Background article, updated October 23, 2026. Our earlier Canadian collection has stored prices dated December 11, 2025 through March 21, 2026, with gaps. The current collection began March 22, 2026. See collection dates and gaps.
Grocery price data helps a team compare what a retailer listed, where it listed it and when. A useful file keeps enough detail for someone else to check that comparison.
Start with the fields you need
Look for the product name, brand, package size, chain, store, province and price date. A barcode can help compare products across chains when one is available, but check that the size and product description agree.
A unit price helps compare different pack sizes. Make sure the comparison uses the same unit and that the weight or volume is known.
Check the stores and dates
Ask which stores the file covers and when prices were collected. Coverage of a chain does not mean every location was checked. Check the dates needed for your question rather than assuming that a long file has an uninterrupted history.
For a price change, compare the same product at the same store. If a price is missing in either period, leave that comparison out and record the gap.
Choose a question the data can answer
A brand team might compare a product with a competitor's equivalent pack. A retail team might follow another chain's advertised sales. A researcher might study price changes across the stores and dates available.
Listed prices do not tell you how many units were sold or what caused a retailer to change a price. Keep those questions separate from a price comparison.
Check the delivery before buying
Open the sample file and read its column descriptions. Confirm that your products, chains, provinces and dates are covered. Review the plans and one-time datasets for the access and licence you need.
The free weekly index and collection method provide another way to check how Vynn's prices are collected and compared. To try your own requests, get a free API key.