Grocery shopping can be a stressful task especially when you are trying to save some bucks. This is especially true when little things you need or feel like you could use later add up to a large amount at the checkout counter. So you might be searching for which grocery store has the best prices. To help, I have compiled a list of the cheapest grocery shops near you!
When it comes to the cheapest grocery store with the best prices, Aldi is second to none. The grocery store is famous for its merciless but unique cost-cutting strategies. Other than Aldi, Trader Joe’s, Market Basket, Costco, Walmart, WinCo Foods are among the cheapest grocery shops you might want to look into to save some bucks when going grocery shopping.
But these are just some of the cheapest grocery stores in the United States and some of them might not be near your home. You might also have some more questions about the cheapest grocery stores with the best prices. If so, no need to fret as I will be sharing a long list of the cheapest grocery stores in the US and all you might be curious about in the rest of the article.
Top 11 Grocery Stores with the Cheapest Prices
All across the United States, you will find hundreds of grocery stores and the price tag at different stores have probably caught your attention before. After all, it’s extremely hard not to notice how different the price tag is for the exact same item at different stores. So if you need to save some cash on grocery shopping, all you need to do is find out exactly where you should shop.
But it’s not all that easy to find a favorite grocery store with the best and affordable prices. Some may have the cheapest prices, but the quality might not be the best. Others give out the best service, but the deals might not be the best. To help you out of this dilemma, I bring you a list of the top 11 grocery stores with affordable prices:
1. Aldi
Aldi is probably on most frugal shoppers’ list of best grocery stores and for good reason! The store is famous for bringing great value to its customers. The grocery chain is originally from Germany and prides itself on having a rather tight supply chain. So it eliminates all the costs of middlemen that you would be paying at all other grocery stores.
Something else the grocery store chain is famous for is its ruthless and unique cost-cutting strategies. These strategies include customers having to perform different tasks that typically employees are in charge of. While such small inconveniences may seem weird to you at other grocery chains, Aldi shoppers will pay them no mind.
Why? Because it’s the cheapest grocery store out there and there’s no one out there who doesn’t love saving money. For me, Aldi is a personal favorite for their cheap produce, amazing gourmet cheeses, seafood, wine collection, and of course, organic options. For those with a beer budget but a champagne taste, Aldi is the best option out there.
2. Trader Joe’s
If you were to combine a produce stand, convenience store, and an international market - all in a grocery store, what you’d get is a Trader Joe’s! There’s hardly anyone out there who hasn’t heard of TJ’s and it might even be your go-to grocery store. Ever since the launching of its first store back in 1967, the grocery has earned a large following and it only keeps growing.
The grocery is extremely well-known for its huge variety of healthy and quality goods at an extremely affordable price. The store saves your money in numerous ways and you’re bound to get amazing deals here. Similar to Aldi, TJ’s sells private-label goods and buys all its products straight from the manufacturers.
These tactics help customers like us to get a great deal at the cheapest prices without needing to bear the cost of the middlemen. Some other strategies include using energy-saving utilities and non-staffed bakeries or deli sections. They also offer a full refund return policy with no questions asked. So you won’t need to waste any food in case there’s a picky eater in your household.
This chain focuses largely on a customer’s needs and doesn’t want any food to go to waste. So you can pay for a single piece of vegetable or fruit to get only what you need. So if you’re up for low prices, weird but unique snacks, and foods, and easy shopping, TJ’s offers all these and more!
3. Market Basket
With a long legacy of more than 100 years, you’d consider yourself lucky if you live anywhere near Market Basket. This New England-based store chain might be a bit lesser-known, but they’re known for being budget-friendly and customer-friendly. So how do they keep their price line so low? The secret is all due to its unique business model to run debt-free.
