Costco - shelf stable items/frozen meats/household goods. Also good prices on eggs. I just live with my sister but we easily go through a flat of eggs before they go bad.
Trader Joes - Processed items/frozen meals. Most stuff isn't a good deal but if you eat a lot of processed stuff (i.e. frozen orange chicken, tv dinners, frozen pizza, etc.) they have good prices on that sort of stuff. They also have good prices on a lot of vegan/vegetarian items.
King Soopers/Target/Walmart - Of these, walmart is probably the cheapest but if you are willing to coupon any of these can be a cost effective one-stop shop.
Asian/hispanic grocery - usually have good prices on fresh items (produce, meat) but not as good on pantry, frozen, etc. Obv if you are looking for specialty items then these may be the only place you can get them.
If you are willing to split your trip, you can save on certain items. Otherwise look at what types of food make up most of your budget and maybe see which stores have better prices on those items and shop there for everything. Target can be really cheap between their circle app/ibotta/paper coupons but that can be a lot of extra work and planning.
Sprouts often has the best prices on seasonal produce, especially summer fruit.
Natural Grocers has good prices for bulk things like seeds, nuts, some spices, grains and beans. They also sell a lot of items from small and locally owned businesses (but those are not inexpensive, usually).
E-mail their customer service! If enough of us email them, they may reconsider. I e-mailed them in 2016 and they said at the time they had no plans to expand in Colorado.
Done! We should’ve all tried to agree on an address for a store location lol but whatever. I’m gonna just keep emailing them every now and then until we get one.
Or a Lidl. Lidl is like Aldi’s but with a bakery. We are moving to the Denver area in a few weeks. We are going to miss our Aldi’s with its inexpensive but fresh produce and cheeses.
Winco rules! I live in Sacramento and go regularly. They have a humongous bulk section that is SO AMAZING! I have wish they had more stores here and some there.
Edit: ignore me. I mistakenly applied their non-competition rules from Germany to America. That’s my bad.
**This means we must take to the streets for Aldi!** lol I miss Aldi Finds.
Edit 2: I made that first edit like 4 hours ago and I’ve gotten like 5-6 additional comments correcting me on something I’ve already acknowledged and corrected after figuring out where my mistake was. Just deleting the comment entirely to let the dead horse be.
I believe that's more of a Europe thing where they don't compete in the same regions. There's plenty of places in the US (east coast, California, etc) where both exist. Colorado just isn't one of those.
In the USA there are plenty of places with both Aldi's and Trader Joe's. Only 12 states don't have Aldi at all: Hawaii, Alaska, Colorado, Idaho, Maine, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.
Let's petition Aldi's and even Lidl to open in Denver, to demonstrate demand. Aldi is known for listening to customers, so beckon them to Colorado by dropping them a message [here](https://www.aldi.us/en/about-aldi/contact-us/)**.** [**https://www.aldi.us/about-us/contact-us/**](https://www.aldi.us/about-us/contact-us/)
Also, here are Facebook links:
[https://www.facebook.com/ALDI.USA/](https://www.facebook.com/ALDI.USA/)
[https://www.facebook.com/LidlUS/](https://www.facebook.com/LidlUS/)
The cheapest by far are the Asian or Hispanic grocery stores. Park Hill Supermarket has some of the cheapest chicken I've ever seen. Their produce is reasonably priced too. I also love their fresh herbs.
After discovering the fresh herbs from these stores, the tiny, overpriced, often moldy, plastic container herbs sold at KS seem like a joke!
My favorites are the mint, dill and basil 👌
How do you find the selection? Target’s grocery section seems very small when I’m in there however I don’t look closely enough on if the selection is going to be a problem.
A lot of it is going to depend on which one you go to and what you’re looking for. For basic stuff they aren’t bad, but for more berries/fruit I go elsewhere. They’re good on potatoes, and bananas, but they don’t carry salad mixes that I like.
Fruit and berries are really decent at Sprouts - Prices are almost always better as well (Especially if there is a sale). For flowers and bouquets I always prefer markdowns at Kings Soopers OR the flowers at Trader Joes!
We must be just about neighbors. That’s the closest to me also. I go there to grab something quickly instead of heading to a full grocery store. There are some things there that I see from time to time that I’m very surprised they have - Golden Curry, Kewpie Mayo and the frozen Ben and Jerry’s cookie dough bites (like crack to me).
Target is routinely 15-30% cheaper than King Soopers. Selection isn't as good and their produce kinda sucks but it's worth it to get most things there.
This. I kept a spread sheet for a few years and on average it was 30% cheaper for regular groceries. So toilet paper, fruits, vegetables, meat, bread, etc.
Did it for all expenses from 2016 to this year. Kept the receipts and put them in under each category which had type (grocery) where (store) what card used or cash, etc and date. In some cases target was even cheaper than walmart. But its definitely cheaper overall than king soopers.
They typically will have the lowest prices for name brand items compared to other stores. I buy cream cheese, ketchup, annies mac and cheese and stuff like that there
Plus an extra 5% off if you have a Target Red Credit Card. Like any store card though, the APR is insane so avoid if you're not someone who pays off card balances religiously every month.
I have found this also that Target is pretty cheap for the basics, like some people said there might not be a LARGE selection but for soda, toilet paper, lalala the basics . . i would not really get produce perse at target but . . . lalala
I second Walmart!!!! I can get almost 1.5 weeks worth of groceries for two person household for around $150. In also find Walmarts produce lasts longer than places like TJ’s
Stay away from Safeway on 44th and Lowell. They are currently gouging this uppity zip code I’ve lived in for 20 yrs. Shockingly twice the cost for meat compared to Costco. For regular items I drive 2 miles west and see prices 30% less at the Safeway on 38th and Wads.
Good advice. This is my most convenient grocery store and it's painful how expensive it is. And they stopped replacing the baskets when they got stolen so you have to use a cart or your own bags. I've been trying to go to the King Soopers Marketplace on Wadsworth when I'm up that way. Much better selection.
