Narcity went shopping to find out whether Halloween packs at grocery stores like Costco, Walmart and Loblaws are cheaper than choosing your own amounts at Bulk Barn.
We found similar chocolate, candy and chips at each store, including a few Kirkland Signature items at Costco, and checked prices.
Since you choose your own quantities at Bulk Barn, every product is priced by 100 grams. So, Narcity also broke down the price tags at Costco, Walmart and Loblaws into "price per" costs.
Here's a price comparison of the Halloween candy, chocolate and chips you can get at these retailers.
KitKat, Aero and Smarties
KitKat and Aero at Bulk Barn. Centre: Smarties at Bulk Barn. Right: Coffee Crisp, KitKat, Aero and Smarties at Walmart.
It costs $3.83 per 100 grams for mini KitKat, $2.36 per 100 grams for mini Aero and $2.80 per 100 grams for Smarties at Bulk Barn.
It costs $15.97 for a 977-gram box of treat-sized KitKat, Aero, Coffee Crisp and Smarties at Walmart, which is $1.63 per 100 grams.
It costs $24 for a 977-gram box of treat-sized KitKat, Aero, Coffee Crisp and Smarties at Loblaws, which breaks down to $2.45 per 100 grams.
If you buy 300 grams of each chocolate at Bulk Barn so it's similar to the quantities at Walmart and Loblaws, the cost is more than $26, and there are no mini Coffee Crisp bars.
That's a price difference of more than $10 compared to Walmart and $2 compared to Loblaws.
Reese's Pieces, peanut butter cups and Thins
Reese's Pieces at Bulk Barn. Centre: Reese's mini peanut butter cups at Bulk Barn. Right: Reese's Pieces, Reese's peanut butter cups and Reese's Thins at Loblaws.
Bulk Barn has Reese's Pieces for $3.02 per 100 grams, Reese's mini peanut butter cups for $2.89 per 100 grams and Reese's Thins for $3.44 per 100 grams.
Loblaws has a 909-gram bag of Reese's Pieces, Reese's peanut butter cups and Reese's Thins for $20, which works out to $2.20 per 100 grams.
If you get 300 grams of each Reese's chocolate at Bulk Barn to match the quantity of the Loblaws product, it costs just over $28. That means you pay $8 less at Loblaws.
Assorted candies
Gummy bears at Bulk Barn. Centre: Rockets at Bulk Barn. Right: Kirkland Signature Funhouse Treats candy at Costco.
Costco has a bag of Kirkland Signature Funhouse Treats with Chupa Chups, Rockets, Dare Realfruit, Dare Realfruit Sours, Skittles, Starburst, Haribo Bears and Airheads.
Bulk Barn has gummy bears, Rockets and Skittles.
It costs $1.57 per 100 grams for gummy bears, $2.26 per 100 grams for Rockets, and $3.22 per 100 grams for Skittles.
A two-kilogram bag of the Kirkland Signature assorted candies costs $24.99, which works out to $1.24 per 100 grams.
The assorted bag at Costco gets you more types of candy, and the total "price per" cost is less than each individual "price per" cost at Bulk Barn.
Twix, Snickers and peanut M&M's
Twix and Snickers at Bulk Barn. Centre: Peanut M&M's at Bulk Barn. Right: Mars, Twix, Snickers and peanut M&M's at Costco.
You can get peanut M&M's for $2.14 per 100 grams, mini Snickers for $3.90 per 100 grams and mini Twix for $3.90 per 100 grams at Bulk Barn.
It costs $23.99 for a 1.48-kilogram box of mini peanut M&M's, Snickers and Twix bars at Costco, which works out to $1.62 per 100 grams.
At Walmart, it costs $14.97 for a one-kilogram box of mini peanut M&M's, Snickers and Twix bars, which breaks down to $1.49 per 100 grams.
If you get 500 grams of each chocolate at Bulk Barn to match the quantity of the box at Costco, it costs more than $49, and there are no mini Mars bars. You pay $25 less for the Costco product.
If you buy 300 grams of the chocolates at Bulk Barn to get the same amount as the box at Walmart, it costs over $29. That's a price difference of more than $14.
Jolly Rancher gummies and licorice
Jolly Rancher gummies at Bulk Barn. Centre: Cherry licorice at Bulk Barn. Right: Jolly Rancher gummies and Twizzlers at Loblaws.
At Bulk Barn, it costs $2.05 per 100 grams for Jolly Rancher two-in-one gummies and $1.99 per 100 grams for cherry licorice.
