These are the prices in the Phoenix metro as of 9/26/2024, at Walmart, Fry’s, Winco, Aldi, Safeway/Albertson’s, Food City, Basha’s, AJ’s Fine Foods, and Dollar General.
| Item | Aldi | Walmart | Fry’s | Winco | Safeway/ Albertson’s |
| Flour, All Purpose 5lb | $2.35 | $2.38 | $2.69 | $2.38 | $4.49 |
| Eggs, Dozen | $3.77 | $3.77 | $3.29 | $3.42 | $4.49 |
| Bread, Sandwich, no soy | $3.32 | $3.27 | $4.79 | $2.78 | $4.79 |
| Milk, Gallon, Whole | $2.09 | $2.09 | $2.59 | $2.09 | $2.99 |
| Butter | $3.99 | $4.26 | $4.49 | $3.98 | $5.79 |
| Pinto Beans, 1 lb | $0.94 | $1.00 | $1.49 | $0.78 | $2.49 |
| Rice, 2 lb | $1.77 | $1.77 | $1.89 | $1.56 | $2.29 |
| Oats 42 oz | $3.95 | $3.98 | $3.99 | $2.31 | $4.49 |
| Total | $22.18 | $22.52 | $25.22 | $19.30 | $31.82 |
| Item | Food City | Basha’s | AJ’s | Dollar General |
| Flour, All Purpose 5lb | $3.49 | $3.39 | $6.19 | $2.65 |
| Eggs, Dozen | $4.29 | $4.49 | $4.49 | $3.75 |
| Bread, Sandwich, no soy | $5.29 | $5.39 | $5.39 | $3.80 |
| Milk, Gallon, Whole | $3.19 | $3.39 | $3.99 | $3.50 |
| Butter | $4.89 | $5.19 | $7.79 | $4.75 |
| Pinto Beans, 1 lb | $1.09 | $2.29 | $1.29 | $1.25 |
| Rice, 2 lb | $1.78 | $2.59 | $6.79 | $1.65 |
| Oats 42 oz | $6.99 | $7.39 | $13.04 | $7.00 |
| Total | $31.01 | $34.12 | $48.97 | $28.35 |
I checked each store’s regular prices this week. The prices are for the following food staples:
- 5 lb. all purpose flour.
- Dozen eggs.
- 20 oz. sandwich bread with NO SOY—in most stores, that’s the Nature’s Own brand. I calculated Nature’s Own bread, any variety.
- Gallon of whole milk.
- Pound of butter (4 sticks).
- Pinto beans, 1 lb.
- Rice, 2 lb.
- Oats, 42 oz.
I can shout this from the rooftops: ALDI IS NOT THE CHEAPEST GROCERY STORE! Aldi is the crappiest grocery store, with the worst quality items, hands down.
In Phoenix, these are the cheapest grocery stores, in order of cheapness, if you only buy the 8 grocery staples listed:
- Winco. Yes, my favorite store for more than 20 years, Winco, is the cheapest grocery store in the Phoenix metro. Suck it, Aldi.
- Make sure to shop at the Phoenix Winco at 7th Ave & Bell Rd. or the Surprise Winco, to avoid food sales tax. At the Glendale Winco you’ll pay 2.5% sales tax on groceries.
- Aldi. If you fell for the Aldi influencers and Aldi ads claiming that Aldi is the cheapest grocery store, you would do well to close Instagram and open the calculator on your phone. You’ll pay an extra 13% shopping at Aldi instead of Winco.
- Walmart. Walmart is right on par with Aldi pricewise but at Walmart, you might actually be able to do all of your grocery shopping at one place. Mighhhhht, because Walmart shelves have looked remarkedly Venezuelan for the last 3 years, so good luck finding stocked shelves that match your grocery list. If your Walmart has gone to digital/flex pricing, run, don’t walk to any other grocery store. That nonsense will not play.
- Fry’s. Fry’s costs 25% more than Winco for these 8 items. What you do want to look for are Fry’s loss leaders, particularly if you eat a lot of name brand, processed food.
- Dollar General is surprisingly in the running here. I call Dollar General, “7-11 without gas”. Only hillbillies who are too inebriated to drive to the Piggly Wiggly shop at Dollar General, right? But if you don’t like fruits and vegetables, Dollar General is actually cheaper than many of the Phoenix grocery stores. Make sure to add Dollar General’s weekly $5/$25 coupon to your account.
- Food City. Be very careful at Food City: your best bet is to just buy the cheap produce, and grab rice and beans for 50 cents a pound when those staples go on sale (but read the fine print because you’re typically limited to 6 pounds of rice and beans). The meat, dairy, canned food, and processed food at Food City are almost always more expensive than at other grocery stores. Food City is also tricky because the best sales are only on one day of each week. I rarely shop at Food City because the nearest Food City to my home is 15 miles away, and the few dollars I’d save on produce are not worth the extra gas money. If you live close to a Food City, don’t mind crappy meat, and love fresh vegetables, Food City might be one of your weekly grocery stops.
- Safeway/Albertson’s: Safeway is crazy expensive, and I ONLY shop the loss leaders there, because to shop for grocery staples (like in the table above) means I’d pay 39% more to shop at Safeway, where the elderly union check-out clerks are surly and slow. I’d rather shop at Winco, where there is no union because Winco is employee owned, so the elderly check-out clerks are lovely (but the greasy, 20-something males are surly and slow—make sure to check out at Winco with a female cashier for the best experience!).
- Basha’s: Basha’s prices are painful: Basha’s stores cater to elderly, upper middle class folks who purchased their homes in a rural area before the greedy builders added 4,000 square foot “lots” all around their 1-acre homes. Basha’s is dark, dirty, and very likely to not have its loss leaders in stock. It is also nigh well impossible to shop Basha’s online: since one company owns Basha’s (most expensive grocery chain in AZ), AJ’s Fine Foods (highfalutin), and Food City (ghetto), if you attempt to shop online prices for Basha’s or AJ’s, you’ll often see items and prices for Food City.
- AJ’s Fine Foods: I really shouldn’t even include AJ’s in this Phoenix grocery stores prices roundup; in 10 years of living in the Phoenix metro, I’ve walked into AJ’s one time, and that was all I needed to notice that AJ’s Fine Foods is for absolute idiots who don’t care how much they spend on groceries as long as they can brag that they shop at AJ’s Fine Foods. This is super weird to me, since every millionaire I know would shop at Winco over AJ’s. I’m pretty sure AJ’s actually costs more than what is listed on my spreadsheet because, as mentioned in the Basha’s note, the company that owns Basha’s, AJ’s Fine Foods, and Food City, adds all the items from all three stores to their online shopping portal. If I have a half hour to spare, I’ll pop in to AJ’s to confirm in-store prices, but as it stands on AJ’s online prices, AJ’s Fine Foods costs 61% more than Winco. What the actual crap?
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