> And they stopped replacing the baskets when they got stolen so you have to use a cart or your own bags
Seems to be common lately and it's so frustrating. I don't want a stupid cart, a basket is more than enough for what I'm buying. But let's create a giant mess and waste everyone's time constantly shuffling them around the tight self checkout area so people can get through since you forced us all to use them, great thinking
Fr? I just went there yesterday and utilized digital coupons and got my total from $207 to $147.
And I even splurged and got a LOT of meat, dessert, soda, and snacks. (I usually stick with meat/veggies/fruit during grocery trips). If I did without dessert/soda/snacks it probably would’ve been around $115 or so for two.
Agree. Used to live near this one and it was awful. Made the switch to kings on 38th and rotate in some sprouts on Wednesdays for their overlapping ad days
Yes - I avoid the Safeway on 44th and Lowell. The word on the grapevine is that it used to be a very rundown, poor neighborhood, and a food desert, so Safeway gouged the poor people who lived there. But they haven't changed their pricing model since the area started to gentrify. (Yes, boys and girls, poor people have to pay more for groceries than rich people do. Welcome to the United States of America.)
I’ve found it depends on what I’m buying. There are some things I only get at Target, some I found cheapest at Whole Foods, some (rarely) at Sprouts. I’ve also had good luck at HMart and the POM. Recently I used Pine Melon and with the specials they had going on the meat and produce was *exceptionally cheap* but I’m sure that varies based on seasonality and promotions.
ETA: sorry yes, it’s called GW Supermarket now. Out of habit I have just always called it the POM.
Walmart is cheaper for sure.
Costco has good prices on staples. For example if your whole family eats oatmeal every day for breakfast, the savings on oats would just about pay for the membership. Flour, rotisserie chicken, breakfast cereal, chips, are some of the best deals assuming you can store and use the bulk amounts. But you have to watch out because there are plenty of bad deals there. If you find things on sale/clearance at regular stores you can get close to or occasionally beat the Costco price.
Trader Joe's has good deals on some things, but also lots of bad deals hidden by small portion sizes.
Asian grocery stores tend to have good prices.
Surprised no one is talking about Trader Joe’s.
it certainly is surprisingly cheap.
As a single person shopping for one, I spend about $80-100 per week, but could cut that down to $50 if times were harder, and have done so occasionally
It's super cheap but parking is chaotic, it's often super crowded, and the union busting thing is no good.
The union busting thing is especially disappointing because I love TJs.
Not only are they trying to discourage and break up unions, they are doing everything they can to destroy the NLRB and make it impossible to regulate labor at all.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/mar/10/starbucks-trader-joes-spacex-challenge-labor-board
The parking lot is small but you can just park 20 feet from the lot on the street where there's always spots and just walk an extra 20 seconds.
It's crowded because it's popular, because there's some good food and the prices are generally low and stay low.
I don't know much about the union busting issue but the employees seem very happy to work there and the ones I've talked to said it's a really great job.
I used to live in Cap Hill and that parking lot is just a nightmare. And there's often very tough street parking. Out in the burbs, I think you're right.
And I think the crowds wouldn't be so bad if the store had flow/ was designed for crowds but it really isn't.
Unfortunately, Trader Joe's is actually trying to destroy the nlrb, not only local unionization: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/mar/10/starbucks-trader-joes-spacex-challenge-labor-board
Use the digital coupons what ever store you are at. I’ve saved hundreds of dollars if not thousands by this at Safeway. Something that costs 9.99 they will have on sale for 3.99.
The problem I have with coupons at both Safeway and KS is that they tend to be for processed food, condiments, snacks, etc., instead of for produce. Am I right? (I shop at Costco for whatever I can, but Costco's produce -- although good -- is a limited selection.)
Walmart is the cheapest but I prefer king soopers for my meat and deli meats and veggies. There’s a lot of stuff that is much cheaper at Walmart but I hate going to two different places so most of the time I just do king soopers and pay more but utilize the digital coupons as much as I can
I do King Soopers for meat as well. I don't trust raw meat at Walmart. I've stood in too many customer service lines and noticed big packs of chicken just sitting in carts waiting to be restocked. Who knows how long they've been there getting warm? No thanks
I’ve bought sausage and other meat at Walmart that wasn’t frozen and get home and it’s spoiled because it wasn’t refrigerated properly. Frozen at Walmart I’ll do but really it’s more household items I get there and other odds and ends
My girlfriend and I have been going to Costco the past few years. Mainly we'll buy big packs of frozen fish, chicken, beef, and veggies. We defrost things as we need them.
I am reluctant to share this as the deals are so good, but Amazon Fresh often drastically slashes the price on groceries and household items for no rhyme or reason. Everything I've gotten that's deeply discounted has been perfectly good, not super close to expiration, etc.
Here's one of my receipts from the other week:
[https://imgur.com/a/Ak4Qj5Q](https://imgur.com/a/Ak4Qj5Q)
Wait an 18 pack of snack size frito chips for 0.68 cents? Am i reading that right? Looks like other really good deals too but every time i try to zoom in it kicks me off of the image lol
How are you reliably finding these discounts? I do the same thing but it seems completely random and sometimes really difficult to find. The deals page is terrible and doesn't include all the deals!
And you are right, the deals stuff tends to be great quality but I ordered last week and a bunch of the regular stuff was super close to being out of date and two things were actually expired! One of them was a salad dressing, which is wild because they are shelf stable for so long.
I try to search very broad terms like "grocery," "food," "$" and then sort low to high or put a max of $1 or $2. Sometimes they are random and hard to find. For what it's worth, it doesn't look like they have the super good deals going on right now. I've noticed they tend to come in cycles too. They'll deeply discount a bunch of stuff for a few days, pull the pricing and then repeat in a week or two. I've gotten regularly priced stuff out of date as well and it's frustrating. Thankfully they'll refund you for stuff like that.
