Fifteen years ago, Shelton resident and city conservation agent Teresa Gallagher was on a mission — to find out which local supermarket offered the best prices.
Gallagher went to different stores and compared prices she found. After deciding to share her findings online, her blog, Revenge of Shelton Shopper, was born.
It lasted about a year.
Now, after more than a decade of inactivity, ladies and gentlemen — the Shelton Shopper is back!
Gallagher takes a shopping list, visits four area grocers (listed below), then posts a spreadsheet on her blog.
She adds up the prices and, in a side-by-side comparison, allows the reader to check out who’s charging what.
Valley Independent Sentinel: What prompted you to start comparing store prices back in 1995?
Teresa Gallagher: Well, getting data is what I do. It’s in my DNA. I wanted to figure out which [store] was cheaper because you know with all those sales, it’s like they’re jingling these shiny bobbles in front of your face while they’re picking your pocket with the other hand.
Valley Indy: How long did you have the original blog for?
Gallagher: It was up for half a year or a year.
Valley Indy: Why was the blog so short lived?
Gallagher: Once I decided I knew which [store] was cheaper, from that point on, I shopped at Shaw’s and got some things at Wal-Mart.
Valley Indy: What triggered you to start the blog up again after all these years?
Gallagher: Everything is changed now. Shaw’s went out of business, Shop Rite is coming in, Wal-Mart sells food. All these things are changing and I had to take a closer look because like a lot of other people, we’ve had problems with the economy. If you don’t have a lot of money and you have to stretch those dollars, it becomes very important.
Valley Indy: What stores do you currently compare to each other?
Gallagher: I’ve done four: Wal-Mart (Shelton), Stop and Shop (Shelton), Shop Rite (Derby) and XPect (Derby).
Valley Indy: Why these four stores?
Gallagher: Those are the stores we go to. If someone wants to do other stores, they can start their own blog (laughs). And I hope [people] do.
Valley Indy: Why do you go out to each store and do price comparisons in person?
Gallagher: I don’t know what the prices of things are. A lot of women know the price of everything [they buy] and I don’t, because I don’t have a mind for that. You really have to know the prices because otherwise, if you see something that’s advertised like it’s a big deal, you’ll think, “Oh, that must be a good price.” So, if you don’t have a good memory, the only way to do it is to make a spreadsheet.
Valley Indy: Are the grocery lists you use for comparing prices made up of items you normally buy?
Gallagher: Yes. It’s easier for me because I have to get those things anyway. And I’m doing this for me.
Valley Indy: When you’re doing price comparisons, do you visit all four stores in one day?
Gallagher: No. If I’m comparing, I try to do it all within the same week. I can’t do them all in one day; it’s a lot of work.
Valley Indy: On average, how long does it take you to go through a store when you’re comparing prices?
Gallagher: At least an hour.
Valley Indy: How you find time to do this?
Gallagher: Well, it’s not that much time. Going to the stores takes the longest. I enter my data into a spreadsheet, add it up and paste it right into the blog.
Valley Indy: Have you ever thought about taking this further or going beyond supermarkets?
Gallagher: No, this is not growing. It’s a small-time deal.
Valley Indy: So there are no plans to recruit other secret shoppers?
Gallagher: No, but if I can inspire other people to do something similar and start their own blog, it’s not that difficult. I think more people should do it.