Raleigh has 16 major grocery stores. Here’s why you should explore them all
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Price Check: Your guide to the Triangle’s grocery stores and warehouse clubs
Read The News & Observer for tips and advice to make the best choices while shopping for groceries — and more — at traditional grocers and wholesale clubs in North Carolina.
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This summer, The News & Observer’s service journalism team visited all 16 major grocery stores in Raleigh to learn which one offers the best value to shoppers.
But value isn’t every shopper’s bottom line. Some prefer grocery stores that offer organic or natural selections, and others favor stores that offer products from local businesses and farmers, knowing their receipt total will be a bit higher.
So when we visited all 16 stores, we didn’t just record prices, but we thought more deeply about why the stores are well-loved — and why others might opt for a different one.
Here’s some more about where we shopped and what we learned at each grocery store we visited this June.
Why shop at ALDI?
Location shopped: 4031 Wake Forest Road in Raleigh
Store brand name: More than 90% of products in ALDI stores are store-exclusive brands. A few examples are Bake Shop, Barissimo, California Heritage, Deutsche Kuche, Earth Grown, Happy Farms, Goldhen, Friendly Farms and Never Any!
General info: There are more than 2,300 ALDI retailers in the U.S., and about 90 of them are in North Carolina. The German grocer’s newest location to come to the Triangle opened in Hillsborough in March, and the company recently purchased land in Clayton.
Here’s what’s great: Because so many of the items available at ALDI are exclusive to the grocer, prices are kept low on many basic products. The store also features an “aisle of shame,” where shoppers can find a variety of low-cost, non-food items.
Where they fall short: ALDI doesn’t carry many of the name-brand items on our list.
Why shop at Carlie C’s?
Location shopped: 4111 New Bern Ave. in Raleigh
Store brand name: IGA
General info: Carlie C’s IGA is a locally born and bred grocery store, opening in Johnston County in 1961. Today, there are 31 locations with 30 in North Carolina and one in South Carolina. Carlie C’s is part of the Independent Grocers Alliance (IGA), franchising family-owned supermarkets so they can compete with the national stores and sell community-specific items.
Here’s what’s great: Carlie C’s is uniquely NC, customizing their stores to meet the population. (The Raleigh location sold pickled pig’s feet in a one-gallon jar and had a dedicated Hispanic foods section.) Still, there’s a solid mix of store-brand and common name-brand items for every shopper.
Where they fall short: There are only three Triangle locations: Raleigh, Durham and Zebulon. The Garner store closed this spring.
Why shop at Dollar General?
Location shopped: 149 E Davie St. in Raleigh
Store brand name: Clover Valley and Good & Smart
General info: Dollar General is a heavy hitter in North Carolina, having more than 1,000 stores after opening dozens more last year. The discount store has a grocery section, sticking mostly to nonperishables with a few staples, like eggs, milk and butter. The store began selling fresh produce this year in about a quarter of its locations, which includes two in the Triangle (one’s in Raleigh, which we visited).
Here’s what’s great: The discount store’s grocery selection, albeit limited, lets customers grab a few staples while heading out for other cheap necessities, like cleaning supplies and toiletries.
Where they fall short: Most stores don’t sell fresh food, not counting a small selection of dairy products. The only fruit or vegetables you can find in those locations are canned or frozen. The store’s breakdown is mostly discounted household items with a small pantry section.
Why shop at Food Lion?
Location shopped: 4317 Fall of the Neuse Road in Raleigh
Store brand name: Food Lion and Cha Ching
General info: Food Lion began in Salisbury in 1957, originally called Food Town. There are now more than 1,100 locations in 10 states, and Food Lion is the third-largest private employer in North Carolina. The grocer has donated over 1.2 billion meals to individuals and families through Food Lion Feeds, its food bank partnership and donation program.
Here’s what’s great: Food Lion has great prices, sometimes popping up as the lowest priced individual item in our data. The local grocer carried every single item on our list.
Where they fall short: Food Lion doesn’t provide a particularly glamorous shopping experience like some of Raleigh’s other grocers. Instead, the plain Jane store’s prices and selections speak for themselves, putting their energy instead into letting shoppers pack their trunk with every item on their list at a solid price.
Why shop at The Fresh Market?
Location shopped: 6325 Falls of Neuse Road in Raleigh
Store brand name: The Fresh Market
General info: The Fresh Market was born in Greensboro, North Carolina, in 1982 and has since expanded to more than 160 locations in 22 states. In 2023, the retailer won USA Today’s 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards for best grocery store.