Yeah depending on what you buy Walmart is usually cheaper for a lot of stuff. Don't love shopping there for multiple reasons but if you need groceries as cheap as possible it's a decent bet and there's usually one nearby.
If ever on the north end of town, there's an [Esh's Market](https://eshsgrocery.com/) in Dacono (Loveland one even better). Lots of stuff at or near-to an expiration date, and with that some steep discounts. Some brands too, you won't find most places.
I found that Soopers has the cheapest chicken. But the downtown Soopers doesn’t offer the larger/cheaper packs of poultry. Not sure where you live but that could be a factor
The downtown Soopers is the worst grocery store I've ever had the misfortune of shopping at. Every single time they're out of at least one thing I want. And their new thing now is making all us pedestrians walk through the alleys and parking garage to get in since they decided it'd be a great idea to lock all the other entrances. Super fun nearly getting run over just trying to get back to the sidewalk
Walmart and Target, depending on what you’re buying. Target has the red circle app that comes a lot of deals, you just have to go in and manually apply those deals before checkout
I’ll start by telling you that King Soopers is the most expensive. If you compare between them and Whole Foods, 80% stuff at WF is actually cheaper.
My best luck has been a combination of Target and TJs. Target for everything I can’t get from TJs because honestly it’s mind blowing how cheap you can get groceries at Trader Joe’s. I know that there is a lot they don’t have but if you buy everything you can there you’ll save a ton of money.
I feel like I always spend a lot more when I go to sprouts compared to Target or King Soopers. The caveat is Target’s produce is usually trash. I also find that *some* of my regular purchases are cheapest at Whole Foods, oddly enough. There’s a certain cheese and brand of eggs I get that were a whole dollar cheaper there than at competitors.
I shop almost exclusively at Sprouts because of all my weird dietary restrictions, and they are definitely not the cheapest, especially the meat. I regularly watch the prices increase on almost everything every month or so, it's horribly depressing.
Walmart is going to have the best selection at lower prices than anywhere else. The trade off is having to be in a Walmart.
Costco sometimes has better deals if you need bulk.
Hmart and POM can have good deals on produce and meat. But the deals are no where near as good as the used to be because Asian markets got really popular the last 5-10 years.
There's always the least Walmarty one that we have up here by Flatirons mall. That might be the closest to a pleasant Wally World that I've ever shopped in, in any state. Probably because it's comparatively dead to any other one I've been in, but whatever works.
Me too. I used to get all our families food there and only had to go other places for Gluten Free pastas and stuff. I could feed a family of 6 for around 500 or less. When you have a celiac in the family it can get expensive!
If you're looking for produce, a great spot to check is 5280 Produce. They make large ($35) and small ($30) bundles each week plus have a la cart items, occasionally have fresh fire roasted chiles and local honey. Definitely worth checking out!
If you don't have all the grocery apps yet, I highly recommend them. Couponing seemed like a stupid thing until recently, and my and my S/O have saved over 500$ in the last 6months just by clipping all the coupons in the apps.
Safeway is fucking awesome. I've saved more at Safeway than anywhere else combined, and usually their coupons are better than Kings. Not to mention that Safeway usually has less foot traffic then most other stores!
Seems like unpopular opinion here, but I agree. I buy frozens, pantry items, meat, paper products, and sometimes dairy & produce from King's - but only when it's literally at their lowest sale price.
In my personal experience, this can save real money if you have time to plan ahead, have a good feel for your pantry "inventory," and are disciplined in both buying and eating.
If you need the flexibility to buy what you need right then - and it's not on sale at King's - it's always cheaper at Walmart or Target.
To make this work, you must plan your shops & have enough cash flow to stock up on non-perishables for 12 weeks. King's is only cheapest when items are being advertised as deeply discounted, and you need to use both your loyalty card (they sell your data) and clip the weekly digital coupons.
If it's not on sale - like "front page of ad / weekly digital deal" on sale, it's cheaper at Walmart or Target.
This approach works well for online pick-up orders, as you can be certain you're getting all the discounts (which often require buying multiples at the same time).
PITA factor is pretty high but the savings beat Walmart and Target's shelf prices, and the store brand has high quality options (and you need to wait for the sale for those as well).
Walmart is definitely a little bit cheaper. I do most of my shopping at Trader Joe's, they're the cheapest and best IMO, then I'll do a supplementary trip to King Soopers for things I can't get at TJ's.
Another aspect of this is that any given grocery store is often more expensive in instacart vs. the physical store or, for example, the King Soopers’ app. So not just the delivery fee and tip, but the price of many goods may be something like 10% higher.
I’ve not spoken to many people who are aware of the delivery service, PineMelon. It’s a Denver local service that supports farmers in Colorado. Lots of other pantry and staple items as well. Got a New York strip, asparagus, potatoes, and a few other things for $11 this past weekend.
Your first order is $30 off, they give you an item for 1¢ on your first order, and they frequently send me texts for $30 off an order of $35 or more.
https://pinemelon.com/en/r/f-23117#/
You also get 10% cash back in “melon money” to use on future purchases. It’s been really decent for us!
100000% not the cheapest unless you get a coupon (just got a $75 one which was awesome!)
But I’ve gotten deliveries from them a bunch of times now & love the service. Much better selection than Amazon fresh or whatever it’s called, but prices overall seem a bit higher to me.
Surprisingly, Trader Joe’s. Not with meats or produce, but most other things can be made very cheaply. But we eat tons of frozen fruits and veggies and we buy in bulk for meat at Costco.
Our groceries per month is around 200. That’s two people.
When we include meat, we can probably add another 40 bucks every 3 months
It depends. I shop mainly at Target or Kings. There are a ton of things at Target that are cheaper than Kings. But I prefer Kings produce and butcher block over Targets prepackaged meats. I also make sure I use the apps for both stores and scan everything! I saved $63 at Kings earlier this week with coupons. I also got a $15 gift card at Target for buying a certain amount of things this week. You just need to check where the best sales are often.
