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What's Cheaper: Bulk Barn Or Dollarama? I Did The Math On These 8 Items To Find Out

Here's how the prices compare! 👀

Mira Nabulsi | Narcity

With grocery prices getting more expensive in Ontario, I wanted to find out which stores have the lowest costs and if they are actually worth visiting.

I went to Bulk Barn and Dollarama in Toronto to compare the prices of items I usually buy to find out which store has them for cheaper — and honestly, the results shocked me.

Growing up in the Middle East, we don't really have anything like Bulk Barn or Dollarama. So when I moved to Toronto, visiting these stores for the first time made my jaw drop — and, they continue to amaze me.

Bulk Barn is a spot, other than Costco, to buy things in bulk and for a low price. Dollarama, on the other hand, has a whole bunch of things to buy for less than $5.

Bulk Barn's prices vary by weight, compared to Dollarama, which has a set price per item. So I did the math to accurately calculate the weights of products at Bulk Barn to match those at Dollarama and compare the prices.

I compared the prices of 8 items at Bulk Barn with Dollarama and there was a clear winner.

KitKat Minis

KitKat Minis at Dollarama and Bulk Barn.

KitKat Minis at Dollarama and Bulk Barn.

Mira Nabulsi | Narcity

Price Comparison:

  • Dollarama: $2.25/104g
  • Bulk Barn: $2.80/100g
For over 100 grams of mini KitKats, Dollarama was the clear winner. It was cheaper to buy more KitKats for less— over 50 cents cheaper.
104 grams of mini KitKats at Bulk Barn would cost $2.91.

Reese's Mini Peanut Butter Cups

Reese's Mini Peanut Butter Cups at Dollarama and Bulk Barn.

Reese's Mini Peanut Butter Cups at Dollarama and Bulk Barn.

Mira Nabulsi | Narcity

Price Comparison:

  • Dollarama: $2.50/104 g
  • Bulk Barn: $2.54/100g
The price of Reese's mini peanut butter cups at both locations is quite close, but the price for 100 grams at Bulk Barn is 4 cents more and for less.
104 grams of the peanut butter cups at Bulk Barn would cost $2.64.

Chocolate Covered Pretzels

Chocolate-covered pretzels at Dollarama and Bulk Barn.

Chocolate-covered pretzels at Dollarama and Bulk Barn.

Mira Nabulsi | Narcity

Price Comparison:

  • Dollarama: $1.50/92g
  • Bulk Barn: $2.10/100g
There was a big difference in price when comparing chocolate-covered pretzels at both stores. But, Dollarama is the cheaper option.

92 grams of the chocolate-covered pretzels at Bulk Barn would cost $1.93 compared to $1.50 at Dollarama.

Mini Cookies

Chips Ahoy! at Dollarama. Right: Mini cookies at Bulk Barn.

Chips Ahoy! at Dollarama. Right: Mini cookies at Bulk Barn.

Mira Nabulsi | Narcity

Price Comparison:

  • Dollarama: $2.25/180g
  • Bulk Barn: $1.15/100g
The mini cookies sold at Dollarama are Chips Ahoy!, compared to Bulk Barn which doesn't have a brand name. So you'd expect Bulk Barn to be cheaper.
When doing the math, 180 grams of the cookies from Bulk Barn is $2.07, which is cheaper than Dollarama.

The mini chocolate chip cookies are the only item I found to be cheaper at Bulk Barn compared to Dollarama.

M&M's Peanut

M&M's at Dollarama and Bulk Barn.

M&M's at Dollarama and Bulk Barn.

Mira Nabulsi | Narcity

Price Comparison:

  • Dollarama: $2.50/120g
  • Bulk Barn: $2.56/100g
This is another scenario, where more is less. At Bulk Barn, buying 100 grams of the peanut M&M's costs 6 cents more than buying 120 grams of M&M's from Dollarama.

If I were to buy the same weight at both, Bulk Barn's 120 grams could cost $3.072.

Spaghetti

Spaghetti at Dollarama and Bulk Barn.

Spaghetti at Dollarama and Bulk Barn.

Mira Nabulsi | Narcity

Price Comparison:

  • Dollarama: $1.00/450g
  • Bulk Barn: $0.51/100g
At Dollarama, you can buy 450 grams of spaghetti from Italpasta for way cheaper than the no-name at Bulk Barn.
450 grams of past from Bulk Barn would cost consumers $2.295, which is $1.3 more than that at Dollarama.

Coconut Sugar

Coconut sugar at Dollarama and Bulk Barn.

Coconut sugar at Dollarama and Bulk Barn.

Mira Nabulsi | Narcity

Price Comparison:

  • Dollarama: $2.50/300g
  • Bulk Barn: $1.59/100g
Coconut sugar, which usually costs around $5 at Loblaws, is being sold for way less at these low-price stores. But there is one clear winner and let me tell you who that is.

At Dollarama, you can buy organic coconut sugar for way cheaper than at Bulk Barn.

300 grams of coconut sugar at Bulk Barn can cost consumers $4.77 for 300 grams, which is nearly double the price of the one sold at Dollarama.

Plantain Chips

Plantain Chips at Dollarama and Bulk Barn.

Plantain Chips at Dollarama and Bulk Barn.

Mira Nabulsi | Narcity

Price Comparison:

  • Dollarama: $1.00/85g
  • Bulk Barn: $2.51/100g
Plantain chips might not be a fan favourite, but I like them, especially when you dip them in some guacamole. So, I got excited when I found out that Dollarama has them for cheaper.

85 grams of plantain chips from Bulk Barn would cost $2.13.

Other than the mini cookies, seven of the eight items I picked up from both locations saw that Dollarama is cheaper than Bulk Barn.

But, if you don't need that much and want to spend less, Bulk Barn would probably be the way to go.

The price difference might not be so prominent in the greater scheme of things, and it won't alter your life decisions. But, when buying things in bulk, you might want to actually head to Dollarama instead of Bulk Barn.

If you buy individual packs of the same item from Dollarama, it'll most probably be cheaper than filling a bag and buying it at Bulk Barn — isn't that ironic?

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