Market Basket does not need to increase the price for their products to cover the interest on any debt. The chain has a small corporate staff compared to other chains and keeps all its employees happy and content. So there’s hardly any turnover rate which helps to save up and provide the savings to the customers
Lastly, the chain tries to stock up all their stores with identical products to streamline all the purchases for their stores. All the savings then go on to the customers. The chain believes strongly in community and you won’t find a single self-checkout lane there.
When you go to Market Basket, I would always recommend trying out the local New England products. Maple syrup, Rhode Island Clams, Pears from New Hampshire, and apples from Maine are among some of the highlights you should look out for. You can also find seafood for cheap that may usually be an expensive option at other stores.
4. Costco
If you come from a larger household or like to eat a lot of the same foods and wish to have them around at all times, Costco might be the best option for you. While it may be a membership store and costs $60 for yearly memberships, you’re guaranteed to get the best bang for your buck. You will find Costco almost everywhere and the savings they offer are amazing.
When it comes to improving efficiency, Costco is second to none. It’s so cost-efficient that you will never see a single advertisement on your TV or the internet. By completely skipping out on traditional advertising, Costco passes all the savings on to its customers.
They also skip out on hiring employees to unpack boxes. Unless you’re new to the magical world of Costco, you should know that all products are usually purchased in bulk. Then they are placed directly on the warehouse floors with little care to how they look.
So if you have a larger household or have enough space to store products in bulk and preserve them, Costco helps you save a lot of money. You can easily stock up on daily essentials and food items in large quantities. It also helps to buy more products in one trip to the grocery store saving you some extra cash.
5. Walmart
Famous for its massive stores, low prices, and large selection, Walmart is the world’s biggest retailer. This superstore is so famous that it’s very likely everyone out there has stepped into one of its stores at least once in life. While Walmart may not sell only grocery products, they still have a huge selection of products that you might want to check out.
At this one-stop shop, you can get your groceries, jewelry, lawn stuff, clothes, and whatnot all at once. This saves you from spending cash for multiple trips to different stores. Given their massive popularity and size, they can buy a large number of products at a cheaper price than most of their competitors. So shoppers also get to enjoy cheaper prices for most of the products.
The supply model the chain uses also lets them enjoy the freedom to set prices as they wish. This saves consumers from being forced to bear any warehouse costs. Walmart may also sell products for a lower price than they originally bought as the size of the store helps shoppers to venture deeper into the store and buy other items.
Because Walmart is among the biggest superstore chains out there, shoppers may buy items for a huge value that weren’t even on their list. Simple ways to save some cash like couponing, clearance sales, and avoiding brand products lets you save a huge amount from your monthly grocery budget.
Another great way to save some extra cash here is to keep your eyes open for similar products and compare their prices. Usually, expensive products may catch your eyes first, but if you look a bit deeper, you can find similar products for a cheaper price. These simple grocery shopping tricks help to save a lot from massive retail stores like Walmart.
6. WinCo Foods
WinCo may be a smaller chain when compared to massive ones like Costco or Walmart, but it still lets you enjoy amazing bulk products for sale. So larger households or those with enough storage can buy certain goods in bulk and continue shopping for other food items.
Other than bulk items, they also sell some items by the pound such as – cereal, flour, oats, dried fruit, and other dry ingredients. This can be extremely helpful when you’re shopping for individual shoppers or families as you’re paying for the exact amount of product you are going to use. There’s no added cost for brand names or space in the container.
Winco also has a well-known coupon mailing list that you can sign up for and get amazing discounts on their items. So couponers have the option to capitalize the products from this retailer. Since the stores don’t accept any credit cards, shoppers need to bag their groceries. While this may sound like an inconvenience, it helps to lower the price of the products.
Produces might be one of the most pricey items on our grocery lists. Of course, we want to buy the most delicious fruits and vegetables we can find and that’s no issue at WinCo. The store provides excellent quality fresh produce for a lower price by purchasing them locally.
