Where can you find the cheapest frozen turkey in State College? We checked prices for you
Thanksgiving is approaching, but planning for a holiday feast can become a high-cost affair for the average American shopper.
The average price of consumer goods grew by 2.6% over the last year, according to the latest report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Price Index. “Food at home” prices, which cover groceries, are up 2.1% over that span, the agency reports. Every jump in price, no matter how small, can create significant strains for those shopping on a budget.
When money gets tight, where can you find the best deals on your favorite holiday staples? To find out, we shopped State College’s major grocery stores to compare common items and see which franchises offered the best options for budget-conscious shoppers this Thanksgiving.
How did we track our grocery price comparisons?
Before diving into the numbers, please keep the following points in mind regarding our methodology.
Where did we shop? — We visited State College locations of the area’s biggest grocery store chains: Aldi, Giant, Trader Joe’s, Wegmans and Weis, plus Target and Walmart. All seven stores we visited are located along North Atherton Street, though some have additional locations elsewhere in State College and across Centre County.
Which stores were excluded? — We left out stores that required a membership, like Sam’s Club, and skipped specialty and international markets that may have lacked comparable items to our selections.
When did we shop? — We visited each featured store Nov. 18 and documented prices in a spreadsheet.
Were sale prices a factor? — No. Some stores, including Giant and Weis, offer huge catalogs of weekly sales and specials, but it would be unfair to compare them to stores without discounts. We counted only regular prices for these items, but savvy shoppers can likely find even cheaper options when they visit.
Comparing the prices of Thanksgiving essentials
You can use this Datawrapper visualization to flip through several items included in this comparison project, ranging from frozen turkeys to pumpkin pie filling.
Prices are visualized for every store that sells each item. For example, nearly every store offers cans of cut green beans, but not all sell Butterball frozen turkeys.
Aldi
Store shopped: 1798 N. Atherton St. in State College Nov. 18
The newest major grocery store in State College, Aldi specializes in low-cost items that almost exclusively belong to house brands, though a few name-brand items appear on shelves every now and then.
During our visit, we found Aldi offered the second-best price of any store ($1.07 per pound) on frozen Butterball turkeys. The store also sells antibiotic-free frozen turkey under a house brand for $1.67 per pound.
Additionally, Aldi offered the best sticker price of any store on 6-ounce boxes of Stove Top stuffing mix ($1.98), plus the cheapest price in the area for store-brand green beans (55 cents for a 14.5-ounce can) and pumpkin pie filling ($1.15 for a 15-ounce can).
Giant Food Stores
Store shopped: 255 Northland Center in State College Nov. 18
Shoppers can find three Giant stores in the State College area, but we shopped at the location off North Atherton Street. The stores are known for their extensive catalogs of weekly sales and rewards for members, including savings on gas at select locations. Giant opened a new location along Benner Pike in December 2022 that sells fuel.
While conducting our price comparison survey, we found Giant offered the most expensive prices for Butterball frozen turkey ($2.69 per pound) and Shady Brook Farms frozen turkey ($1.99 per pound). However, shoppers using a free Giants Choice Rewards card can get reduced prices on those turkey brands, lowering per-pound costs to $2.49 for Butterball and $1.49 for Shady Brook Farms.
Additionally, by redeeming 400 reward points through Nov. 28, Giant shoppers can receive a free Shady Brook Farms frozen turkey weighing up to 20 pounds. According to the promotion’s terms, this offer is limited to one redeemable turkey per household.
Through Nov. 28, Giant shoppers can also choose to redeem 400 reward points to receive an additional $1 off each pound of frozen and fresh Butterball turkeys, plus fresh and frozen turkeys under Giant’s Nature’s Promise brand.
Turkey aside, we found Giant offered among the most expensive face-value prices on name-brand staples like Stove Top stuffing mix ($2.79 per 6-ounce box), Ocean Spray jellied cranberry sauce ($2.19 per 14-ounce can), Heinz homestyle turkey gravy ($2.69 per 12-ounce jar) and King’s Hawaiian rolls ($4.99 per 12-count pack). No store surveyed sells name-brand 14.5-ounce cans of green beans for more than Giant (79 cents).
Target
Store shopped: 315 Colonnade Blvd. in State College Nov. 18
While Target doesn’t exclusively sell groceries, State College’s store offers a wide selection of items, including staples under in-house brands. Notably, this Target store doesn’t sell fresh produce or meat, so look elsewhere for your Thanksgiving turkey.
We found this store carried the cheapest State College-area price on store-brand green beans (55 cents per 14.5-ounce can). Target’s prices on store-brand pumpkin pie filling ($1.29 for a 15-ounce can) and King’s Hawaiian rolls ($4.69 for a 12-count pack) were among the cheapest for State College stores, while 12-ounce jars of Heinz homestyle turkey gravy ($2.59) were the second-most expensive among area chains.
Trader Joe’s
Store shopped: 243 Patriot Lane in State College Nov. 18
State College’s Trader Joe’s, the company’s only store between Harrisburg and Pittsburgh, is known for almost exclusively selling products under its own label, many of which are organic.
