Walmart and Superstore Mini Grocery Battle
If we compare Walmart and Superstore, which one will win? In this post, I will share my thoughts.
As a new immigrant, one of the first questions that came to mind was: Which is the best place for grocery shopping? Honestly, the best grocery store depends on the shopper’s lifestyle, needs, and preferences. With sales and promotions, the top choice may change from time to time.
As someone living alone, Costco’s cheaper but bigger portions do not work for me. As expected, Asian groceries are my go-to places for special items. But, Walmart and Superstore are my usual choices for basic items.
Which one is better for me on regular days? I did a bit of observation and experiment for around 2 weeks in the Walmart and Superstore in Guildford, Surrey to find out.
Clothing
Back in the Philippines, I do not recall buying or seeing clothes in groceries. This is not the case in Canada. Both Walmart and Superstore devote a huge display area for clothes and fashion items.
Real Canadian Superstore is home to the Joe Fresh brand. They offer items for babies, toddlers, kids, and adults.
Walmart carries clothing, shoes, and fashion accessories from various brands such as George, Athletic Works, No Boundaries, Canadiana, and Reebok, among others. They also sell items for people of all ages. I find their graphic shirts cute and unique. In fact, I bought several of these to give to loved ones.
Decorations
I think Walmart has more decorations and furniture on display. However, these are dispersed in various areas. The last time I shopped, I even saw some chairs on top of the fruits and vegetables rack.
Superstore may have fewer decorations and furniture on sale. But, the display is more attractive. Walking through the home furnishing aisles gives off a feeling of walking into a department or home furnishing store.
Electronics
I rarely notice the electronics section in Superstore Guildford. I only remember seeing printers. In contrast, Walmart reserves a huge retail space for electronics. They sell TV, laptops and computers, and mobile phones. So, if you are looking to buy electronics, Walmart is a safer bet between these 2 options.
Ethnic Food
I noticed that the International Food aisle in Guildford’s Walmart Supercentre is expanding. However, I still find more ethnic food in Superstore. This may be because of the Superstore’s association with Loblaws, which owns T&T Asian grocery.
Meat and Seafood
I prefer buying meat and seafood at Superstore because the variety, cuts, and parts that I need for my dishes are more readily available here. Again, this may be because of Superstore’s association with Loblaws and T&T.
One thing to note is that Superstore put older but food-safe items at a 30% discount. They also have club sizes, or bigger portions, which are cheaper in terms of cost per kg. So, there are more options for budget-conscious shoppers.
Other Services
The Walmart and Superstore locations in the Guildford neighborhood in Surrey both have a pharmacy, optical, and medical clinic. While Superstore has a PC Financial Kiosk, Walmart houses more service providers such as a portrait studio, hair salon, and insurance kiosk. I even saw a key-cutting machine along the hallway. The presence of these other service providers is convenient for busy shoppers.
Personal Care and Home Care Products
On a regular day, the personal care and home care items I frequently need are slightly cheaper in Superstore. In terms of options, I would say they are fairly equal.
Produce
While there are more options in Superstore in terms of variety, I give more points to Walmart in terms of freshness.
I started noticing this with the packed garlic. I only buy the 3-in-1 pack. Usually, when I reach the last garlic bought at Superstore, it already has soft spots. I once complained about this at work and one of my colleagues mentioned that his wife said the exact same thing to him. They have been living in Canada their entire lives and reside in a different neighborhood. Though our experiences are hardly enough to generalize, it gives me something to take note of.
Rewards Program
In terms of the rewards program, I would vote for Superstore. I seem to accumulate points or cashback faster with it.
Credit cards associated with both stores give rewards based on purchases. However, Superstore gives away weekly PC Optimum points as well.
Self-Checkout
I like the simplicity and efficiency of Walmart’s self-checkout system. To my recollection, I have only tried Superstore’s self-checkout lane twice. Both times, I encountered issues. So, I usually line up at a regular checkout lane to avoid the hassle.
Other Observations
I noticed that in the afternoon, it’s hard to find shopping baskets at Walmart. On the other hand, I find a lot of empty baskets waiting for shoppers at the Superstore entrance.
At the height of Covid, I appreciated how Walmart stepped up on its safety measures. While Superstore only had wipes and sanitizer by the entrance, Walmart even had a staff member distribute sanitizing wipes. This means that shoppers did not touch any portion of the wipes that will be used by the next customer. To their credit, both did some modifications to their layout and had directional signs for narrow spaces.
While both Walmart and Superstore are both centrally located, Walmart is adjacent to the Guildford Town Centre and has a McDonald’s branch inside. This is a bonus for people who want to do everything in one go or people who are using transit.
Pricing
Of course, no comparison is complete without looking at the prices. I did a bit of research and simulation on March 21, 2023, on Walmart and Superstore’s websites using some items that a regular shopper may buy. Here is the result.
Grocery List
Sales and promotions may influence the results and the best option.
To me, Walmart and Superstore are fairly equal. But, there may be items that are best bought at Walmart or Superstore. I sometimes check out savings apps like Flipp for sales that may influence my shopping.
Watch my Mini Grocery Battle vlog on my YouTube channel.
