FOX13 INVESTIGATES: Comparing prices at grocery stores

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Grocery prices keep going up.

The latest consumer price index found that over the past year, food prices have spiked 10% ― that’s a rate not seen since 1981.

So, where can you go to get the most bang for your buck?

FOX13 set out to do some shopping for ten basic food items that most people often buy at four area grocery stores to find the answer.

Here’s our grocery list: milk, a box of mac and cheese, canned green beans, bread, cereal, and eggs. We also grabbed packaged broccoli, apples, and meat, looking at the price per pound.

We decided to fill our carts at four major Mid-South grocery stores: Kroger, Aldi, Superlo Foods, and Walmart. We also bought store brands to get the lowest prices possible.

Kroger

Here’s what we found at Kroger: Milk was $3.49. Mac and cheese and green beans were each under a buck. Bread, cereal, and eggs were under $2 each. Ground beef and chicken breast were both $5.99 a pound. The total price tag came out to $29.23,

ONE GALLON OF WHOLE MILK, $3.49
BOX OF MAC AND CHEESE, $0.69
CANNED GREEN BEANS, $0.75
LOAF OF BREAD, $1.59
BOX OF CEREAL, $1.89
CARTON OF EGGS, $1.99
BROCCOLI CROWNS, $2.36
BAG OF APPLES, $4.49
ONE POUND GROUND BEEF, $5.99/LB
ONE POUND CHICKEN BREAST, $5.99/LB

We didn’t spend more than $30 (before taxes) for our ten items. And the prices only went lower at the other stores.

Superlo Foods

Next up, Superlo. While its eggs were 40 cents more than Kroger, we found the Best Choice brand of milk, mac and cheese, and green beans to be cheaper than Kroger’s brand. Superlo’s meat per pound also saved us some bucks. The total at Superlo came to $25.36.

The bill was $3.87 cheaper than Kroger.

ONE GALLON OF WHOLE MILK, $3.39
BOX OF MAC AND CHEESE, $0.35
CANNED GREEN BEANS, $0.59
LOAF OF BREAD, $1.49
BOX OF CEREAL, $1.89
CARTON OF EGGS, $2.39
BROCCOLI CROWNS, $2.49
BAG OF APPLES, $4.59
ONE POUND GROUND BEEF, $4.59/LB
ONE POUND CHICKEN BREAST, $3.59/LB

Aldi

Another bargain hunter’s favorite ― Aldi. Milk was 50 cents more than Kroger. But again, we found that almost every other item was cheaper than Kroger, and they were very comparable to Superlo, with bread and apples less expensive at Aldi.

But the total was only slightly more expensive ― just 50 cents more than Superlo. The total at Aldi was $25.88.

ONE GALLON OF WHOLE MILK, $3.95
BOX OF MAC AND CHEESE, $0.43
CANNED GREEN BEANS, $0.54
LOAF OF BREAD, $0.92
BOX OF CEREAL, $1.89
CARTON OF EGGS, $2.49
BROCCOLI CROWNS, $2.79
BAG OF APPLES, $3.29
ONE POUND GROUND BEEF, $5.79/LB
ONE POUND CHICKEN BREAST, $3.79/LB

Walmart

Finally, Walmart. Its milk and eggs cost more than Kroger’s, but there were big savings on the packaged goods, produce, and meat. Walmart was the cheapest of the four chains, with a total price of $24.63.

While Walmart’s total is only about a dollar less than Superlo and Aldi, it represented nearly $5 in savings relative to Kroger.

ONE GALLON OF WHOLE MILK, $4.06
BOX OF MAC AND CHEESE, $0.43
CANNED GREEN BEANS, $0.54
LOAF OF BREAD, $0.93
BOX OF CEREAL, $1.58
CARTON OF EGGS, $2.54
BROCCOLI CROWNS, $1.15
BAG OF APPLES, $3.97
ONE POUND GROUND BEEF, $5.46/LB
ONE POUND CHICKEN BREAST, $3.97/LB

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But remember ― we bought all store brands. So, we decided to look at some of our items that had name-brand labels available, such as Kraft, Kellogg’s, and Del Monte.

When opting for store brands over the name brand, the difference is clear at every store, averaging $6.12 in savings.

COMPARING NAME BRANDS

BRAND NAME: $13.97

KROGER: $8.41 ($5.56 LESS)
SUPERLO: $7.71 ($6.26 LESS)
ALDI: $7.73 ($6.24 LESS)
WALMART: $7.54 ($6.43 LESS)

BRAND NAME: $13.97

ONE GALLON OF WHOLE MILK ― PRAIRIE FARMS, $5.93
BOX OF MAC AND CHEESE ― KRAFT, $1.00
CANNED GREEN BEANS ― DEL MONTE, $1.28
LOAF OF BREAD ― WONDER BREAD, $2.48
BOX OF CEREAL ― RICE KRISPIES, $3.28

That’s why savvy shoppers said they find the best prices by shopping around and snipping coupons.

“I use Walmart as a last resort because, at Kroger’s, I use digital couponing, and I save a lot of money,” said Raquel Crawford of Memphis. “I recommend couponing because other than that, you’re going to spend a lot of money on just a few items to feed your family.”

As for all the food we bought for our price comparison, we made sure they went to families in need. FOX13 donated every item to the Mid-South Food Bank.