Shoppers tend to be loyal to a particular store, we're creatures of habit after all. Some folks like Aldi because of the consistently low prices and name brands aren't a concern. Others favor Dillons because of the loyalty card and fuel points. Then there are those who do their regular grocery shopping at Walmart liking the one-stop shopping convenience for clothes, home & garden, and other general merchandise.
Here's this week's side-by-side Wichita Metro 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 with a focus on store brands, this week's list, dated November 20, 2023, is unchanged in item count from the previous Wichita Metro weekly essentials review for a total of 25 grocery products. There is one revision to the shopping list. Rather than averaging out lunchmeat prices, a particular lunchmeat type will be the focus moving forward. This week, it's ham. Next review, it might be turkey breast.
Of note, in a same-store comparison to the previous review of October 9, prices are mixed. Aldi shoppers would have spent $2.58 less for the same items purchased last month. Dillons shoppers paid an additional $1.62, and Walmart shoppers spent $3.27 less with this shop.
Prices stated are online prices and for items available at the time of the review. Remember that the featured items are the store brand for each respective store unless otherwise labeled. Prices can vary from store to store, as store managers have the flexibility to adjust prices, lower or higher. Aldi does not have the flexibility of the other stores reviewed. Prices are good as of this writing and could change by the time you make that grocery run.
- Aldi: 8011 E Kellogg Ave, Wichita, KS 67207
- Dillons: 9450 E. Harry St., Wichita, KS 67207
- Walmart: 11411 E Kellogg Dr, Wichita, KS 67207
Takeaways from this week's price review:
- Aldi remains the lowest in online pricing of the three stores, it's consistent week over week. Keep in mind their online prices are higher than in-store prices, so you'll spend even less than what's listed when shopping in-store. Aldi uniquely does this to cover their employee cost of personal shopping for your delivery or pickup order. Check out the price for chicken. It's the same chicken as the other stores, Tyson does the private labeling for Aldi under the Kirkwood brand. Also of note, Aldi has the cheapest price for butter, more than $1 less vs. Dillons and Walmart store brands. A 10-pound bag of russet potatoes is also the cheapest at Aldi, another saving of more than $1 vs. the other stores. Chef's Cupboard Cream of Mushroom soup is just $0.49 a can. If you haven't bought those staples for Thanksgiving yet, there you go.
- The Dillons online pricing is the same as in-store. Dillons is always the highest-priced grocer overall from week to week and to repeat, prices are up compared to the previous review. The price gap in this grocery shop, Dillons vs. Aldi was $8.96. The Dillons price gap with Walmart was $5.94. Dillons shoppers probably won't make up that gap vs Aldi with loyalty card savings and fuel points, but they might vs. Walmart. If you're curious about how the Dillons loyalty card plays a role, check out the related article link, "Mainstream Grocery vs. Discount Grocery: Dillon's (Kroger) vs. Aldi. Of note, Dillons had the best price on only two items, canola oil and cornflakes.
- The Walmart online pricing is the same as for in-store. Walmart consistently finishes second in overall price from week to week and in this review, they have the best prices for chicken broth, eggs, milk, and onions.
Happy Thanksgiving everybody!
Related: Grocery Store Prices, Comparing Thanksgiving Meal Costs, Aldi vs. Dillons, vs. Walmart
$pend Wisely My Friends...
~ Mike
Related: Condensed Soup Battle: Campbell's vs. store brand vs. discount brand
Don't see some essential items that you think should be on the list? Please comment.
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