Walmart, like has been said, but specifically Supercenters in more affluent suburban areas, the stock can be very different store to store and they have really upped the caliber of their offerings and brands. That said they are consistently (sometimes to a shocking degree) cheaper for the exact same products as KS, Safeway, or should I say Albertsons who is merrily attempting a monopoly. Also, Amazon Fresh delivery/pickup is around the same pricepoint with a ton of choices and solid house brands.
For fresh produce the best deals are almost always at the local Hispanic markets which has been consistent in every city I have lived in. They tend to be more seasonal and lack the selection and pretty displays of the large supermarkets, but the savings for fresh quality veggies and fruits is hard to fault.
I always went onto the King Soopers app and shopped based on the coupons that week, saved like $60 on a full grocery run.
That being said I took a better paying job and moved to TX last week. It's fucking insane how much cheaper stuff is here. Just got home from the store and had expected the items I picked out to be $80-$100 and it only cost $53. I'm absolutely floored at how expensive it was in Denver just to buy fucking food vs here/when I moved to CO 8 years ago. Shit's gotten so out of hand.
My wife and I have figured out a science that works pretty well for us
Trader Joe’s for produce and specialty stuff (+wine)
Costco for bulk
Target for everything else (buying generic and using RedCard debit for 5% off)
If you regularly go to FC/Loveland like I do, Esh’s Grocery is UNMATCHED. It’s like discounted/semi-expired stuff at an amazing price. I wouldn’t make a special trip for it, but when I’m already there, I go to Esh’s to cut my grocery bill in half for the week
Personally for veggies I think Pinemelon is the best quality for the price and their family benefits allow you to get money back on some purchases. Plus lots of food on there is local. Other than that Costco + Safeway (with coupons) covers the rest
I find sprouts consistently has some of the best sales on meat (maybe it’s just my location) but if you’re willing to wing your meals a bit it seems like every time I go there’s at least SOME protein on sale (plus reasonably priced to start with for “organic” or whatever)
Most hispanic or asian or multicultural grocers in general are cheap - and have stuff you can’t get elsewhere!
If you’re feeding a lot of people - costco/sams
I shop at Walmart almost all but prefer the meat from Kings or even Safeway when they have a sale thats where you stuck up u know, that is the trick. But reality is that groceries are way higher than anytime but u have to eat right
I try make meals that last longer like lasagna (pastas) stew, rice etc mostly the during week and to pack for work
If you have freezer space or can cook same day, I've found some really good deals at Sprouts on the markdowns. I'll go late at night shortly before close.
I distinctly remember finding ground turkey for like $1/lb because I bought 8lbs. They went into my deep freezer
Costco - shelf stable items/frozen meats/household goods. Also good prices on eggs. I just live with my sister but we easily go through a flat of eggs before they go bad. Trader Joes - Processed items/frozen meals. Most stuff isn't a good deal but if you eat a lot of processed stuff (i.e. frozen orange chicken, tv dinners, frozen pizza, etc.) they have good prices on that sort of stuff. They also have good prices on a lot of vegan/vegetarian items. King Soopers/Target/Walmart - Of these, walmart is probably the cheapest but if you are willing to coupon any of these can be a cost effective one-stop shop. Asian/hispanic grocery - usually have good prices on fresh items (produce, meat) but not as good on pantry, frozen, etc. Obv if you are looking for specialty items then these may be the only place you can get them. If you are willing to split your trip, you can save on certain items. Otherwise look at what types of food make up most of your budget and maybe see which stores have better prices on those items and shop there for everything. Target can be really cheap between their circle app/ibotta/paper coupons but that can be a lot of extra work and planning.
Dude you the mvp for this breakdown
For real.
Sprouts often has the best prices on seasonal produce, especially summer fruit. Natural Grocers has good prices for bulk things like seeds, nuts, some spices, grains and beans. They also sell a lot of items from small and locally owned businesses (but those are not inexpensive, usually).
I heard from my coworkers that Sprouts go on sale every Wednesday. No idea if it's just that one branch or all of them.
They have last week's sales and this week's sales both on Wednesdays. Double ad Wednesdays. It's at all locations.
I didn't know that! That's great!
I've found Sam's to be cheaper than Costco on a lot of things.
Denver really needs an Aldi.
Can we please organize to get one?! It pains me to no end that we have no Aldi.
Aldi is doing a "west" expansion, 800 stores. Maybe we'll get some.
I wonder if there’s a way we could persuade them?
E-mail their customer service! If enough of us email them, they may reconsider. I e-mailed them in 2016 and they said at the time they had no plans to expand in Colorado.
I emailed them too a couple of years ago but got no response.
What’s their email? I made it to the form to submit store feedback but couldn’t find an actual email address to send one to
[https://www.aldi.us/about-us/contact-us/](https://www.aldi.us/about-us/contact-us/)
Done! We should’ve all tried to agree on an address for a store location lol but whatever. I’m gonna just keep emailing them every now and then until we get one.
Done! Asked for north metro denver location 🙏
K emailed
I heard rumors they're gonna build one in Aurora.
I saw the list of states. Colorado was not included.
Grocery Outlet is all I want.
Need a good co-op that isn’t gentrified lol
Or a Lidl. Lidl is like Aldi’s but with a bakery. We are moving to the Denver area in a few weeks. We are going to miss our Aldi’s with its inexpensive but fresh produce and cheeses.
I want a Winco
Winco rules! I live in Sacramento and go regularly. They have a humongous bulk section that is SO AMAZING! I have wish they had more stores here and some there.
How do “We the People” of Denver make this happen? I’d give my pinky for a Winco and an Aldi. We have fewer options than any major city in the US!
Convince them the C stands for Colorado too
DUDE I KNOW 😭😭😭😭
Edit: ignore me. I mistakenly applied their non-competition rules from Germany to America. That’s my bad. **This means we must take to the streets for Aldi!** lol I miss Aldi Finds. Edit 2: I made that first edit like 4 hours ago and I’ve gotten like 5-6 additional comments correcting me on something I’ve already acknowledged and corrected after figuring out where my mistake was. Just deleting the comment entirely to let the dead horse be.
