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Grocery-price survey analyzed
THELMA GRIMES
News-Sun
With news Wal-Mart may come to Benson, one of the main comments from residents favoring the retail power's move to the valley has been that the only grocery store in town will have to launch a competitive-pricing plan.
Many residents have said publicly, and in several letters to the newspaper, that Wal-Mart is going to be an answer to Benson's problems and would result in local merchants lowering prices and becoming more competitive, especially Safeway grocery store.
Spurred by those comments, the San Pedro Valley News-Sun decided to put Benson's Safeway to the test. Along with my husband, Jon Grimes, I conducted an informal grocery survey by shopping at three Safeway stores on Saturday, Dec. 4
At 599 W. 4th Street in Benson.
At 9050 E. Valencia Rd. in East Tucson, 38.38 miles from Benson.
At 7110 N. Oracle Rd. in Northwest Tucson, 59.22 miles from Benson.
To give us something to compare Safeway's prices, we thought it seemed logical to include a Wal-Mart Super Center in the survey. After shopping at the three Safeway stores, we headed over to the Wal-Mart at 8280 N. Cortaro Rd. in Marana, 75.59 miles northwest of Benson.
During the survey, we purchased the same items at each store and, when possible, got the same brand and size of each product.
Products purchased included one gallon of milk, one dozen eggs, a loaf of whole wheat bread, a four-roll pack of toilet paper, a bag of baked Ruffles potato chips, 10 pounds of potatoes, a variety pack of lunch meat, Tide liquid laundry detergent, five pounds of carrots, one box of cereal, three pounds of apples and a three-pound chuck roast.
The total spent at each store was as follows:
$42.49 at Wal-Mart in Marana.
$49.55 at Safeway on Valencia Road in Tucson
$49.75 at Safeway on Oracle Road. in Tucson
$51.39 at Safeway in Benson
While there are very slight differences between the three Safeway totals, it is important to note that Benson has a 2.5 percent food tax and Tucson does not. The only items Tucson charged a sales tax for were the laundry detergent and toilet paper.
In Benson, we paid $1.70 in taxes, whereas in Tucson, the total taxes were 70 cents, or $1 less than Benson.
Even with minor cost differences, the differences might not seem as slight for families purchasing $100 or more in groceries, especially with Benson's food tax, which Wal-Mart will also have to collect.
The biggest difference in cost in the four stores was that of toilet paper and laundry detergent.
At all three Safeway locations, the cost for a four-pack of Charmin double-roll toilet tissue was $3.99, while at Wal-Mart the cost was $1.23, a $2.76 difference.
For laundry detergent on this occasion, because the 100-ounce bottle of liquid Tide was on sale for $5.99 at Safeway, it cost less than Wal-Mart's, which regularly sells at $7.44.
At all three Safeway locations the regular price for a bottle of Tide is $8.99, or $1.55 more than Wal-Mart.
We were surprised to find that, with a few exceptions, the cost difference for groceries was minimal, at least for the items we purchased.
One of those exceptions was the cost of a 20-ounce box of Kellogg's Frosted Flakes. At all three Safeway locations, the cost was $4.59 a box, but at Wal-Mart it cost $2.50, a difference of $2.09.
While competition is good for pricing on most occasions, it is important to note that the Safeway located on Oracle Road in Tucson is located within blocks of two other grocery stores and within 7.25 miles of the Wal-Mart Super Center.
Regarding meat purchases, there was some difference between Wal-Mart and Safeway.
There was a difference in selection. Safeway has recently started pushing its new Rancher's Reserve brand of meat, stating it is of better quality. At every Safeway, that was the only brand we had to choose from.
At the Benson store, in particular, there was not that much variety in terms of roast selections, which is why we chose to purchase a three-pound chuck rib roast for $4.29 per pound. Then at Wal-Mart, while there was no name brand available, the cost for a similar roast was $3.38 per pound.
The roast at Benson's Safeway was $13.17, and at Wal-Mart the cost was $9.73, a $3.44 difference. All the Safeway stores were the same price per pound.
We noticed at Safeway that a butcher was always on hand to cut a selection of meat the way we wanted, which was not the case at Wal-Mart.
At Wal-Mart, the meat is prepackaged in a plastic container. While there were some noted differences, we concluded that if and when Wal-Mart comes to Benson, it's going to come down to a person's shopping preference.
In doing the informal survey, we agreed there was not enough of a price difference to change our grocery shopping habits.
