We Price-Compared 5 Items From Whole Foods, Target And Trader Joe's

When we grocery shop, we have one goal in mind: saving money.
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Photo by Alexandra Gavillet.

When we grocery shop, we have one goal in mind: saving money. Our search for the highest quality of goods with the lowest price points possible is never-ending. So when the news first broke of Amazon swallowing up Whole Foods and selling products for less, our food shopping lists were ready to get a piece of the lower-cost purchasing action. Target followed suit shortly after with a plan to competitively cut food costs as well because it’s a dog-eat-dog world out there in the grocery chain game.

With promises of price-slashing from Whole Foods and Target on top of our already budget-friendly favorite Trader Joe’s, we weren’t sure where to turn for the best savings. The only way to find out was to take matters into our shopping carts and research the dollar sign breakdown the next time we hit the checkout line.

Ahead, we share the total costs from a comparative grocery shop at Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, and Target. We purchase the same five items from produce, to protein, and a prepackaged good to determine which store’s purchase was a splurge and which delivered on the savings front.

Food budgets and store preferences are entirely personal, but it can still pay to find out that your cheap grocery go-to’s avocado is now twice the price compared to its competitors! Scroll on to see how the shopping lists stack up.

Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Buxton.

Whole Foods' Shopping ListDozen Large Brown Eggs, $2.99365 Organic Chicken Breast*, $13.98($6.99 per lb.) Hass Avocado, $1.99 Gala Apples, $1.49 ($1.99 per lb.) Blue Diamond Vanilla Almond Milk, $2.19 (32 fl. oz.)

Total Spend: $22.64

(*Accurate product pricing with inaccurate photo.)

Most Expensive Overall

Biggest Expense ItemsChicken — pricier than both Trader Joe's and Target (per lb.) Almond Milk — pricier than both Trader Joe's and Target

Comparably Priced ItemsEggs — same price as both Trader Joe's and Target

Savings ItemsAvocados — cheaper than Trader Joe'sApples — cheaper than Target

Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Buxton.

Trader Joe's Shopping ListDozen Large Brown Eggs*, $2.99Fresh Chicken Breast, $6.55 ($6.49 per lb.)Hass Avocado, $2.29Gala Apples, $0.98 ($0.49 per apple)Blue Diamond Vanilla Almond Milk, $1.99 (32 fl. oz.)

Total Spend: $14.80

(*Accurate product pricing with inaccurate photo.)

Least Expensive Overall

Biggest Expense ItemsAvocados — pricier than both Whole Foods and Target

Comparably Priced ItemsEggs — same price as both Whole Foods and TargetAlmond Milk — same price as Target

Savings ItemsChicken — cheaper than Whole Foods (per lb.)Apples — cheaper than both Whole Foods and Target

Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Buxton.

Target's Shopping ListDozen Large Brown Eggs, $2.99Fresh Chicken Breast, $6.99 ($5.59 per lb.)Hass Avocado, $1.00 Gala Apples, $3.14 ($1.57 per apple) Blue Diamond Vanilla Almond Milk, $1.99 (32 fl. oz.)

Total Spend: $16.11

Only $1.31 More Than Trader Joe's

Biggest Expense ItemsApples — pricier than both Whole Foods and Trader Joe's

Comparably Priced ItemsEggs — same price as both Whole Foods and Trader Joe'sAlmond Milk — same price as Trader Joe's

Savings ItemsChicken — cheaper than Whole Foods and Trader Joe's (per lb.)Avocados — cheaper than Whole Foods and Trader Joe's

By: Elizabeth Buxton

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