Is Giant Heirloom Market or Wegmans Cheaper Than Sprouts and Trader Joe’s?
We investigated.
Can the prices at the new Giant Heirloom Market beat other local grocery stores? Or are Sprouts, Trader Joe’s, and/or Wegmans cheaper? / Photograph by Mary Clare Fischer
The understatement of 2019 might be that Philly is changing. Over the past few years, more (and often younger) folks are moving into the region, transforming the look of everything from storefronts to apartment buildings as demand for development soars, particularly in the city proper.
The grocery store landscape hasn’t been immune. Sprouts Farmers Market came to Broad Street in September; Giant Heirloom Market, the upscale version of Giant, opened doors in Graduate Hospital in January; and it looks like Trader Joe’s may debut a second location within the city limits.
That gives shoppers many more options (yay!). But there’s no guarantee that all of them have reasonable or even comparable prices. That’s why we took a look at some of these new locations — Giant Heirloom, Sprouts — and older standbys — TJ’s and the Wegmans in Cherry Hill, New Jersey — to see how they all stacked up (with prices adjusted to account for weight differences). Idea h/t goes to Mad About Food‘s Madeline Tague, the OG food comparison blogger.
Giant Heirloom Market
What we bought at Giant Heirloom Market. / Photograph by Mary Clare Fischer
What we bought: A dozen organic large brown free-range eggs ($3.99), one pound lean ground turkey ($2.49), a pound of spinach ($3.49) [The store was out of smaller bags], two sweet potatoes (2.1 pounds for $2.08), one lemon ($0.66), two avocados ($2.50), two Fuji apples (1.18 pounds for $2.35), one red bell pepper ($1.67), one box gluten-free Nature’s Promise pasta ($1.99), 16 ounces of baby carrots ($1.19), eight ounces of white mushrooms ($2.29).
Total spent: $24.70
Quantity adjusted total: $18.66
Wegmans
Our purchases from Wegmans. / Photograph by Mary Clare Fischer
What we bought: A dozen organic large brown eggs ($3.99), one pound lean ground turkey ($4.29), six ounces of spinach ($1.50), two yams (1.95 pounds for $1.93), one lemon ($0.89), two avocados ($2.98), three Fuji apples (1.62 pounds for $3.22), one red bell pepper ($2.31), one box Banza pasta ($2.99), 16 ounces of baby carrots ($1.49), six ounces of white mushrooms ($1.99)
Total spent: $27.58
Quantity adjusted total: $23.66
Sprouts Farmers Market
The results of our Sprouts shopping trip. Photograph by Caroline Cunningham
What we bought: A dozen organic large brown cage-free eggs ($3.99), one pound lean ground turkey ($6.99), nine ounces of spinach ($1.99), two sweet potatoes (1.43 pounds for $1.43), one lemon ($0.50), two avocados ($1), three Fuji apples (1.46 pounds for $1.43), one red bell pepper ($1.25), one box Banza pasta ($3.50), 16 ounces of baby carrots ($0.98), eight ounces of white mushrooms ($1.99)
Total spent: $25.04
Quantity adjusted total: $22.50
Trader Joe’s
The haul from Trader Joe’s. Photograph by Caroline Cunningham
What we bought: A dozen organic large brown free range eggs ($3.99), one pound lean ground turkey ($5.49), six ounces of organic spinach ($2.29), two sweet potatoes ($1.38), one lime ($0.29. No individual lemons were available!), two avocados ($2.38), three Fuji apples ($2.07), one red bell pepper ($0.99), 12 ounces of organic black bean pasta ($2.99), 24 ounces of baby carrots ($1.99), 10 ounces of white mushrooms ($1.99)
Total spent: $25.85
Quantity adjusted total: $21.95
Let’s get social! Join Be Well Philly at:
FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | NEWSLETTER | TWITTER
