Which stores have the highest and lowest grocery prices in Raleigh? Here’s our research.

The Triangle grocery store landscape has changed a bit since we did our last big price comparison story in October 2019.

At that time, we priced 38 items and found that overall, Walmart had the largest selection and lowest prices, with a strong showing by newcomer Wegmans.

This year, we expanded our shopping list to 55 items and found that Wegmans’ strong showing in 2019 wasn’t a fluke. According to our research, conducted during the last week of June, the Rochester, NY-based chain often beat all stores — including Walmart and Target — on regular priced products. More on that when you get to the store breakdown below.

This year we also found that it’s hard to downplay the impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on grocery shopping. The pandemic, which began in March 2020, not only made us all (hopefully) appreciate grocery store workers a lot more, it also changed many things about the ways stores operate and the ways many of us shop.

Mask and distancing requirements have ended at stores, but most retailers continue to offer more cart- and hand-cleaning options for customers. That’s always a positive.

But the most enduring change has been the fact that more of us are no longer actually entering stores to do our shopping (or at least, we’re doing that less often). Ordering groceries online for delivery or for curbside pickup is no longer a novelty or niche service, it’s standard at nearly all stores.

A month into the pandemic, online grocery shopping jumped dramatically, showing a 233% increase compared to eight months prior, according to Brick Meets Click. There was a nearly 200% increase in the number of online orders placed and a 146% increase in the number of online customers during that period.

The numbers aren’t quite that dramatic now, but still illustrate why we’re all seeing so many new “pick-up” lanes in grocery store parking lots:

▪ Despite monthly online sales being down 24% versus the high set in January 2021, online sales — which include delivery, pickup and ship-to-home —are still up 3.5 times the pre-pandemic sales level of August 2019, David Bishop of Brick Meets Click told The N&O.

▪ Almost half (47%) of Americans say they buy at least some of their groceries online, according to a recent study conducted by real-time market research provider Appinio and digital commerce platform provider Spryker Systems.

▪ And more than one fifth of Americans expect to do most or all of their grocery shopping online by 2024, according to the report.

▪ Personal safety continues to be a motivator for online shopping, says the Spryker report, but convenience is the main driver: almost two thirds (59%) of respondents said that convenience is why they shop online.

Spryker, which published the survey findings in the 2022 US Online Grocery Report released in December 2021, says their data shows no indication that consumers will go back to pre-pandemic shopping habits.

The supply chain and inflation take a toll

The other lasting legacy of the pandemic has been its effect on the global supply chain and inflation.

Even after The Great Toilet Paper Panic of 2020, consumers have experienced supply chain disruptions when shopping for everything from Gatorade to cat food, and most recently, a shortage of baby formula.

Keep in mind that “supply chain disruptions” doesn’t just mean empty shelves, it means products that make it to the shelves may cost more.

ProPublica examined the impact on grocery prices due to some sketchy practices by global ocean carriers, who are charging billions of dollars in extra fees, which are being passed along to shoppers. The story — told through the struggle of one trucking company to deliver a load of bananas and return the empty shipping containers — is eye-opening (read it at propublica.org).

No matter the myriad reasons behind higher prices, families are searching for ways to cut costs, and that includes those devoted to online shopping. Data released by BrickMeetsClick in June 2022 shows that even though online shopping is still strong, cost increases associated with inflation are driving shoppers more toward pickup, which comes with lower fees than delivery.

Grocery price comparison: How we did it

Before we start dissecting the particulars of each grocery store and their prices, a word about our methodology.

Where we shopped. We shopped 16 grocery chains in Raleigh: Aldi, Carlie C’s, Dollar General, Food Lion, Fresh Market, Harris Teeter, Lidl, Lowes Foods, Publix, Sprouts, Target, Trader Joe’s, Walmart, Weaver Street Market, Wegmans and Whole Foods. Ten of the 16 stores were all in a straight line down Wake Forest Road/Falls of Neuse (what I call Raleigh’s Grocery Boulevard). The others were in north, northwest or northeast Raleigh, except for Weaver Street Market, which is downtown.