Lastly, when you enter WinCo Foods, the Wall of Value will welcome you heartily. This is the largest section of the entire store and contains the best deals. It contains most of the store’s bulk products making it the best stop for those with large households or with a proper storage system to store large amounts of food.
7. Lidl
Lidl provides the best quality products at the most affordable prices and is the biggest competitor to Aldi. Similar to Aldi, they also provide the lowest possible prices on many of their products each week. But unlike the other grocery chain, you don’t need a quarter if you want to use their carts.
Lidl has made it to this list all because of their deliberate and amazing efficiency standards. Their stores are designed in such a way that helps customers come in and get out as quickly as possible. So they can sell more products to a larger number of customers.
They also cut out all chances of unnecessary costs such as paying workers to unpack products. Instead, the new boxes of produce are directly put on the shelves. Other than grocery goods, you can find a great many unique products at a Lidl store. This includes small kitchen appliances, toys, gardening tools, and even power tools. You can also enjoy fresh bakery goods.
The best perk you enjoy when shopping from Lidl is the quality of products. The chain has a well-built reputation for providing the best quality products to its consumers. The spice rack is especially amazing and a must-visit section of the store. If you want to take home some certified seafood, Lidl has some great products for an equally great price.
8. Food4Less
Food4less is a chain owned by Kroger that offers great quality products at the cheapest prices. If Kroger doesn’t seem cheap enough for your budget, Food4Less is bound to be the better option. This chain has rather small stores and normal setups on produce bins and shelves. This helps to bring shoppers the best products at a more affordable price.
Along with low-cost produce, they also offer a wide variety of products that you would find at many other larger retail stores. Food4Less also distributes weekly ad deals to their customers which means greater savings each week! They provide generic brands and brand names to match all sorts of budgets.
Being a sister store of Kroger means the customers can save money on gas by earning fuel points from grocery purchases. You can use these points to convert them into savings at the pump at their affiliate gas stations. Since the business is more concerned with value, they save money by not having any employees for bagging.
The customers will need to bag their groceries and this helps to lower the cost of products. But this is all worth it since the store is the best place for your basic grocery, beauty, and health items. They also feature an affordable organic produce area and a wide assortment of gluten-free products.
9. Sam’s Club
If you have yet to pay a visit to America’s eighth biggest retailer, you might be missing out! The first visit to this wonderous store may surprise you with all of their bulk goods and off pallets. If you love free samples as much as I do, you’re going to love Sam’s Club even more. It is a sister chain of Walmart and focuses mainly on food products.
So if you want lesser distractions and focus solely on cutting down costs, Sam’s Club can become your new best friend. However, this bulk retailer does require shoppers to purchase a membership before they jump straight into shopping. The membership is worth it though, as the store lets you buy everything toilet paper to produce in bulk.
Compared to Costo, there are cheaper starting memberships that you can try out. The best things to buy at Sam’s Club are inarguably toilet papers, vitamins, protein bars, and of course, their extreme value gift cards. You get to buy a $100 gift card at an unbelievable price of $75. Other than buying groceries, you can also book cruises, flights, and hotels through Sam’s Club Travel.
10. H-E-B
If you are a Southerner, you might be waiting for H-E-B to pop up on this list. This chain has more than 420 stores all over Texas and Mexico. Since its launching back in 1905, the store has been serving all Texans the best quality products at the most affordable prices. If you are among those lucky enough to have H-E-B near your home, it’s the best place to cut down costs on groceries.
You might be curious about the chain’s secret behind providing such great quality products at a low price. They’re constantly telling their customers that they are always displeased with the present and are on the lookout for ways to offer things at a lower price. Since the Texan grocery store emphasizes selling local produce, it saves money on transportation.
You can enjoy online deals delivered directly to your door. You can also create a menu based on the products that are on sale with ease using their app. If you want to avoid impulse shopping, H-E-B also lets you order groceries online. Then you can pick it up from the curbside.
