SAQ raising prices Nov. 1, bottle deposits going up too

Your favourite bottle of wine may be more expensive as of November 1, as the SAQ plans to increases the prices of over 1,800 products.

Items will cost about $0.32 more on average, for an overall increase of 0.7 per cent.

The last price increase by the SAQ was in June, when alcohol products went up by an average 1.1 per cent.

Overall bottles at the SAQ this year have gone up about $1.19.

The price of over 40 per cent of products at the SAQ will remain the same though.

There will be some price drops – 87 products will see their price drop by an average of $0.46. Some other 800 products will see a price decrease by an average 2.7 per cent.

The crown corporation is allowed to increase its prices twice a year.

Bottle deposits will also be going up as of November 1.

Aluminum containers will be worth $0.10 – like juice, cider, or sparkling water cans – with the exception of glass bottles with capacities of 500mL to two 2L, which will bring in $0.25.

This is the first phase in the modernization of Quebec’s deposit-refund system.

The refund for beer cans over 450ml, previously set at $0.20, will decrease to $0.10 for “standardization reasons.”

The majority of these products will see their prices drop by $0.11 to compensate for the deposit.