I chose a sausage pasta dish from recipetineats.com that requires basic ingredients all three grocery stores, ShopRite, ALDI, and Whole Foods, should offer to discover which one can provide the most affordable dinner.
By sourcing the same ingredients (grape tomatoes, garlic, onion, basil, baby spinach, parmesan cheese, chili flakes, pasta, Italian sausage, and olive oil) from each grocery store, it uncovered the most affordable retailer.
If you’re fortunate enough to live in an area that supports multiple grocery stores, take advantage, their reputations can be misleading.
First stop, my local ShopRite in Wall Twp., NJ. It was convenient to find a parking spot because they are located in a stand alone building and monopolize the entire property, which includes parking.
I noticed a yellow-orange tint in the lighting, which projected a discolored, overcast tint onto the food. This dulled the normally fresh and vibrant looking produce section and made it difficult to read the prices and yes, this is relevant when finding ingredients.
It didn’t help that ShopRite's inventory was stacked too high with crowded floor plans, narrow aisles, hurried shoppers, and dim lighting. This made it extremely difficult to find ingredients and get through the aisles without maneuvering out of the way.
Having the produce section located at the entrance made the first set of ingredients; grape tomatoes ($2.99), garlic ($1.17), onion (1.49), basil ($3.49), and spinach ($2.99), easier finds. They were affordable, organized, and presented in tasteful, woven baskets.
After working my way to the refrigerated section, the sausage ($3.99) and parmesan ($3.99) came into view, at the same exact price point.
Things were going well with only three things left on the list until I turned down the pasta ($1.59) and olive oil ($2.99) aisle. Their selections were extensive and overwhelming, to say the least…
…but the worst was over, right? Wrong. It not only took five minutes to locate the spice I needed, but it was in fact, the LEAST affordable item on the list at $4.99. This became the secret budget-buster ingredient.
Second stop, ALDI. Driving here was just short of a nightmare. The store is located off an overpopulated highway, but luckily the shopping center does not have many other retailers sharing its parking lot.
Approaching the one and only entrance, it was aggravating that a quarter was required to unlock a shopping cart. ALDI was also the only store that does not provide handheld baskets. Bare with me, the story is in the details.
After ShopRite, ALDI was a breath of fresh air in terms of space, despite the low-end design of the product displayed in cardboard boxes.
The open space easily allowed for two or more shoppers to pass by one another comfortably.
Although I would have enjoyed better signage to identify each category in a sea of cardboard, the limited selection and smaller space still allowed me to find everything relatively easily.
In terms of the produce section, it was a little unsettling that the vegetables were placed directly next to the fruit (garlic next to the banana? Yikes!) Although I appreciated the prices in large fonts, some sections displayed empty boxes on shelves.
Here’s the good news about these ingredients, the grape tomatoes ($2.99), garlic ($1.45), onion ($0.83), basil ($2.79), and spinach ($2.41) were all similar to ShopRite’s affordable produce prices, the bad news…
…No fresh basil or chili flakes. Since ALDI limits their selection of non-perishables to keep prices down, basil paste ($2.79) offered an easy substitute. Their limited selection of spices necessitated a red pepper ($0.95) substitution. The only difference? Red pepper is 20% less than the cost of chili flakes and the most affordable spice so far.
Continuing to shop with the cart that ate my quarter, I found that the parmesan, pasta, and sausage ingredients alone were 50% less than at ShopRite.
Of all the available items, the olive oil presented the smallest selection with only one choice, but it gets the job done.
Third stop, Whole Foods. This store is located on the same highway as ALDI, but the traffic was significantly worse. There are a lot more retailers that occupy the same parking lot, but we have final reached our last stop.
Walking into Whole Foods was night and day compared to its competitors. The spacious layout of their floor plan showcased it's produce section in unique ways and optimized the floor space without cluttering the aisles. My eyes were easily drawn to the items I needed from one vantage point because of product organization and bright overhead lighting.
After gathering my tomatoes ($2.49), garlic ($3.49), onion ($0.79), basil ($1.99), and spinach ($3.49), I found that the total amount of the five produce items were extremely close between all three grocery stores. The price of these ingredients was within one dollar of each other, creating a three-way tie in affordability for the produce category.
From this experience, I felt that for around the same price, Whole Foods provided fresher produce.
After looking at food all day, I was starved. Whole Foods was the only grocery store to provide both indoor and outdoor seating which reinforced its upscale image, which I definitely took advantage of.
Refueled, a second wind hit, and with prominent signage in each aisle, I found the parmesan ($3.99) and pasta ($1.49) close by the seating area. Each ingredient came with a wide selection and range of price points.
Spices must be hard to order if you’re a commercial store because every spice is distinct and particular to so many meals. Whole Foods seemed to be the Goldilocks of the three stores; not too big, not too little, just right. (Chili flakes- $3.99)
Any price advantage at Whole Foods, was damaged in the sausage ($6.99) and olive oil ($7.99) ingredients. These two items were two times more expensive than its competitors. I wouldn’t even want to know how much more of my paycheck I would spend if I purchased the fresh sausage at their deli counter.
With all ingredients found, recorded, and calculated, the most affordable dinner was ALDI, coming in with a total of $21.08. ShopRite’s final number was $29.68 and Whole Foods, $36.70. Shopping at ALDI saves you 21% of your budget over ShopRite and a whopping 74% over Whole Foods.
Although ALDI won the most affordable dinner, ShopRite won the largest selection, and Whole Foods the best customer experience.