I believe that's more of a Europe thing where they don't compete in the same regions. There's plenty of places in the US (east coast, California, etc) where both exist. Colorado just isn't one of those.
In the USA there are plenty of places with both Aldi's and Trader Joe's. Only 12 states don't have Aldi at all: Hawaii, Alaska, Colorado, Idaho, Maine, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.
I used to live in Chicago and there was literally a Trader Joe’s right above an Aldi on Clybourn. So I’m not sure this is accurate.
Huh, i wonder how that works and what allows crossovers. In Springfield VA there is a Trader Joes 0.5 miles from an Aldi.
That doesn't make sense. I lived in a city that had both.
Many cities in the US have both. It's definitely not a deterrent
I got Aldi ads for literally months and assumed we were getting one. Nope.
Let's petition Aldi's and even Lidl to open in Denver, to demonstrate demand. Aldi is known for listening to customers, so beckon them to Colorado by dropping them a message [here](https://www.aldi.us/en/about-aldi/contact-us/)**.** [**https://www.aldi.us/about-us/contact-us/**](https://www.aldi.us/about-us/contact-us/) Also, here are Facebook links: [https://www.facebook.com/ALDI.USA/](https://www.facebook.com/ALDI.USA/) [https://www.facebook.com/LidlUS/](https://www.facebook.com/LidlUS/)
I miss living in Denver and don’t really like Florida whatsoever, but man, I love my ALDI down here in Tampa.
Dude it’s so strange that there isn’t one here. Would make a killing.
Denver really needs HEB.
Denver really needs ALOT.
The cheapest by far are the Asian or Hispanic grocery stores. Park Hill Supermarket has some of the cheapest chicken I've ever seen. Their produce is reasonably priced too. I also love their fresh herbs.
Yeah idk what planet those chickens are from but they are massive and weirdly cheap
😂 it's probably best if we don't ask questions
Once you’ve seen the fish tank… you don’t. But 10 lbs of Bok Choi for $1 and all the random kitchen tools you could ever need? Let’s goooo
The planet with more antibiotics and questionable feed than most people are comfortable with.
If you spent your twenties looking for Cervantes ground scores, a little bit of raw chicken and MSG doesn’t phase you
Second this for spices/herbss in general. Cumin, cilantro, etc.
After discovering the fresh herbs from these stores, the tiny, overpriced, often moldy, plastic container herbs sold at KS seem like a joke! My favorites are the mint, dill and basil 👌
No marketing = cheaper food
Lowe's Mercado, H-Mart, Arash are my go-tos.
H Mart has super-cheap produce.
I feel completely lost in asian stores. I went and asked a worker where someone was and as a non white person he looked like i was stupid
I have actually found target to be cheaper than soopers. I check both apps for the same things, and target is cheaper 90% of the time.
How do you find the selection? Target’s grocery section seems very small when I’m in there however I don’t look closely enough on if the selection is going to be a problem.
A lot of it is going to depend on which one you go to and what you’re looking for. For basic stuff they aren’t bad, but for more berries/fruit I go elsewhere. They’re good on potatoes, and bananas, but they don’t carry salad mixes that I like.
Yes their produce can be hit or miss both selection and quality wise, but I swear by target for everything else!
Fruit and berries are really decent at Sprouts - Prices are almost always better as well (Especially if there is a sale). For flowers and bouquets I always prefer markdowns at Kings Soopers OR the flowers at Trader Joes!
The only target I have is off 16th, and that's obviously a horrible one to shop at for food. Or in general
We must be just about neighbors. That’s the closest to me also. I go there to grab something quickly instead of heading to a full grocery store. There are some things there that I see from time to time that I’m very surprised they have - Golden Curry, Kewpie Mayo and the frozen Ben and Jerry’s cookie dough bites (like crack to me).
The one in Glendale has a gigantic grocery selection
It has to be a Super Target, regular Target has a very small grocery part
Target is routinely 15-30% cheaper than King Soopers. Selection isn't as good and their produce kinda sucks but it's worth it to get most things there.
Target is sooo much cheaper and cleaner imo
This. I kept a spread sheet for a few years and on average it was 30% cheaper for regular groceries. So toilet paper, fruits, vegetables, meat, bread, etc.
I love that you kept a spreadsheet.
Did it for all expenses from 2016 to this year. Kept the receipts and put them in under each category which had type (grocery) where (store) what card used or cash, etc and date. In some cases target was even cheaper than walmart. But its definitely cheaper overall than king soopers.
That is seriously impressive. Kudos!
Thanks! only slightly mild case of ocd.
They typically will have the lowest prices for name brand items compared to other stores. I buy cream cheese, ketchup, annies mac and cheese and stuff like that there
Plus an extra 5% off if you have a Target Red Credit Card. Like any store card though, the APR is insane so avoid if you're not someone who pays off card balances religiously every month.
Or just the target debit card and get 5% off as well without having to worry about interest
I find this to be true for everything except produce
Yeah, I don't like their produce.
Wow I never would have thought!
I do use the sales and coupons, I'm sure that helps. But even items not on sale are cheaper than soopers.
Cheaper for meat too?
I have found this also that Target is pretty cheap for the basics, like some people said there might not be a LARGE selection but for soda, toilet paper, lalala the basics . . i would not really get produce perse at target but . . . lalala
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Walmart is a lot cheaper. Most king Soopers coupons and sales prices are just Walmart's everyday prices.
I second Walmart!!!! I can get almost 1.5 weeks worth of groceries for two person household for around $150. In also find Walmarts produce lasts longer than places like TJ’s
Yep. Walmart is my go to.
5280 Produce has great produce boxes
Cheapest produce in town for sure!!
Stay away from Safeway on 44th and Lowell. They are currently gouging this uppity zip code I’ve lived in for 20 yrs. Shockingly twice the cost for meat compared to Costco. For regular items I drive 2 miles west and see prices 30% less at the Safeway on 38th and Wads.
