I am always amazed at how much I can get for so little at this old-school “small” Loblaws at the North end of the Glebe. Today I filled my shopping cart for all of $46.
There were some lovely deals: Cherries for $2.77/lb (California), organic grapes for $3.99/lb, Romaine for 79¢, a package of 3 Ontario greenhouse cucumbers for $2.79, and they still have Aylmer tomatoes for 99¢ per can.
Actually the trick to this store is that since it is so tiny (and by “tiny”, I really mean “regular-sized” like before supermarkets went on steroids and started eating up entire postal codes) they often don’t have what you came for. So you make do, find something else, or just get it elswhere next week.
Yes it can be inconvenient–today they had no organic 2% milk, which we drink a lot of, so I’ll probably end up getting it at Hartman’s. But it can also save me money–like, maybe we’ll make the half-a-bag that’s in the fridge last one more day so we can have a zero-dollar day tomorrow.
The other nice trick is how the store is laid out. For some reason I always end up getting a ton of produce when I head up there, probably because the produce is generally nice, and much cheaper than Hartman’s. They also have a usually well-stocked 50% reduced produce rack. They also have 50% reduced bread products and you can usually pick up a 6-pack of buns for just over a dollar. Throw them in the freezer and they’ll keep just fine.
If you live in the Glebe or Centretown, it’s totally worth making the Isabella Loblaws a regular grocery stop.
Frugal + Urban 
i have been using this store for years mainly due to its location. If i miss the bus to Main St., it is only a short walk to Ottawa East. The main reason i went there today was to get tmy 6/49 tickets and leave fast, but due to a mixup in a special purchase there had to be a correction made. The paper towels in question had to be exchanged for the right ones. They had to go and get the right ones and give a credit for the old ones which must have been registered in the cash register. There were 2 ladies handling the issue while i was standing around waiting with another customer who had groceries to pay for. Meanwhile 1 of the 2 ladies disappeared from the scene leaving only 1 to take care of business. I do not think the 2 ladies were aware that i was even there waiting to buy my 6/49 tickets.The lady beside me asked me to go ahead but one of the cashiers on fast cash was having a problem and told that to this one remainng worker who decided to leave and try to solve the problem. She never so much as acknowledged i was even there. I took my 6/49 ticket and decided to leave the scene. Nobody bothered coming back to attend the customers.