Earlier this year, Daily Hive found an old No Frills flyer showing how dramatically the prices of groceries and everyday essentials have changed for Canadians in the last decade.
The website nofrillflyers.ca uploads weekly deals for the Loblaw-owned grocery store. The flyers were originally taken from smartcanucks.ca.
We searched the website for 2014 flyers and found some prices that would be considered outlandish in 2024.
On April 17, we compared them to prices at an Ontario-based No Frills. We also noticed that some items had shrunken in weight or size over time.
Now, we’re looking at how prices have changed since that comparison, which was published exactly two months ago.
Here’s what stands out the most.
Cheese
SmartCanucks.ca/No Frills
A 500-gram Saputo pizza mozzarella bar retails for $9.79 at No Frills.
When we checked in April, the same cheese bar was $9.49.
In 2014, the bar was on sale for $4.77, down from $7.69.
Sausages
SmartCanucks.ca/No Frills
Schneider’s Juicy Jumbo sausages filled with cheddar currently retail at No Frills for $8.49.
In April, they were on sale for $5.99 a pack, down from $6.99.
According to the 10-year-old flyer, they used to be on sale for $3.47. The off-sale price was $4.99 a pack.
Tea
SmartCanucks.ca/No Frills
A pack of 144 orange pekoe teabags from Tetley is currently on sale at No Frills for $5.99. In April, it was on sale for $8.99 from $9.49.
Ten years ago, you could’ve bought the same product for a regular price lower than the current sale price: $8.48.
On sale, it would only cost you $4.97 back in the day.
Disinfectant wipes
SmartCanucks.ca/No Frills
You can buy a pack of 35 Lysol disinfecting wipes at No Frills for a sale price of $6.99 with a limit of four. More units after that limit will cost you $7.99 each.
Curiously, the same 35-sheet pack retailed for $4.99 at No Frills in April.
In the pre-pandemic days of 2014, two such packs were on sale at the same store for just $2.
Margarine
SmartCanucks.ca/No Frills
In June 2024, a 1.275-kg tub of Imperial margarine will run you $8.99. Earlier in April, the item sold at a discount for $5.99.
According to the No Frills flyer, these tubs were once cheaper and bigger (thanks, shrinkflation!).
A 1.36-kg tub of the same product was only $6.47 at the regular price and $2.97 on sale.
Rice
SmartCanucks.ca/No Frills
Buying eight kilos of Botan Calrose Rice right now means shelling out $22.99, In April, the same bag cost $25.99.
However, in 2014, the fancy rice was on sale for just $10.98, down from the regular price of $14.98.
Pepsi soft drinks
SmartCanucks.ca/No Frills
Right now, a 12-pack of Pepsi costs $6.99, down from $7.49 in April.
In 2014, the multipack would have cost just $5.47, and the product would often go on sale for as low as $3.33.
Cookies
SmartCanucks.ca/No Frills
President’s Choice cookies retail for $3.49 for a 300-gram pack. In April, the regular price of the product was $4.79.
The cookies were just $1.97 at the discount store in 2014.
Granola bars
SmartCanucks.ca/No Frills
A 172-gram box of PC Dipped & Chewy granola bars costs $2.79. This is the regular price. During a sale in April, it was $1.99.
In 2014, the same box weighed more—187 to 225 grams—and cost less. At No Frills, it was just $1.77.
Pasta
SmartCanucks.ca/No Frills
A 454-gram box of Barilla penne rigate pasta used to cost $1.77 in 2014. During a sale, you could snag one for just ¢97.
It is now more expensive at $2.69 and is 44 grams lighter. Just two months ago, it was $2.49.
Canned fish
SmartCanucks.ca/No Frills
A can of GoldSeal Pink Salmon currently costs $3.89. It was a bit more expensive in April at $4.49 but was only $2.39 in 2014.
The item would sell for as low as $1.77 during sales.
Bacon
SmartCanucks.ca/No Frills
Ten years ago, a kilogram of PC-brand Old Fashioned Style Bacon was sold for $11.99 ($9.97 if you caught it on sale).
Now, the same product is $4 more expensive, and its price has stayed consistent between April and June.
Pizza
One thing in the No Frills flyer that might make you happy is that PC-brand thin and crispy frozen pizzas have remained the same price over the decade.
SmartCanucks.ca/No Frills
They were $4.99 then and are $4.99 a pop now (regular price), but you’d be hard-pressed to find them on sale for $1.97 anymore.
Are these price changes fair? Let us know what you think in the comments, or send us a tip by emailing [email protected].
Read the full flyer here.