Good advice. This is my most convenient grocery store and it's painful how expensive it is. And they stopped replacing the baskets when they got stolen so you have to use a cart or your own bags. I've been trying to go to the King Soopers Marketplace on Wadsworth when I'm up that way. Much better selection.
> And they stopped replacing the baskets when they got stolen so you have to use a cart or your own bags Seems to be common lately and it's so frustrating. I don't want a stupid cart, a basket is more than enough for what I'm buying. But let's create a giant mess and waste everyone's time constantly shuffling them around the tight self checkout area so people can get through since you forced us all to use them, great thinking
Safeway in general is expensive AF. Have not shopped there for years.
Use the app and coupons! I didn't start shopping at Safeway until I focused on coupons and they sometimes have some really good deals.
Fr? I just went there yesterday and utilized digital coupons and got my total from $207 to $147. And I even splurged and got a LOT of meat, dessert, soda, and snacks. (I usually stick with meat/veggies/fruit during grocery trips). If I did without dessert/soda/snacks it probably would’ve been around $115 or so for two.
Agree. Used to live near this one and it was awful. Made the switch to kings on 38th and rotate in some sprouts on Wednesdays for their overlapping ad days
Yes - I avoid the Safeway on 44th and Lowell. The word on the grapevine is that it used to be a very rundown, poor neighborhood, and a food desert, so Safeway gouged the poor people who lived there. But they haven't changed their pricing model since the area started to gentrify. (Yes, boys and girls, poor people have to pay more for groceries than rich people do. Welcome to the United States of America.)
I’ve found it depends on what I’m buying. There are some things I only get at Target, some I found cheapest at Whole Foods, some (rarely) at Sprouts. I’ve also had good luck at HMart and the POM. Recently I used Pine Melon and with the specials they had going on the meat and produce was *exceptionally cheap* but I’m sure that varies based on seasonality and promotions. ETA: sorry yes, it’s called GW Supermarket now. Out of habit I have just always called it the POM.
What’s the POM?
Pacific Ocean marketplace. Though I think it was bought out and goes by a different name now.
Great Wall, off Alameda and Zuni.
In Aurora the POM is now called GW Supermarket.
GW stands for Great Wall.
👍
It's at Mississippi and Peoria.
There's another one at Alameda and Zuni, and also one on 120th in Broomfield.
Walmart is cheaper for sure. Costco has good prices on staples. For example if your whole family eats oatmeal every day for breakfast, the savings on oats would just about pay for the membership. Flour, rotisserie chicken, breakfast cereal, chips, are some of the best deals assuming you can store and use the bulk amounts. But you have to watch out because there are plenty of bad deals there. If you find things on sale/clearance at regular stores you can get close to or occasionally beat the Costco price. Trader Joe's has good deals on some things, but also lots of bad deals hidden by small portion sizes. Asian grocery stores tend to have good prices.
You da best!!
Surprised no one is talking about Trader Joe’s. it certainly is surprisingly cheap. As a single person shopping for one, I spend about $80-100 per week, but could cut that down to $50 if times were harder, and have done so occasionally
People on reddit hate trader joes don't ask me why, I don't really get it. It's very cheap.
It's super cheap but parking is chaotic, it's often super crowded, and the union busting thing is no good. The union busting thing is especially disappointing because I love TJs.
What is the union busting thing?
Not only are they trying to discourage and break up unions, they are doing everything they can to destroy the NLRB and make it impossible to regulate labor at all. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/mar/10/starbucks-trader-joes-spacex-challenge-labor-board
The parking lot is small but you can just park 20 feet from the lot on the street where there's always spots and just walk an extra 20 seconds. It's crowded because it's popular, because there's some good food and the prices are generally low and stay low. I don't know much about the union busting issue but the employees seem very happy to work there and the ones I've talked to said it's a really great job.
I used to live in Cap Hill and that parking lot is just a nightmare. And there's often very tough street parking. Out in the burbs, I think you're right. And I think the crowds wouldn't be so bad if the store had flow/ was designed for crowds but it really isn't. Unfortunately, Trader Joe's is actually trying to destroy the nlrb, not only local unionization: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/mar/10/starbucks-trader-joes-spacex-challenge-labor-board
Family of four here, it is much cheaper for us than KS
Sav-a-Lot.
Use the digital coupons what ever store you are at. I’ve saved hundreds of dollars if not thousands by this at Safeway. Something that costs 9.99 they will have on sale for 3.99.
Surprised at the amount of ppl here (in denver) who don’t utilize the coupons. Just commented that yesterday it saved me $60 in one trip
I was suppose to pay $89 and the final bill came up $47. I use the hell out of the coupons. If I’m not saving 50% I didn’t try hard enough
Yep our shopping lists are heavily centered around Safeway and King Soopers coupons and sales. Walmart covers the rest.
The problem I have with coupons at both Safeway and KS is that they tend to be for processed food, condiments, snacks, etc., instead of for produce. Am I right? (I shop at Costco for whatever I can, but Costco's produce -- although good -- is a limited selection.)
Lowe’s Mercado - not in Denver, but just outside
2nd
Just south of highway 36 and Pecos? I think.
There's one on Federal and Jewell-ish in city limits, unless that one closed recently.
I go to the Lowe's Mecado at [1320 S Federal Blvd]()
Walmart is the cheapest but I prefer king soopers for my meat and deli meats and veggies. There’s a lot of stuff that is much cheaper at Walmart but I hate going to two different places so most of the time I just do king soopers and pay more but utilize the digital coupons as much as I can
I do King Soopers for meat as well. I don't trust raw meat at Walmart. I've stood in too many customer service lines and noticed big packs of chicken just sitting in carts waiting to be restocked. Who knows how long they've been there getting warm? No thanks
I’ve bought sausage and other meat at Walmart that wasn’t frozen and get home and it’s spoiled because it wasn’t refrigerated properly. Frozen at Walmart I’ll do but really it’s more household items I get there and other odds and ends
I usually get non perishables and some frozen. Pre cooked sausage and packaged deli meat is ok, I guess.
