I surveyed 113 items at Fred Meyer in July 2009. The prices on the items below are the retail price; not the sale price. These prices may change, although I don't know how often. Below is just a sampling of what I surveyed.
aluminum foil, 200 sq ft:
- Fred Meyer brand = $5.73
- Reynolds Wrap = $10.29
- Fred Meyer Natural = $ 1.93
- Tree Top Natural = $ 3.29
- Seneca Natural = $ 3.35
bleach, 96 oz:
- Everyday Living = $ 1.29
- Clorox= $ 1.79
butter, 1 lb unsalted:
- Fred Meyer = $2.39
- Tillamook = $ 2.99
- Challenge = $ 3.99
- Private Selection = $ 4.79
- Land O Lakes, = $ 4.99
Cheeze Its crackers:
- 9 oz = $ 2.67
- 11.5 oz = $ 2.67
- 13 oz = $ 2.67
mac n cheese:
- KRAFT 7.25 oz = $0.79
- Fred Meyer, 7.25 oz = $ 0.50
- KRAFT, 5.5 oz, character = $1.23
milk, 1 gallon:
- Fred Meyer, 1% = $ 2.49
- Organic Valley, fat free = $ 5.48
I noticed that, at Freddies,* there are not a plethora of choices per item. Each item has a minimum of two brands, but rarely more than three. For instance, there's only Fred Meyer brand or Reynolds Wrap aluminum foil. There are only two brands for bleach. For some reason, there's more than four butter brands; I did not list them all here. Above I listed Mac N Cheese with two brands (KRAFT and Fred Meyer brand) and the other brand they carry, Annie's Organic, is in a different section of the store. (There are pros and cons to separating the organic food from the nonorganic food. This is a case where I wish they were together for a side by side comparison). I'm not sure it's a disadvantage to have only two brands to choose from when shopping, unless Freddie's does not carry your favorite brand.
Now, I'm anxious to learn: which major food chain in my area is cheaper, Fred Meyer or Safeway? And by cheaper, how much cheaper are we talking? Surely not by much, right?
I'm also wondering if I need to compare fresh fruits, vegetables and meats for an accurate comparison. Although, at this writing I am a member of the Community Supported Agriculture program and am getting local, organic veggies weekly (yum!) so I'm not buying much produce at the grocery store.
So, for now, the research is focusing on household items, boxed and canned foods (basically not on meat, fish or produce).
The Next Blog: Who's Cheaper, Safeway or Fred Meyer?
Today's Discussion Question:
Which grocery store do you think is cheaper? Do you think Walmart is the cheapest? What about an outlet store, such as Food 4 Less or Grocery Outlet?
*Freddies, aka Fred Meyer, is a Kroger store. In other areas of the country, the same store might be called King Soopers, City Market, Ralph's, Smith's: http://www.thekrogerco.com/
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