Inflation is the highest it’s been in Canada in 40 years, which makes buying groceries hard on a student’s budget. But the NAIT Retail Meat Store has you covered with low prices. It is located in O122L at the far end of the seating area next to The Common Market. They are open Tuesday- Thursday 10 am- 5 pm, but the best time to visit is from 12 pm-2 pm when the store has minor traffic. The store prices are very wallet-friendly for the student on a tight budget.
I compared the prices of 3 local groceries stores in the Edmonton area, so you can see the savings firsthand. A pound of ground beef, chicken breast, sausage and a loaf of bread will cost around $27 at Save on Foods, $22 at Walmart, or $26 at Superstore. But at the Retail Meat Store, it would cost approximately $17.
And students don’t need to worry about the quality, either. Rob Povey, Chair of the professional meat cutting and merchandising program explains that “the program’s quality would be at par or even greater than the city grocery stores. We’re able to have three instructors continually moving between groups to assist students retailing fresh products for the retail store. The product on a whole is trimmed more than the average grocery store, adding greater value to our customer support base.”
When you head to the store, don’t forget to look for some hidden gems. “The signature seasoned wings are a great hit. The stuffed products are stuffed with a gluten-free ground seasoned pork, with bacon bites, onions, and mustard added enhancing the flavour. The smoked value-added products are formulated from in-house recipes,” said Povey.
While the retail store works as cost recovery, Povey still appreciates the experience shoppers provide the students of the program. “We value the support from staff, students, and external shoppers to be able to give the student a full experience in a retail operation.”
With meat prices this low at the on-campus store, the only option is buying meat from a sketchy person’s trunk or pulling an elaborate grocery store heist. This writer recommends trying the Stuffed Rouladen as I was able to feed four people with the Rouladen I bought at the store. It came with roasted garlic mashed potatoes, oven-roasted carrots and gravy for only $21. The seasoning of the ground pork mixture was otherworldly, and the pickle’s crunch made it divine. The Retail Meat store offers Michelin star restaurant cuts of meat at McDonald’s prices.
