A recent pricing review from Consumer Reports indicates that shoppers may be able to score better bargains than anticipated—sometimes paying far less than they would at Walmart. The February analysis, conducted by the New York–based Strategic Resource Group, examined grocery baskets across six major metropolitan areas in the U.S. Walmart, the country’s largest and most ubiquitous grocery retailer, was used as the benchmark for price comparisons. Researchers evaluated leading supermarket chains, along with several warehouse clubs and specialty retailers, ranking them according to how their total basket prices compared to Walmart’s.

The shopping baskets featured a combination of packaged items, fresh produce, and meat. Basket sizes differed, however, depending on each store’s available inventory. Comparisons were most thorough among traditional grocers carrying a wide assortment of identical national brands. Retailers that focus more heavily on private labels or specialty goods had fewer directly comparable items with Walmart, resulting in smaller baskets for analysis.For example, in the Chicago-area segment of the study, stores such as Food4Less, Jewel-Osco, Mariano’s, Meijer, Target, and Walmart each had baskets containing 56 matching products. Trader Joe’s, on the other hand, had only 23 comparable items in its basket.The pricing gaps were notable. Among warehouse clubs, Costco Wholesale and BJ’s Wholesale Club delivered the deepest discounts, with prices averaging 21% below Walmart. Both chains are accessible to Alabama shoppers, with Costco planning a new location in Irondale and BJ’s continuing its expansion in Foley.

Discount chains Aldi and Lidl also came in cheaper than Walmart, pricing their baskets just over 8% lower on average. Aldi is growing its footprint in Alabama, including by converting former Winn-Dixie stores, while Lidl does not currently operate in the state.At the pricier end of the spectrum, Target’s basket averaged 5.9% higher than Walmart’s. Kroger followed at 14.8% more, Publix at 20.3%, Piggly Wiggly at 22.6%, and Trader Joe’s at 24.6%. Whole Foods Market ranked as the most expensive, with prices nearly 40% above Walmart’s.In total, the difference between the least and most expensive mainstream supermarkets reached 33%, and the spread widened even further when warehouse clubs were factored in. Notably absent from the rankings was Sam’s Club, which was excluded from the survey without explanation.Consumer Reports pointed out that stores offering a narrower product selection were more challenging to compare directly. Whole Foods also disputed aspects of the findings, stating that the study did not consider its product quality standards, recent price cuts, or membership benefits.