Thunder Bay grocery deals Oct. 7-13: Best Thanksgiving buys, stock-up picks and budget recipes

THUNDER BAY — Thanksgiving shopping is driving this week’s grocery specials, with 88-cent two-pound bags of carrots and onions, frozen turkey at $2.19 a pound, ham under $2 a pound, lean ground pork at $2.22 a pound and Ontario turnip at 49 cents a pound among the better values available to Thunder Bay households.

NetNewsLedger reviewed the new flyer cycle Wednesday, Oct. 7. Giant Tiger’s new prices are already in effect through Tuesday, Oct. 13. FreshCo, Safeway, Walmart, Metro and Real Canadian Superstore begin their new flyers Thursday, Oct. 8, with those offers continuing through Oct. 14.

For FreshCo, this review uses only the Western Canada Oct. 8-14 flyer supplied directly for this article. The flyer itself states that its prices are in effect in Western Canada. It also identifies some content, including its floral promotion, as not available in Thunder Bay; those excluded offers are not included here.

With Thanksgiving on Monday, Oct. 12, shoppers can save the most by deciding on the main protein first, then building the week’s meals around low-cost carrots, onions, potatoes, squash, sweet potatoes and other ingredients that can be reused after the holiday dinner.

The best Thunder Bay grocery deals this week

For Thanksgiving vegetables, Giant Tiger’s 88-cent carrots and onions are particularly strong. Each bag contains two pounds, putting the cost at 44 cents a pound. George’s Market counters with Ontario turnip at 49 cents a pound, while FreshCo has Canadian sweet potatoes at 88 cents a pound.

For meat, Walmart’s $1.97-a-pound ham is the lowest advertised ham price among the major chains reviewed. Safeway has the best verified turkey price at $2.19 a pound for a frozen Grade A bird.

FreshCo: Sweet potatoes, ham, squash and bulk rice stand out

The supplied FreshCo flyer runs Oct. 8-14 and identifies its prices as Western Canada offers. That is the flyer used for every FreshCo price in this article.

Canadian sweet potatoes are 88 cents a pound, while broccoli crowns or Brussels sprouts are $1.99 a pound. Armstrong cheese bars, 400 grams, or selected 320-gram shredded packages are $4.88.

India Gate basmati rice is $10.99 for 4.54 kilograms, or about $2.42 a kilogram. Bertolli olive oil in selected 750-millilitre to one-litre formats is $9.99.

FreshCo also has 30 Compliments large eggs for $8.88 with Scene+, limited to two, compared with $9.99 without the card. That puts the Scene+ price at just under 30 cents an egg.

The Thanksgiving entertaining page adds some particularly relevant specials. Schneiders Applewood smoked bone-in ham is $2.49 a pound, Canadian acorn, butternut, kabocha or spaghetti squash is $1.29 a pound, frozen duck is $3.99 a pound, and a fresh Grade A turkey weighing five to 11 kilograms is $3.49 a pound.

Elsewhere in the flyer, Ambrosia apples are $1.99 a pound, celery is $2, and three-pound bags of Compliments yellow onions or carrots are $2.99. Those are valid FreshCo offers, but Giant Tiger has a much lower advertised price on carrots and onions this week at 88 cents for two pounds.

FreshCo also advertises a separate loaded Scene+ offer on frozen Grade A turkeys weighing three to nine kilograms: spend at least $10 on an eligible frozen turkey and receive 500 Scene+ points. That promotion should not be mistaken for a per-pound turkey sale price.

Best FreshCo buys: Sweet potatoes, $2.49-a-pound ham, $1.29-a-pound squash, Armstrong cheese and the bulk basmati rice. The 30-pack of eggs is also worth considering for a larger household with Scene+.

Safeway: $2.19 turkey and 40-cent-a-pound potatoes

Safeway has one of the clearest Thanksgiving combinations this week. Hayter’s Farm frozen Grade A turkey is $2.19 a pound, substantially below the advertised fresh-turkey prices at FreshCo and Walmart.

Compliments potatoes are $3.99 for 10 pounds, working out to about 40 cents a pound. Schneiders Applewood smoked bone-in ham is $2.99 a pound, while Green Giant frozen vegetables or Valley Selections are two for $5.

Best Safeway buys: Frozen turkey and potatoes.

The turkey is the major draw, but timing matters. A frozen bird needs sufficient refrigerator-thawing time before Monday’s dinner. Households buying very late in the week may find a fresh bird more practical even at a higher price.

Walmart: $1.97 ham is this week’s ham winner

Walmart has Great Value hickory-smoked bone-in portion ham at $1.97 a pound, undercutting FreshCo’s $2.49 and Safeway’s $2.99 advertised bone-in ham prices.