News-Sun
With news Wal-Mart may come to Benson, one of the main comments from residents favoring the retail power's move to the valley has been that the only grocery store in town will have to launch a competitive-pricing plan.
Many residents have said publicly, and in several letters to the newspaper, that Wal-Mart is going to be an answer to Benson's problems and would result in local merchants lowering prices and becoming more competitive, especially Safeway grocery store.
Spurred by those comments, the San Pedro Valley News-Sun decided to put Benson's Safeway to the test. Along with my husband, Jon Grimes, I conducted an informal grocery survey by shopping at three Safeway stores on Saturday, Dec. 4
At 599 W. 4th Street in Benson.
At 9050 E. Valencia Rd. in East Tucson, 38.38 miles from Benson.
At 7110 N. Oracle Rd. in Northwest Tucson, 59.22 miles from Benson.
To give us something to compare Safeway's prices, we thought it seemed logical to include a Wal-Mart Super Center in the survey. After shopping at the three Safeway stores, we headed over to the Wal-Mart at 8280 N. Cortaro Rd. in Marana, 75.59 miles northwest of Benson.
During the survey, we purchased the same items at each store and, when possible, got the same brand and size of each product.
Products purchased included one gallon of milk, one dozen eggs, a loaf of whole wheat bread, a four-roll pack of toilet paper, a bag of baked Ruffles potato chips, 10 pounds of potatoes, a variety pack of lunch meat, Tide liquid laundry detergent, five pounds of carrots, one box of cereal, three pounds of apples and a three-pound chuck roast.
The total spent at each store was as follows:
$42.49 at Wal-Mart in Marana.
$49.55 at Safeway on Valencia Road in Tucson
$49.75 at Safeway on Oracle Road. in Tucson
$51.39 at Safeway in Benson
While there are very slight differences between the three Safeway totals, it is important to note that Benson has a 2.5 percent food tax and Tucson does not. The only items Tucson charged a sales tax for were the laundry detergent and toilet paper.
In Benson, we paid $1.70 in taxes, whereas in Tucson, the total taxes were 70 cents, or $1 less than Benson.
Even with minor cost differences, the differences might not seem as slight for families purchasing $100 or more in groceries, especially with Benson's food tax, which Wal-Mart will also have to collect.
The biggest difference in cost in the four stores was that of toilet paper and laundry detergent.
At all three Safeway locations, the cost for a four-pack of Charmin double-roll toilet tissue was $3.99, while at Wal-Mart the cost was $1.23, a $2.76 difference.
For laundry detergent on this occasion, because the 100-ounce bottle of liquid Tide was on sale for $5.99 at Safeway, it cost less than Wal-Mart's, which regularly sells at $7.44.
At all three Safeway locations the regular price for a bottle of Tide is $8.99, or $1.55 more than Wal-Mart.
We were surprised to find that, with a few exceptions, the cost difference for groceries was minimal, at least for the items we purchased.
One of those exceptions was the cost of a 20-ounce box of Kellogg's Frosted Flakes. At all three Safeway locations, the cost was $4.59 a box, but at Wal-Mart it cost $2.50, a difference of $2.09.
While competition is good for pricing on most occasions, it is important to note that the Safeway located on Oracle Road in Tucson is located within blocks of two other grocery stores and within 7.25 miles of the Wal-Mart Super Center.
Regarding meat purchases, there was some difference between Wal-Mart and Safeway.
There was a difference in selection. Safeway has recently started pushing its new Rancher's Reserve brand of meat, stating it is of better quality. At every Safeway, that was the only brand we had to choose from.
At the Benson store, in particular, there was not that much variety in terms of roast selections, which is why we chose to purchase a three-pound chuck rib roast for $4.29 per pound. Then at Wal-Mart, while there was no name brand available, the cost for a similar roast was $3.38 per pound.
The roast at Benson's Safeway was $13.17, and at Wal-Mart the cost was $9.73, a $3.44 difference. All the Safeway stores were the same price per pound.
We noticed at Safeway that a butcher was always on hand to cut a selection of meat the way we wanted, which was not the case at Wal-Mart.
At Wal-Mart, the meat is prepackaged in a plastic container. While there were some noted differences, we concluded that if and when Wal-Mart comes to Benson, it's going to come down to a person's shopping preference.
In doing the informal survey, we agreed there was not enough of a price difference to change our grocery shopping habits.
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