Brookshires vs Walmart prices: Who is cheaper?
Brookshire’s is a popular grocery store available in Texas, Louisiana, and Arkansas. Walmart also offers groceries in every state in the US.
We will make a weeklong meal plan and grocery list, then price compare Brookshire’s and Walmart to determine who has the cheapest prices for groceries. Scroll to the end to see the final results.
Is Brookshires more expensive than Walmart?
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 Homestyle Potatoes (chunky hash browns using leftover baked potatoes)
- French Toast with Pancake Syrup
- Apple Pie Overnight Oats (sauteed apples, cinnamon, brown sugar, pancake syrup, and quick oats)
Lunches
- Baked Potato with leftover taco seasoned ground turkey
- Grilled Cheese with Carrot Sticks & Tortilla Chips
- White Bean Hummus with Carrots
- Salads with Tomato, Cucumber, and Cheese
- Dinner Leftovers
Dinners
- Teriyaki Chicken with broccoli and rice (sauce made with brown sugar and soy sauce)
- Creamy Spinach Chicken and Pasta (leftover chicken, creamed spinach, tomatoes, and pasta) served with side salad
- Chicken and Rice Soup (leftover chicken, rice, chicken bouillon, and mixed vegetables) with Toasted Butter Bread
- Turkey Hamburgers with Homemade Potato Wedges
- Cheesy Tuna Melts on Hamburger Buns (tuna, ranch dressing, and cheese) with side salads and sauteed apples
- Taco Pasta (ground turkey, black beans, canned rotel style tomatoes, taco seasoning, and tortilla chips)
Snacks
- Apples
- Carrot sticks with ranch dressing
- Tortilla Chips
Sweet Treat
- Vanilla Ice Cream with Pancake Syrup
For this price comparison, I am using prices available in El Dorado, Arkansas. 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 #5“
Produce Section
This is all the fresh vegetables and fruits we need for the week.
| Item | Brookshires’s Price | Walmart Price |
| Potatoes | 5lb of yellow potatoes = $5.99 | 5lb bag of Idaho potatoes = $4.18 |
| Apples | 3lb bag of red delicious = $3.49 | 3lb bag of granny smiths= $4.18 |
| Carrots | 1lb bag of baby carrots = $0.99 | 1lb bag =$0.67 |
| Lettuce | Green Leaf 1 head= $1.99 | Green Leaf 1 head= $1.98 |
| Tomato | $1.99 a lb = $0.92 | $1.98 a lb = $0.91 |
| Cucumber | $0.69 each | $0.68 each |
| Total: (6 items) | $14.07 | $12.60 |
In the produce section, Walmart came out cheaper with a total of $12.60. That was $1.47 cheaper than Brookshire’s total of $14.07.
Deli/Meats
This is all the meats that we will need from the deli and meat counter.
| Item | Brookshires’s Price | Walmart Price |
| Chicken Breasts (4-6 needed) | $4.29 a lb (2.4lbs)= $10.12 | $3.24 a lb (5.1lbs)= $16.56 |
| 2lbs ground turkey | Jennie-O 1lb roll $4.49 x 2=$8.98 * on sale* | Festive 1lb roll $2.54 x 2 = $5.08 |
| Total: (2 items) | $19.10 | $21.64 |
In the meat section, Brookshire’s came in cheaper at $19.10. This was $2.54 cheaper than Walmart’s total of $21.64.
It should be noted that we got almost twice as much chicken breasts at Walmart than Brookshire’s. This means that Walmart came out to be a better deal.
Dry Goods
This is all the dry goods and shelf stable items that we need for our meal plan.
