Albertsons vs Smith’s: Who is Cheaper?
Albertsons is the 2nd largest supermarket chain with over 2200 stores in 15 states. Smith’s Food and Drug is part of the Kroger Company which is the largest grocery store chain in the US.
To determine if Albertsons or Smith’s is cheaper, we will price compare a grocery list at both places for a week’s worth of meals. Scroll to the end to see the final verdict!
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Is Albertsons cheaper than Smiths?
For this price comparison, I have made a meal plan for a family of 4 using “25 Cheap food that fills you up when you are broke!” as a guide. Our plan is to get groceries for a week that are healthy and cheap!
Here is our meal plan:
Breakfasts
- Scrambled Eggs with Cheese & Toast
- Vanilla Yogurt with Strawberries and Leftover Pineapple
- French Toast with Syrup & Bananas
- Peanut Butter Toast with Bananas
Lunches
- Salad with Leftover Parmesan Chicken
- Pasta Salad with Hard Boiled Eggs and Tomato, Cucumber, and Parmesan Cheese
- Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup
- BLT Sandwiches with Side Salad
- Dinner Leftovers
Dinners
- Orange Chicken with Pineapple over Brown Rice
- Sloppy Joe on French Bread with Cheese and Canned Corn
- Kielbasa, Potatoes and Green Beans in the Crockpot
- Tex Mex Pizza with Taco meat, Refried Beans, Salsa, and Cheese
- Parmesan Crusted Chicken, Butter Pasta, and Broccoli
- Breakfast for Dinner: Scrambled Eggs with Cheese, Bacon, Fried Potatoes, and Sauteed Apples
Snacks
- Chips and Salsa
- Peanut Butter and Apples
- Yogurt Bites
Sweet Treat
- Homemade Orange Popsicles
For this price comparison, I am using prices available in Bozeman, Montana. I will be selecting items for our meal plan that are the absolute cheapest.
This means mostly generic store brand options and the smallest size needed. This may not be the best value, but we are going for the cheapest option.
We are assuming that we already have kitchen basics like cooking oil, seasonings, salt/pepper, and baking powder at home. Everything else needed for the meal plan will need to be purchased.
For a more in depth break down on how I would make this meal plan work, check out “Healthy Grocery List for Family of 4 on a Budget #7“
Produce Section
This is all the fresh vegetables and fruits we need for the week.
| Item | Albertson’s Price | Smith’s Price |
| Strawberries | 1lb= $3.99 | 1lb= $2.50 |
| 6 Bananas | $0.27 each= $1.62 | $0.25 each= $1.50 |
| Lettuce | Iceberg head= $0.99 *on sale* | Iceberg head= $1.59 |
| Tomato x2 | On the vine $0.76 each x2=$1.52 | Beefsteak $0.84 each x2= $1.68 |
| Cucumber | $0.99 each *on sale* | $0.50 each |
| Potatoes | 5lb bag of Russets= $3.49 | 5lb bag of Idaho= $2.99 |
| Apples | 3lb bag of Red Delicious = $4.99 | 3lbs of Gala Apples= $2.97 *on sale* |
| Total: (7 items) | $17.59 | $13.73 |
In the produce section, Smith’s came out cheaper with a total of $13.73. This was $3.86 cheaper than Albertson’s total of $17.59.
Deli/Meats
This is all the meats that we will need from the deli and meat counter.
| Item | Albertson’s Price | Smith’s Price |
| Bacon | Signature Farms 16oz pack= $5.69 | Kroger 12oz pack= $3.99 *on sale* |
| 4-6 Chicken Breasts | $4.99 a ln (2lbs) = $9.98 | $2.49 a lb (4.7lbs) = $11.78 |
| Kielbasa Sausage | Hillshire 13oz= $3.50 *on sale* | Kroger 14oz= $3.49 |
| 1 lb ground turkey | Signature Farms 1lb fresh= $4.79 | Jennie-O 1lb roll= $3.99 |
| Total: (4 items) | $18.97 | $23.25 |
In the meat section, Albertson’s came out cheaper with a total of $18.97. This was $4.28 cheaper than Smith’s total of $23.25.
Unfortunately, we got less chicken for a more expensive per pound price at Albertson’s, so they weren’t really the better deal.
Dry Goods
This is all the dry goods and shelf stable items that we need for our meal plan.
