Price comparison at local grocery stores

As the mom of four kids and an avid cook, I spend more than I would like on groceries each week. Although I normally shop at Dominick's and Costco I thought it would be interesting to do some comparison shopping this week at four local stores. Here are my results:

Ground Turkey
Sam’s Club: $1.96 per pound for a 5 pound package
Costco: $2.29 per pound for a 6 pound package
Jewel: $4.50 per pound, sale price for a 1.25 pound package
Dominick’s: $2.50 per pound, sale price for a 1.25 pound package

Lean Ground Beef
Sam’s Club: $2.48 per pound for a 5 pound package of 90% lean
Costco: $2.59 per pound for a 5.5 pound package of 88% lean
Jewel: $4.49 per pound, sale price for a 1 pound package of 95% lean
Dominick’s: $4.69 per pound for a package of 95% lean

Boneless Chicken Breasts
Sam’s Club: $2.78 per pound for a 6 pound package
Costco: $2.78 per pound for a 7.7 pound package
Jewel: $3.79 per pound for a 1.5 pound package
Dominick’s: $5.49 per pound for a 1.5 pound package

Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs
Sam’s Club: $1.80 per pound for a 6 pound package
Costco: $1.98 per pound for a 8.9 pound package
Jewel: $2.79 per pound for a 2.8 pound package
Dominick’s: $2.99 per pound for a 2.6 pound package

Skim Milk, 1 Gallon
Sam’s Club: $2.35
Costco: $2.55
Jewel: $2.48, sale price
Dominick’s: $3.00, sale price if 2 gallons were purchased

Eggs, 18 count carton
Sam’s Club: $3.12
Costco: $1.68, 2 cartons would need to be purchased
Jewel: $2.48, sale price
Dominick’s: $2.89, sale price, 2 cartons would need to be purchased

Canned Diced Tomatoes
Sam’s Club: $.60 per can, need to buy a package of 8 cans
Costco: $.79 per can, need to buy a package of 8 cans
Jewel: $.99 per can, sale price
Dominick’s: $1.00 per can, sale price

High Quality Chicken Broth
Sam’s Club: not available
Costco: $1.58 per 32 ounce box of Pacific Organic Broth
Jewel: $3.29 per 32 ounce box of Pacific Organic Broth
Dominick’s $3.99 per 32 ounce box of Pacific Organic Broth

Romaine Lettuce Hearts
Sam’s Club: $.53 per heart, sold in a package of 6
Costco: $.59 per heart, sold in a package of 6
Jewel: $.83 per heart, sale price, sold in a package of 3
Dominick’s: $.96 per heart, sold in a package of 3

Fresh Strawberries
Sam’s Club: $1.66 per pound for a 2 pound container
Costco: $1.44 per pound for a 4 pound container
Jewel: $1.79 per pound, sale price, for a 1 pound container
Dominick’s: $3.00 per pound, sale price, for a 1 pound container

Rotisserie Chicken
Sam’s Club: $1.66 per pound for a 3 pound chicken
Costco: $1.64 per pound for a 4 pound chicken
Jewel: $3.49 per pound for a 2 pound chicken
Dominick’s: $3.49 per pound for a 2 pound chicken

J/D are well known for their exorbitant pricing. If you shop some of the local independent supermarkets you will find deals rivalling Costco and Sam's without having to buy bulk quantities.

I was looking for some fresh dill last week. At Dominick's, I could get a little over .5 oz for almost $5.00 (without a Fresh Values card, which I did not have with me, and I hate throwing myself on the mercy of the checkout person). That's about $160/lb for fresh dill -- -- plus, it was in a little plastic coffin and didn't even look that good. I went to Whole Foods and got two big bunches of beautiful fresh dill for $2.50.

David Hammond wrote: (without a Fresh Values card, which I did not have with me, and I hate throwing myself on the mercy of the checkout person)

At Dominicks, just tell the cashier, and you can type your phone number into the cc/signature tablet. I don't know if this is still the case b/c I refuse to shop at Jewel, but years ago they asked for your SSN if you forgot your Preferred Card!

Pucca wrote:

David Hammond wrote: (without a Fresh Values card, which I did not have with me, and I hate throwing myself on the mercy of the checkout person)

At Dominicks, just tell the cashier, and you can type your phone number into the cc/signature tablet. I don't know if this is still the case b/c I refuse to shop at Jewel, but years ago they asked for your SSN if you forgot your Preferred Card!

Yeah, I don't like doing that, plus the card is in The Wife's name, which is different than mine, so it's complicated...and the dill didn't even look that good.

Honestly, I loathe corporate groceries.

Terra Brockman of the Land Connection mentioned that she did a price comparison of veggies at the Green City Market and Dominick's, and found that prices were, surprisingly, lower at the former...and the quality was, of course, better.

Crystal-

Thanks for your research, though I must say I'm hardly surprosed at your results.