Boston is expensive!
As a Dorchester born and raised Boston local, I’ve witnessed prices of rent and groceries go through the roof these last few years. People are looking for relief, especially when it comes to cutting their weekly grocery bill.
As someone who grew up in a household that faced food insecurity, we were always on the lookout for the best deals on everything. For food, we shopped at the cheapest grocery stores in Boston with coupons in hand.
On weekends, you could always find us at the famous Haymarket Farmers market shopping for the best priced fruits and vegetables. On the way out, dad never failed to treat us with the best slice of pizza from the iconic Haymarket pizza shop.
Perhaps this is what helped me develop a knack for finding near rock bottom prices on groceries and food in general.
So today, I’m happy to share with you one of my best finds for getting the cheapest groceries Boston has to offer.
Cheapest Groceries Boston has to Offer
Through a series of recent events, I came to discover what is referred to as a ‘Flashfood Zone’ hidden inside the local Roxbury Grove Hall Stop and Shop. The program is operated through the Flashfood food waste reduction app, with the aim of diverting perfectly good food away from landfills.
In a nutshell, the program enables you to purchase perfectly good groceries nearing its shelf expiry date at upwards of 50% off retail prices. It’s similar to what the Too Good to Go app aims to do when it comes to reducing food waste in restaurants.
As a recent customer having now placed 6 orders through the mobile grocery shopping app, I’ve been very pleased with the quality of the food. Just yesterday, I picked up my newest order, which included many high quality meats at reduced prices, including local favorite Wahlburgers angus beef patties.
This sort of quality grocery assortment was not always the case when I first discovered the Flashfood app in November of 2022. The program was fairly new in Boston, only a handful of people were utilizing the program, and grocery deals were updated less frequently to the app.
Since then, there’s been an uptick in Boston shoppers discovering Flashfood at the Grove Hall Stop and Shop Supermarket. This is according to my recent conversation with store manager, Junge Kevin Chen, who greeted me with my latest Flashfood order.
One of the things that struck me the most was that Kevin detailed just how prevalent food waste is among grocery stores. There’s so much excess food that gets thrown out due to the industry imposed ‘best by’ date on the packaging.
In fact, most of the discounted groceries I picked up in my recent Flashfood order are not close to their expiry date. The Grove Hall Stop and Shop simply had an excess amount of inventory of these items and needed to move the products. That’s where you come in and can benefit from the cheapest grocery prices in Boston.
This may not always be the case, but every so often, the ‘best by’ date may be just as good as you’ll find at any other grocery store shelf!
In my case, my Premio Sweet Italian sausage showed a future expiry date 7 days from the date I picked up my Flashfood order. This was also the case with the store brand meatloaf mix. The air tight Nature’s Promise NY Striploin Steak showed a ‘best by’ date two weeks out from the date of purchase.
If you’ve already decided you want to try out Flashfood for yourself, then download the app. Enter promo code: PILA432ZF to earn a $3 grocery credit on your first Flashfood order of $15 or more. I’ll also earn a $3 credit so it’s a win-win for both of us!
How Do Flashfood Prices Compare?
Flashfood prices are well below industry market price due to the grocery item nearing its shelf expiry date. This is generally the case at all Flashfood locations.
As of 2022, you can find a Flashfood zone inside of the Grove Hall Stop and Shop in Roxbury, Massachusetts. There you’ll find discounted groceries at upwards of 50% off the normal retail price.
Although to be clear, Stop and Stop is not known to be the cheapest supermarket in Boston. It just so happens that there’s a Flashfood zone inside of the Grove Hall store location. It’s where you’ll find the cheapest groceries in Boston.
Boston Grocery Prices vs Flashfood Prices
Prior to placing my recent Flashfood app order, I conducted a quick search online to compare grocery store prices in Boston vs Flashfood app prices. Here’s what I discovered.
Hillshire Farm Smoked Sausage Rope
We eat a lot of sausage in my household, especially in the mornings for breakfast. There was a variety of Hillshire Farm sausages on the Flashfood app the day I went to purchase groceries.
Walmart’s grocery price for the smoked sausage rope was $3.98, Target’s price was $4.29, and Flashfood prices came in the cheapest at $2.99. That’s a grocery savings of 30% from the highest grocery store price.
Not even Amazon’s price on Hillshire Farm sausages could compete.
Chobani Non-Fat Greek Yogurt (4ct)
There was a great deal of Chobani 4 Greek yogurt (4ct) available on the app. For this, online prices were as follows: Shaw’s and Star Market were priced at $6.49, Walmart was $4.37, and Target came in at $4.69.
Flashfood again had the cheapest grocery price in Boston, coming in at $3.14 for a package of 4. That’s a grocery savings of 52% from the highest grocery store price.
Local Famous Wahlburgers Beef Patties
Boston-based brand, Wahlburgers, had beef patties that were an even better deal on the Flashfood app compared to other Boston grocery stores.
Take a look at some of these store prices for Wahlburgers Angus Beef Patties (4ct): Shaw’s and Star Market had it at $13.99, Instacart was at $10.39.
Flashfood had the same burgers for $5.99. That’s a grocery savings of 57% from the highest grocery store price.
You’ll have to take into consideration that these products are heavily discounted due to their near term shelf expiry date.
So if you’re in the market for groceries to use within the next couple of days, then the Flashfood Zone at Stop and Shop in Grove Hall is the place to go.
I wrote a full review on the Flashfood app that you can read here. In it, I also mention where else you can find heavily reduced groceries in Boston.
More Ways to Save on Groceries in Boston
The Flashfood app is just one way in which I get the cheapest groceries in Boston. The app, while great most of the time, is limited to only a handful of items that are mainly set to expire soon.
For that reason, I also use grocery savings and cash back apps to save more money and cut down on my weekly grocery bill.
Ibotta – is a couponing app that saves you money on your grocery bills when redeeming eligible cashback offers. Promo Code: KSHAGVC will earn you $5 in free cash when you scan your first receipt with a qualifying offer.
Fetch Rewards – is an app that rewards you in points for uploading ANY shopping receipt. Promo Code: AWPFV8 will earn you 100 – 500 bonus points on your first receipt upload. Cash out your points to free gift cards at over 75+ retailers and brands.
Receipt Hog – is a receipt scanning app that will reward you hog coins for each grocery receipt you submit. Earn even more by completing in-app surveys. Promo Code: SMUR5378 will earn you 5 free Hog Spins for bonus coins. Redeem your coins for cash, Amazon gift card or VISA gift card.
Cheapest Grocery Stores in Boston
According to the cheapest grocery store Boston Reddit thread, most people recommend Market Basket for the best grocery prices overall. As a Boston local, I would definitely have to agree with that. If you’re looking for ways to stretch your dollars and still get quality groceries, then Market Basket is top on the list.
If you want to compare how other grocery stores in Boston rank for cheapest prices and best overall quality, then check out the Consumer’s Checkbook Boston edition.
Cheapest Groceries Boston Conclusion
Outside of the Consumer’s Checkbook list, the Flashfood Zone at Grove Hall Stop and Shop is possibly the cheapest groceries Boston shoppers can find! I’ve been using it on a more regular basis and the pickings have been getting better each time.
Ready to try out Flashfood for yourself?
Download the app and use promo code: PILA432ZF to earn a $3 grocery credit on your first Flashfood order of $15 or more.
If you prefer to skip cooking dinner tonight, then check out these Boston restaurants that pay you to eat out with the Seated app!
Also, if you’re celebrating a birthday soon, then make sure to read about the best birthday freebie meals you can nab on your special day in Boston!
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