Switching supermarkets could save you big money on basic items
Switching grocery stores could save you some serious cash, at least on some items, according to a new study by Consumer Reports based on research by Strategic Resource Group.
In six U.S. cities, the price of a full basket at major supermarkets was compared against the price at Walmart, which is the biggest grocery store in the country.
Researchers chose about 40 common items to conduct the study.
“We looked at a marketbasket of products … Folgers Coffee, pineapple, lemons, Kraft macaroni and cheese, eggs, milk, chicken drumsticks, Gain detergent, that kind of thing,” said Tobie Stanger, a writer for Consumer Reports.
The study included sale prices if they were available without a membership, but not prices you would only get as a store member or through a store’s app.
The price of some items couldn’t be compared, because the products aren’t sold at certain places, such as Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods.
At Costco, where things are often sold in bulk, the price per unit was compared.
“What we found are some pretty major differences, especially when you get into the specialty grocers,” Stanger said.
The closest city to D.C. that the study looked at was Virginia Beach. There, it found the price of the basket compared with Walmart was nearly 17% lower at Costco, and a whopping 58% higher at Whole Foods.
Also in Virginia Beach, prices at Aldi were about 16% lower than Walmart, and prices at Lidl were nearly 9% lower than Walmart.
Averaging the results from all six cities studied, you find prices compared with Walmart were about 21% lower at Costco and BJ’s Wholesale Club. Prices at Lidl and Aldi were lower, too. Also nationally, prices were about 40% higher at Whole Foods, about 25% higher at Trader Joe’s and 24% higher at Harris Teeter.
“If you’re starting with a lower priced store to begin with, you stand a better chance of having a smaller bill at the end when you go to the register,” Stanger said.