WinCo, Walmart, Albertsons, Fred Meyer: which offers the cheapest Thanksgiving groceries

POCATELLO — With Thanksgiving under a week away, many in eastern Idaho will be doing their grocery shopping for family gatherings in the coming days. EastIdahoNews.com decided to help find the most cost-effective options in Pocatello and Idaho Falls.

We visited four of the biggest stores in both cities — WinCo, Albertsons, Fred Meyer and Walmart — to compare prices for 10 of the most common Thanksgiving dinner ingredients.

Aside from a few name-brand options — Breyer’s or Dreyer’s for ice cream (whichever was available and cheaper), Heinz for gravy and Rhodes for frozen rolls — we compared store brands. The prices listed for the turkey are for a 15-pound bird. For potatoes, we compared 10-pound bags. And for corn and green beans, the listed prices are for 15.25-ounce cans — again, store brand. Finally, for pumpkin pies, we compared 8-inch pies found in the bakery section.

The (pre-tax) subtotals are listed below, starting with the cheapest, along with the price for each individual item — in case you are willing to split your grocery shopping between stores to save a little extra dough.

First, in Pocatello:

WinCo, Pocatello

• 15-pound turkey: $14.70
• Heinz gravy: $1.88
• 10-pound bag of potatoes: $2.98
• Stuffing: $0.88
• Rhodes frozen rolls: $4.28
• Green beans: $0.50
• Corn: $0.50
• Cranberry sauce: $1.36
• 8″ pumpkin pie: $5.48
• Dreyer’s vanilla ice cream: $4.48
• TOTAL: $37.04

Walmart, Pocatello

• 15-pound turkey: $14.70
• Heinz gravy: $1.98
• 10-pound bag of potatoes: $4.42
• Stuffing: $0.88
• Rhodes frozen rolls: $6.27
• Green beans: $0.50
• Corn: $0.50
• Cranberry sauce: $1.38
• 8″ pumpkin pie: $4.28
• Dreyer’s vanilla ice cream: 4.84
• TOTAL: $39.75

Albertsons, Pocatello

• 15-pound turkey: $28.35
• Heinz gravy: $1.99
• 10-pound bag of potatoes: $4.49
• Stuffing: $1.99
• Rhodes frozen rolls: $4.49
• Green beans: $0.89
• Corn: $0.89
• Cranberry sauce: $2.49
• 8″ pumpkin pie: $6.99
• Dreyer’s vanilla ice cream: $4.49
• TOTAL: $57.02

Fred Meyer, Pocatello

• 15-pound turkey: $32.85
• Heinz gravy: $2.00
• 10-pound bag of potatoes: $2.79
• Stuffing: $1.00
• Rhodes frozen rolls: $4.99
• Green beans: $0.99
• Corn: $0.99
• Cranberry sauce: $1.50
• 8″ pumpkin pie: $6.99
• Dreyer’s vanilla ice cream: $5.49
• TOTAL: $59.59

In Idaho Falls:

WinCo, Idaho Falls

• 15-pound turkey: $14.70
• Heinz gravy: $1.78
• 10-pound bag of potatoes: $3.48
• Stuffing: $2.18
• Rhodes frozen rolls: $4.28
• Green beans: $0.50
• Corn: $0.50
• Cranberry sauce: $1.68
• 8″ pumpkin pie: $5.48
• Dreyer’s vanilla ice cream: $4.76
• TOTAL: $39.34

Albertsons, Idaho Falls

• 15-pound turkey: $7.35 (with a coupon)
• Heinz gravy: $3.29
• 10-pound bag of potatoes: $3.99
• Stuffing: $2.49
• Rhodes frozen rolls: $4.49
• Green beans: $0.99
• Corn: $0.99
• Cranberry sauce: $1.99
• 8″ pumpkin pie: $6.99
• Breyer’s vanilla ice cream: $7.49
• TOTAL: $40.60

Walmart, Idaho Falls

• 15-pound turkey: $17.70
• Heinz gravy: $1.98
• 10-pound bag of potatoes: $4.42
• Stuffing: $1.98
• Rhodes frozen rolls: $4.84
• Green beans: $0.50
• Corn: $0.50
• Cranberry sauce: $1.36
• 8″ pumpkin pie: $4.28
• Breyer’s vanilla ice cream: $4.97
• TOTAL: $42.53

Fred Meyer, Idaho Falls

• 15-pound turkey: $32.85
• Heinz gravy: $2.99
• 10-pound bag of potatoes: $3.99
• Stuffing: $3.29
• Rhodes frozen rolls: $4.99
• Green beans: $0.89
• Corn: $0.89
• Cranberry sauce: $1.99
• 8″ pumpkin pie: $5.99
• Breyer’s vanilla ice cream: $5.99
• TOTAL: $63.86

Obviously, the price of the turkey had the greatest impact on the total at each store. In both cities, the turkey at Fred Meyer cost nearly as much as the entire list in at WinCo. With that in mind, a coupon at Albertsons in Idaho Falls made it the cheapest option of the eight stores for the traditional protein.

Perhaps the most surprising factor is the fluctuation in the price of a 36-pack of Rhodes frozen rolls — from a low of $4.28 at both WinCos to a high of $6.27 at Walmart in Pocatello.

According to our shopping trip, WinCo presents the cheapest option for Thanksgiving grocery shopping in both Pocatello and Idaho Falls.