| Item | Brookshires’s Price | Walmart Price |
| Loaf of Bread | Brookshires 20oz white = $2.19 | Great Value 20oz white= $1.00 |
| Pancake Syrup | Brookshire’s 24 oz bottle = $2.00 *on sale* | Great Value 24oz bottle = $2.14 |
| Quick Oats | Brookshire’s 18oz container = $2.00 *on sale* | Great Value 18oz container = $2.49 |
| Tortilla Chips | Calidad 12oz bag = $1.99 *on sale* | Great Value 13oz bag = $1.82 |
| White Beans (canned) | Food Club 5.5oz can = $0.99 | Great Value Northern beans 15oz can = $0.78 |
| Canned Tuna | That’s Smart 5oz can = $0.79 | Great Value 5oz can = $0.78 |
| White Rice | Supreme Rice 1lb bag = $1.59 | Great Value 1lb bag =$0.76 |
| Soy Sauce | La Choy 10oz bottle = $2.79 *on sale* | Great Value 15oz bottle = $1.58 |
| Brown Sugar | Brookshires 2lb bag = $1.99 | Great Value 2lb bag = $1.70 |
| Ranch Dressing | That’s Smart 16oz bottle = $1.99 | Great Value 16oz bottle = $1.97 |
| Chicken Boullion | Knorr 8ct =$1.09 *on sale* | Knorr 8ct =$1.08 |
| Pasta | Skinner 12oz rotini= $1.49 | Great Value 16oz shells = $0.92 |
| Hamburger Buns | Brookshires 8ct = $1.99 | Great Value 8ct = $1.00 |
| Black beans (canned) | Food Club 15.25oz can = $0.99 | Great Value 15oz can = $0.78 |
| Taco seasoning | Brookshire’s 1oz pack = $0.79 | Great Value 1oz pack= $0.48 |
| Canned tomatoes (rotel style with chiles or peppers) | Brookshires 10oz can = $0.79 *on sale* | Great Value 10oz can = $0.88 |
| Total: (16 items) | $25.46 | $20.16 |
In the dry goods section, Walmart came in cheaper with a total of $20.16. This was $5.30 cheaper than Brookshire’s total of $25.46.
Frozen Foods
These are the frozen items needed for this week’s meal plan.
| Item | Brookshires’s Price | Walmart Price |
| Frozen Broccoli | Bird’s Eye 10.8oz bag = $1.99 *on sale* | Great Value 12oz bag = $0.98 |
| Creamed Spinach | Green Giant 10oz box = $1.59 | Great Value plain spinach 12oz bag = $1.00 |
| Frozen Mixed vegetables | That’s Smart 2oz bag = $0.89 | Great Value 12oz bag = $0.84 |
| Vanilla Ice Cream | Golden Brooks 1/2 gallon container = $4.97 * on sale* | Great Value 48oz container = $2.24 |
| Total: (4 items) | $9.44 | $5.06 |
In the frozen section, Walmart came in cheaper with a total of $5.06. This was $4.38 cheaper than Brookshire’s total of $9.44.
Dairy Section
These are all the dairy items needed like milk and cheeses.
| Item | Brookshires’s Price | Walmart Price |
| Eggs | Brookshires 12ct white = $2.29 | Great Value 12ct white= $2.08 |
| 2% milk | That’s Smart gallon= $4.49 | Great Value Gallon = $4.08 |
| Cheddar Cheese Slices | Brookshires 10ct/8oz= $1.97 * on sale* | Great Value 12ct/8oz = $2.22 |
| Shredded Cheddar Cheese | Brookshires 8oz bag = $1.97 *on sale* | Great Value 8oz bag = $2.18 |
| Shredded Mozzarella Cheese | Brookshires 8oz bag = $1.97 *on sale* | Great Value 8oz bag = $2.18 |
| Total: (5 items) | $12.69 | $12.74 |
In the dairy section, Brookshire’s squeaked out as cheaper with a total of $12.69. This was $0.05 cheaper than Walmart with a total of $12.74.
Is Walmart or Brookshire’s cheaper?
This was very back and forth for who has cheaper prices. Let’s look at the final totals.
| Section | Brookshires’s Price | Walmart Price |
| Produce | $14.07 | $12.60 |
| Deli/Meats | $19.10 | $21.64 |
| Dry Goods | $25.46 | $20.16 |
| Frozen Foods | $9.44 | $5.06 |
| Dairy | $12.69 | $12.74 |
| Overall Total: (32 items) | $80.76 | $72.20 |
Overall, Walmart came out cheaper with a total of $72.20. This was $8.56 (about 10%) cheaper than Brookshire’s with a total of $80.76.
If these are the two stores that I have available, I will start focusing on the sales flyer every week at Brookshire’s. I would use this to fill in my weekly meal plan with items on sale, especially produce and meat.
Another good tip would be to download the Walmart App, so you can price compare the sales flyer to the regular prices available at Walmart. This will help you decide if the sale is a good deal.
For more grocery store price comparisons, check out “Food City vs Walmart Prices: Who is cheaper?” and “Fred Meyer vs Target Prices: Who is Cheaper?“