Where we didn’t shop. We didn’t include the warehouse membership stores like Costco, Sam’s Club and BJ’s Wholesale. We also didn’t shop international markets because we felt we would want to use a different kind of product list at those — but we hope to do both of those comparisons at a later time.

When we shopped: All prices were documented (photographs taken of items on the shelves) on June 27 and 28, 2022 (except for Weaver Street Market, which we visited on June 30).

What we shopped for. We picked 55 common items to shop for — a mix of name-brand products, store brand products and fresh produce (regular and organic). We included a couple of specifically vegan items, one generic and one name-brand (but in hindsight, probably shouldn’t have put a brand restriction on either item, just because of limited availability).

What we didn’t shop for. To keep things manageable, we had to set some limits on categories. So we skipped delis, bakeries, flower shops, hot bars and pharmacies. We also skipped paper products (like toilet paper and paper towels), pre-packaged gluten-free/sugar-free/fat-free products, and baby products. We made this decision because the items varied so much by brand, style and size from store to store.

No sale prices. We only counted regular prices for items. We know that many of you are ardent sale-shoppers (very smart) and would never pay full price for a six-pack of Coke or a bag of Oreos, but not everyone shops that way. Plus, it’s just the only way to do a fair comparison.

The Incomparables. It is hard to compare stores like Food Lion and Harris Teeter to stores like Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, Aldi and Sprouts because those stores carry only (or mostly) store brand or specialty items. Plus, in the case of Sprouts, Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods and Weaver Street Market, many of the items are only available in an organic or otherwise special version that makes the price much higher than at their competitors. We tried to note that whenever possible, but keep that in mind when evaluating the price differences.

Prices are constantly changing. This is very important to note, especially in a time of such aggressive inflation and supply chain instability. We shopped during the week of June 27, 2022. One week later, on a non-official stop inside one of the grocery stores I price-checked, I noticed that the price of eggs had already increased dramatically. So please keep in mind this price-check is a snapshot in time. Just as prices will vary from store to store even within the same chain, depending on your town or neighborhood, price can increase at any time.

Aldi: Low prices with no frills

Store shopped: 4031 Wake Forest Road, Raleigh on June 27, 2022

The ambiance of the Aldi on Wake Forest Road in Raleigh leaves a lot to be desired. The store is in a nondescript shopping center inside a section that previously housed a Books-A-Million. Even after a remodeling in 2017, it’s still not as bright and shiny as the newer standalone stores that are going up across the Triangle.

But dedicated Aldi fans don’t mind the no-frills interior, they come for the low prices.

The German grocery chain, which now has 14 stores in the Triangle, specializes in low-cost house brand products. In addition to low prices, they’re known for charging customers 25 cents to use a shopping cart (it’s refundable), for not having free bags at the checkout and for their “Aisle of Shame” selections. (This is the aisle near the center of the store — so named by online Aldi fans — with random items ranging from deck chairs to fleece blankets to cardboard cat chalets.)

Aldi stock isn’t 100% house brands, but it’s close. You’ll find a few randomly sprinkled name-brand items now and then, but there’s no consistency. On this trip, we saw Texas Pete Hot Sauce and Honey Nut Cheerios, for instance. I wouldn’t count on it still being there in a few weeks.

Where they’re great: Aldi is hard to beat on produce prices (quality is for someone else to argue). Bananas, apples, avocados, baby carrots and organic romaine lettuce were all cheaper at Aldi than at competitors. They also had the cheapest butter in town (tied with Lidl) at $1.89 per pound the week we shopped. And their store-brand loaf breads — both white and wheat varieties — were just 50 cents each (and the loaves felt super soft).

Carlie C’s: The homegrown grocery option

Store shopped: 4111 New Bern Ave, Raleigh on June 28, 2022

Carlie C’s lists 30 locations across southeastern North Carolina and it’s one of the most local of the chains we visited, with its headquarters in Dunn. Most of their stores are in Johnston, Harnett, Cumberland and Sampson counties, but in addition to the store in Raleigh, there’s a store in Garner and one in Durham. Many of the stores are in buildings formerly housed by other grocery stores, or (particularly in Sampson County) are Piggly Wiggly buyouts.

