For the least expensive Thanksgiving meal, head to discount grocery chain Aldi.
That’s the conclusion of a report that measures the price tag on a basket of 20 common Thanksgiving items, including a 12-pound turkey, potatoes, green beans and corn, at 15 retailers in New Jersey. The average cost for a Thanksgiving dinner has dropped about 2.3% from last year, according to the Bloomberg Intelligence report, largely because of lower turkey prices.
While Aldi had the lowest price tag, it was still 3.9% higher than its basket last year. Rival discounter Lidl also came in low, at $50.74, but that represents a 17% price increase from 2018. Both stores offer mostly private-label items, which are usually lower-priced than their branded counterparts sold at other stores. The price of a basket at Walmart, Target, ShopRite, Stop & Shop and Albertson’s Acme chain all dropped. At Acme, the cost is down 20% as the company tries to lure shoppers into stores.
For consumers looking at mostly organic meals, the basket price has gone up about 5% on average from last year. At Fairway Market, the increase is 15%, while it’s up 8.5% at Amazon.com Inc.’s Whole Foods Market. (Amazon Prime members, however, will only see about a 5% increase.) Trader Joe’s, which has been opening new stores, brought prices down 3%.
For those planning on cooking for a large group, a trip to the warehouse store is well worth it. When converted to standardized supermarket pack sizes, Costco, Sam’s Club and BJ’s all beat Walmart and Target.
This article was provided by Bloomberg News.