In November, I reported amazing savings for those savvy shoppers who choose Drug Mart instead of Giant Eagle, especially for seniors capitalizing on Drug Mart’s 15% discount day.
This month, I compared Drug Mart to Meijer in Lorain. For my market basket of staples, I found that:
- Meijer emerged victorious, beating Drug Mart by 7% before Drug Mart’s discount
- After its discount, Drug Mart bested Meijer by a whopping 9%
- Each outfit offers terrific deals on specific items
- Eggs are out of control.
The bottom line is that both Drug Mart and Meijer offer solid deals and it pays to scope out specific bargains at both of them. And, for seniors, Drug Mart’s 15% discount day, which is on the first Wednesday of each month, is a goldmine.
Specific deal examples: potatoes (5 lbs, russet) were only $1.99 at Drug Mart but $3.99 at Meijer. Six rolls of Charmin Ultra Soft were $8.39 at Meijer but $10.79 at Drug Mart (and $14.99 at Giant Eagle in November!).
Since Drug Mart was included in my November 2024 comparison, I can also report that its total price for my market basket of staples was down a whopping 9% since that comparison two months ago.
But what about them eggs?!
Egg prices have reached “eggs-staordinary” heights due to the ongoing bird flu outbreak. The outbreak drove poultry farms to kill millions of egg-laying hens, drastically reducing supply. In addition, transportation costs and new state regulations requiring cage-free egg production have driven prices up. Sadly, until these these circumstances are reversed, we’ll all need to “shell” out the big bucks.
For those who enjoy minutiae, here’s an inventory of market basket prices.
Household Items
6 rolls of Bounty are slightly more affordable at Meijer, priced at $11.99 compared to Drug Mart’s $12.99. But after applying its senior discount, Drug Mart offers a better deal at $11.04. The same pattern holds for 6 rolls of Charmin Ultra Soft, with Meijer pricing at $8.39, significantly lower than Drug Mart’s $10.79 ($9.17 with discount). On the other hand, 28 oz Dawn is cheaper at Drug Mart ($4.00, and $3.40 with discount) than at Meijer, which sells it for $5.39.
Food Items
For food, Drug Mart often provides better prices post-discount, but not in every case. Potatoes (5 lbs) cost considerably less at Drug Mart ($1.99, and $1.69 after discount) versus Meijer’s at $3.99. The stores are neck-and-neck for Starkist Tuna (5 oz),but Drug Mart’s discount brings their price down 15% lower than Meijer’s ($0.85).
Milk (1 gallon of 2%) is more budget-friendly at Meijer ($2.62) than at Drug Mart ($3.39, and $2.88 after discount). Eggs (a dozen) are lower at Meijer at $4.19 than at Drug Mart ($5.99, and $5.09 with discount). The stores are neck-and-neck for Apple Juice (64 oz) at $2.00 from Drug Mart and $2.19 from Meijer, but here too Drug Mart takes the lead with its discount ($1.70). OJ (52 oz) is the same story with Meijer at $4.19 and Drug Mart at $4.49 ($3.82 with discount). Same story for Maxwell House Coffee (27.5 oz), with Drug Mart at $7.99 ($6.79 with discount) and Meijer at $8.49.
For some unknown reason, Cheerios (12 oz) went up $1.00 to $5.99 ($5.09 with discount) at Drug Mart (between November and early February) while Meijer (not included in my November comparison) clocked in at $1.00 less than Drug Mart at $3.99.