11. Kroger
Kroger might not exactly be the best grocery store for those on a budget. But if you are careful enough to stick to your target, you should face no problem staying within your budget. Some simple ways to save money such as collecting digital coupons, choosing generic brands, and exchanging gas points can help you save a large amount on groceries each month.
Many other better grocery stores on this list may offer products at a cheaper price, but it’s no use if they’re not available near your place. The best reason to shop from Kroger is that it’s available all across ten states. You also have the convenient option to have groceries delivered right at your door.
Kroger stores offer some of the best meat and produce sales compared to anywhere else. Their website also makes it extremely convenient to find out all the deals. On the website, you can also find weekly specials, fuel rewards options, and digital coupons. The majority of the food products we consume regularly are available here at a reasonable price.
Best Ways to Save Money on Grocery Shopping
If your grocery bills seem like too much to bear recently, you might not be the only one. Since the pandemic, grocery prices have only continued to rise with no sign to stop anytime soon. So if you’re looking to save money on your next trip to the grocery store, the following methods should help:
1. Make a Grocery List and Stick to It
We have all bought items at the grocery store only to come back home to find the same item sitting in the dark corner of the pantry gathering dust. This can easily happen if you go to the grocery store without a list. You may even buy unnecessary items that you might never need.
So before going grocery shopping, always make sure to bring a list and stick to it as strictly as you can. This way you won’t stand at the checkout line with an unimaginably high grocery bill. Before the trip to the grocery store, you can also make a reverse shopping list first. You just need to check your inventory again to cross off the items you won’t need.
2. Go for Generic Brands
A simple trick most grocery stores use is putting name-brand items at your eye level. So people feel more induced to spend money on pricey items. So remember to take a better look at the bottom of the shelves to find the generic brands.
These products don’t cost as much and taste great as well. So if you wish to cut down on your grocery bill, sticking with generic brands is the way to go.
3. Buy Products on Sale
Most grocery stores are running different promotion programs to help people save on different products like staples, sweets, toiletries, and others. Whenever possible, it’s always best to buy products on sale and identify the sale cycles.
Sale products will often be displayed in high-traffic areas of the store. But if you don’t need a particular product or don’t see yourself using it anytime soon, it’s best to avoid buying it.
4. Shop In-Season Products
When you eat according to the seasons, you get to enjoy the best price and taste for your food. Seasonal fruits and vegetables travel less distance and are cheaper than those purchased out of season.
Grocery stores also tend to charge more for fruits and vegetables out of season as the supply is low. So in-season produce is a lot cheaper and you can find them in a huge amount as well.
5. Compare Prices from Different Stores
If you live near two or more grocery stores, it’s best to check out the price tag for the same items. This lets you compare prices and find out which one provides the best deal.
You can figure out which retailer carries the products you need at a lower price and look at their current sales. If it's not too much trouble, you can do your grocery shopping at two different stores and maximize your savings.
6. Collect Coupons and Use Rebate Apps
Nowadays, coupons don’t only come in paper flyers. Some grocery stores may have apps that you can use to select coupons and scan them at the register with your phone.
You can also download rebate apps on your phone. These apps let you pay some money back for your purchases in the form of gift cards or cash.
7. Avoid Pre-Packaged Products
If you want to save some cash, it’s always best to avoid buying shredded cheese or pre-cut fruits and vegetables. If you compare their price to whole blocks of cheese or fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables, the convenience typically comes at a greater price.
Stores charge more pre-washed greens as well and they’re never perfectly clean either. To save money, it’s best to buy whole items such as a block of whole cheese or fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables.
How much you spend on groceries can depend a lot more on where you shop than you realize. So if you want to cut down on your terrifying grocery bills, you might be searching for which cheapest grocery store has the best prices.
In this article, I bring you a list of the best grocery stores with the best affordable prices. I hope the list helps you find your new favorite store to shop groceries from at the most affordable prices and you can start saving better from now on. Thanks for reading till now.