The Raleigh store is large, in the shell of an old Kroger. It’s not fancy, but the selection is good. (Although we couldn’t find tofu or vegan cream cheese — they may have had it but we couldn’t find it). This location at least has one of the largest produce sections of any store we visited, and a large Mexican food section. Apart from our inability to locate a single fresh boneless chicken breast in the meat cooler, the fresh meat selection is massive.

Like its more national competitors, Carlie C’s offers online ordering and digital coupons.

Where they’re great: This has little to do with our comparison survey, but you should know that you can get freshly ground country sausage and real hoop cheese at Carlie C’s. Plus, it has a popular bakery (folks love their 10-layer chocolate cakes), self-serve hot bars and a cafeteria-style bar with “meat-and-three”-style daily specials (think fried chicken, fried fish, ribs, pork chops, etc). When you Google the New Bern Avenue Carlie C’s, the results show you questions asked about the store. At the top of the list: “Do they sell turkey wings?” Of course, the answer is yes.

Dollar General: No fresh fruits or veggies (yet)

Store shopped: 7423 Six Forks Road on June 28, 2022

We don’t immediately think of Dollar General as a grocery store. It’s more of a variety store in our view, but you could say the same for Walmart and Target. But Chain Store Guide classifies it as a grocery store, so we checked them out (even though the store we visited didn’t meet our initial grocery store criteria of selling fresh meat, produce and other perishables).

The Dollar General we visited is an OK place to pick up snacks and chips and some canned goods in a pinch, but for folks who have to rely on it for the majority of their groceries because of geographical restrictions, they aren’t likely to have access to fresh fruits and vegetables, or much variety.

But that’s not the case in every Dollar General. Dollar General’s DGX store in downtown Raleigh has a great selection of groceries, plus some produce. And the company seems to be moving more in that direction. In 2016, they purchased 41 Walmart Express stores (including 12 in North Carolina) and converted them into Dollar General stores. And last year, Progressive Grocer wrote that Dollar General had added perishables and fresh produce to more than 1,300 stores and that they plan to expand their perishables program in up to 10,000 Dollar General stores over the next several years.

What’s great there: Though the Dollar General we visited didn’t have a large selection of items, the items they did have were priced competitively when compared to stores like Harris Teeter, Food Lion, Publix, Lowes and Carlie C’s.

Food Lion: Tips for saving the most

Store shopped: 7905 Falls of Neuse Road, Raleigh on June 27, 2022

This store at the corner of Falls of Neuse and Strickland is one of the newer Food Lions in the area — spacious and bright with a great selection of products.

The Salisbury, NC-based chain has more than 1,100 stores in southeast and MidAtlantic states, and its website lists 87 stores in a 50-mile radius of Raleigh. Founded in 1957, Food Lion has a long history and ubiquitous presence in the state, and it has always had a high market share in the Triangle (though they’ve slipped from the #2 to the #3 spot since our last study). But it doesn’t have the lowest prices. In fact, it may surprise some to learn that its prices in Raleigh are comparable to Harris Teeter.

What Food Lion does have, which isn’t reflected in our comparison shopping, is a pretty robust shopper’s reward program that goes beyond the weekly MVP specials. So let’s talk about that.

Here’s what you need to do to save the most money at Food Lion.

1. Get an MVP card at the store, then go to foodlion.com and register your MVP card, giving them your email address (they’ll send you weekly specials) and your phone number (which you can use at the store instead of scanning your card).
2. Get the app if you have a smartphone, but you can also do all of this from a browser on your phone or computer.
3. Click on SAVINGS at the top of the page, then go to Shop & Earn. You need to “load” these offers each month at the beginning of the month. Each month you get around 6 categories that will have offers like “Earn $2 when you spend $10 in the Meat & Seafood Department.” The purchase doesn’t have to be in one visit, it adds up over the month, as long as you scan your MVP card with each purchase. When you “earn” a reward, it is automatically deducted from your total at your next visit. It’s like free money.
4. Under that same SAVINGS tab, click on Coupons. You can click the + to load individual coupons to your MVP card. Occasionally, the coupons will even offer free items (I’ve gotten free bread, free frozen vegetables, free cheese — even free cashews — by browsing the coupons). They should automatically discount the item when you check out, but scan your receipt before leaving and let them know at Customer Service if something didn’t come off.