A Flamingo Canada Grade A fresh turkey is $2.71 a pound. Gay Lea butter is $4.97 for 454 grams, Stove Top stuffing is $1.27, raspberries are $2.44 for 170 grams, and a side of coho salmon is $7.88 a pound.

Best Walmart buys: Ham, butter and stuffing.

For a smaller Thanksgiving gathering, the ham may produce a lower total bill than buying a whole turkey, with leftovers easily moving into sandwiches, omelettes, soup or casseroles.

Giant Tiger: 88-cent carrots and onions are one of the week’s best deals

Giant Tiger’s Oct. 7-13 flyer is already active.

Two-pound bags of carrots or yellow onions are 88 cents, equivalent to 44 cents a pound. Fresh cranberries, 340 grams, or an extra-large pineapple are $1.88, and a fresh whole chicken weighing approximately 1.3 to two kilograms is $9.97.

Gold Label Smoke House bacon is $3.97 for selected 300- to 375-gram packages, while Franco-American gravy is just 77 cents.

Best Giant Tiger buys: Carrots, onions, cranberries and gravy.

Carrots and onions are especially useful because the same bags can be used for Thanksgiving dinner, stuffing, turkey stock, soup and meals later in the week.

Metro: Ground pork at $2.22 a pound is a freezer buy

Metro has lean ground pork at $2.22 a pound, one of the week’s best prices on a flexible protein.

Organic whole white mushrooms are $1.48 for 227 grams, while broccoli or 340-gram packages of cranberries are $1.99. Maple Leaf bacon is $4.99 for 375 grams, and fresh Atlantic or coho salmon fillets are $9.44 a pound.

Best Metro buys: Ground pork, mushrooms and broccoli.

Ground pork can become meatballs, burgers, dumpling filling, pasta sauce, fried rice or a simple cabbage-and-pork skillet. Divide larger amounts into meal-sized portions before freezing.

Real Canadian Superstore: $2.99 pork tenderloin and $2 sugar

Real Canadian Superstore has two-packs of cryovac pork tenderloin for $2.99 a pound. Pineapples are $1.99, one-pound packages of strawberries are $2.99, and fresh Atlantic salmon fillets are $8.99 a pound.

For Thanksgiving baking, Lantic granulated sugar is $2 for two kilograms, one of the more notable pantry prices this week. Neilson five- or 10-per-cent cream is $2.98 for one litre.

Best Superstore buys: Pork tenderloin, sugar and pineapple.

The pork tenderloin is a useful post-Thanksgiving freezer purchase, while the sugar is worth stocking up on for households that expect to bake through fall and the Christmas season.

George’s Market: 49-cent Ontario turnip leads the local specials

The two current George’s Market specials sheets supplied for this review contain several strong fall-food prices.

Ontario turnip is 49 cents a pound. Ontario carrots are 99 cents each, Ontario celery bunches are $1.89 each, Ontario cauliflower is $3.99 each and broccoli is $2.99 each. Three-pound bags of B.C. Spartan apples are $3.99, or about $1.33 a pound.

At the meat counter, ground pork is $2.99 a pound, Grade A whole chickens are $3.99 a pound, AAA Black Angus stewing beef is $7.99 a pound and AAA Black Angus prime rib roasts are $24.99 a pound.

George’s deli has Black Forest ham at $1.49 per 100 grams, Mastro hot or mild Genoa salami at $2.49 per 100 gramsand provolone cheese at $2.29 per 100 grams.

Best George’s buys: Ontario turnip, carrots and the Black Forest ham.

Metro has the lower advertised ground-pork price at $2.22 a pound, but George’s 49-cent turnip is one of the week’s strongest local produce values.

Skaf’s Just Basics: Do not rely on an old flyer

Skaf’s Just Basics says it publishes new flyers each Thursday. As of Wednesday morning, its publicly indexed weekly-specials page was not showing an Oct. 8-14 flyer that could be independently verified. The page confirms the Thursday publishing schedule, but the visible flyer information indexed online is older. skafsjustbasics

For accuracy, this article does not carry an older Skaf’s price forward and present it as current.

Thunder Bay shoppers reading this article Thursday or later should check the new Skaf’s flyer before finalizing their shopping route. A strong local meat, produce or canned-goods special could be worth substituting for another stop rather than adding a third or fourth store.

Superior Seasons: Local ordering opens Wednesday evening

Superior Seasons is offering its next Wednesday/Thursday distribution for Wednesday, Oct. 14, with the ordering window opening Wednesday, Oct. 7 at 5:15 p.m. The online market requires shoppers to select their distribution option before the complete product inventory can be viewed. Superior Seasons

The current producer list includes Belluz Farms, Borderlands Farm, Breukelman Potato Farm, Brule Creek Farms, Kagiwiosa Manomin, Root Cellar Gardens, Slate River Dairy, Thunder Oak Cheese Farm, and Springhills Fish and Sheshegwaning First Nation, among many others. Superior Seasons

That makes Thanksgiving week a good time to compare local and regional potatoes, squash, grains, eggs, dairy products, fish and other foods against the supermarket list.

