Web site helps shoppers save big at the grocery store
Story By: Bea Karnes
Source: NBC
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, prices at the grocery store shot up more than five percent in 2007. But in spite of that many have found a way to cut their bill in half by playing the grocery game.
Shannon Alexy loads her cart with one deal after another, but before she sets foot in the store, she visits TheGroceryGame. The Web site uses powerful databases to let shoppers know where the best deals can be found and where to find coupons for those same items.
"It's real easy. Anyone can do it," said Alexy. First, shoppers print out a shopping list of the deals they want from the website. Then they go to the store with the coupons collected from the Sunday paper and reap the benefits.
For example: On a recent shopping trip, Alexy purchased a bottle of Dove shampoo that is normally priced at $3.69. The Web site indicated that the bottle was on sale for $3 and she had a coupon for $2 off. The final sales price was $1 and she earned a savings of 73 percent.
Alexy pays a subscriber fee of $5 per month to get the sale list for one store and an additional $2.50 per month for an additional store. Alexy said the subscriber fee is money well spent. "I save that much on one trip," said Alexy.
The woman who created the Web site said many items only go on sale every 12 weeks and the key to saving the most money is by stocking up on products when they go on sale.
"When nothing's on sale you still have it and you don't have to go out and spend that extra money," said Alexy. On a recent trip, Alexy saved 45 percent on what would have been her total purchase cost had she not used sale prices or coupons. With five mouths to feed, Alexy said playing the grocery game makes a big difference in her family's budget. "We have more money to pay off our debt, we have more money to pay for gas," said Alexy.
