CLEVELAND — With grocery prices still putting pressure on household budgets, an online comparison tool is expanding to Cleveland with the promise of helping shoppers find savings before they check out.
Food prices rose .2% in the previous Consumer Price Index report, an increase shoppers say they are noticing in their own grocery bills.
CartHappy is a free Google Chrome extension that compares grocery prices while users shop online.
“The way we think about CartHappy is the easiest way for consumers to save on groceries each week,” co-creator John Laramie said.
After downloading the extension, shoppers can visit their usual grocery store’s website and begin adding items to their cart. As they shop, CartHappy scans prices and available coupons at other participating retailers.
When it finds a better deal, a symbol on the side of the browser begins to pulse. Once the shopper has finished building a cart, the extension shows how much could be saved by purchasing some or all of the items elsewhere.
Shoppers who accept the suggestions can have a second cart automatically created at the recommended store.
“So much of the pressure has been around, 'Did I make the right decision on where I bought groceries this week and did I save as best as I could?'” Laramie said.
The extension works with Cleveland-area ZIP codes, but it does not yet include every Northeast Ohio grocery chain.
Participating retailers currently include Walmart, Target, Grocery Outlet and Costco. Local chains including Dave’s Markets and Marc’s are not yet available. CartHappy said it plans to continue adding retailers, with Meijer expected to be one of the next stores added.
Each week, we’ll visit Meijer, Giant Eagle, Aldi, Walmart, Marc's and Dave's Market to check prices on everyday essentials.
Those include 0.2% milk, a loaf of wheat bread, chicken price per pound, ground beef tray or patty per pound (80% lean, 20% fat), one dozen white eggs and toasted oats cereal.
If you're willing to shop around, you can snag even deeper discounts on meat, dairy, and pantry goods.
We’re also giving you a chance to see how your favorite stores stack up week to week. We’ll compare how grocery prices change at each store.
Find a better deal? We want to hear from you! Submit your finds through the form below. If you beat our prices, we’ll feature them.
And if you’re a savvy shopper, always chasing the best deals, we may even join you on your next grocery run.
