Nicholson’s No Frills

Part of the Loblaw family of companies, No Frills is a great way to get your grocery basics at a great price. Even though it still carries many of the Loblaw brands, I spend less at No Frills for the same groceries that I would buy at Loblaws or Longo’s. That said, it doesn’t have all the PC brands and there are no «black label» products in sight, which is a shame because they’re delicious! Also, keep in mind the meat and fish products aren’t as good as at Loblaws, no fresh fish counter and no charcuterie counter either… It’s called No Frills after all!
They also do not take credit cards, so make sure you have cash or debit or you’re out of luck. You also need pocket change to use their shopping carts, otherwise you’re using one of the smaller baskets.
So, there are some drawbacks, but it’s a great way to save money, get your basic groceries, and still get some PC points for grocery discounts.

Very narrow aisles. Convenient location right across from Runnymede subway station. Extremely limited selection. I have not been able to find taco seasoning and other small items. I have asked staff for assistance finding things and they have either just said they do not know if they have an item or pointed me to an aisle where it would be if they have it. Most times they do not have what I am looking for.
I normally go to freshco because it’s closer to my house and they have cheaper prices. No frills does have price matching but most of freshco prices are lower and not advertised in the flyer so they will not honor them.
Very short conveyors at the cash which means you have to rush to put everything on conveyor as room is available, start packing your bags, and pay in a very short period of time.
Staff is very young so it would be nice to see some managerial staff on the floor to ensure better customer service.

This place is absolutely horrible.
Too bad I don’t have a car and only have this place as an option for my can, cereal, etc needs. I shed a tear each time i have to walk into that dreaded place after work…

Like many others on here this is my local and closest grocery store… So I go here. Too often! It is what it is… No Frills so I don’t expect a Whole Foods… My produce is always very fresh no complaints there… Good prices… But what it needs is a major Reno/​freshening up! It’s WAY to small for the high demands of the neighbourhood. It’s getting old and run down. What I find most annoying is that there is always staff everywhere stocking shelves in the middle or rush hour! Always in the way! I know shelves have to be restocked but geeez at 5:30 on a weeknight. Everyone is right in their comment… Enter at your own risk! ;)

Wow what a messy store! And some pretty unhappy looking staff. As this is the main grocery store in my area I won’t be able to avoid it, but a lot of improvements need to be made.

I don’t wanna hate on this No Frills too much, cuz I go here after my workouts.
I’ll just mention some undeniable truths. It’s really small. There are loads of stinky people who love to frequent this location. There’s a guy who essentially lives at the entrance asking for change. There’s an LCBO across the street that features a heavy set stinky guy who begs for change as well. I suspect the pair are in cahoots. This No frills closes at 9pm which is pretty lame. Get in, get out. Don’t expect good produce. The pears are in bad shape and I had to put my kale back once because it had brown juices all over it. Ew.
Yeah, its No Frills so one should not expect «frills» but in my 20+ years of No Frills experience, city locations are the absolute worst. I wont even buy cat litter here. Unless it goes on sale for like, $ 3.88 like it did that one time. But it has to be Purina litter cuz the no name litter actually amplifies the smell of kitty excrement.
3 stars!

Crowded at all times. No Visa accepted. Messy. Aisles are also laid out in a strange way (It took about 10 minutes to find a can of coconut milk, which was not in its usual habitat.) ARGH! Yet, I keep coming back because it‘s on my way home. They have everything you need, you just need patience.

Key Features: Good deals; awful lines
This is my local grocery store. I find myself here once a week. Except when ordering Pizza seems acceptable.
The deals are great — the store is pretty much in order. However, stay away from this place between 4pm and 6pm. Everyone comes here after work, and there are not enough staff the keep the check out lines moving.
It’s a No Frills, so what do you expect? That’s what I thought until I went to some of the larger No Fills that were five to ten times the size. It was like being Aladdin on a Magic Carpet ride! (A whole new wooooorld.)
Since then, I can not look at this one the same anymore.
It’s still convenient (just one Jay-​Walk from the subway station), and it’s still the best deal for my grocery dollar. It’s just, ever since I saw what it COULD have been, I have a hard time for loving it for what it is.
Still, it’s my local grocery store, and the staff are lovely.

So tiny!!! If you are able, don’t waste your time here, and try and make it to Tim and Sue’s No Frills at Pacific and Dundas, and only about 5 mins drive away. It’s bigger, better and more selection.
Since the place is so tiny, it seems only appropriate for small quick purchases as opposed to your entire food stock for the week, but then you run into the extremely long and crowded line up and you wonder what’s the point, especially with the local grocers for produce just down the street. There’s also the actual Rowe Farms store across the street if you’re looking for eggs (which this no frills doesn’t carry)
There a lot of the conventional stuff, but if you’re looking for alternative diet type foods or organic, you may not find it here. (But they have at the other No Frills!) But there is a health food store right beside the no frills which may have what you’re looking for.
Parking is free for two hours in the lots beside, which might be right considering the lineup.
Just avoid.

