Grocery prices in Canada: Vancouver shopper shocked at 'bizarrely high' price of dried apricots

A shopper who intended to buy dried apricots from a Real Canadian Superstore in Vancouver came into shock after the small 450-gram bag rang up at $27.90 at the Loblaw-affiliated grocery store.

The shopper, whose username on Reddit is Sweetdreamer16, took to the forum "Loblaws Is Out of Control" to vent about the outrageous price for the 450-gram bag of the pre-packed treat they wanted to buy for their child. The poster updated the thread to let readers know their "toddler had to do without" the snack because of the high price.

“I even had to double scan to make sure I was seeing the correct price,” the poster wrote under a photo of the dried fruit in front of the cash register, which displayed the price as $27.90. “I thought buying bulk would mean it would be cheaper. Guess my baby needs to quit his dried fruit addiction.”

Reddit reacts: Better bulk buys at other stores

Several people in the over 70 comments suggested other retailers that would have the same product for significantly cheaper, such as Amazon, which had a 350-gram pack for $8.99, Costco, which had a 1.36-kg bag for $18.99, or Ayoub’s, which was selling dried apricots for $11 per pound.

Others insisted on the cost benefits of buying these types of products in bulk — just not from Loblaws or its affiliated stores.

“Bulk Barn is pretty good for dried fruit prices,” Fantastic-Guitar-355 wrote.

"They have coupons at the Bulk Barn and you just have to pull them up on the mobile app,” pumpkin68 added.

One commenter warned the bulk section at Loblaws is overpriced.

“The prices are bizarrely high, but people associate ‘bulk’ with ‘value’ and fall for it, I guess,” Wolferesque wrote. “We once put a bag of those little chocolate coins with the sprinkles on top in our cart. Rang in at $11. Didn’t buy. We went to Bulk Barn the next day and got a bag of a similar size for $3.20.”

The online store for BulkBarn in North Vancouver was selling Turkish apricots for $2.18 per 100 grams, which totalled $9.81 for 450 grams.

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Other commenters suggested a do-it-yourself approach to drying apricots.

“Investing in a dehydrator is a game changer if you eat lots of dried fruits,” Crainybonk3000 wrote. “My kids are obsessed with dried fruit for snacks too. I dehydrate extra that we grow and buy local fruit when it's in season and cheap. Saves a ton of money and is super healthy.”

Grocery prices in Canada: Redditors share horror stories

The "Loblaws Is Out of Control" subreddit, with 21,000 members, is becoming a popular place for Canadians to spotlight eye-popping prices on groceries. Recent posts include $40 for a five pack of chicken breasts, $16 for 500 grams of bologna, and $16 for one watermelon.