| Item | Albertson’s Price | Smith’s Price |
| Sandwich Bread | Signature Select 16oz white= $1.49 | Kroger 20oz white= $1.50 *on sale* |
| Canned Pineapple | Signature Select 20oz can= $1.99 *on sale* | Kroger 20oz can= $1.59 |
| Pancake Syrup | Signature Select 24oz bottle= $3.99 | Kroger 24oz bottle= $2.19 |
| French Bread Loaf | $1.99 each | $2.00 each *on sale* |
| Cinnamon | Signature Select 2.37 oz jar= $3.19 | Smidge & Spoon 2.25oz jar= $1.25 |
| Peanut Butter | Signature Select 16oz jar= $2.49 *on sale* | Kroger 16oz jar= $1.79 |
| Italian Dressing | Ken’s 16oz bottle= $2.49 *on sale* | Kroger 16oz bottle= $1.99 |
| Pasta | Signature Select 16oz Rotini= $1.49 | Kroger 16oz rotini= $1.33 *on sale* |
| Large can Tomato Soup | Signature Select 26oz can= $1.99 *on sale* | Kroger 16oz can = $2.19 |
| Canned Tomatoes | Signature Select 14.5oz can= $1.49 | Kroger 14.5oz can= $0.69 *on sale* |
| Orange Marmalade | Signature Select 18oz jar= $3.99 *on sale* | Kroger 18oz jar= $2.69 |
| BBQ Sauce | Signature Select 18oz bottle=$1.69 *on sale* | Kraft 18oz bottle= $1.25 *on sale* |
| Soy Sauce | Signature Select 10oz bottle= $2.59 | Kroger 10oz bottle= $1.69 |
| Brown Rice | Signature Select 1lb bag= $1.49 | Kroger 1lb bag= $0.99 |
| Canned Green Beans | Signature Select 14.5oz can= $0.99 *on sale* | Kroger 14.5oz can= $0.89 |
| Taco Seasoning | Signature Select 1oz pack= $0.89 | Kroger 1.25oz pack=$0.39 |
| Refried Beans | Signature Select 16oz can= $1.49 | Kroger 16oz can= $1.00 |
| Salsa | Herdez 16oz jar= $2.50 *on sale* | Kroger 16oz jar= $1.49 |
| Worcestershire Sauce | Lea & Perrins 5oz bottle= $3.19 | Kroger 10oz bottle= $1.29 *on sale* |
| Mustard | Signature Select 8oz bottle= $1.89 | Kroger 8oz bottle= $0.89 |
| Canned Corn | Signature Select 15.5 oz can= $0.99 *on sale* | Kroger 15.25oz can= $0.89 |
| Mayonnaise | Signature Select 15oz jar= $3.49 | Kroger 12oz bottle= $2.69 |
| All Purpose Flour | Signature Select 5lb bag= $2.99 | Kroger 5lb bag= $2.69 |
| Dry Active Yeast | Signature Select 3pack= $1.69 | Fleishmann’s 3pack= $2.49 |
| Total: (24 items) | $52.47 | $37.85 |
In the dry goods section, Smith’s came out much cheaper with a total of $37.85. This was $14.62 cheaper than Albertson’s total of $52.47.
Frozen Foods
These are the frozen items needed for this week’s meal plan.
| Item | Albertson’s Price | Smith’s Price |
| Frozen Broccoli | Signature Select 16oz bag= $1.99 | Kroger 12oz bag= $1.25 |
| Total: (1 items) | $1.99 | $1.25 |
In the frozen section, Smith’s came out cheaper with a total of $1.25. This was $0.74 cheaper than Albertson’s total of $1.99.
Dairy Section
These are all the dairy items needed like milk and cheeses.
| Item | Albertson’s Price | Smith’s Price |
| Eggs | Lucerne Farms 12ct white= $2.99 | Kroger 12ct white= $3.49 |
| Shredded Cheddar Cheese | Lucerne 8oz bag= $2.99 | Kroger 8oz bag= $2.99 |
| Vanilla Yogurt | Lucerne 32oz tub= $2.69 *on sale* | Kroger 32oz tub= $2.00 *on sale* |
| American Cheese | Lucerne 16ct= $3.29 | Kroger 16ct= $2.29 |
| Parmesan Cheese | Lucerne 6oz bag= $3.49 *on sale* | Kroger 6oz bag= $2.99 |
| 2% milk | Lucerne gallon= $3.79 | Smith’s gallon= $3.59 |
| Butter | Lucerne 1lb= $3.79 | Kroger 1lb= $3.99 |
| Total: (7 items) | $23.03 | $21.34 |
In the dairy section, Smith’s came out cheaper with a total of $21.34. This was $1.69 cheaper than Albertson’s total of $23.03.
Is Albertsons more expensive than Smith’s?
In most sections, Smith’s came out cheaper. Let’s look at the overall totals.
| Section | Albertson’s Price | Smith’s Price |
| Produce | $17.59 | $13.73 |
| Deli/Meats | $18.97 | $23.25 |
| Dry Goods | $52.47 | $37.85 |
| Frozen Foods | $1.99 | $1.25 |
| Dairy | $23.03 | $21.34 |
| Overall Total: (43 items) | $114.05 | $97.42 |
Overall, Smith’s was cheaper than Albertsons with a total of $97.42. This was $16.63 (about 15%) cheaper than Albertson’s total of $114.05.
Even though Albertsons’s had a lot of items on sale, their sale price didn’t beat Smith’s regular price. If you were to switch stores and really pay attention to the weekly sales paper, you could save even more money each month on your grocery budget.
I would probably only shop at Albertson’s if they had a really good deal on sale and then I would only buy the sale item. Most of their pantry staples were just so much higher than the price at Smith’s.
For more grocery store price comparisons, check out “Albertsons vs Target” and “Kroger vs SaveALot.”
For more grocery store price comparisons, check out “Schnuck’s vs Fresh Thyme: Who is Cheaper?” and “Aldi vs Meijer: Who is Cheaper?“
