To Shop or Not to Shop?: A Comparison of Two Grocery Stores.
Have you ever thought about the grocery store where you shop, and why you shop there instead of at the grocery store across the street? If you're like me, the thought has never crossed your mind. After all, why would it? You might never believe what I discovered as a result of this question. I have compared to grocery stores in Seven Points, Texas, both on FM 274, located directly across the street from one another. The differences in the selection, the service, and especially the prices of the exact same items at David's and IGA - Food Rite might shock you. Although IGA - Food Rite is a decent grocery store, the selection, service, and prices at David's make it a much better bet for your time and money.
Possibly the most important factor when comparing to equally sized grocery stores is the price. Surprisingly, the difference in price between to competing grocery stores can be vast. By price, I mean the amount of money you would pay for the exact same item at each of the stores. At each store I priced a 12-pack of original Coca-Cola, a loaf of generic white bread, and a can of Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup. At IGA - Food Rite the Coca-Cola costs $3.29, the bread costs $0.89, and the soup costs $0.69. As far as I was concerned in the beginning this seemed to be a fair price for these items, but that was before I was concerned. It turns out the to purchase just these three items at IGA - Food Rite was a terrible deal compared to purchasing them at David's.
Who would think that prices at two competing grocery stores located across the street from each other would be greatly different. Once again, I would never think of considering to think about the possible monetary savings. As you know, the items being compared are a 12-pack of original Coca-Cola, a loaf of generic white bread, and a can of Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup, and at IGA - Food Rite they totaled $4.