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Retail
Mary Meisenzahl
2022-03-05T12:30:00Z
- I visited Walmart, Aldi, and Trader Joe's to find the best grocery prices.
- Aldi has the best prices in nearly ever category, with extra savings on meat and canned items.
- Trader Joe's was almost always more expensive, with the exception of bananas and eggs.
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Trader Joe's is a grocery store with more than 500 locations in the US known for its wide range of private-label products and unique snack offerings.
I visited a location in Rochester, New York to see how the prices of staple goods stack up against Aldi and Walmart.
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It started out promising, with bananas at 19 cents each.
The comparison isn't perfect, because Trader Joe's prices bananas individually while the other two stores price them by pound. Walmart bananas average out to 20 cents, and Aldi bananas to 21 cents.
Source: Insider
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The rest of the produce aisle wasn't such a good deal. Mangoes were $1.49 a piece, while they were under a dollar at both Aldi and Walmart.
Source: Insider
Pineapple were also comparatively expensive, priced at 70 cents more than Aldi and 85 cents more than Walmart.
Source: Insider
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Avocados were $2.69 apiece, but at Aldi you can buy six avocados for $2.99.
The discrepancy wasn't as big for almond milk, but Aldi still beat Trader Joe's $1.99 price by 20 cents.
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Dairy milk, too, was more expensive at Trader Joe's, at $3.19 for a gallon of whole milk compared to $2.82 at Walmart and $2.89 at Aldi.
See Also
Is Aldi Cheaper Than Costco?
Cranberry juice was more than twice as expensive at Trader Joe's than at its competitors.
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Like Aldi, for many products Trader Joe's just sells one version from its private-label brand. At Trader Joe's, many of these products are organic, which tends to make items more expensive than their non-organic counterparts.
Trader Joe's meat prices were especially higher compared to other budget grocery chains.
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Ground turkey at $4.99 per pound was only 17 cents more than Walmart's price, but 74 cents per pound more than at Aldi.
The difference was even greater for chicken breasts at $2.99 per pound, compared to $2.18 and Walmart and just $1.89 at Aldi, over a dollar less.
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For some cuts of meat, my Trader Joe's location only had organic versions stocked, so they were even more expensive in comparison to other budget grocery stores.
That isn't to say that Trader Joe's isn't a good deal. If you're in the market for organic meat, Trader Joe's is actually cheaper than comparable products at the other chains.
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However, for shoppers looking for the absolute lowest prices on meat, Trader Joe's is not the best choice.
Trader Joe's was actually the best place to buy eggs out of the three stores I checked, at $1.79 compared to $1.89 and $1.91 at Aldi and Walmart, respectively.
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After comparing about 20 items, it's clear that Trader Joe's isn't the place to go for the most affordable groceries, although there are a few products that are surprisingly cheaper there.
Trader Joe's is a great place to shop for different and unusual snacks, interesting frozen foods, and organic products, but shoppers should expect to spend a bit more than they would at Aldi or Walmart, especially when it comes to meat and produce.
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This information won't deter my monthly Trader Joe's visits, and I'll definitely be more inclined to pick up eggs and bananas while I'm there.
Do you have a story to share about a retail or restaurant chain? Email this reporter atmmeisenzahl@businessinsider.com.
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