Swapped my weekly grocery store run for a local co-op, now I'm weirded out by the savings

I started buying produce and dry goods at the co-op near my bus stop in Portland back in February, just to avoid the checkout line at the big box store. Six months later my food bill dropped about 40 bucks a week because I'm not impulse buying those end cap snacks and I actually eat what I bring home since the stuff is fresher. Has anyone else seen this kind of before and after shift just by changing where you shop, or is it just the co-op markup hiding in plain sight?

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the_jason27d agoTop Commenter

Honestly, 40 bucks a week sounds like a lot unless you were straight up wasting half your old haul. That's over 2 grand a year, which is basically a car payment or a flight somewhere, so I'd double check you're not just eating less overall. Co-ops can be cheaper on bulk stuff but they'll nail you on fancy cheese and local honey, so the real win might just be that you stopped buying garbage.