It's no secret that groceries are expensive. And everyone seems to want to save money when they shop. But how expensive really is your supermarket? Well, I did the math. I compared prices on a sample basket of 50 items across more than 30 supermarkets in the northeast region to see how they stack up. The highest and lowest definitely weren't a surprise: ALDI comes in at just $257 for the order, while the same basket is $429 at Kings. Here's what I notice looking at these prices: Discount stores offer the best prices -- if you're willing to compromise. The discounters I checked for this comparison, ALDI and LIDL, were the cheapest for the overall basket. But they also had a more limited selection, and more substitutions. You can save big by shopping there, but be prepared to not get exactly what you were looking for. Walmart and Hannaford are good choices for a full selection but low prices. Walmart and Hannaford had nearly everything on the list, and low everyday pric...
Whole Foods Market Opened: 2016 Owner: Amazon Previous Tenants: Market Basket (mid/late 1980s-2015) Cooperative: none Location: 160 Littleton Rd, Westford, MA Photographed: August 19, 2024 Whole Foods. Where do I start? It's been a while since I've posted a Whole Foods, partially because there aren't that many in this part of the state. And Whole Foods is just, well, a complicated store for me to talk about. It's been under the ownership of Amazon for several years now, and whether related to the Amazon ownership or not, they've made some pretty significant changes over the last few years. Their prices -- although still high -- are now much closer to some competitors. I am almost always happy with the 365 brand, which is frequently competitive with any other organic brand out there. But at the same time, the stores have lost some of their personality, and more concerningly, they tend to be worse-run these days. I'm seeing more empty shelves, messy di...