Fresh Market: Treat yourself

Store shopped: 6325 Falls of Neuse Road, Raleigh on June 28, 2022

Fresh Market is a vibe. With its wood floors, soft lighting and plant nursery-esque entrance, the Greensboro, NC-based grocery chain — which now has stores all across the country — is a little high-end for everyday shopping for someone on a journalist’s salary. For some of us, it’s a treat-yourself kind of store.

Fresh Market didn’t have a lot of the items we shopped for, and the items they did have were not priced competitively. But hey, this isn’t the store you go to to stock up on Campbell’s Chicken Noodle Soup. You come here for the specialty foods — the Truff Black Truffle Arrabbiata Luxury Pasta Sauce, the Wholesome Organic Fair Trade Raw Cane Turbinado Sugar, the Aux Delices Cage-Free Duck Fat.

The house brands also cost more than at other stores, but you’re probably getting a higher quality (or at least you feel like you do). As far as produce prices, they were on par with Lowes Foods.

What’s great there: If you do your weekly shopping at Fresh Market, you probably aren’t reading an article about which stores in Raleigh have the lowest prices, but that’s not to say we don’t recommend the store. See our notes above about high-quality specialty brands. Plus they have a great bakery, delicious prepared foods and a comprehensive cheese and wine selection. (Note: I purchased a little something in almost every store I visited during this research. At Fresh Market, I got a fresh-baked loaf of English Toasting Bread. It was delicious.)

Harris Teeter: Shop those VIC sales

Store shopped: 6024 Falls of Neuse Road, Raleigh on June 27, 2022

Founded in Charlotte by William Thomas Harris and Willis L. Teeter in 1960, when Harris Super Market and Teeter Food Mart merged, Harris Teeter has grown to more than 260 locations along the East Coast, from Florida to Delaware.

It’s a local favorite, which is why there was some panic when it was purchased by Kroger in 2014. Diehards might tell you “it’s not the same” now — prices are higher, no more triple coupon days, etc. But who’s to say the same (or other) changes wouldn’t have occurred without Kroger ownership? And whatever concerns shoppers have about ownership aren’t enough to keep it from nabbing the second-highest market share in the area.

Harris Teeter certainly doesn’t have the lowest prices of the stores we shopped. Of the traditional grocery stores we shopped, it was second only to Lowes Foods in high regular prices. But its customers are loyal, and they will be quick to tell you that Harris Teeter has great sales.

What’s great there: If you shop Harris Teeter’s weekly VIC (Very Important Customer) and eVIC specials, you can do very well. And please, for the love of Mr. Harris and Mr. Teeter, if you have a VIC card and you haven’t registered it online to get eVIC deals, do it! They don’t have a “shop and earn” program like Food Lion, but they have weekly specials with lower prices than the VIC sale price on the store shelf, and they frequently give you automatic discounts like $5 off a $30 purchase (plus occasional coupons in the newspaper for $20 off $100 purchase). And of course, digital coupons. Harris Teeter also doubles eligible manufacturers’ coupons up to .99 cents.

Lidl: Kind of like Aldi, but with a bakery

Store shopped: 4308 Wake Forest Road, Raleigh on June 27, 2022

Lidl is “the other” German grocery chain spreading across the Triangle. It’s similar to Aldi in that there is an emphasis on store brand items, but they carry many more name-brand goods than Aldi. There’s also more of an emphasis on international items at Lidl, especially German or European brands. (And dare we say it’s a tiny bit fancier than Aldi?) Like Aldi, they don’t provide free grocery bags, but the shopping carts are free to use.

The stores are modern, clean and bright, and their version of the ever-changing “Aisle of Shame” (one friend calls it “the goofy aisle”) has everything from leggings, cast iron cookware and kitchen scales to compost bins and chain saws.

