POCATELLO — With Thanksgiving less than a week away, many in eastern Idaho will be doing their grocery shopping for family gatherings in the days ahead. EastIdahoNews.com decided to help find the most affordable options in Pocatello and Idaho Falls.
We visited four of the largest stores in both cities (WinCo, Albertsons, Fred Meyer, and Walmart) to compare the prices of 10 of the most common Thanksgiving dinner ingredients.
Aside from a few brand options (Breyer’s or Dreyer’s for ice cream (whichever was available and cheapest), Heinz for sauce, and Rhodes for frozen rolls), we compared store brands. Prices listed for turkey are for a 15 pound bird. For potatoes, we compared 10-pound bags. And for the corn and green beans, the prices listed are for 15.25-ounce cans, again, store brand. Finally, for the pumpkin pies, we compared the 8-inch pies found in the bakery section.
The subtotals (before taxes) are listed below, starting with the cheapest, along with the price of each individual item, in case you’re willing to split your grocery purchases between stores to save a little more money.
First, in Pocatello:
WinCo, Pocatello
- 15 pound turkey: $14.70
- Heinz Sauce: $1.88
- 10-pound bag of potatoes: $2.98
- Padding: $0.88
- Rhodes Frozen Rolls: $4.28
- Green beans: $0.50
- Corn: $0.50
- Cranberry sauce: $1.36
- 8″ Pumpkin Pie: $5.48
- Dreyer’s Vanilla Ice Cream: $4.48
- TOTAL: $37.04
Walmart, Pocatello
- 15 pound turkey: $14.70
- Heinz Sauce: $1.98
- 10-pound bag of potatoes: $4.42
- Padding: $0.88
- Rhodes Frozen Rolls: $6.27
- Green beans: $0.50
- Corn: $0.50
- Cranberry sauce: $1.38
- 8″ Pumpkin Pie: $4.28
- Dreyer’s Vanilla Ice Cream: 4.84
- TOTAL: $39.75
Albertsons, Pocatello
- 15 pound turkey: $28.35
- Heinz Sauce: $1.99
- 10-pound bag of potatoes: $4.49
- Filling: $1.99
- Rhodes Frozen Rolls: $4.49
- Green beans: $0.89
- Corn: $0.89
- Cranberry Sauce: $2.49
- 8″ Pumpkin Pie: $6.99
- Dreyer’s Vanilla Ice Cream: $4.49
- TOTAL: $57.02
Fred MeyerPocatello
- 15-pound turkey: $32.85
- Heinz Sauce: $2.00
- 10-pound bag of potatoes: $2.79
- Padding: $1.00
- Rhodes Frozen Rolls: $4.99
- Green beans: $0.99
- Corn: $0.99
- Cranberry sauce: $1.50
- 8″ Pumpkin Pie: $6.99
- Dreyer’s Vanilla Ice Cream: $5.49
- TOTAL: $59.59
At Idaho Falls:
WinCo, Idaho Falls
- 15 pound turkey: $14.70
- Heinz Sauce: $1.78
- 10-pound bag of potatoes: $3.48
- Filling: $2.18
- Rhodes Frozen Rolls: $4.28
- Green beans: $0.50
- Corn: $0.50
- Cranberry sauce: $1.68
- 8″ Pumpkin Pie: $5.48
- Dreyer’s Vanilla Ice Cream: $4.76
- TOTAL: $39.34
Albertsons, Idaho Falls
- 15-pound turkey: $7.35 (with coupon)
- Heinz Sauce: $3.29
- 10-pound bag of potatoes: $3.99
- Filling: $2.49
- Rhodes Frozen Rolls: $4.49
- Green beans: $0.99
- Corn: $0.99
- Cranberry Sauce: $1.99
- 8″ Pumpkin Pie: $6.99
- Breyer’s Vanilla Ice Cream: $7.49
- TOTAL: $40.60
Walmart, Idaho Falls
- 15 pound turkey: $17.70
- Heinz Sauce: $1.98
- 10-pound bag of potatoes: $4.42
- Filling: $1.98
- Rhodes Frozen Rolls: $4.84
- Green beans: $0.50
- Corn: $0.50
- Cranberry sauce: $1.36
- 8″ Pumpkin Pie: $4.28
- Breyer’s Vanilla Ice Cream: $4.97
- TOTAL: $42.53
Fred Meyer, Idaho Falls
- 15-pound turkey: $32.85
- Heinz Sauce: $2.99
- 10-pound bag of potatoes: $3.99
- Filling: $3.29
- Rhodes Frozen Rolls: $4.99
- Green beans: $0.89
- Corn: $0.89
- Cranberry Sauce: $1.99
- 8″ Pumpkin Pie: $5.99
- Breyer’s Vanilla Ice Cream: $5.99
- TOTAL: $63.86
Obviously, the price of turkey had the biggest impact on each store’s total. In both cities, the turkey at Fred Meyer costs almost as much as the entire list at WinCo. With that in mind, a coupon at Albertsons in Idaho Falls made it the cheapest option of eight stores for traditional protein.
Perhaps the most surprising factor is the fluctuation in price for a 36-pack of Rhodes frozen rolls, from as low as $4.28 at both WinCos to as high as $6.27 at Walmart in Pocatello.
Based on our shopping trip, WinCo features the most affordable option for Thanksgiving grocery shopping in both Pocatello and Idaho Falls.