Have you ever wondered which grocery stores have the lowest prices in your town? walmart? target? aldi? Or, maybe a regional high-low store? With prices constantly changing, it's hard to know. Conducting your own grocery store price comparison requires just a small investment of time, but gives you a big advantage as a well-informed shopper.
Grocery Store Price Comparison Notes and Methods:
I asked mommysavers forum members for the 25 grocery items they purchase most frequently and used their feedback to update my price book. Some of the items I took out of my grocery store price comparison because there was too much variation among products in each store.
At all stores, I used the lowest-cost item available as my recorded price. In most cases, that was the store brand. In a few cases, it was a national brand.
Target stores give their REDcard holders an additional 5% off the total when they use the card. Therefore, I computed prices both with and without the REDcard discount.
Since grocery prices vary by region, I compared with stores within a 2-mile radius in Mankato, Minnesota, within the same week in April 2013.
If you do your own grocery store price comparison, I recommend keeping a price book. Not only will price differences become more apparent, you'll be able to easily identify sales cycles and when prices are rock-bottom you'll know so that you can stock up. You can split the work by sharing Google docs and having one friend do each store.
Susie Chadwick says
Wow, what a difference!
Carla H says
No Aldi here… so I’ll pay those few extra bucks to not go to Walmart!
Abigale says
I have always found Bottom Dollar to have excellent prices as well. I wonder how it compares to Aldi. The Bottom Dollar by me is much nicer and cleaner than the Aldi too.
Laura says
I have been shopping more and more at Aldi. I start there and then hit Target for items that Aldi does not have or that Target has stacking coupons for.
Jenny @ Frugal Guru Guide says
A more “scientific” study found pretty much your exact findings, too. We shop for all our staples at Aldi. It’s awesome!
angela says
I go to Dollar General or Dollar Tree for toiletries and laundry stuff, Aldi for staples and produce and theb Walmarf fir meat and poultry. I have to learn how to usd coupons tho. Help! Thanks, Mommysavers!
Mark Bomchill says
I have always said Aldi seemed about 40% less than Cub, not I have the proof!!
I have been very happy shopping at Aldi
Kimberly Danger says
Nothing against Cub, Mark. I shop there too… especially for things I can’t find at ALDI.
klab says
This is a very poor comparison. Try this study comparing the exact same brands of certain products and you will see a huge difference. Comparing the price of a can of generic corn at one store to a nationally recognized brand of corn at another store is poor research and renders this article useless and a complete waste of time.
Jason says
I believe she said that she was comparing the cheapest item from store to store. They might be national brands or they might be store brands. But in the end, once you open the can of corn, you will have trouble telling the difference.
Elizabeth says
Do you have a more recent comparison by any chance?