The former Wal-Mart across the street will be converted into four store fronts including ABC Warehouse and Hobby Lobby, according to the article in today’s edition of The Monroe Evening News.

I only post promotions that I can verify through sources such as an actual advertisement or a news release from the company. I do not seek out insider or post second-hand information on upcoming sales and deals. But I have seen enough grocery store and discount store openings over the years in Michigan and Ohio to know that sometimes, a local market sees a grocery price war when new stores open.

Do those of you who lived in Monroe a few years ago remember the reaction when the now-closed Farmer Jack grocery opened on Telegraph Rd.? Shoppers across town benefited from huge discounts for about six weeks until everybody had a chance to check out the new store and the retailers and customers got settled into their routines.

On the possibility there may be sales worthy of a bargain-seeker later this month, what should my Monroe-area readers do now to prepare for a grand opening of a new store?

• Clip and sort your coupons. Wal-Mart does take coupons at face value, and the store does sell grocery and drugstore products. Don’t lose your frugal sense and leave that coupon box or binder at home when you explore the new store. Have those coupons clipped and ready for the checkout.
• Know the status of your stockpiles and pantry inventory. Make a list of the groceries, personal care products, cleaning supplies, and other consumable goods that you are running low on, or could use fresh supplies of by the end of the month. These will be the items for which you specifically watch on the sale opportunities.
• Know what the current retail prices are. If you want to create a price book, which is a frugal shoppers trick, now is the time to build one while we are still seeing a somewhat normal retail pattern. If you don’t want to build a own price book, an alternative is is read cover-to-cover every local grocery ad for the area this week and next. You need to have a good understanding of the current local price points to know if an advertised special later this month is so-so, or truly worthy of a grocery war brag. And if you are considering a purchase of electronics, bedding or other household goods, spend some time walking through the aisles of other retailers’ during the next two weeks to see what the current inventory is like.
• Shop elsewhere if the prices are good. When Farmer Jack opened, I didn’t spend all my money at one store. I also did some of my shopping at other stores because their prices were really good on some things I wanted. It is perfectly OK to do that.

Here’s the section that I think is the best part of the article:

You’ll almost always pay less at a store that specializes in an item or moves a high volume of it, says Rick Doble, author of “Cheaper” (Ballantine Books, $14), with Tom Philbin. Check for the best matchups below.

Printer paper and back-to-school supplies: An office supply store, not a discount department store or grocery store.

Automotive oil: An auto supply store, not a grocery store or discount department store.

Over-the-counter drugs: A drugstore, not a supermarket or discount department store.

Cosmetics and personal careproducts: A drugstore, not a grocery store or discount department store.

Cereal and milk: A grocery store, not a drugstore or discount department store.

Light bulbs and laundry and home cleaning supplies: A discount department store, not a grocery store.

Yes I have noticed these pricing trends and have been following this routine for my family’s shopping needs. I just didn’t have the data to prove it.

If you have always shopped at one store for as much as possible because you didn’t want the hassle of running around town, Rick’s expertise should make you think twice. If you want to take advantage of multiple store shopping throughout the week, here’s how I do that:

• Break up your errands throughout the week. Nobody says you have to do all your shopping errands between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Saturday (as is customary in Monroe and I imagine a lot of other places). You will be hitting peak crowds, peak traffic on the roads and will be exhausted by the time you get home. Besides, if you are a regular reader of my blog, or any of the many shopping blogs on the Internet, you know that the best days to get deals at certain stores are often other days of the week.
• Bunch up your shopping errands with other errands. Why would you make a special trip to Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Store in Taylor (it’s a bigger store than the Jo-Ann in Monroe) if you can wait for a day when you have another reason to be in the Downriver / Detroit suburban region? When my daughter was in Girl Scouts, her regional honor guard met all over southeast Michigan. I would go shopping at stores that are not in Monroe when she was at her meetings.
• Map out your shopping routes. Here is an example for Monroe people: you can easily make Kroger and CVS Pharmacy shopping trips on the same drive. They are right across the street from each other, at at intersection that has a traffic light. There will be no additional gas used up, and hardly any time at all. Other Monroe store errand lists that match up well: Meijer and Aldi’s, Wal-Mart and Staples or Lowe’s, Hallmark and Bath and Body Works at Frenchtown Square mall. Look at the stores that are near your bank branches, schools and workplaces for other easy-do routes.