Overwaitea ripping us off?
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Submitted by sanook on Sat, 05/01/2008 - 8:37pm.
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 Joined: 23-12-2006 |
Now don't get me wrong, I love Overwaitea, great staff, good product selection and great community supporters, but I really feel like I am getting ripped off in the winter. (I hope Overwaitea doesn't ban me for posting this :eek) I hadn't shopped for a few weeks and went in the beginning of december and was really feeling like everything was waay more expensive than a few weeks earlier. I asked some of the staff if this was the case and they said "yep, its the winter season, prices are going up all over the store!" I was kind of stunned that they actually came right out and said this. So the other day I was coming back from skiing at Castle Mountain, where I ski now that I am banned from our ski hill here. Anyhow, I stopped at the new Sobeys/Old IGA to get some groceries. First of all, what a nice store, great selection of product! Second of all, the prices are CHEAP, well most items at least. The biggest single example that I found was the price of a sirloin tip steak was $9.56/kg.. the same cut of meat at overwaitea was 21.14/kg Cheese, 4.99 at Sobeys.... 9.99 at Overwaitea. And to top it all off, every second tuesday of the month everything in the store is 10% off.. on top of the 7% PST you save. I wish this wasn't so, because I believe in shopping local, but its hard to do when the prices are so hiked up here at Overwaitea. I don't know if this is the case at Extra Foods..... |
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Joined: 06-03-2007
You hit the nail on the head there Ryland. They jack prices considerably in the winter. The staff in Overwaitea are excellent I agree, but they don't control the pricing.
This year my wife has been working in Sparwood, so she often stops at Overwaitea there and picks up a few things. She claims the prices are cheaper at the Sparwood store than the Fernie one.
I don't know about Extra Foods winter pricing either.
So be it. I hope these people remember this when ski season is over and they start one of their 'shop local ' campaigns.
Personally I don't feel guilty in the least shopping out of town. When I hit a Costco, I stock up. I think all other locals should do the same, winter or summer. ...and the next time the local merchants start a 'shop local' blitz tell them why you don't shop local.
Joined: 06-05-2007
Now let's not get too excited here. It's my understanding that the shop local campaign is more focused on the smaller, locally owned, independent stores (ie Polar Peek, IGS, Cottonwood Tree etc) than chain stores. These places are able to bring in brands that the major stores can't or won't carry and to present local products to us. Sure Overwaitea upped their prices but Polar Peek dropped a lot of theirs, even taking a loss to offer us the US$ price on books. If we don't shop local Fernie will wind up an empty shell with no soul or originality. So choose whatever grocery store you want, but support small and locally owned when you can.
Joined: 23-12-2006
i haven't went back to overwaitea since this post. I get almost everything I need delivered right to my door every thursday from the dutchmans garden, and what I cant I get for much cheaper in Alberta.