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So I've always been a fan of these "natural" health stores like Natural Grocers, Sprouts Farmers Market & sometimes Whole Foods Market. I am obsessed with their health aisles filled with vitamins & supplements.
Until recently, I've always gone straight to the health section, or checked out some essential oils, then made my way out. I knew that stores like this have many other options, I just always chose to stick to what I'm used to (which is usually Walmart or the commissary), because I naturally assumed that prices there would be cheaper. Then the other day I went walking into a Sprouts in search of some herbs. Well because I had never been to this Sprouts, I was lost and ended up walking through the entire store!
I was carrying my daughter over my shoulder since she had fallen asleep (and didn't want to wake her by putting her in the shopping cart), and here I am scrambling through the store. All these bins of "bulk essentials" caught my attention. [You can read more about bulk here & here]. While I've noticed them before, I never cared to think about it. What made me stop and look a little longer was when I noticed how low the price was listed on some items I know I normally pay more for. I later went on their website and even found out they do weekly deals just like traditional grocery store chains and have a whole section on how to save money!
So I decided to do some research:
At Sprouts, Steel cut oats, Rolled Oats & Quick Oats were all listed at $0.99/lb. 1 lb converts to 16 oz, and when calculated, the unit price is $0.062 per ounce.
At Walmart, Quaker Oats Old Fashioned Oatmeal & Quick 1 - Minute Oatmeal were both listed at $2.36 for 18 oz. When calculated, the unit price is $0.131 per ounce.
And their 42 oz sizes were listed at $3.98, making their unit price approximately $0.095 per ounce.
While the store brand, Great Value Old Fashioned Oats and Quick Oats are both listed at $1.76 for 18 oz. When calculated, the unit price is $0.09777 per ounce.
And the 42 oz sizes were listed at $2.46, making their unit price $0.585 per ounce.
It's easy to do it too. Grab a bag (or bring your own you eco friendly pro), and tag it. Fill it with your favorite items with as much or little as you need. Write the code and voila! [Methods might slightly differ by store.]
To be clear, this is only an example of prices at my local stores on this particular product at this particular time. Not everything from a Sprouts or other health foods store is going to beat a standard grocery chains prices.
For example:
At Sprouts, white long grain rice is listed at $1.29/lb. 1lb converts to 16 oz, and when calculated, the unit price is $0.08.
At Walmart, Mahatma Long Grain Rice 1lb (16oz) is listed at $1.00.The unit price was $0.0625.
Mahatma Long Grain Rice 5lbs (80 oz), was listed for $4.22. The unit price is close to $0.053.
And the store brand, Great Value Long Grain Rice 1lb (16 oz) was only $0.64, making the unit price $0.04.
The Great Value Long Grain Rice 5lbs (80 oz) was $2.24, making the unit price $0.028.
So basically, not all health food stores are expensive. In fact, they can sometimes be cheaper than our usual store choice. This isn't just limited to their bulk selections. I've found that when you shop at the right time, you can get healthy produce and other selections for a competitive price! Whole Foods even has discounts for Amazon prime members that can be delivered straight to your door. And if you shopping online is your thing, you can filter by dietary preference. And because they hold high quality standards for EVERYTHING that comes into their store, you can feel good about what you're buying.
So next time you're tempted to stick to the regular way of shopping, step out of your comfort zone & see for yourself! You never know what you might find.
This post is in NO WAY sponsored by any affiliate or program. These findings are all on my own, and are simply shared by own research and love of health!