There are often a few major grocery stores in a given area, and the prices on individual items can vary pretty widely from tore to store. While some might say it all evens out, others argue that there must be a store that is "cheap" and a store that is "expensive".
Whether or not that is true, it is quite possible to identify which store will cost you less. It might take a couple of hours, but you could end up saving quite a bit over the course of your stay in your neighborhood by taking the time to look things over.
The method that I propose is the same one that the Feds use to determine inflation. You will have to critically look at your purchasing patterns for groceries and household supplies for whatever your major interval of purchasing is, whether that is by week, month, or year for you folks on the outskirts of civilization. Anyway, get a good idea of what you're buying and then visit the stores on your list.
Write down the numbers of each item you plan on buying, and the cost at the store. Once you get home, you can compare the total costs and the costs of each item. By doing so I found out that my local grocery chain has cheaper produce than Walmart, but the meats are more expensive, and Walmart has a better price for rice and wheat flour than the grocery store. But if I were to shop in only one place, I would get a better price at Walmart.
The neat thing is, the lower cost store will likely remain lower price for a while. Ideally you would reassess costs frequently, but I only do a price check with the market basket technique once a year or so.
If you are willing to visit multiple stores, however, you can buy the lower priced items at both places and save even more!
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