Grocery Price List Comparison Chart between Ralphs and Stater Bros. (2024)

Hello, Beautiful Homemakers! Part of being a homemaker is being a frugal shopper. One EASY way to do this is to take your grocery receipts from your two favorite stores and compare them. Grocery prices are so high these days that this is a must.

I decided to alphabetize my groceries by brand in most cases, but not all. It's by whatever I would think to look up first (soup? or Progresso Soup?). F&V stands for Fruits and Vegetables. I want them grouped all together on my list, just like I want Frozen items all together on my list.

I am comparing Ralphs (Kroger) and Stater Bros. In some cases, only Stater Bros has an item, such as Dole Mango Orange Juice. In other cases, only Ralphs has the item I want, like Western Hearth Wheat Bread. If both stores have the item, I've occasionally highlighted the store with the cheapest price.

Now, every once in awhile, the list doesn't work. This happened to me last December. I went to SB in the morning and bought everything on my list, and then I wanted to finish up at R. But when I went to R, everything on my SB list was on sale at R for cheaper than I had just paid for! I actually re-bought everything at Ralphs even though I was fully stocked at home because the sale was that good. But that is really rare. Like I said, it has only happened to me once. Also, I had shopped both stores on the same day, which I rarely do.

I usually shop at Stater Bros. the first week, and I only go to Ralphs after my monthly coupons arrive (which I only use if I need the product, and I only go to R once a month). After those two shopping trips I try to stay home for the rest of the month, and get my lettuce and fruit from a Farmer's Market. If we need bread then I will pop into the store for bread only, or go to a bread outlet store. Every six to eight weeks I shop at Trader Joe's. But since TJ's prices hold steady and they don't play games, I'm considering going there every four weeks now.

Before I got married I shopped exclusively at TJs and SB. But then the SB store remodeled and their prices became equal with R, so I switched to Ralphs 18 years ago. I liked that they sent me coupons for what I was actually using, and then they started some deals (used to be 10 for $10) and their credit card offered lucrative points with cash back.

But in the last few years Ralphs (Kroger) has been playing grocery games that I call just plain CHEATING THE CUSTOMER. For instance, in large print they have the price, then in small print you must have a digital coupon, and you don't get the deal if you don't play their game. I am not willing to play their digital game. And I'm not the only one. Ralph's Marketing Dept. is making serious mis-steps with their formerly loyal customers.

My grocery price comparison chart has proven to me that Stater Bros. is the lowest priced grocery store in my area. Plus, they don't play grocery games! You simply put in your phone number at the check stand and if there was a deal on something you bought, then the deal gets applied. Simple.

Years ago, when I was a new mom, I used to pop into Albertson's, Vons, Sprouts, and Smart & Final to pick up certain items because they had the lowest price on what I was looking for. I quickly ruled out Albertson's and Vons, and then Sprouts. Wild Oats was wonderful but then became high-priced Whole Foods so I no longer shop there. And I will never shop Sprouts and Smart & Final again after how I witnessed them treating people during the plandemic. They acted shamefully! Consumers have long memories (I know I sure do!). Ralphs was a wonderful store to shop in during the plandemic, and so I still have a little loyalty to them, but their marketing strategies are making it too difficult to shop there, so I am switching to Stater Bros.

Note that my chart is not complete! It is an as-I-go list, that I recently had to revamp because grocery prices are so high. And of course, I have had to drop many items that I used to buy on a regular basis. Now we rarely buy: cream cheese, sour cream, salsa, milk, juice, ice cream, cleaning products, and so much more. Also, I have big, bulky items delivered to me by Amazon, such as cat food and Kleenex.I do not buy a lot from Amazon, but I do have a rotating list of bulk buys sent to me.

As I explained in detail in my book, I do not shop at Target, Walmart, or Costco. These stores lure you in with low prices on some items, but gouge you with others and you don't even realize it because your cart is so full. You think you are getting great deals. But if you really take stock, you will find that you are spending more overall than if you grocery shop at a real grocery store. This has been proven over and over and over and over again by home economists for decades.

If you want to keep more money in your pocketbook, then shop for groceries at a grocery store. If you stay out of "stupidstores" for one year, you will discover that you have saved both time and money.

Remember that when you shop, use a calculator to determine the lowest price by ounce or rolls or sheets or pounds, etc. Enter the PRICE divided by the amount you get, the ounce, etc. [TP is $34 divided by 30 rolls = $1.13 per roll.]

This comparison chart was last updated on 5/31/24.

May God bless you as you give a tenth of your income back to your church and His Kingdom charities, and carefully manage the rest of God's money for your household. If your husband provides for you, then thank him for doing so!

Janine

Now, go make your own chart. It only takes about 15 minutes. Just find your last receipt and type it up, then hit the "alphabetize" button. Print it out (cut off the excess edges to make it smaller), or just write the items/prices on an index card, put it in your coupon envelope, and the next time you are at a different store, note the other store's prices beside the one you typed up. Note the store name and the date you shopped. You will be very surprised when you begin comparing prices with the amount of ounces you are receiving. In some cases you will be shocked. You thought you were getting a good deal to get a bigger size when you weren't, etc. You thought the dollar store was cheaper, but actually it wasn't because you didn't get as much product, etc.