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Groceries are a necessity that every household has to include in their budget. With the rising cost of food in the last few years, finding the best prices from multiple nearby stores is an excellent way to keep sticker shock to a minimum at the register.
Following, you'll find resources and tips to save you time spent searching for deals and money spent in the checkout line.
Price Comparison Apps and Websites
Are you tired of wondering every week who has the lowest price on the groceries you buy? Before you head to the store, check out these grocery price comparison apps and websites to help you decide where to shop and what to buy. Each of them works a little differently, so try out a couple and see which one (or ones) work best for your shopping and online preferences.
Flipp
Flipp allows shoppers to see the deals in the weekly digital flyers from nearby retailers and search for specific items across many sale flyers. You can use Flipp on their app or on their website, but you'll have access to more features on the app.
In addition, shoppers can add store loyalty cards to the Flipp app and clip coupons digitally to use in-store.
An added benefit is that you can make a shopping list on the app and clip the deals directly to your list. You can even share your list with a family member or friend and collaborate on a single shopping list. The app can also remember your list from last week to make it easier to create a new one this week.
Flipp doesn't just offer the ads and deals for grocery stores. You'll also find drug stores, dollar stores, retail stores and more.
You will not find the regular price of products at the stores near you with this app. It only allows you to compare the items in the sales ads.
MyGroceryDeals.com
MyGroceryDeals.com shows shoppers the sale prices from over 300 stores on their website. They do not show the regular prices. You can save preferred stores, share your shopping list and more. This site does not offer an app.
Instacart
The grocery delivery app, Instacart, allows you to see prices for the stores that use the service in your area. There are over 500 stores in their network.
You can use the service through their website or the Instacart app. Keep in mind that sometimes the prices shown on Instacart are higher than those you will find if you shop in the store. If you mainly shop online for delivery or pick-up, this is a good way to compare prices.
Grocery Store Apps or Websites
Many grocery stores allow shoppers to check prices on their website and app. For some stores, you will need to click on the online shopping portal for the store to see the prices. If the shopping app below is run through a third party (like Instacart), the prices may be higher than those found in stores.
Here are some of the websites and apps for Triangle area stores that allow you to see the prices of products before you head to the store. Be sure to indicate which store you would be shopping at to see the correct prices.
For most of these sites, just enter the name of the product you are looking for in the Search box to see the options and prices.
Aldi: https://shop.aldi.us/store/aldi/storefront
Carlie C's: https://www.carliecs.com/shop
Food Lion: https://shop.foodlion.com
Harris Teeter: https://www.harristeeter.com
Lowes Foods: https://shop.lowesfoods.com/
Publix: https://delivery.publix.com/store/publix/storefront
Sprouts: https://shop.sprouts.com/
Target: https://www.target.com/
Wegmans: https://www.wegmans.com/
Walmart: https://www.walmart.com/
WRAL Grocery Cart Tracker
Each week, WRAL tracks the prices for 11 staple grocery items to help you compare across multiple Triangle area stores. The goal is to help shoppers track the change in prices over time and make a decision about where to shop each week. The grocery items tracked include:
Russet potatoes, 5 lbs.
Carrots, baby cut and peeled, a 1 lb. bag.
Bananas, price per pound
Iceberg lettuce, price per head
Chicken breast, boneless, skinless (often sold in value packs). We'll report the price per pound.
80% lean ground beef (often sold in value packs). We'll report the price per pound.
Eggs, 1 dozen store brand
Milk, 2%, 1 gallon
White sandwich bread, 20-22 oz., store brand
Peanut butter, 16-18 oz., usually store brand
Grape jelly, 32 oz, usually store brand
See all the details for the grocery tracker including the prices each week HERE.
WRAL Smart Shopper Weekly Deal Lists
See a list of the top deals from the ads for multiple Triangle area grocery stores and drug stores on the WRAL Smart Shopper column HERE.
List of top grocery deals in the Triangle Sept. 7-13
Revisit Shopping Habits
Now is the time to revisit your old shopping habits and store preferences in order to save the most on your groceries.
Your willingness to shop at more than one store each week for the best sales can save a tremendous amount of money. As long as you don't have to drive too far to get to a couple different stores each week, you can stock up on the deepest discounts, stretching your hard earned money even further.
Even if you prefer to only shop at one store, check out the grocery tracker list from WRAL each week to see how different stores compare on staple items. You may be surprised to find that the stores you thought were the least expensive may not always live up to that reputation.
Finally, check out this list of techniques to cut your grocery bill right now. With a little extra effort, you'll see a big difference in your grocery expenses.
