I can't help but wonder how much of the show's reluctance to mention the daytime version is because of Pat Sajak (and possibly Harry Friedman?)

I think it may have been more Merv Griffin's preference not to mention the daytime version (and Chuck Woolery),

Whenever asked about Woolery, and his leaving the show, Pat Sajak would usually just say Woolery, decided to leave to pursue other interests.  The word from Woolery that it was all because of money, existed for a long time, but got more in-depth after Merv Griffin's passing.

Sometime after Merv Griffin's death, Sajak would occasionally (like on a milestone anniversary episode), mention how the show began on NBC daytime, and at least once extended a welcome invitation for Woolery to stop by and visit sometime.

Found the Supermarket Sweep game at one of the Atlanta-area Ollie's locations, $4.99 as mentioned above. It was on the board game aisle and not in the seasonal section, so look in both places if you need to.

There was one unopened copy of Supermarket Sweep at the location closest to me.

Unrelated but maybe of interest to board game/Monopoly collectors:  Ollie's has Monopoly Jackpot for $10.  I haven't seen that game in stores since before COVID.

You spin the wheel at the start of each bonus round to determine its worth, but the money then isn't used for anything. So you do spin a wheel, but it has no bearing on ranking and there's nothing to buy with the money.

There’s a new Wheel of Fortune game on Apple’s App Store- Wheel of Fortune Daily. Players can playa daily bonus puzzle and a five Tossup Round, which suggests this is Wheel’s way of getting into the “daily puzzle streak” market that the NYT created.

Currently the app is only available on Apple products with an Arcade subscription, but typically these exclusivity deals last about six months. Expect this to land on Android in Spring 2025.