Want to save money at the grocery store? Here’s how Canada’s price-matching apps stack up

Canadians will pay more than ever for food in 2022, and with prices expected to continue to rise, everyone is looking for ways to save.

One easy way to do this is through price match apps: they’re free, easy to download, and sold at different grocery stores in a given area, so it’s easy to see where you can save.

Barry Choi, a personal finance expert in Toronto, estimates that consumers can save 10 to 14 percent on their bills by using such apps.

In addition to saving money, these apps can save time by reducing trips to the grocery store, says Liz Schieck, a financial planner at the New School of Finance in Toronto. That’s because shoppers can anticipate which stores have the most items on sale—and match what they need to the rest.

According to Mr. Choi, there should be some etiquette in negotiating the price so as not to irritate the customers in line behind him.

“If I’m in the Express line, I’m not right on the price,” he says. “You have to know the rules.”

In recent years, many grocery matching apps have appeared on the market. That’s how they stack up.

Reebee

The rewards: Reebee is intuitive and efficient. Using your zip code, it will list all the flyers for stores near you. Each food item is clickable, and when you click on it, its name and price will appear at the bottom of the screen, so you can add it to your shopping list or share it with another family member. The resulting shopping list is organized by store, so you can clearly see which products are located where. This screen can be shared with the cashier at checkout, allowing for quick price reconciliation. Acquired by Flipp in 2022, Reebee also offers a search function that allows you to quickly find the price of a single product across multiple stores for instant comparison.

Disadvantage: The app does not include grocery coupons.

The final verdict: A well-designed ad-free price matching app that is very easy to use.

Get the app here.

Save.ca

The rewards are: Save.ca lists local flyers based on your zip code. If you find a product you’re interested in, the app will circle it in blue and add it to your shopping list, organized under the store name. Save.ca also lists different categories that allow you to match prices on staples like bananas, cereal, fruit, cat food, and more. For example, if you click on steak, all steak offers in the area can be viewed and added. favorite on your list. Remember to use the items listed under each category when bidding, not the list you create when you click on the flyer. Clicking on an item in the list simply takes you back to the flyer, which makes for an awkward cashier interaction.

Disadvantage: The Save.ca coupon section only has three or four coupons at any given time. The Cash Back button is also empty, with “more to come”.

The final verdict: Save.ca can be an effective way to negotiate prices because the grocery deals in each category are large and easy to show to the cashier. The coupons section offers little value.

Get the app here.

Flip

The rewards: Flipp lists the flyers of all stores in the area. Clicking on the deal will highlight it and allow the user to view the details of the deal in full screen, share it with someone else, or buy it online if the merchant offers online sales. It is also added to the shopping list in the form of an ad, under the store where it is sold. The selected item is easy to view and quickly displayed to the grocery store cashier. You can search for items by “newest”, alphabetically or by category. It’s also possible to create a “watch list” of items you want to track, which will display sales lists for those items in your area.

The disadvantages: Flipp has more features than some other apps for the price, so it’s a bit more complicated to use for the less experienced.

The final verdict: This app is great if you’re tracking prices for higher-cost items like organic milk, steak, or fish. Items can be easily added and accessed, making price negotiation simple.

Get the app here.

Flyerify

The rewards: Flyerify takes a different approach to price matching by featuring an eclectic, alphabetical list of stores that includes fast food restaurants, ethnic grocers, drugstores, and health food stores. By clicking on the store, the store’s flyer or the offers of the given week will be displayed. To negotiate, you need to tap on the advertised offer and zoom in manually on your phone.

Disadvantage: The application does not allow the user to create a personalized shopping list. Flyerify has both full screen and banner ads that are very distracting. And the trending part – which contains the ads with the highest traffic – is not very useful if the offers are not nearby.

The final verdict: This app is ideal if you shop at a number of non-mainstream stores in your area. You can provide a list of offers that you won’t find anywhere else.

Get the app here.

Smartcanucks

The rewards: Smartcanucks also uses an alphabetical list of Canadian flyers from a variety of retailers, including small grocers, health food stores, and ethnic grocers. This includes larger retailers selling fast food, clothing, furniture, electronics, household goods, luggage and cosmetics. By clicking on a shop, the relevant weekly flyer appears. One of the most important features is the hot deals section, which lists the most popular deals of that week. By clicking on the deal, you will see the flyer of the given deal, as well as a written description of the given deal.

The disadvantages: Ads dominate the app from start to finish, making it very difficult to navigate and distinguish between an ad and a flyer. Store flyers are also often out of date. Users can create an account, select four favorite stores, but cannot create a personalized grocery list. As a result, there is not much benefit in registering.

The final judgment: This app is less grocery store-specific, so it’s better suited for users who want to find out about the multitude of deals in their area, as long as they don’t mind scrolling through countless ads.

Get the app here.

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