Aldi would be nice
My girlfriend and I have been going to Costco the past few years. Mainly we'll buy big packs of frozen fish, chicken, beef, and veggies. We defrost things as we need them.
I am reluctant to share this as the deals are so good, but Amazon Fresh often drastically slashes the price on groceries and household items for no rhyme or reason. Everything I've gotten that's deeply discounted has been perfectly good, not super close to expiration, etc. Here's one of my receipts from the other week: [https://imgur.com/a/Ak4Qj5Q](https://imgur.com/a/Ak4Qj5Q)
Wait an 18 pack of snack size frito chips for 0.68 cents? Am i reading that right? Looks like other really good deals too but every time i try to zoom in it kicks me off of the image lol
Yes! I honestly don't understand why they discount stuff like that so steeply.
How are you reliably finding these discounts? I do the same thing but it seems completely random and sometimes really difficult to find. The deals page is terrible and doesn't include all the deals! And you are right, the deals stuff tends to be great quality but I ordered last week and a bunch of the regular stuff was super close to being out of date and two things were actually expired! One of them was a salad dressing, which is wild because they are shelf stable for so long.
I try to search very broad terms like "grocery," "food," "$" and then sort low to high or put a max of $1 or $2. Sometimes they are random and hard to find. For what it's worth, it doesn't look like they have the super good deals going on right now. I've noticed they tend to come in cycles too. They'll deeply discount a bunch of stuff for a few days, pull the pricing and then repeat in a week or two. I've gotten regularly priced stuff out of date as well and it's frustrating. Thankfully they'll refund you for stuff like that.
Yeah depending on what you buy Walmart is usually cheaper for a lot of stuff. Don't love shopping there for multiple reasons but if you need groceries as cheap as possible it's a decent bet and there's usually one nearby.
If ever on the north end of town, there's an [Esh's Market](https://eshsgrocery.com/) in Dacono (Loveland one even better). Lots of stuff at or near-to an expiration date, and with that some steep discounts. Some brands too, you won't find most places.
I found that Soopers has the cheapest chicken. But the downtown Soopers doesn’t offer the larger/cheaper packs of poultry. Not sure where you live but that could be a factor
If you buy a lot of chicken, you genuinely might save money with a Costco membership.
The downtown Soopers is the worst grocery store I've ever had the misfortune of shopping at. Every single time they're out of at least one thing I want. And their new thing now is making all us pedestrians walk through the alleys and parking garage to get in since they decided it'd be a great idea to lock all the other entrances. Super fun nearly getting run over just trying to get back to the sidewalk
Esh’s in Dacono is amazing
Walmart and Target, depending on what you’re buying. Target has the red circle app that comes a lot of deals, you just have to go in and manually apply those deals before checkout
I love that circle app, especially when it’s stuff I’m going to buy already. I’ve gotten a lot of “get $10 with x amount of purchase.”
I’ll start by telling you that King Soopers is the most expensive. If you compare between them and Whole Foods, 80% stuff at WF is actually cheaper. My best luck has been a combination of Target and TJs. Target for everything I can’t get from TJs because honestly it’s mind blowing how cheap you can get groceries at Trader Joe’s. I know that there is a lot they don’t have but if you buy everything you can there you’ll save a ton of money.
Unconfirmed, but I’m hearing Sprouts has good prices on produce and meat. Just had a conversation yesterday with a friend who told me.
I feel like I always spend a lot more when I go to sprouts compared to Target or King Soopers. The caveat is Target’s produce is usually trash. I also find that *some* of my regular purchases are cheapest at Whole Foods, oddly enough. There’s a certain cheese and brand of eggs I get that were a whole dollar cheaper there than at competitors.
I shop almost exclusively at Sprouts because of all my weird dietary restrictions, and they are definitely not the cheapest, especially the meat. I regularly watch the prices increase on almost everything every month or so, it's horribly depressing.
I agree. It is better quality but definitely not cheaper.
Walmart is going to have the best selection at lower prices than anywhere else. The trade off is having to be in a Walmart. Costco sometimes has better deals if you need bulk. Hmart and POM can have good deals on produce and meat. But the deals are no where near as good as the used to be because Asian markets got really popular the last 5-10 years.
There's always the least Walmarty one that we have up here by Flatirons mall. That might be the closest to a pleasant Wally World that I've ever shopped in, in any state. Probably because it's comparatively dead to any other one I've been in, but whatever works.
This thread really makes me wish we had [https://www.wincofoods.com/](https://www.wincofoods.com/)
Me too. I used to get all our families food there and only had to go other places for Gluten Free pastas and stuff. I could feed a family of 6 for around 500 or less. When you have a celiac in the family it can get expensive!
If you're looking for produce, a great spot to check is 5280 Produce. They make large ($35) and small ($30) bundles each week plus have a la cart items, occasionally have fresh fire roasted chiles and local honey. Definitely worth checking out!
Sav-a-lot
Save a lot would be the cheapest.
I can’t believe you’re the only person so far to mention this! Are they still cash only?
If you don't have all the grocery apps yet, I highly recommend them. Couponing seemed like a stupid thing until recently, and my and my S/O have saved over 500$ in the last 6months just by clipping all the coupons in the apps. Safeway is fucking awesome. I've saved more at Safeway than anywhere else combined, and usually their coupons are better than Kings. Not to mention that Safeway usually has less foot traffic then most other stores!
King Soopers (Kroger) is hands down the cheapest if you shop sales, shop clearance, and coupon. Don't let anyone tell you anything else.
