Back to school is here, and with it, 180 days of lunchboxes. At $1.50 or $2 of snacks a day, it feels harmless — until you add it up: that's $270 to $360 per child, per school year. Just in snacks.
The good news: this week's flyers are full of deals on lunchbox classics. The less good news: the same product can cost 50% more depending on which store you buy it at. We compared this week's real prices (W33) across IGA, Maxi, Metro, Super C, Provigo and Giant Tiger. Here's what we found.
Same product, very different prices
| Product | Cheapest store | Most expensive store | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raspberries (170 g) | Super C — $1.44 | Metro — $2.99 | -52% |
| Cauliflower | Maxi — $1.88 | Metro — $3.99 | -53% |
| Celery | Super C — $0.95 | IGA — $1.99 | -52% |
| Christie crackers | Giant Tiger — $1.99 | Metro — $2.33 | -15% |
| Yop drinkable yogurt (200 ml) | Metro — $0.97 | Maxi (multipack) — $2.28+ | varies |
This isn't about quality: it's the same product, the same week, in the same city. Your usual store's flyer isn't necessarily the cheapest — and that's exactly why we do this comparison work.
Price per serving, not per package
A box of 10 juice drinks at $3.47 looks more expensive than a 4-pack of fruit cups at $2.46. Per serving, it's the opposite. Here's the real per-serving cost of lunchbox classics this week:
| Snack | Format | Price | Cost per serving |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fuze drink boxes (Giant Tiger) | 10 × 200 ml | $3.47 | $0.35/box |
| Dole fruit cups (Super C) | 4 × 107 ml | $2.46 | $0.62/serving |
| Iögo Nanö drinkable yogurt (IGA) | 6 × 93 ml | $3.27 | $0.55/serving |
| Yop drinkable yogurt (Metro) | 200 ml | $0.97 | $0.97/serving |
| Leclerc Choco Max chewy bars (Super C/Metro) | 156-175 g | $1.98-1.99 | ≈ $0.33/bar |
| Selection rice snack (Super C) | 87-100 g | $1.55-1.85 | ≈ $0.40/serving |
(“≈” = estimated from package weight and typical serving count.)
A full lunchbox for about $2
With this week's prices, a 4-item lunchbox adds up to very little:
- 1 Fuze juice box — $0.35
- 1 Nanö drinkable yogurt — $0.55
- 1 Leclerc chewy bar — ≈ $0.33
- 1 serving of baby carrots (Metro, 340 g at $1.99) or cucumber (Super C, $0.83) — ≈ $0.30
Total: about $1.55 — and add a fruit (clementines at $1.49 a bag at Super C) and you're still under $2.
The 5 habits that change everything
- Compare stores before making your list. The same product is often on sale at two or three banners the same week — at different prices.
- Look at the price per serving, not the package price. A multipack isn't a deal if another store sells the single serving cheaper.
- Be wary of the advertised "regular price". Our scan of 57,000 shelf prices found 72% of advertised "regular prices" were higher than the real shelf price.
- Check the package size. Shrinkflation doesn't take a vacation: a smaller package at the same price is a hidden price increase.
- Shop around the deals. The week yogurt is on sale is the week to buy yogurt.
This week, where to go
- Giant Tiger: Fuze drink boxes 10 × 200 ml at $3.47, Christie crackers at $1.99.
- Super C: Dole fruit cups 4 × 107 ml at $2.46, raspberries at $1.44, clementines at $1.49, celery at $0.95.
- IGA: Nanö drinkable yogurts 6 × 93 ml at $3.27, Quaker bars at $2.49.
- Metro: Yop drinkable yogurts at $0.97, baby carrots 340 g at $1.99, Leclerc bars at $1.99.
- Maxi: cauliflower at $1.88, Schneider's Lunchmate kits at $2.50.
All these prices come from this week's real flyers — verified, compared and updated continuously at Circulaires Québec.
👉 See all of this week's deals, compared across stores — with the true per-kg or per-serving price for every product.
Methodology: prices taken from week 2026-W33 flyers (August 10-16, 2026) for IGA, Maxi, Metro, Super C, Provigo and Giant Tiger, via the Circulaires Québec database. Comparisons cover identical or comparable products (same format). Per-serving cost is calculated from the serving count stated on the package (10 boxes, 4 cups, 6 yogurts, etc.); estimates marked "≈" are derived from package weight. Prices may vary by location.