signalReddit r/SideProject2026-10-02
I got tired of checking prices at 6 grocery stores every week so I built Grocery Detective to check them all at once
Grocery Detective is a tool that finds local prices and weekly deals across grocery chains by zip code, sending a weekly email digest for saved items. It tackles data normalization between stores, which is the hardest part, using manual matching and indexing. Early usage showed the need for generic items like 'Whole Milk' to match across brands.
- for who
- Shoppers who want to compare prices across multiple grocery chains.
- what changes
- The weekly manual flyer-checking routine is replaced by an automated email digest.
- to do
- Visit grocerydetective.com, test the tool, and share feedback on UI and matching improvements.
key points
- Covers 6+ supermarkets within 15 minutes, weekly deals via zip code
- Data normalization hardest, uses manual matching and product indexing
- Generic items index created for common searches like Whole Milk
#data matching#personal project#grocery price comparison
score
score 5 out of 10. 0-10: how dense the facts are, multiplied by how much you can do with them after reading. 8+ means the topic's evidence bar is met: benchmarks and availability for a new model, amount and investors for a funding round, revenue figures for a solo-money story. Below 5 an item does not enter the digest. A press release scores 3 or less, a reprint loses 2, anything older than 14 days loses 1, a headline that misleads loses 3.
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