Superior Seasons is not a conventional weekly flyer, so there is no responsible single “best deal” price to quote without choosing a distribution location and viewing the live inventory.

Best Superior Seasons strategy: Check it for foods already on the shopping list. Local food stretches the grocery budget better when it replaces another purchase rather than becoming an extra one.

What should Thunder Bay shoppers stock up on?

For root vegetables, Giant Tiger’s carrots and onions at 88 cents for two pounds are the strongest straightforward stock-up buy. George’s 49-cent-a-pound turnip and FreshCo’s 88-cent-a-pound sweet potatoes can round out a very inexpensive fall vegetable basket.

For meat, Metro’s $2.22-a-pound lean ground pork and Superstore’s $2.99-a-pound pork tenderloin are useful freezer choices after Thanksgiving. Walmart’s $1.97-a-pound ham is the strongest holiday meat deal if turkey is not essential.

For Thanksgiving turkey, Safeway’s frozen Grade A turkey at $2.19 a pound is the lowest verified flyer price in this comparison. Walmart’s fresh turkey is $2.71 and FreshCo’s supplied flyer has fresh Grade A turkey at $3.49 a pound.

For the pantry, Superstore’s two kilograms of sugar for $2, FreshCo’s 4.54-kilogram India Gate basmati rice for $10.99 and Giant Tiger’s 77-cent gravy are worth considering.

Five budget recipes built around this week’s sales

Thanksgiving turkey with low-cost root vegetables: Pair Safeway’s $2.19-a-pound turkey with Giant Tiger carrots and onions and George’s 49-cent-a-pound turnip. Add FreshCo’s 88-cent sweet potatoes for another inexpensive side. Make more vegetables than needed so the leftovers can go into Tuesday’s soup.

Ham and sweet-potato sheet-pan supper: Use Walmart’s $1.97-a-pound ham with FreshCo sweet potatoes and Giant Tiger onions. Roast the vegetables first, then add slices of cooked ham near the end. Leftover ham can become sandwiches or soup the next day.

Ground pork and mushroom rice bowls: Brown Metro’s $2.22 ground pork with its $1.48 mushrooms and inexpensive onion. Serve over FreshCo’s basmati rice, adding broccoli or another vegetable if desired.

Pork tenderloin with roasted squash: Roast Superstore’s $2.99-a-pound pork tenderloin beside FreshCo’s $1.29-a-pound Canadian squash. Add carrots and onions to the pan and one oven can produce a complete meal.

Post-Thanksgiving turkey soup: Simmer the turkey carcass with Giant Tiger carrots and onions. Add leftover turnip, sweet potatoes or other roasted vegetables and shredded turkey meat near the end. This is where the holiday bird can deliver its best value — by producing several meals instead of one.

How to stretch this week’s grocery dollar

Choose the main protein before entering the store. If the household wants a traditional turkey, Safeway has the lowest verified advertised price. If the gathering is small, Walmart’s ham or Giant Tiger’s $9.97 whole chicken may mean less money spent overall and fewer leftovers to manage.

Use the cheapest vegetables across several meals. Carrots and onions can go into Thanksgiving dinner, stuffing, soup and stock. Turnip and sweet potatoes can be roasted on Monday, reheated as sides, mashed or added to soup later.

Compare both the unit price and total cost. A bulk package is not a saving when part of it is discarded. FreshCo’s 30 eggs at $8.88 with Scene+ work out to less than 30 cents each, but a smaller package can still be the better purchase for a household that will not use 30 eggs.

Plan leftovers before cooking the holiday meal. Turkey bones can become stock, ham can become soup, pork can become fried rice or sandwiches and roasted vegetables can become hash.

For Thunder Bay shoppers, two well-chosen stores will usually beat a six-store flyer chase once fuel, travel time and impulse buying are included. That matters even more for residents coming into the city from rural Northwestern Ontario communities and First Nations.

Finally, check the dates. Giant Tiger’s offers run Oct. 7-13; the FreshCo flyer supplied for this article runs Oct. 8-14, as do the Safeway, Walmart, Metro and Superstore flyers reviewed. FreshCo shoppers should also note loyalty requirements where applicable, particularly the Scene+ egg price and loaded frozen-turkey points offer.

Prices and flyer information were checked Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026. FreshCo prices in this article are drawn only from the supplied Western Canada Oct. 8-14 flyer. George’s Market prices are taken from the two current weekly-specials images supplied for this review. Skaf’s new Thursday flyer could not be independently verified at publication time. Prices, inventory, package sizes and loyalty conditions can change or vary by location; shoppers should confirm the shelf label and checkout price before making a special trip.