I compared my grocery shop at 3 of Quebec's major stores — One bill was $34 cheaper

Maxi

When I walked into the Maxi I visited, I will admit that it had a little bit of "we are doing our best" energy. A few shelves were empty, the store didn't exactly invite me to wander around for fun, and it definitely didn't have the carefully arranged, romantic little grocery store look some people love. But it took about three minutes of looking at the prices to understand why people come here.

I started with the basics:

• A 675-gram loaf of Pom sliced bread was $4
• A 2-litre carton of Natrel milk was $7.25
• A 454-gram block of Lactantia butter was $6.50

Adult life is apparently just standing in a grocery aisle, staring at butter and deciding whether that price feels personally offensive. Not a bad start so far, however.

For dinner, I chose:

• Chicken breasts for $4.99 for one pound (for this comparison, I looked at the closest equivalent product at each store)
• A 325-gram Ristorante Mozzarella thin-crust pizza for $3.47 (an ode to my first year living alone, when a frozen pizza felt like a fully planned meal)

• One pound of bananas came to 79 cents (because what if I decide I want to be healthy?)
• A 24-double-roll pack of Cashmere toilet paper was $15.99 (because no one deserves the kind of betrayal that comes with running out at the worst possible moment).
• A 450-millilitre Häagen-Dazs for $5.50
• A pumpkin for $2.

For the wild ones I also added in:

• A 24-pack of Corona for $31.85
• A 4-litre box of Revolution Red wine for $41.99 (because sometimes your grocery run needs to account for the possibility of a bad week).

Altogether, my Maxi basket came to $124.33 before tax. I found everything I needed, got through the shop quickly and left with a bill that did not make me want to lie down in the parking lot. That is a great experience in my books.

Rating: 8.5/10. Great prices, familiar brands and a fairly low bill. The empty shelves were annoying, but my wallet is forgiving.

IGA

IGA was easily the nicest store to wander through. The aisles felt like a clean slate, the shelves were flourishing and there was noticeably more variety in both products and brands. If you need an extremely specific ingredient, enjoy discovering a niche snack, or like pretending you are on an episode of Chopped while choosing dinner, you will probably enjoy it here.

But for this piece, I made myself stick to the same products and sizes, and IGA prices were pricier than Maxi for these items:

• The same 675-gram loaf of Pom bread for $4.69
• The 454-gram Lactantia butter for $7.49 (not impressed)
• Chicken breasts were $9.98 for one pound
• The same 325-gram Ristorante Mozzarella thin-crust pizza was $6.49 (considering Maxi had that exact pizza for $3.47, we now know where to go)
• A 450-millilitre Häagen-Dazs was $7.29
• One pound of bananas cost 89 cents
• A 24-pack of Corona was $34.46
• A pumpkin for $7.99

I can understand paying more for chicken or produce, where freshness and quality can genuinely vary. But a sealed tub of the exact same branded ice cream? At that point, I have questions. Also, did I mention a pumpkin is $7.99? No comment.

Here's where IGA pulled through:

• The 2-litre carton of Natrel milk was $4.99
• The same Cashmere Original Soft & Strong 24-double-roll pack was $12.97 (though it was on sale for $10.97 with a Scene+ card)
• The 4-litre box of Revolution Red wine was $37.99

Altogether, my IGA basket came to $135.23 before tax at the regular prices, or $133.23 with the Scene+ toilet-paper deal. It was more than Maxi, but I will say the general selection was better and the whole experience felt much calmer. But for this exact basket, Maxi still had the lower final bill.

Rating: 8/10. Great selection and a smooth experience, with prices still fairly close to Maxi overall.

Metro

Metro was the real shocker for me. I had always assumed IGA would be the most expensive of the three, mostly because it has the cleaner displays, more brands and the kind of lighting that makes you believe you need a $12 specialty dip. I was mistaken.

I do love the size of Metro. It is always manageable enough that you don't feel like you are walking a marathon to find milk, but it's not so small that you feel overwhelmed or limited in your options. You can get in, grab what you need and get out without needing a map, a snack or a pep talk. But did that ease of mind justify the prices? Not really.

I knew where to look at this point:

• The 675-gram loaf of Pom bread was $4.89
• The 2-litre carton of Natrel milk was $5.49
• The 454-gram Lactantia butter was a painful $9.79
• Bananas were 99 cents for one pound
• The chicken breasts were $8.99 for one pound
• The same 325-gram Ristorante Mozzarella thin-crust pizza was $6.49
• The same Cashmere toilet paper 24-double-roll pack was $16.99

There was one tiny win:

• A 450-millilitre Häagen-Dazs was $5.99

Metro also had pumpkins for $2.99, which felt almost reasonable considering I had already spent long enough looking at butter.

The alcohol prices were where things really went off the rails, though. Metro started to feel like the grocery-store equivalent of that fancy Griffintown bar that doubles a drink's price the moment it gives it a French name.

• A 24-pack of Corona was $43.99
• The 4-litre box of Revolution Red wine was $52.09, or $49.09 with a Moi card (at that point, I started to understand why people drink wine in the first place)

Altogether, my Metro basket came to $158.69 before tax, or $155.69 with the Moi wine deal.

That is $34.36 more than the same basket at Maxi and $23.46 more expensive than IGA. Metro may still be one of the easiest grocery stores to shop at, but for this basket, convenience came with a pretty serious price tag.

Rating: 6/10. It's the easiest store to navigate, but the convenience doesn't justify the final total.

My verdict

I went into this fully expecting IGA to take the biggest bite out of my grocery budget. But I was wrong.

For this exact basket, my bank account has spoken. Maxi was the clear winner. My groceries came to $124.33 before tax there, compared to $135.23 at IGA and $158.69 at Metro. Even with IGA's Scene+ toilet paper deal and Metro's Moi wine discount, Maxi still came out cheapest.

It wasn't the most beautifully organized of the three, and IGA was definitely the more enjoyable place to wander if I had time and inspiration. But Maxi had the prices where it mattered: the chicken, pizza, bread and butter — and it all added up to the lowest final bill.

Metro, meanwhile, was the real plot twist. It is still one of the easiest grocery stores to shop at, but that convenience came with a big price difference from Maxi for the same cart. At that point, I would rather walk the extra aisle.

Of course, grocery prices change, sales come and go, and this was one basket at one location for each chain. But if I am doing a regular grocery run and trying to keep a little money in my account for the rest of the week, I am going to Maxi. I may have to forgive a few empty shelves, but apparently I can.