What’s great there: Lidl tied with Aldi on the cheapest butter prices, at $1.89 per pound and on the second-cheapest eggs in the Triangle (at $2.10 per dozen). They win the Aldi vs. Lidl battle in my book for their in-house German bakery, if nothing else. So good! Their prices are also comparable to — or even slightly better than —Walmart on many items, including milk, tortillas, peanut butter, jelly and more. And get this: Lidl has the cheapest Duke’s mayo in town at $3.68 per 32 oz. jar ($2.97 per jar the day we visited if you didn’t forget to scan your Lidl app).

Lowes Foods: Have a beer, do the chicken dance

Store shopped: 9600 Strickland Road, Raleigh on June 28

Lowes Foods, which started with a single store in North Wilkesboro in 1954 and is now an 80-store chain headquartered in Winston-Salem, has 15 stores in the Triangle. They have a very local focus — local produce (“more than 200 farmers from the Carolinas,” says Lowes) and local brands — and are currently marketing themselves as “the Swiss Army Knife of grocery stores.”

They do have a lot to offer, such as their extensive craft beer selection. What they don’t have is low prices on most of the items we shopped for. If you compare them to stores like Harris Teeter, Food Lion, Publix and Wegmans, they typically have higher prices on most of the items we shopped. They were the most expensive on Duke’s mayo of all of those stores, topping Wegmans by $2 per jar. Lowes Foods was close in price on a few items at those four stores, and had lower prices than Publix on a handful of items.

If you aren’t super price-conscious, Lowe’s makes a great impression. They’re beautifully designed with several special “storefront”-style facings — Sammy’s, Daily Deli, Chicken Kitchen and more — that give the stores a cozy feel.

What’s great there: That craft beer selection we mentioned is a big draw. Plus, some locations have beer on tap, so you can drink while you shop. Many locations also have what they call a Chicken Kitchen, and when hot chicken comes out of the rotisserie oven, an “animated chicken chandelier” signals the start of a special “chicken celebration, including a unique version of the Chicken Dance.” We also hear great things about their bakery cakes.

Publix: Get some British food and a sub sandwich

Store shopped: 9640 Leesville Road, Raleigh on June 28, 2022

Publix first entered the Triangle market in 2014, with a store at the corner of Davis and High House Road in Cary. The Lakeland, Florida-based chain now has 10 stores in the Triangle, with three more (in east Raleigh, Rolesville and Durham) in the works.

Publix stores are naturally popular with Florida and Georgia transplants, but have gained in popularity with locals since arriving, claiming about 4% of the market share. Interestingly, Publix has the only full-size grocery store in (or at least near) downtown Raleigh, with the opening of its Peace Street location in September 2020.

As far as prices go, Publix is in the Harris Teeter/Food Lion/Lowes range, based on our shop. They came in a little lower on some items than those stores, and a little higher on others. Their prices on produce and name-brand items were usually very competitive with those stores, but often a little higher than Harris Teeter and Food Lion on their house brands (which can be a wildcard).

What’s great there: If you don’t like dealing with a store loyalty card to take advantage of advertised sales, Publix is for you. The sale price is the same for everyone. We spotted a “British Food” section in Publix, which we don’t think other stores in the Triangle can boast. Also, Publix fans love their bakery cakes, hot food selections (including delicious-smelling fried chicken) and deli subs. (I can confirm that the toasted turkey sub I ate in my car while listening to the Jan. 6 hearings on the radio was superb.)

Sprouts: It’s like an old-school Whole Foods

Store shopped: 9414 Falls of Neuse Road, Raleigh on June 27, 2022

Sprouts, which started in Arizona in 2002 by the son and grandson of a California fruit stand operator, may be one of the least-familiar stores to readers, since there are only two locations currently in the Triangle (North Raleigh and Durham) and four total in the state (Fayetteville and Greensboro). The Raleigh store opened in 2017, and the Durham location the following year.

