The Shopping BLITZ!

It’s elder’s day…and I qualify!!!! At the least, I’ve been told that I qualify…we’ll see, later, after work.

In Inuktitut, the definition of elder means someone who is older…thereby ‘potentially’ wiser, more learned, and more experienced, in the ways of life…and the Inuk, traditionally, has been taught to respect their elders. Does it happen here in the far north?...probably much more so than in southern Canada. 

The real excitement in town today is at the Co-op store…elder day is every Monday. A ten per cent discount, for every person over 55, is applied to their purchases….does it include cigarettes?...I won’t

The Co-op shares an entrance with the CIBC

know since I don’t smoke…somehow I would probably THINK NOT…due to the anti-smoking initiatives of the territorial government that I’ve seen recently.

While that 10% may not seem a great deal it helps move out items left ‘in-store’ from the weekend purchasing…helping to clear the way for new arrivals during the week. You can visit the grocery store and can tell when new products have arrived…the whole shelf can be taken over and when you return in a few days that same item may either be, gone completely or, limited to a single row. There is not a great need to store and warehouse stock...as stock sells when it arrives for, if it sits,

valuable cash flow is reduced.

The people here in Ranking Inlet visit the grocery, but when they see an item and fail to purchase, many times, it will have evaporated by the time they revisit. You see the same thing in the small islands of the Carribean as well as your local Costco during the busy Christmas season, especially.

Groceries worth $17.20 fit easily in a ten cent plastic bag

This past week I had the opportunity to visit both the Co-op and the Northern to pick up groceries and some supplies. The results of these visits were quite the eye opener…not a real surprise to me since my visit here in 2008 resulted in sticker shock at that time. If you didn’t read about it then, you are about to experience the north and learn quite quickly how good you have it...both in terms of quality

The change was $4.50 from two $20 bills

and value.

Bread, milk, soup and crackers. A loaf of whole wheat was $4.19, and later, the next week, I got a loaf of plain white wonder bread at $1.72 (discounted 50% off…it was fresh and they had lots on the shelf, so more stock was probably on its way…a clearance bonanza). A gallon of 2% milk was $7.79 at one store and $7.69 at the other. A four pack of Lipton French Onion Soup Mix was $5.99. A 454 g package of Christie Toppable Crackers was $6.39…but to double bag the milk was 10 cents per bag additional.

MEAT. I bought a 375 g package of store brand bacon at $4.39, a package of Schneider Red Hots @ $7.29 and 600 grams of lean ground beef at $9.50.

To replace my confiscated tube of toothpaste (courtesy of the Canadian Air Transport Security Agency at Winnie the Pooh airport), 130 g Crest was $4.19…but eggs were a very reasonable $2.49

$3.05 was returned from $30

for a dozen. The condiments included Kraft Miracle Whip 475ml @ $6.59, French’s Mustard (225ml) @ 3.19 and Bick’s relish...a 375 ml jar for $5.49. A small tub of Becel margarine (454g/1 pound) had me reaching for an additional $6.39.

The local paper weekly, Kivalliq News, from last Wednesday cost me 95 cents and there was no Soduko or crossword puzzle in it!...everybody reads it online I think. Transportation charges, due to weight, adversely affect the price of goods, since everything must be shipped in as cargo by air transport. Fresh vegetables are an even tougher acquisition…since freezing can occur during shipment. Size, quality, and price are significantly different from what we experience “in the south”. One of the staff here grows his own green onions, and bean sprouts.

I’ve posted some pictures of my purchases with the costs involved and the change received…from the prices you can see where the Elder discount…can make a significant difference for those on fixed incomes here in the north.

I’m still not sure if there's an inuktitut word for “Bon appetite!”

POST SCRIPT: I won’t be heading over to the other end of town for the ELDER DISCOUNT today. As of noon, we are in the middle of another KIVALLIQ blizzard warning. In Arviat to the south, the community has closed down and residents are asked to monitor their local radio station in case the situation changes. At Baker Lake to the northwest, a similar situation exists…All planes are grounded (except in my living room…the helos will be flying by 1730 hours). It will be a good night for hot cocoa…and to watch the swirling winds form the drifts from my window.

Stay Warm…Stay Safe!