If you don’t want to shop at grocery stores in Canada and spend a lot of money, you have quite a few options.
There are stores that you probably didn’t know you could get cheap groceries from.
Discount retailers and dollar stores across the country offer grocery products at lower prices than most grocery stores.
You can get bread, meat, eggs, milk, fresh fruits and vegetables, frozen foods, canned goods, coffee, spreads, cereal, snacks, drinks, and so much more at these stores.
That’s basically everything you can buy at a grocery store.
A lot of the products that these retailers offer are at lower prices, like less than $1, just a few dollars or under $10.
So, here are eight cheaper grocery store alternatives in Canada where you can get groceries if you want to save money.
Giant Tiger
Giant Tiger is a discount store chain in Canada that sells clothing, home products, health and beauty items, toys, and more.
If you’ve never shopped at a Giant Tiger store, you might not know that you can also get a lot of groceries at this discount retailer.
That includes fresh fruits and vegetables, dairy, meat and seafood, frozen foods, canned goods, pasta, drinks, coffee and tea, cereal, snacks, condiments, and more.
Giant Tiger has name-brand groceries and its own house brand, Giant Value.
Prices range from under $1 to around $30, depending on the product.
There are more than 260 stores in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and P.E.I.
Dollarama
Dollarama is a discount retailer in Canada that has almost all the same food products as grocery stores.
Prices for all products, including groceries, are $5 or less.
You can get name-brand items like Wonder bread, Kraft peanut butter, Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Froot Loops cereal, Nescafe instant coffee, Oreo cookies, Quaker granola bars, Lay’s chips, Pillsbury dessert mixes, and more.
There are also even more grocery products at Dollarama, including tea, maple syrup, oatmeal, pasta, tomato sauce, instant noodles, pop, candy and chocolates.
Dollarama has stores in every province and Yukon and the Northwest Territories.
Shoppers Drug Mart
Shoppers Drug Mart is a Loblaw-owned pharmacy chain.
You can shop for groceries like bread, eggs, milk, butter, frozen foods, pasta, pop, juice, crackers, cookies, chips, spreads, cereal, coffee and more.
Some products are just a couple of dollars, and even more are cheaper than $10.
There are Shoppers Drug Mart locations in every province, along with stores in Yukon and the Northwest Territories.
Dollar Tree
Dollar Tree is a discount retailer that sells typical dollar store products like household items, home decor, and craft supplies.
You can also get groceries for cheap, including Kraft Dinner, dried pasta, tomato sauce, instant noodles, salad dressing, herbs and spices, oatmeal, cookies, chocolate, candy and more.
Most products cost $1.50 or $1.75, and there are more off-brands than name-brand products at Dollar Tree.
There are Dollar Tree stores in B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario.
Rexall
Rexall is another pharmacy chain in Canada that also sells groceries.
You can find grocery products like bread, eggs, milk, cheese, frozen foods, pop, nuts, chips, and more at prices that can be cheaper than grocery stores.
A lot of food products cost less than $10 and even less than $5.
There are locations in B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and New Brunswick.
Bulk Barn
Bulk Barn is a retailer that offers products in bulk bins that you put into bags or containers yourself.
If you’ve never been in a store or don’t shop there often, you might think it’s just baking supplies, candy and chocolate.
But you can also get coffee, tea, cereal, nut butters, fillings and spreads, spices, seasonings, nuts, beans, soup mixes, dried fruit, pasta, rice, drink mixes, and more food items.
Prices range from under $1 to around $10 per 100 grams for bulk items. Pre-packaged products like granola bars can cost more.
Bulk Barn has locations in every Canadian province.
Red Apple
Red Apple is a Canadian chain of small-town general stores.
You can find so many groceries at these stores, including instant noodles, canned goods, pasta, chips, chocolate, candy, pop, spreads, coffee, cereal, and more.
“Whether you’re planning a week’s worth of meals, grabbing quick snacks, or restocking your pantry, we’ve got you covered,” the retailer said.
Most food items at these stores cost just a couple of dollars.
There are over 140 Red Apple stores in B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador.
London Drugs
London Drugs is a Canadian pharmacy chain, so you might think it only has drug store staples like medication, beauty products and other health items.
But you can also get grocery items like bread, milk, cereal, coffee, spreads, pop, juice, candy, chocolate, chips, ice cream, condiments, and more.
Food prices range from just under a dollar to around $40, depending on the product.
There are locations in B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
These prices are confirmed at the time of publishing, but they can change at any time. Taxes and fees may not be included.