Tag: Nofrills

NoFrills in the Pandemic: Why I dislike shopping there

This is not NoFrills but an example of their line of cashiers. The single line queue for a cashier would start where the photographer is standing. This results in significant delays and increased risk to shoppers. This has discouraged me from shopping at NoFrills and going to other grocery chains, which offer similar prices and sales, more convenience and less risk of contracting the CoVid-19 virus.

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Toronto Map: Google vs Baidu Maps

I‘ve pretty much proved this, but in North America Google Maps is much better than Baidu. Here are maps from Downtown Toronto, near Bloor and East of Yonge Streets. Google Maps has actual street names and buildings. Baidu has only restaurants. Google’s satellite map is also really good. I could have also zoomed in for greater detail. Hands down, Google wins on English maps of Toronto.

Charles Street, near Bloor Street, Downtown Toronto, Google Maps

Charles Street, near Bloor Street, Downtown Toronto, Baidu Maps

Charles Street, near Bloor Street, Downtown Toronto, satellite, Google Maps

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NoFrills Website User Interface Error: Can you read this screen?

NoFrills grocery store web site has a selection screen of yellow buttons with white text. This colour contrast is so low and is very difficult to read.

There are more than a few user interface errors on the NoFrills web site. Our family is a frequent shopper at NoFrills, the Canadian grocery store. Thankfully they are much better as a grocery store than they are at building and maintaining their website.

A couple of weeks ago they blocked me because I have an ad blocker. Really? I want to see your advertisement flyer, which is displayed on your site, and because I have an ad blocker you deny me the ability to see your flyer? Is not this counter-productive to my family buying from your store?

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Hippopotamus Potato

I bought a bag of Naturally Imperfect potatoes from NoFrills, and out popped potato animals of all sorts! They are so cute that I had to share them with you.

Hippopotamus potato. This creature came out of a bag of naturally imperfect potatoes, bought at NoFrills. Toronto, Canada. Photo by Don Tai

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Potato Rabbits and Moai

Potato Moai, Naturally imperfect potatoes, NoFrills, Toronto, Canada. Photo by Don Tai

I bought a bag of naturally imperfect potatoes from my local NoFrills in Toronto, Canada, and many interesting shapes emerged. This is a great reason for me to buy more of these potatoes. These potatoes are not a perfect potato shape, so they were cheaper at 15lb for $2.50CAD. I saw a TV show about how farmers cannot sell imperfect potatoes because store chains reject them, and vowed to try them. I am glad I did. Unfortunately they are not readily available like other potatoes. I would buy more.

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Older Lady Falls in front of NoFrills, Scarborough

The randomness of life has once again asserted itself in Agincourt Mall, in front of NoFrills, Kennedy/Sheppard at 09:15 June 03 2011, an older Italian lady fell, cut her finger and could not get up. Her elderly husband could not help her and he was very distraught. A crowd gathered and we assessed her condition, which seemed not life threatening. Eventually an ambulance came and took her away. What was surprising to me was my reaction: Because she fell down in the middle of the road in front of our busy NoFrills, on the grounds of Agincourt Mall, that we were in danger of getting run down by dangerous and inattentive Scarborough drivers.

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Using Coupons in Canada: Crest Toothpaste

Crest toothpaste. From $2.37CAD at Walmart down to $0.75CAD, saving 68.35% off retail

Extreme Couponing is a TV series on Discovery Channel that follows the trips of people who can buy $1,000 of products but reduce their total cost to $50 through the use of manufacturer coupons. Extreme they are, organized as well as driven by a personal urge to save. Many came from experiences where they had nothing or were about to file for bankruptcy. Here in Canada their tactics do not work the same, so I set out to find the best strategy for couponing in Toronto, Canada. My example is the purchase of Crest toothpaste, 130mg, discounted 68.35%. I cannot come close to the 95% discount of the Americans, but will keep trying.

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Ethnic Canadian Honey on Sale but not original Canadian version? Really?

Sometimes our Canadian multiculturalism goes a little too far, even for a Chinese Canadian like myself. Here in Toronto, Canada and especially in Scarborough, my area of the world is biased towards Chinese, especially from the Mainland. Nofrills, a local big box grocer, decides to put Billy Bee Honey, 1 litre bottle on sale for $6.88CAD. This is high quality Canadian honey, which I have used for many years without issue. At the store I pick up four bottles and head to the cash, only to find that those I picked up are not the ones advertised on sale. The difference between the two: the advertised honey has an English-Chinese label and the one I picked up has an English only label. It was annoying to have to drop my bottles of honey at the cash, reenter the store and purchase what Nofrills calls “ethnic” Billy Bee honey. I am all for ethnic but please do not discriminate against English only labels and products. Nofrills, intended or not, you need a smack upside the head.

Billy Bee Honey: Bottle on the right called ethnic is on sale, the one on the left is not

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Mystery Shopping Test: Price Chopper, Nofrills

This mystery shopping test was done on Friday April 3, 2009, accompanied by my son. It was raining heavily and mad dashes from the car to the store entrance made us soaked. Still, it was +10C, and is expected for spring. Trip review: Price Chopper A, Nofrlls C.

General Notes

Toronto has a varying climate with 4 distinct seasons and significant precipitation. In the winter we can get a snowfall of 20cm in one day. Copious amounts of rain can fall, as is the case today. It has been raining hard today. Toronto is expecting 10-20mm of rain, so much so that you still get very wet running from the car to the store.

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Mystery Shopping Test: Nofrills, Wal*Mart

This mystery shopping test was done on Friday March 13, 2009, accompanied by my daughter. She rarely goes with me because she believes, and rightly so, that grocery shopping is boring. I try to impress upon her that without someone doing the shopping we would run out of food and therefore starve because we have no direct conduit to a grocery store built into our house. Trip review: Nofrlls B+, Walmart B

___Nofrills, Kennedy/Finch, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Objective: Sale priced tetrapack apple juice and general weekly shopping.

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