Thirty-weight oil and two-per-cent milk. Antifreeze and frozen pizzas. Pool noodles and, well, noodle noodles.

What would Sandy McTire say?

Or, the more pressing question for executives at Canadian Tire Corp., what would customers say?

The reassuring answer for Canadian Tire and the many other retailers adding food to their shelves: Keep serving up those bargains. To shoppers accustomed to Walmart-style, we-sell-everything outlets, convenience and value rank higher than the name on the sign outside.

"There were some weeks when we didn't have grocery specials and people were disappointed," reports Canadian Tire dealer Claude L'Heureux, whose outlet was an early test store for the chain's grocery offerings. "They're looking for it now."

A cashier at another Ottawa store that added groceries in November confirmed that opinion. "Everybody buys the milk."

So far, Canadian Tire has just nine stores, all in Ontario, with food sections, but appears ready to join Shoppers Drug Mart, Giant Tiger and other chains that sell groceries in many or all locations. The retailer is "very encouraged" by the reaction of customers, says Duncan Reith, senior vice-president of merchandising.

"They've told us not only through how they're spending their money, but they've told us as we've talked to them -- and we've done our customer research -- that they really enjoy having it there, they find it a valuable service and it's causing them to come to our stores more often."