Trader Joe’s sells three types of perishable turkey: brined young turkey ($2.49 per pound), Glatt kosher young turkey ($3.49 per pound) and organic free-range young turkey ($3.99 per pound). Though these are kept refrigerated at the store, they can be frozen if needed.
Trader Joe’s lacked comparable items to most of the options included in our survey. Its store-brand pumpkin pie filling, which, notably, is organic, sells for $2.49 per 15-ounce can.
Walmart
Store shopped: 1665 N. Atherton St. in State College Nov. 18
Both of Walmart’s Centre County stores — on North Atherton Street and at 373 Benner Pike — offer large grocery sections. Many items are available through Walmart’s Great Value label, which generally offers cheaper products and alternatives to national brands.
This fall, Walmart offers the best price of all State College-area stores on Butterball frozen turkeys ($1.04 per pound) and Shady Brook Farms frozen turkeys (88 cents per pound). The store also features the best price of all area stores on name-brand products like Heinz homestyle turkey gravy ($2.47 per 12-ounce jar), Ocean Spray jellied cranberry sauce ($1.98) and King’s Hawaiian rolls ($4.68 per 12-count pack). Store-brand cans of pumpkin pie filling and green beans (fetching $1.47 and 64 cents each, respectively) rank in the middle of the pack among State College’s major grocery stores.
Wegmans
Store shopped: 345 Colonnade Blvd. in State College
Located just a short walk from Target, the only Wegmans in Centre County offers middle-of-the-pack prices on Thanksgiving essentials. However, savvy shoppers can save quite a bit more using their rewards card at this recently remodeled store.
Wegmans ranks toward the middle of State College’s major grocery stores on Butterball frozen turkeys ($2.19 per pound), Shady Brook Farms frozen turkeys ($1.69 per pound), Heinz homestyle turkey gravy ($2.49 per 12-ounce jar), King’s Hawaiian rolls ($4.79 per 12-count pack), store-brand green beans (69 cents per 14.5-ounce can) and store-brand pumpkin pie filling ($1.49 per 15-ounce can). However, the store sells the most expensive Stove Top turkey stuffing mix ($2.99 per 6-ounce box) and ties Giant and Target with the most expensive Ocean Spray jellied cranberry sauce ($2.19 per 14-ounce can).
According to a flyer inside the store Nov. 18, those who belong to Wegmans’ free Shoppers Club can pay just 59 cents per pound on Shady Brook Farms frozen turkeys through Nov. 24. This deal, available while supplies last and applicable only to orders of at least $25, requires shoppers to scan their membership card or enter their phone number at checkout.
We spotted several other notable deals for Shoppers Club members, including a two-for-$4 sale on Stove Top stuffing mixes and a two-for-$3 discount on Idahoan instant mashed potato packs.
Weis
Store shopped: 1471 Martin St. in State College
This Pennsylvania-headquartered grocery chain operates five stores across Centre County, but we chose to visit its location along North Atherton Street.
There, we found Weis offers the best price for Ocean Spray jellied cranberry sauce ($1.99 for a 14-ounce can). Most other prices we surveyed at Weis fell in the middle of the pack, but King’s Hawaiian rolls ($5 for a 12-count pack) and Butterball frozen turkeys ($2.29 per pound) were among the most expensive compared to other area stores.
Just like Giant and Wegmans, Weis has plenty of Thanksgiving deals in store for shoppers who belong to its rewards program. Most notably, shoppers can redeem 200 rewards points through Nov. 28 to receive an offer lowering the price of Butterball turkeys to 99 cents per pound. Additionally, shoppers can redeem 200 points to lower a Weis-brand frozen turkey to 39 cents per pound or redeem 400 points to skip the hassle and get the frozen bird for free. These offers are limited to one per household while supplies last.
So, which store has State College’s best deals on Thanksgiving essentials?
Across the board, Walmart seems to be our overall winner.
Walmart’s North Atherton Street location offers the lowest per-pound price on Butterball and Shady Brook Farms frozen turkeys and several name-brand staples for a Thanksgiving feast.
Conversely, Giant appears to be the most expensive store for some of the notable items we shopped. The chain offered the highest nondiscounted, per-pound price on Butterball and Shady Brook Farms frozen turkeys while also selling other items like Ocean Spray jellied cranberry sauce and store-brand green beans for more than other local competitors.
Back in February, we conducted an extensive price-checking survey examining common grocery staples ranging from boneless chicken breasts and produce to Coca-Cola six-packs and Oreo cookies. Overall, we found Aldi offered the lowest prices for at least 15 of the 35 items we examined, while Walmart followed closely behind with the cheapest price on 11 items.
We also conducted a follow-up price-checking survey in June focused exclusively on baby needs, including diapers, wipes and snacks for small children. Walmart came out as the clear winner after offering the leading price for several items, including formula and infant-strength Tylenol.
This story was originally published November 20, 2024 at 10:10 AM.
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