It costs $20 for a 1.02-kilogram bag of Jolly Rancher two-in-one gummies, cherry Twizzlers and strawberry Twizzlers at Loblaws, which breaks down to $1.96 per 100 grams.
A 1.02-kilogram bag of Jolly Rancher two-in-one gummies, cherry Twizzlers and strawberry Twizzlers costs $12.97 at Walmart, which is $1.27 per 100 grams.
If you get 500 grams of both candies at Bulk Barn to match the quantity of the bags at Loblaws and Walmart, it costs just over $20.
So, the bag at Loblaws is only cheaper by a few cents, but the bag at Walmart is cheaper by more than $7.
Cheese puffs
Cheese puffs at Bulk Barn. Centre: Cheetos puffs at Walmart. Right: Cheetos puffs at Loblaws.
It costs $1.69 per 100 grams for cheese puff sticks at Bulk Barn.
It costs $12.97 for a 640-gram box with 40 snack-sized bags at Walmart, which works out to $2.02 per 100 grams.
It costs $12.99 for a 640-gram box with 40 snack-sized bags at Loblaws, which breaks down to $2.02 per 100 grams.
The "price per" cost for cheese puffs at Bulk Barn is lower than at Walmart and Loblaws, so you can get the same amount for less at the Canadian bulk retailer.
Assorted chocolates
Peanut butter cups at Bulk Barn. Centre: M&M's at Bulk Barn. Right: Kirkland Signature Treatsize Favourites chocolates at Costco.
Kirkland Signature Treatsize Favourites chocolates come with mini Reese's peanut butter cups, Oh Henry, M&M's, peanut M&M's, Snickers, Twix, and Hershey's Cookies 'n' Creme.
Bulk Barn has peanut butter cups, M&M's, peanut M&M's, mini Snickers, and mini Twix.
It costs $3.22 per 100 grams for peanut butter cups, $2.14 per 100 grams for M&M's, $2.14 per 100 grams for peanut M&M's, $3.90 per 100 grams for Snickers and $3.90 per 100 grams for Twix.
A two-kilogram bag of the Kirkland Signature assorted chocolates costs $29.99, which means you pay $1.49 per 100 grams.
The assorted bag at Costco gets you more chocolate, and the total "price per" cost is less than each of the individual "price per" costs at Bulk Barn.
Une liste des pays les moins stricts aux frontières est sortie et voici le score du Canada
Les restrictions d'entrée sont assez sévères. 👀
La population canadienne est habituellement réputée pour sa gentillesse. On parle même d'une « sur-amabilité » qui nous vaudrait le stéréotype de nous excuser constamment. Qu'il soit vrai ou non, il n'en reste rien que d'être reconnu pour être sympathique n'est pas à plaindre et peut attirer moult expats qui cherchent une nouvelle contrée où s'installer. Le Canada avait d'ailleurs reçu le titre du troisième meilleur pays au monde selon le U.S. News en 2022.
Selon Passeport Index, une plateforme digitale qui évalue les types de passeports de la planète, les pays « les plus accueillants » seraient plutôt ceux qui possèdent le moins de restrictions aux frontières pour les visiter et qui seraient donc considérés comme moins stricts. Il semble que dans cette optique, le Canada est bien loin dans la liste qui comprend 84 positions au total. Pour effectuer le classement, Passeport Index s'est fié au nombre de types de passeports que chaque pays accepte sans visa, avec visa à l'arrivée ou avec eTA (autorisation de voyage requise), et ce, depuis le début de 2023.
En 68e position, le Canada est évalué comme assez sévère dans ses règlements pour entrer au pays. Il est suivi de l'Australie en 79e position, des États-Unis ainsi que l'Irak en 70e et du Mali en 71e. Cela signifie que ce n'est pas tout le monde qui peut passer les frontières et espérer entrer sur le territoire canadien puisque le pays permet à seulement 54 nationalités d'entrer sans visa, avec visa à l'arrivée ou avec eTA.
Parmi les pays « les plus accueillants » notons, entre autres, en première position, le Gabon, la Guinée, l'Éthiopie, l'Angola, le Djibouti, la Bolivie, les Maldives et le Burundi qui ont tou.tes accueilli près de 198 passeports en 2023.
La Corée du Nord, classée comme à éviter absolument selon le Gouvernement du Canada, s'est placée à la toute fin de la liste en 84e position ainsi que l'Afghanistan et le Turkmenistan puisqu'eux aussi n'ont accepté aucune entrée.