Remember the opening sequence in Shaun Of The Dead with the grocery store? Yeah that’s pretty much No Frills — especially after 5 PM.
It’s too small for the amount of people that go in there. Bloor West needs a proper large grocery store — not a cramped noisy bag it yourself box that makes you angry at the world when you leave!
Go there if there is an emergency otherwise support local like Rowe Farms for meat, milk, and eggs and get fruits and veggies at one of the many fruit stands!

Nicholson’s No Frills is located at the end of my street so the main reason that I shop there is out of convenience, but with that said I’m quite satisfied with the store in general. It’s not much to look at and the selection can be limited, but it delivers good value in a prime Bloor West location. There’s nicer places to get bread, meat, cheese, veggies, etc. close by, but for the grocery essentials No Frills is still a choice in my opinion.

Juste bon pour dépanner car très petit, mais on y trouve tout de même toutes les matière premieres!

Nicholson’s No Frills is on the ugly end of No Frills stores, and that’s saying something.
Combined with another shop like Sobey’s, one can make due with shopping here strictly for deals on canned goods. I wouldn’t recommend coming here specifically to buy meat, or produce. Veggies are often rotting on the shelf, while meats have an odd colouring to them days before their expiry many times. I once bought bread at this location and as soon as arrived opening, uncovering the bread, I noticed it was covered in mold. Once in a while something good will pop up, but tread carefully.
Prices (not specific to this No Frills) from No Frills are not as competitive as they once were against the higher end chains. In some cases, meat is cheaper to buy from Sobey’s, or Metro than it is from No Frills now, and the quality is better.
The good qualities of this store are the location, which is right by the subway, and the staff which are generally friendly. Boxes near the front are nearly always plentiful, and there is plenty of parking on the street, or in the lot next door (don’t forget validation).
There are many options up and down the street in terms of meats, bread, and produce. Stick to No Frills for generic canned goods without a huge markup, and buy anything perishable some place else.

Not my favourite NoFrlls. I go there because it’s close to the subway. My favourite store is still Tim & Sue’s, at Pacific & Dundas, but this one is way closer. Laziness wins.

The Junction location of No Frills is much better, primarily due to wider aisles and plenty of free parking. Go there instead.

Great location. Great prices (no frills). Free parking.

The neon yellow (the paint colour is called «Nuclear Banana») that encompasses No Frills hurts my eyes, its shoddy sneezed on produce hurts my stomach, its moldy breads hurt… okay, you get the picture, No Frills just hurts me.
The lines are long, the aisles are packed and everyone, EVERYONE, looks miserable there. So why do we go? Because it’s cheap. It’s cheap in terms of bags of pasta or cans of food or cereal or frozen pizza or milk or eggs even.
Seriously though, if I have to make a trip I have a specific list and I’m in and out as soon as I can.
Oh…and FYI, once you’ve picked out your groceries make sure you don’t try to pay by VISA. They don’t take it.

No Frills as a rule are the places that you go in for canned food, adequate produce, and meat that better look fresh. Most times when I head inside for groceries to one of these places, I ensure that it’s just for the tinned foods and cleaning products that I need. Produce? I look elsewhere.
Leave it to Bloor West Village to class up one of these joints and make it palatable. The look is the same as most to all No Frills. There’s yellow all over the place, the owner has his name plastered in huge letters («NICHOLSON’s») at the front beside all of the junior sports teams that they sponsor, and there’s boxes lining the front of the store for those that don’t feel like paying a nickel-​a-​bag to take their groceries home.
That said, the place is one of the cleaner of the No Frills that you’ll find in the city. The staff are good, and the produce is actually competitive in terms of price and freshness to that which you’ll find in the small grocery stores that are found in Bloor West Village. I’d even go as far as saying the meat’s okay to get there. That’s saying something.

I’m a big fan of the No Frills franchises, but this one is a little tough to love. They just finished a big, disruptive renovation that apparently consisted simply of making all the aisles perpendicular to their former configuration. For a mid-​sized supermarket, it’s got a fair selection, and the prices are tough to beat.
There’s free parking, but you need to get the ticket validated, which makes sense considering the demand for parking around Bloor West Village. What doesn’t make sense is that the ticket dispenser has been busted for over a year, and you still have to drive over to the attendant to get a parking ticket.