The store puts an emphasis on natural foods — it’s like a mini, old-school Whole Foods — and now has more than 300 stores coast to coast in the U.S. The majority of the store seems to be taken up by a seriously impressive produce department and bulk food stands (everything from nuts to oats and much more). As far as pricing, the produce was cheaper than Whole Foods on nearly every item we checked.

What’s great there: Even though we only had two specifically vegan items on our list, we were impressed by the plant-based offerings at Sprouts. If you’re vegan, get thee to a Sprouts. And the produce. So much produce.

Target: Coming for you, Walmart

Store shopped: 4191 The Circle at North Hills, Raleigh on June 28, 2022

Not all Target stores have a grocery department (which we defined as having fresh meat, milk, eggs and produce in addition to bread and non-perishables), which is a shame because the prices here are great. (Note: The Target at Triangle Towne Center, at 7900 Old Wake Forest Road, has a large grocery department that includes a bakery and deli.)

Target was very close in price to Walmart on most items, and cheaper than Walmart on many things. That surprised us. The selection isn’t as large as Walmart (at least not at the North Hills store we shopped), but they had every item on our list that Walmart had (neither store had the Miyoko’s vegan cream cheese). We also didn’t find as many empty shelves at Target as we did at Walmart.

What’s great there: Target beat Walmart on several name-brand items, such as Heinz ketchup, Texas Pete, Campbell’s soup, Kraft Singles, Ghirardelli Brownie mix and Quaker Grits. They also beat out the big W on some house-brand items, like peanut butter, sour cream, pasta and rice.

Trader Joe’s: A seriously passionate fan base

Store shopped: 3000 Wake Forest Road, Raleigh on June 27, 2022

Some of us are old enough to remember a pre-Trader Joe’s life, when a couple times a year friends took orders and headed north to Virginia, returning with minivans stacked with Two-Buck Chuck, Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups and Corn & Chile Salsa.

The Charles Shaw wine costs about $4 a bottle now, but think of the money we save on gas to Virginia.

Trader Joe’s is one of the stores that was hard to compare, because it’s not a traditional grocery store in the same way Harris Teeter or Food Lion is. For the most part, all of the products are sold under a unique Trader Joe’s label. But even comparing just house brands, are their prices the lowest among competitors? No. Do Trader Joe’s devotees care? Also no. The passion that makes a person drive to another state for candy and wine doesn’t compute to caring if an avocado costs 49 cents more than it does across the street at Wegmans.

What’s great there: If you ask a Trader Joe’s fan this question they’ll reply with a long list of their favorite things that they can only get at Trader Joe’s. And maybe that’s the answer: Trader Joe’s is what’s great about Trader Joe’s.

Walmart: The market leader, but not the cheapest

Store shopped: 1725 New Hope Church Road (off Wake Forest Road) in Raleigh on June 27, 2022

Walmart still has the largest market share in the Triangle, but you may be surprised to learn that they don’t always have the lowest prices. Their prices are very much on par with Target grocery prices, according to the items we shopped for, but — hold on to your blue vests — not as low as the prices at Wegmans. Again, according to the items we shopped for during the last week of June.

Still, there are many, many more Walmarts out there than there are Wegmans (or Target Grocery stores), and it won’t make sense for anyone to drive to Wegmans from another county to save five or 10 dollars. So Walmart’s top-dog status is probably safe.

What’s great there: This wasn’t included in our official list, but I can report that Walmart has the best price on Fancy Feast cat food of any store I visited (including pet stores not included in this research). (For those interested, it costs .89 cents to $1 per can at most stores, $1.19 if you’re at Lowes. Walmart’s price was .76 cents per can.) If you have pets, this could be the thing that tips you into the Walmart camp.

Weaver Street Market: Community-owned and loved

Store shopped: 404 W. Hargett St., Raleigh on June 30, 2022

If I described Sprouts as a mini, old-school Whole Foods, Weaver Street Market may be like a mini Sprouts, but hipper and with an impressive stock of prepared foods.

Weaver Street started as a co-op in Carrboro in 1988 and expanded to Raleigh’s mixed-use high-rise The Dillon in 2019. The community-owned business has locations in Hillsborough and Chapel Hill.

