Is Wegmans Actually Cheaper Than Other Grocery Stores?

Depending on where you live in the United States, you might be partial to one grocery store over another based on price and availability of ingredients. If you're looking for an affordable option, Wegmans could be a surprisingly cheap alternative — but there's a catch.

Compared to Giant and Whole Foods on the East Coast, Wegmans chimes in cheaper, at least when it comes to store brand items. A study by Consumer Reports found that compared to name-brand, store-brand substitutes may be just as good or even better when it comes to certain products. When comparing three commonly purchased products — pasta, frozen broccoli, and almond milk — the Wegmans store brand outperforms the competition, even if only slightly. For example, almond milk at Whole Foods came in at $3.99, Giant Eagle at $2.79, and Wegmans at $2.39 for a half gallon. A top-performing comment on Reddit reinforces this claim: "Where I live (NC), the Wegmans brand items are usually cheaper than most other stores." Keep in mind to do your own research, as this could change based on where you live and the stores available.

The most affordable grocery stores depend on your region and what you buy. When it comes to store-brand products, Wegmans might take the cake, but not when it comes to name-brand products or prepared food items. "I have always found Wegmans (south Jersey and Philly area) to be fairly reasonable as long as you avoid the prepared/convenience foods," says a Reddit user.

If we consider prepared and bakery products such as rotisserie chicken and birthday cake, the results are mixed. Giant is the most affordable, with both the birthday cake, at $1.50 a serving, and rotisserie chicken at $7.99, cheaper than both Wegmans and Whole Foods. Surprisingly, Whole Foods comes in second best for rotisserie chicken at $8.99, and Wegmans comes in last at $9.99. For birthday cake, Wegmans comes in second at $2 a serving, whereas Whole Foods clocks in at around $3.37 a serving. Going by price alone here, there is no determinate winner between Wegmans and Whole Foods.

Ultimately, it depends on what you're willing to purchase from store brands. And, if you're looking to save money at the grocery store, the best way to do your shopping is to review the local flyers, shop seasonally, and consider shopping at more than one store to get the value for your money.