Grocery Sales Forecast for June.

I was faced with a bit of a conundrum here. I really wanted to introduce Richter's this week but then realized that this post would be going out the first week of June. Since the 'sales forecasts' rank among the top three popular posts, I decided to stay with the proven and add Richter's next week.

Father's Day falls on Sunday, June 16/13. This means the stores will go all out to compete for the Father's Day business and offer good sales on all the different Men's Toiletries, such as Shaving Products - Kits, Razors, Shaving Cream/Gel, After Shave; Personal Care Products - Body Wash, Deodorant, Shampoo; and Fragrances of all kinds.

Coupons are often available for Father's Day Items, Pharmacy Supplies, and similar products. Before going shopping for any of these products, click on 'Get Coupons' from Smart Source to check if any are available. Might as well take advantage of all the savings.
If you have a Target store near you, remember that they allow coupon stacking - One manufacturer's coupon plus one Internet coupon printed from www.Target.ca.

Summer Backyard Season continues and so do the specials on meat for the barbecue: Ground Beef, Steaks, Chicken, Ribs, Wieners, Sausages.
Vegies for the grill include:
From Canada - Assorted Peppers, including Mini-Peppers; Mushrooms; Hot-house Tomatoes.
From USA - Corn on the Cob.
Other: The condiments - Ketchup, Relish, Mayonnaise, Salad Dressing, Salsa, Pickles, etc.; Bottled Water, Energy Drinks, Iced Tea, Lemonades, Clamato Juice and Vegetable Cocktails; Ice Cream and Ice-cream Novelties, Freezies; Paper and Disposable Products - Plates, Cups, Utensils, Napkins, Paper Towel, Bathroom Tissue, Facial Tissue; Pharmacy Supplies - Insect Repellant, Sunscreen,  Pain Relief, Allergy/Sinus Medication, First Aid Products. Toothpaste and other Oral Care Products and Laundry Supplies may also be featured.

June is National Turkey Lover's Month, which should mean that turkey products are featured, but looking through past information this doesn't seem to be the case. Turkey is one of the healthy meats, so if the past repeats itself the Turkey Producers Marketing Association is missing a great opportunity to promote their products.

June is also National Dairy Month and this is promoted very well. All the dairy products will be featured at some time during the month, including Butter, Milk, Cream of all kinds, Yogurt, Smoothies, Cheeses - large variety of Hard and Soft Cheeses, Cottage Cheese, Cream Cheese, Cheese Slices, Cheese Spread. Also look for sales of Sour Cream and Eggs.

As soon as Father's Day is over, stores will start offering the products that go along with Holiday Weekends, Canada Day (July 1) and USA Independence Day (July 4). These sale products will include, in addition to the Summer Backyard Season items already listed, Chips, Dips, Coke, Pepsi, Other Sodas, Tacos, Tortillas, Crackers, Chocolate Bars, Marshmallows.

Seasonal Fruits and Vegetables. With the weather we have in Ontario, and throughout most of Canada, local grown fresh produce is sometimes hard to find, but it does start to make an appearance during May/June and from then on expands to provide an excellent selection of fruits and vegetables right through October. Whenever possible it makes sense to stick to the 100-Mile Rule. This rule promotes the purchase of foods grown locally within a 100-mile area. There are many advantages for those who follow this rule - top quality, best-tasting produce picked when fully ripe; less expensive as costly long-distance transportation is eliminated (bonus, less transportation pollution); and, local producers benefit from the sales which in turn strengthens the community. Unfortunately, not everything is grown within 100 miles, but when it is, it makes a lot of sense to follow this rule.

Ontario grown produce available during June:

Rhubarb, Strawberries 

Asparagus; Cucumbers, including Mini-Cucumbers; Leaf Lettuce, Mushrooms; Peppers, including Mini-Bell Peppers; Radishes, Hot-house Tomatoes. 

Produce Grown in USA:
Apples and Pears; Blueberries and Strawberries; Cantaloupe and Watermelon; Nectarines, Peaches and Plums.
Green Beans; Baby-cut Carrots (these are just regular carrots cut down to size - wouldn't carrot-sticks at 1/4 the price do as well?); Corn on the Cob; Boston, Leaf and Romaine Lettuce; Green Onions, Grape Tomatoes.

I mentioned at the beginning of this post that the Sales Forecasts were among the top three most popular posts. There is a little counter on my posting page that shows how many people visit each post. From that I'm able to tell which ones readers like well enough to share.
So far the most popular posts have been:
1. Loyalty Cards
2. Walmart vs Target
3. Grocery Sales Forecasts
4. Coupons 101

So that's it for another week. I hope everyone enjoys reading these articles as much as I enjoy writing them.