Bachelor on the Cheap

Where do you prefer to grocery shop?  Aldi, Walmart, the mainstream grocery store? 

Here’s this week’s side-by-side comparison of grocery store prices for Aldi, Walmart, and Dillon’s (Kroger, a.k.a. the mainstream grocery store), plug in the name of the mainstream grocery store in your neck of the woods here, ie., Meijer, HyVee, Publix, Albertsons, etc.   Odds are that mainstream is going to be the most expensive of the three from week to week.

Covering the basics, this week’s list, dated February 21, 2023, is unchanged in item count from February 13, the previous weekly essentials review for a total of 25 grocery products.  There was a revision in the lunchmeat pricing, now reviewing 16-ounce packages rather than playing with Walmart’s arbitrary mix of meats coming in 7, 8, and 9-ounce packages.

For the essentials list dated February 13, 2023, it’s interesting to note that prices were mixed week vs. week.  For those same 25 items, Aldi prices went down $5.55, the Dillons total went up $0.19 and Walmart was down $1.07. 

Prices stated are for items on the shelf and available at the time of the shop.  Keep in mind that the items featured are the store brand for each respective store unless otherwise labeled.  Prices can vary from store to store, especially for Dillons and Walmart, and to a lesser extent Aldi.  Store managers have the flexibility to adjust prices, lower or higher. Prices are good as of this writing and could change by the time you make that grocery run.  

Takeaways from this week’s price review:

  • Aldi was again the cheapest place to shop this week and by a very significant margin.  They kicked Dillons’ butt by $10.35.  Walmart is usually pretty close in price, within $2 – $3, but not so this week, the gap is $6.27.   Notable drops in price were eggs, potatoes, and tilapia.  The discount grocer enjoys a reputation of consistently being the overall lowest-price grocer in the industry and they work hard to maintain it.  It’s a win for customers.
  • It’s no surprise that Dillon’s continues to be the most expensive place to grocery shop on a week-to-week basis even WITH the use of their loyalty card.   Look at all the red in the Dillons price column!  Check out the related article link, “Mainstream Grocery vs. Discount Grocery: Dillon’s (Kroger) vs. Aldi.  Egg prices are down, that’s happening at all stores, but the egg drop (pun intended) at Dillons wasn’t enough to offset the overall higher cost this week for the cart total.
  • Walmart has issues with lunch meat.  Reviews used to be for 9-ounce packages, which all stores had, until recently.  Walmart is still in the process of giving customers less meat for the same price with their now 7, 8, and 9-ounce package options.  So as previously mentioned, reviews of lunch meat are now for 16-ounce packages for all stores.  I found it kind of weird that Walmart’s store brand, Great Value, was NOT the cheapest available, the Buddig brand was (and their razor-thin slices).  I’ve never been a big fan of Walmart’s produce section either.  For as big a volume purchaser as the retailer is, you would think prices would be lower, and then there’s the not always the freshest factor.

Don’t see some essential items that you think should be on the list?  Send me an email.

Related:  Have you bought your corned beef and cabbage for St. Patrick’s Day yet? 

$pend Wisely My Friends…

~ Mike

Related: Grocery Stores in Wichita

Related: Mainstream Grocery vs. Discount Grocery: Dillon’s (Kroger) vs. Aldi

Related: Food Review: Great Value bacon not such a great value

Enjoy this post?

If you appreciate this cost comparison and want to support more great content on BachelorontheCheap.com, you can help keep this site going with a one-time or a monthly donation.  Thank you so much for your support! ~ Mike