This website really came about by mere accident.
I moved from Germany to Atlanta about 6 years ago. Of course, there was a girl to blame. Romantic, isn’t it?
Well, I soon found one of my favorite German grocery stores in the area: Aldi. The only problem with them is that they not always carry everything you need.
My wife’s favorite store has always been Kroger. A few years ago we learned about Trader Joe’s, a neat, smaller store that specializes in imports and natural foods.
This smelled like a project, and I started to maintain lists comparing these three stores.
Enters the villain. As you are probably well aware, there are a few marketing experts out there who decided to throw sales, coupons and double coupons into the equation. Whew!
Add grocery store membership or savings cards (some stores actually charge you for membership) and we’re busy doing nothing else but trying to figure out who offers us the best deal on groceries.
Admittedly, clipping coupons is a fine way of saving. But let’s admit it, do we always clip all the coupons available for every store? Do we always use our discount cards? DO WE HAVE THE TIME TO DO ALL THAT? I don’t.
Often I find we just clip a hand full of coupons that apply to a few select items we regularly buy at “our” store to save a few pennies. Just to feel better.
And one lingering question remains: is it really worth buying products on sale, or are these items overpriced to start with?
I am certain most of us simply do not take advantage of the full savings potential out there. Nonetheless, given the way the economy goes, we all should.
To do so, but without having to worry about sales, coupons and what not, I expanded my original list to created a simple price comparison of REGULAR grocery store prices. Regular priced items almost always make up the bulk of a shopping cart anyway; and consequently of the final shopping bill. Sales and coupons are only a way to bring us into the store.
Now you can check out your favorite store in my charts and cross reference the prices of the products you generally buy. Are you a savvy shopper, or could you save by adding one more stop at a different location?
We’ll tell you what location it would be and for which items it would be worth your trouble.
We’ll even help you figure out among what two (or three) stores to split up your shopping trip to maximize your savings. After all, a one-stop shop is convenient, but is the convenience worth it? Here is an example.
To be clear, this website is NOT a price search engine, given the fact that grocery stores don’t publish their regular prices. Take a wild guess why that might be…
All prices on this site as well as the extra information going along with every product are compiled by me and with the German precision (and stubbornness) my mother taught me.
With some help of my computer-savvy friends we were able to go online and, voila, CompareGroceryPrices.ORG!
Of course, these charts will also help you now recognize a real sale when you see it; able to compare it to other stores’ regular prices.
One last word regarding the scope of this database.
We try to maintain a usable tool for our users. Smaller grocery stores such as Aldi or Trader Joe’s maintain a selection of about 2,000 to 3,000 items. Large stores such as Kroger or Publix carry upward of 10,000 items.
If we were to include every single product in our comparison charts, you the user would not be able to manage the amount of data dumped on you.
Instead, we try to compile an easy-to-handle list and present the cheapest and best options; not 10 different brands of spaghetti.
So if your regular brand of multi-grain bread, ABC, is not listed, please cross reference XYZ bread on our list. We’re sure one of the listings will come close to the items you are used to. However, if you believe we are missing an essential item in our database, please e-mail us to suggest an item.
Thank you for using CompareGroceryPrices.org to help you with your shopping.