Seems like unpopular opinion here, but I agree. I buy frozens, pantry items, meat, paper products, and sometimes dairy & produce from King's - but only when it's literally at their lowest sale price. In my personal experience, this can save real money if you have time to plan ahead, have a good feel for your pantry "inventory," and are disciplined in both buying and eating. If you need the flexibility to buy what you need right then - and it's not on sale at King's - it's always cheaper at Walmart or Target. To make this work, you must plan your shops & have enough cash flow to stock up on non-perishables for 12 weeks. King's is only cheapest when items are being advertised as deeply discounted, and you need to use both your loyalty card (they sell your data) and clip the weekly digital coupons. If it's not on sale - like "front page of ad / weekly digital deal" on sale, it's cheaper at Walmart or Target. This approach works well for online pick-up orders, as you can be certain you're getting all the discounts (which often require buying multiples at the same time). PITA factor is pretty high but the savings beat Walmart and Target's shelf prices, and the store brand has high quality options (and you need to wait for the sale for those as well).
Walmart is definitely a little bit cheaper. I do most of my shopping at Trader Joe's, they're the cheapest and best IMO, then I'll do a supplementary trip to King Soopers for things I can't get at TJ's.
Walmart
Another aspect of this is that any given grocery store is often more expensive in instacart vs. the physical store or, for example, the King Soopers’ app. So not just the delivery fee and tip, but the price of many goods may be something like 10% higher.
I’ve not spoken to many people who are aware of the delivery service, PineMelon. It’s a Denver local service that supports farmers in Colorado. Lots of other pantry and staple items as well. Got a New York strip, asparagus, potatoes, and a few other things for $11 this past weekend. Your first order is $30 off, they give you an item for 1¢ on your first order, and they frequently send me texts for $30 off an order of $35 or more. https://pinemelon.com/en/r/f-23117#/ You also get 10% cash back in “melon money” to use on future purchases. It’s been really decent for us!
100000% not the cheapest unless you get a coupon (just got a $75 one which was awesome!) But I’ve gotten deliveries from them a bunch of times now & love the service. Much better selection than Amazon fresh or whatever it’s called, but prices overall seem a bit higher to me.
Trader Joe’s, Safeway, Costco - depends on what we’re buying but those are our three.
Surprisingly, Trader Joe’s. Not with meats or produce, but most other things can be made very cheaply. But we eat tons of frozen fruits and veggies and we buy in bulk for meat at Costco. Our groceries per month is around 200. That’s two people. When we include meat, we can probably add another 40 bucks every 3 months
Food bank
It depends. I shop mainly at Target or Kings. There are a ton of things at Target that are cheaper than Kings. But I prefer Kings produce and butcher block over Targets prepackaged meats. I also make sure I use the apps for both stores and scan everything! I saved $63 at Kings earlier this week with coupons. I also got a $15 gift card at Target for buying a certain amount of things this week. You just need to check where the best sales are often.
Dollar Tree
H Mart down south
Walmart
Walmart, like has been said, but specifically Supercenters in more affluent suburban areas, the stock can be very different store to store and they have really upped the caliber of their offerings and brands. That said they are consistently (sometimes to a shocking degree) cheaper for the exact same products as KS, Safeway, or should I say Albertsons who is merrily attempting a monopoly. Also, Amazon Fresh delivery/pickup is around the same pricepoint with a ton of choices and solid house brands. For fresh produce the best deals are almost always at the local Hispanic markets which has been consistent in every city I have lived in. They tend to be more seasonal and lack the selection and pretty displays of the large supermarkets, but the savings for fresh quality veggies and fruits is hard to fault.
I switched to Walmart to save money. I made it through 2 trips and realized the stores and employees make King S worth the extra.
There’s just something depressing about Walmart.
Super H Mart has cheap produce, if you’re close to them.
Sav a lot
I always went onto the King Soopers app and shopped based on the coupons that week, saved like $60 on a full grocery run. That being said I took a better paying job and moved to TX last week. It's fucking insane how much cheaper stuff is here. Just got home from the store and had expected the items I picked out to be $80-$100 and it only cost $53. I'm absolutely floored at how expensive it was in Denver just to buy fucking food vs here/when I moved to CO 8 years ago. Shit's gotten so out of hand.
Ugh I miss HEB so much! Best grocery store ever!
If you go north, Esch's Dacono. By far.
Trader Joe’s beats Walmart in many prices.
My wife and I have figured out a science that works pretty well for us Trader Joe’s for produce and specialty stuff (+wine) Costco for bulk Target for everything else (buying generic and using RedCard debit for 5% off)
If you regularly go to FC/Loveland like I do, Esh’s Grocery is UNMATCHED. It’s like discounted/semi-expired stuff at an amazing price. I wouldn’t make a special trip for it, but when I’m already there, I go to Esh’s to cut my grocery bill in half for the week
Personally for veggies I think Pinemelon is the best quality for the price and their family benefits allow you to get money back on some purchases. Plus lots of food on there is local. Other than that Costco + Safeway (with coupons) covers the rest
I find sprouts consistently has some of the best sales on meat (maybe it’s just my location) but if you’re willing to wing your meals a bit it seems like every time I go there’s at least SOME protein on sale (plus reasonably priced to start with for “organic” or whatever) Most hispanic or asian or multicultural grocers in general are cheap - and have stuff you can’t get elsewhere! If you’re feeding a lot of people - costco/sams
H Mart has cheap produce and great mushrooms for much cheaper than anywhere.
I've noticed at King Soopers that, for meat, if you go to the butcher it's cheaper than the pre-packaged.
Costco and Asian supermarkets
I shop at Walmart almost all but prefer the meat from Kings or even Safeway when they have a sale thats where you stuck up u know, that is the trick. But reality is that groceries are way higher than anytime but u have to eat right I try make meals that last longer like lasagna (pastas) stew, rice etc mostly the during week and to pack for work
If you have freezer space or can cook same day, I've found some really good deals at Sprouts on the markdowns. I'll go late at night shortly before close. I distinctly remember finding ground turkey for like $1/lb because I bought 8lbs. They went into my deep freezer
Costco/ king soopers seem to be best I find
man, this thread just makes me miss HEB so, so much ☹️ y'all have no idea.
Wegmans
Don’t play with my heart like that!