7 On Your Side compared prices of five common household staples: a 10-pound bag of potatoes, one pound of boneless, skinless chicken breast, a dozen eggs, a loaf of bread and one gallon of 2% milk.
We visited several popular grocery stores, not to pit one chain against the other, but to see how prices did or didn't vary between retailers.
We found in some places, one item is more expensive but another is cheaper so it balances out. For example, potatoes were cheaper at Grocery Outlet but the eggs were cheaper at Ralphs.
The good news for shoppers is we found that all the stores are very close in price.
At Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, we spent $23.25 total on our items. Ralphs came out to $25.26. Amazon Fresh, which is strictly online, was $21.52 but there was a minimum purchase total to avoid a delivery fee.
Costco, of course, is a bit unique because you have to buy the items in large quantities. The bread, for example, comes in a two-pack. We split it up to figure out what the price would be for a single item.
The price at Costco was the cheapest at $19.93 but you have to decide if buying the larger quantities works out. And don't forget to factor in the membership fee.
And don't forget those circulars that arrive in the mail every week.
With the price of gas so high, it might not be worth it to go to too many different stores, but you never know, it might save you some money.