The produce is pretty much all organic (along with all the canned and frozen foods), the milk and eggs are from local farmers and the meat is hormone- and antibiotic-free. They don’t have a Weaver Street house brand, but they have a couple of generic(ish) brands that seem to count the same: Field Day and Organic Valley.

What’s great there: All of that organic and locally sourced food comes at a price, so Weaver Street isn’t for bargain shoppers. But for those who shop there, the quality (and convenience) is what’s most important. And the Raleigh location in particular is a treasure to those who live and work downtown, who don’t want to get into their cars and drive somewhere to buy groceries or grab a hot meal or fresh salad after work.

Wegmans: The new low-cost leader?

Store shopped: 1200 Wake Towne Drive (off Wake Forest Road), Raleigh on June 27, 2022

Wegmans burst onto the Triangle grocery scene in 2019 with no shortage of fanfare. The Raleigh store was the Rochester, NY-based chain’s first in North Carolina, and transplants who likened it to “the Disney of grocery stores” were so ready for it. Eager patrons started lining up the night before the grand opening — with about 3,000 people in line by the time the doors opened, Wegmans said. By the end of the first day, 30,000 people had gone through the store, which the grocer said at the time was a company record for opening attendance.

Since then, Wegmans has opened stores in west Cary, Chapel Hill and Wake Forest, but plans for a store in east Cary were scrapped last year and the planned store in Holly Springs is on hold for now. It has a higher market share than Lowes Foods or Publix, even though those stores have more locations here and have been here longer.

But the best news for shoppers is that despite all the fancy perks — its cave-ripened cheese and dry-aged beef — Wegmans has some of the lowest prices in town. We picked a mini list of 20 items from our original list of 55 — products we considered to be basics, or staples — and compared just the “traditional” grocery stores (Harris Teeter, Food Lion, Lowes, Publix, Walmart and Target). The Wegmans total was lower than each of those stores by a decent margin.

What’s great there: If you stay away from the specialty products and stick to basics, it’s hard to beat Wegmans. For starters, Wegmans had the best price on eggs and sugar of any store we shopped during the last week of June. Their eggs were 1.69 for one dozen, but if you bought two 18-packs, the price was $4, bringing the cost to around $1.34 per dozen (alas, gone are the days of a cool 3-dozen eggs for $1.89). Even when comparing Wegmans to Aldi, they were less expensive on eggs, sugar, canned vegetables and jarred spaghetti sauce, and comparable on most other items. Plus, Wegmans had all 55 items on our list and Aldi only had 37. Wegmans did not, however, have an Aisle of Shame.

Whole Foods: From Wellspring to Amazon

Store shopped: 8710 Six Forks Road, Raleigh on June 28, 2022

Raleigh’s first Whole Foods (on Wade Avenue) was actually called Wellspring, before being bought out by the Austin, Texas-based chain in the 1990s. The company was then purchased by Amazon in 2017, and just as with Kroger’s purchase of Harris Teeter, we occasionally hear from people that “it’s not the same.” (There are six Whole Foods stores in the Triangle now.)

We’re not sure if Whole Foods deserves the “Whole Paycheck” nickname anymore, especially in a market like ours. As we noted earlier, it’s hard to do across-the-board comparisons with Whole Foods, because (like Sprouts, Weaver Street and Trader Joe’s) their products are so different from those at more traditional grocery stores.

But one thing we could compare is produce, and they were mostly in line with stores like Harris Teeter, Lowes and Sprouts — but more expensive than Aldi, Target and Walmart (and usually cheaper than Fresh Market).

What’s great there: Similar to Sprouts, Whole Foods has a large selection of plant-based and natural foods, and lots of produce. But a big draw will always be the amazing salad bar, hot bar and prepared foods.

This story was originally published July 14, 2022 at 6:00 AM.

Brooke Cain

The News & Observer

Brooke Cain is a North Carolina native who has worked at The News & Observer and McClatchy for more than 30 years as a researcher, reporter and media writer. She is the National Service Journalism Editor for McClatchy.