Here’s what’s great: The Fresh Market carries store-brand versions of many common items on our list. All meats are ordered from the case, so customers can purchase exactly how much they want. The store also offers deals for members of its loyalty program, including special prices and a free slice of birthday cake during your birthday month.
Where they fall short: This was one of the more expensive grocery stores, and it didn’t carry many of the name-brand items on our list.
Why shop at Harris Teeter?
Location shopped: 120 St Albans Drive #100 (North Hills) in Raleigh
Store brand name: Harris Teeter
General info: The locally loved store was co-founded in 1960 by North Carolina grocers W.T. Harris and Willis Teeter. There are more than 250 locations across the country, but its roots remain in NC with its distribution centers in Greensboro and Indian Trail and headquarters in Matthew.
Here’s what’s great: Harris Teeter stores have just about anything on your grocery list — the North Hills location was one of a few stores that had every single item on our sample list. Many name-brand items sold at Teeter also have store-brand versions, helping you cut costs on some of your favorites. Frequent sales and the store’s reward card can stretch your dollar even more.
Where they fall short: While you can get everything on your list, you might pay a bit more than other stores in the region that offer the same benefit at lower prices — but coupons and loyalty programs can definitely help.
Why shop at Lidl?
Location shopped: 4308 Wake Forest Road in Raleigh
Store brand name: Lidl
General info: Lidl began in Germany in 1973, and since then, it has expanded to hundreds of stores in dozens of countries. The store is known for its low prices and international food selection. There are six Lidl locations in the Raleigh area.
Here’s what’s great: The location we shopped stocked almost all store-brand and name-brand items on our list, and its prices were on the lower end of the markets we compared. Like ALDI, Lidl has an “aisle of shame.”
Where they fall short: While Lidl has a little bit of everything, it doesn’t carry as large a selection compared to stores such as Publix or Wegmans.
Why shop at Lowes Foods?
Location shopped: 9600 Strickland Road in Raleigh
Store brand name: Lowes Foods
General info: Lowes Foods was founded in 1954 in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, and currently serves communities in the Carolinas. The grocer has specialty in-store departments such as Chicken Kitchen, The Beer Den and SausageWorks.
Here’s what’s great: Lowes Foods ranks high on the amenities list. Herbs are so fresh, customers can harvest them themselves. The store also has a cafe and bar where shoppers can enjoy a coffee or beer on site.
Where they fall short: The store-brand and name-brand products on our list were more expensive than items at the other stores.
Why shop at Publix?
Location shopped: 417 W. Peace St.
Store brand name: Publix and GreenWise
General info: Founded in Florida in 1930, Publix has since grown to nearly 1,400 locations across eight states in the southeastern U.S. The company has been on Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For list for over 30 years.
Here’s what’s great: Publix has a large inventory of store-brand and name-brand items, and it sold all but one item on our list. The grocer also has a made-to-order sandwich bar.
Where they fall short: There are only two locations in Raleigh.
Why shop at Sprouts Farmers Market?
Location shopped: 9414 Falls of Neuse Road #120 in Raleigh
Store brand name: Sprouts
General info: Sprouts’ focuses on selling farm-fresh, organic items in one accessible store: “No more weaving through a maze of narrow aisles without anyone offering to help. No more ingredient lists featuring 40 unpronounceable chemicals,” they say.
Here’s what’s great: Sprouts proudly offers a farmers market experience, letting shoppers fill their eco-friendly totes with bulk oats, coffee, nuts and other goodies. Most of their products are organic, grass fed, cage free or otherwise natural. If you proudly use the adjective “granola” to describe yourself, Sprouts is the grocer for you.
Where they fall short: Their commitment to natural groceries and household staples does come with a higher price, which its customer base understands. There are only two Triangle locations (Raleigh and Durham), so less central Triangle residents might opt for other natural grocers.
Why shop at Target?
Location shopped: 4191 The Circle At North Hills St. in Raleigh
Store brand name: Good & Gather and Market Pantry
General info: Target is considered a big-box store, since its locations are often huge and offer a wide product variety, including furniture, electronics, clothing and even meals. Target has more than 45 of its own brands, including two all about food.
Here’s what’s great: You can tack on a grocery run while buying nearly anything else you might need across other aisles, ranging from throw pillows to lawnmowers to infant cribs. Targets (with grocery sections) should have everything on your food list too.
