PC FF..." labelling. Since this labelling is proprietary to Loblaws they won't PM it with anyone else outside their chain. Worse, when a competitor has a sale on some item, SS won't have any of that item that isn't labeled "PC FF..." IOW they use this to thwart PMers. They've done it so often that it can't just be a coincidence.

PointsHubby wrote: ↑ The situation you’ve run into ... might be store (or chain = RCSS) specific
Remembering that RCSS is part of PC+ Loblaws Corp’s DISCOUNT DIVISION

We primarily shop in their mainstream stores in both Quebec & Ontario
Loblaws, Independent, Valu-Mart, Provigo etc

There are two reasons I go out of my way to shop at RCSS:
1. PMing. I can buy almost anything we need at the lowest price of any grocery store in my local area. This can really add up fast. For instance 170gm containers of berries were on sale elsewhere for $1.77. RCSS charged more than double that. So there was a $2 per item savings there. Other produce is also often on sale elsewhere for as much as $2 or $3 less than RCSS. Staples from bags of rice to laundry detergent go on sale at different stores at different prices. Why pay more if you don't need to? And of course when RCSS's price has the lowest price you get that automatically.
2. COVID-19. I try to do a week's shopping at a time. RCSS is the largest store with the greatest selection, widest aisles, most checkouts, etc. That lets me get everything in one trip in the shortest in-store time. With COVID-19 measures like plexiglass at the checkouts it's now safe to do PMs. COVID-19 also makes PMing easier because the cashiers are less likely to want to scrutinize the competing flyers on my phone carefully. If I hold the phone to the plexiglass it's easy for them to see the product and price but difficult for them to read the "fine print" so they don't bother. In the past they'd read it to check that the description (size, quantity, origin, etc.) matched. That used to take most of the time it takes to PM(*).

Even PMing meat/poultry/fish is possible at RCSS as long as you understand the rules and gimmicks. Since other Loblaws chain stores like Zehrs also carry PC FF... items and have them on sale when RCSS doesn't, it's actually easier to PM at RCSS since they have nothing to argue over.

(*) For critics who say PMing delays people behind me, I shop early on Sunday mornings when there are few people in the store. There's rarely any queues at the checkouts.

Each RCSS can have its own list of competitors that can be PMed, so you have to ask at the one where you want to shop.

Jonric wrote: ↑ Each RCSS can have its own list of competitors that can be PMed, so you have to ask at the one where you want to shop.

I don't ask. I just assume. Often the cashiers either don't know or can't be bothered to look/ask

Also some cashiers know what's cheapest and where each week, presumably because they've done lots of PMs. Once you know who they are and they recognize you as a repeat customer, they'll often PM stuff on the belt without having to ask for it or show them anything

@bylo
Re - RCSS

I get that SuperStores are great
They certainly have a lot of fans on RFD
But they tend to be most available around Canada’s biggest cities
(Esp the GTA)

Few & Far between otherwise

Eastern Ontario:
Peterborough, Brockville, Ottawa
(lot of empty space in the middle between all these points ... and to the east)
And I don’t believe there are any in the Province of Quebec at all

I have no problem doing price match other meat/seafood/vegetables. Is pretty easy I can just bring other stores flyer or show them on my phone. They usually do it. For meat/seafood/vegetables I mage it won't be as easy as someone mention they can easily say is the not the same thing they are selling for and you really have no way to prof that.

Only if they have a location in the same geographical trading area. And even then meat has to be the same grade, same country of origin. Everything has to be exactly the same. Asian grocery stores usually sell a cheaper grade of meat so those are not eligible. If you want the cheaper price physically go to the Asian grocery store.