Which Store Has the Cheapest Groceries: Aldi, Walmart or Stop & Shop?

That’s not to say the Evanses won’t hit a big supermarket if they have a long list or want a specific cut of meat. But by and large, they are drawn to Walmart because of the pricing and selection. The key to saving is to know your prices and be willing to compare, the couple say.

Shopping Tip: Know your prices and be willing to comparison shop. “There is a lot of variety here that you don’t find at regular supermarkets, and it’s absolutely cheaper,” Robert Evans says. 

Second Place: Aldi

Hailing from Germany but now headquartered in the U.S., Aldi is a discount supermarket chain with 2,304 stores located across 39 states. It’s known for offering consumers a no-frills food shopping experience with everyday low prices, a smaller store layout, and products displayed in original shipping boxes to save on restocking the shelves. You won’t find a bakery or deli section in Aldi, but you’ll find most food staples and some nonfood items for a deal. 

“National brands are more expensive. Aldi mostly carries private labels, which are cheaper,” University of Michigan’s Anupindi says. It also focuses on keeping costs down so that it can pass on the savings to its customers.  

Popular with Aldi shoppers is its weekly Aldi Finds. Every Wednesday the retailer puts out new discounted food items, small kitchen appliances, seasonal decor, outdoor furniture, gardening tools, apparel and other items. It's a big draw for Victor Sukhai, who started shopping at Aldi on the recommendation of his brother. Sukhai comes for those Aldi finds and to purchase peanuts and other food items he knows he can get for cheap. The key to really saving at Aldi, as Sukhai sees it: Get there early. “When it comes in, it’s finished the next day,” says the 75-year-old retiree, who stopped by Aldi to score some Bake Shop Sour Creme Donuts. But they were sold out. “You have to come early and buy it whenever it’s on sale.” 

Aldi shopper Victor Sukhai, 75-year-old retiree

Sabrina Santiago

Shopping Tip: The early bird gets all the deals. “When it comes in, it’s finished the next day. You have to come early and buy it whenever it’s on sale,”  says Sukhai.

Third Place: Stop & Shop

Stop & Shop is a regional grocery store chain with more than 400 locations throughout  the Northeast. The grocer has been around for more than 100 years, hawking everything from produce to specialty cheeses. Stop & Shop prices were the highest of the three, but that shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise. After all, as a regional chain it offers a huge selection of both name-brand and generic items. “Firms that carry a lot of variety on their shelves will have higher costs of managing that variety,” Anupindi says. ​​You might not be able to get the best price at Stop & Shop and similar stores across the country, but that’s not stopping shoppers from coming through their doors. ​

For Manuela and Mario Anastacio, convenience is why. “When we go to other stores, we end up coming here to get some stuff,” says Manuela, 57. “We can pretty much get it here in one place.” To save, she uses the store’s digital coupons and its loyalty program. She racks up reward points that she applies to her bill. To increase the savings, she’ll look through the app, and if she spots something on sale, she’ll stock up. “If we don’t need something, but it’s on sale this week and there’s a coupon, I’ll buy it to save some money,” Manuela notes. She’s also big on making a shopping list. “If you come without a list, you spend more.” 

Shopping Tip: Take advantage of the store’s digital coupons and loyalty app to spot sales. “If we don’t need something, but it’s on sale this week and there’s a coupon, I’ll buy it to save some money,” says Manuela Anastacio.