Where they fall short: Not every Target has a grocery section. And while the Target locations that do have one cram lots of items in the dedicated grocery space, it can feel squished to shop.
Why shop at Trader Joe’s?
Location shopped: 3000 Wake Forest Road in Raleigh
Store brand name: Trader Joe’s
General info: The California-based grocer has stores across the Triangle, including in Cary, Chapel Hill, Raleigh and Morrisville – and another store is coming to Creedmoor Road in Raleigh. Named the best employer in North Carolina in 2023, Trader Joe’s doesn’t offer coupons, loyalty programs or sales. However, the store has a good selection of cut flowers, allowing shoppers to create their own bouquets, as well as frozen and refrigerated pre-made foods. And people go crazy for its mini tote bags.
Here’s what’s great: Trader Joe’s carried all of the generic items on our list except for granulated sugar. (The store did sell organic cane sugar and powdered sugar.)
Where they fall short: If you’re looking for name brands, such as Cheerios or Oreos, you’re unlikely to find it at Trader Joe’s. Instead, you’ll see the grocer’s own versions — Joe’s O’s and Joe-Joe’s. And for many generic items, Trader Joe’s landed on the more expensive end of the price range.
Why shop at Walmart?
Location shopped: 1725 New Hope Church Road in Raleigh
Store brand name: Great Value
General info: Walmart leads the Fortune 500 list and is the largest employer in North Carolina. Walmart has more than 11,500 stores across 28 countries.
Here’s what’s great: Walmarts, especially supercenter locations, are gigantic and carry just about anything you may need — whether you can eat it or not. Many name-brand items sold at Walmart also have store-brand versions, helping you cut costs on some of your favorites.
Where they fall short: Walmart has some organic and natural offerings (including their produce section), but most sold items are run-of-the-mill. This might be a problem for the natural/organic shopper.
Why shop at Weaver Street Market?
- Location shopped: 404 W. Hargett St. in Raleigh
- Store brand name: Weaver Street Market
- General info: Weaver Street Market is a co-op, owned by its members and employees. The store, which emphasizes locally sourced, sustainable products, has four North Carolina locations — in Raleigh, Carrboro, Hillsborough and Chapel Hill.
- Here’s what’s great: Many of the items available at the downtown Raleigh grocer come from North Carolina farms, and the shelves’ labels show where food was grown or raised. Weaver Street Market also has a cafe selling coffee and other drinks, plus a bakery and a hot food bar.
- Where they fall short: Weaver Street Market didn’t carry any of the name-brand items on our list, except for Heinz ketchup. Its produce was also much more expensive compared to the other stores we shopped.
Why shop at Wegmans?
Location shopped: 1200 Wake Towne Drive in Raleigh
Store brand name: Wegmans
General info: Wegmans began in New York in the early 1900s and is still run by the Wegman family. It operates more than 110 stores along the East Coast, employing over 54,000 employees. The Wake Towne Drive store has a surface parking lot and a covered parking lot, and inside the store, there’s a model train choo-chooing around a track hanging from the ceiling.
Here’s what’s great: This grocer carried every name-brand and every generic item on our list, though a couple of the items were not available in the sizes we tried to compare. Plus, Wegmans has sections dedicated to Kosher, European, Asian and Latin foods and spices, along with made-to-order counters, such as The Burger Bar.
Where they fall short: There’s only one Wegmans in the city of Raleigh, which means the commute may be inconvenient for some residents.
Why shop at Whole Foods Market?
Location shopped: 8710 Six Forks Rd. in Raleigh
Store brand name: 365
General info: Amazon owns Whole Foods Market, a natural and organic grocer with more than 500 locations across the country. With local partnership pride, you can buy North Carolina items like coffee, popcorn, produce, detergents and Pimento cheese in the market.
Here’s what’s great: Whole Foods is the perfect store for the organic eater, as most of the store’s offerings are organic (but not all). The store advertises itself as being “the world’s leader in natural and organic foods.”
Where they fall short: This store can be pricey, with non-organic milk soaring over $6 per gallon and the cheapest carton of a dozen eggs carrying a $4 price tag — that’s more than double the price of other stores in the area. Store-brand items are often organic and thus more expensive than name-brand items, which is more an observation than a problem.
This story was originally published June 17, 2024 at 8:00 AM.
CORRECTION: This story has been updated to include a section on Weaver Street Market.
