GT Daily Deals

If you want the quick version this morning: gas, happy hour, and yard-season shopping are the best categories to act on today. Grocery is still usable, but it is more of a last day to work the current cycle situation than a fresh ad-drop moment. Meijer’s current weekly ad ends today, its next ad preview is already up, and Oleson’s current 04/05 ad is still live. 

Today’s strongest practical wins are:

• Lowe’s for bulk spring basics, especially mulch and garden soil
• Sam’s Club plus south/west non-club stations for the best gas value
• Barrio, The Parlor, The Little Fleet, and Smoke & Porter for after-work deals
• Menards, Walmart, and Meijer for the clearest home + garden price story today  

Top overall winners today

1. Lowe’s — Sta-Green 2-cu.-ft. mulch, 5 for $10

That is $2 per bag, which is the strongest big-box mulch price surfaced this morning. Lowe’s is also running 5 for $10 Sta-Green 1-cu.-ft. garden soil and 2 for $12 Miracle-Gro 25-qt. Organic Potting Mix or 1.5-cu.-ft. Raised Bed Soil, which makes it the cleanest stop for basic yard and garden starts today. 

2. Gas south/west of Traverse City

AAA has Traverse City’s average regular at $3.833, but third-party local trackers are showing better leads this morning at Family Fare on US-31 S around $3.22, Shell in Grawn around $3.26, Shell on US-31 S in Traverse City around $3.26, Northland Gas in Kingsley around $3.29, and Mobil/Cherryland in Interlochen around $3.30. Sam’s Club remains the safest membership play, with outside trackers showing it in the mid-to-upper $3.70s this morning. These station-by-station prices are from third-party trackers, so treat them as check-before-you-pull-in leads. 

3. Barrio — best easy downtown happy hour

Barrio is still one of the easiest yeses in town: Monday–Friday 3–6 PM, $5 casa margaritas + skinny skeletons, $1 off tacos + drafts, and half off tequila + whiskey. This is still one of the strongest current, publicly posted downtown deals. 

4. The Parlor — strongest cocktail deal

The Parlor is still advertising TC’s only “Half Off Happy Hour” from 4–7 PM daily. If you want the best cocktail-first play downtown, this is still it. 

5. Menards vs. Walmart vs. Meijer for spring basics

Menards still has 2.0-cu.-ft. brown mulch at $3.33 with an 11% rebate worth $0.37, bringing the after-rebate price down to about $2.96. Walmart is showing Expert Gardener Garden Soil 2 cu. ft. at $4.97 rollback and Miracle-Gro Organic Outdoor Potting Mix 25 qt. at $9.48. Meijer is showing Old Castle Timberline Hardwood Brown Mulch 2 cu. ft. at $3.99 and New Plant Life Top Soil 40 lbs. at $2.49. 

Groceries

There was not a big new grocery reset overnight, so the grocery angle today is mostly “work the current weekly cycle before it flips.” Meijer’s current ad is in its last day, the Apr. 8–14 preview is already posted, and Oleson’s 04/05 ad remains the current local ad. 

The strongest still-live grocery deals from the current weekly cycle are:

• Meijer spiral sliced half ham — $0.85/lb
• Oleson’s boneless skinless chicken breast, value pack — $2.99/lb
• Meijer russet potatoes, 5-lb. bag — $1.99
• Oleson’s blackberries, 6 oz. — $1.99
• Meijer Del Monte canned vegetables — 4 for $5  

So the grocery strategy today is simple: if you were already going to Meijer, go today, not tomorrow. Use the last day of the current ad, stack mPerks, and keep Oleson’s in play for chicken and berries. 

Gas

Gas is worth watching before you leave the driveway today. AAA’s Traverse City average is $3.833, but that average is not where the best fill-ups are happening. Sam’s Club remains the safest low-price anchor in town, with its official fuel center live and open today, while third-party current-price trackers show Sam’s in the $3.75–$3.80 range this morning. 

Best current non-club leads this morning:

• Family Fare, 4144 US-31 S — about $3.22
• Shell, 5624 US-31 South in Grawn — about $3.26
• Shell, 948 US-31 S in Traverse City — about $3.26
• Northland Gas, 2377 E MI-113 in Kingsley — about $3.29
• Mobil, 9419 US-31 S in Interlochen — about $3.30
• Cherryland Gas, 19114 Honor Hwy in Interlochen — about $3.30  

Restaurants + bars

This morning did not bring a wave of brand-new happy hour announcements, but the current official specials are good enough that they are still very post-worthy.

Best downtown plays:

• The Parlor — half off happy hour 4–7 PM daily
• Barrio — $5 margaritas, $1 off tacos + drafts, half off tequila + whiskey, Mon–Fri 3–6
• The Little Fleet — $5 draft beer, $8 margaritas, $8 negronis, $8 wine, and wings + draft beer for $14, daily 4–6
• Smoke & Porter — $2 off drafts, $2.50 domestic bottles, $3 off wines by the glass, $5 well cocktails, 3–6 PM and all night Thursday
• Red Mesa — $5 snacks + classic cocktails, daily 3–5
• Rare Bird — $1 off Rare Bird beers and wine pours, $6 well cocktails, Mon–Fri 3–6
• Lil Bo — $1 off house wine, draft beer, well drinks, seltzers, and RTDs, 4–6 PM daily  

Worth-the-drive options:

• Pearl’s in Elk Rapids — happy hour daily 3–5 PM
• Harrington’s by the Bay — happy hour open to close every day  

Home + garden

This is one of the best categories today because the pricing is actually clean.

Best current home + garden deals:

• Lowe’s — Sta-Green 2-cu.-ft. mulch, 5 for $10
• Lowe’s — Sta-Green 1-cu.-ft. garden soil, 5 for $10
• Lowe’s — Miracle-Gro Organic Potting Mix 25 qt. or Raised Bed Soil 1.5 cu. ft., 2 for $12
• Menards — brown mulch 2.0 cu. ft. $3.33 with $0.37 rebate
• Menards — Forever Green Weed & Feed 10,000 sq. ft. $22.99 with $2.53 rebate
• Walmart — Expert Gardener Garden Soil 2 cu. ft. rollback to $4.97
• Walmart — Miracle-Gro Organic Outdoor Potting Mix 25 qt. $9.48
• Meijer — New Plant Life Top Soil 40 lbs. $2.49
• Meijer — Old Castle Timberline Hardwood Brown Mulch 2 cu. ft. $3.99
• Home Depot — Scotts Turf Builder Weed & Feed5 4,000 sq. ft. $29.97  

The cleanest takeaway: go to Lowe’s first if you need mulch and basic garden-start supplies, use Menards if you’re willing to do the rebate math, use Walmart for potting mix/soil value, and use Meijer for a cheap topsoil add-on while you’re already there. 

Best strategy today

Start with the stuff that changes fastest:

1. Check gas first
2. Use today for any Meijer grocery cleanup before the ad flips
3. Hit Lowe’s if you need mulch, potting mix, or garden soil
4. Use Barrio, The Parlor, The Little Fleet, or Smoke & Porter for tonight’s easy deal stop  

Final takeaway

Today is less about a huge overnight grocery surprise and more about timing. The money-saving moves this morning are: catch the end of the current Meijer grocery cycle, use tracker-checked gas instead of average-price assumptions, and take advantage of the unusually clear spring yard pricing at Lowe’s, Menards, Walmart, and Meijer.