Grocery Price Showdown: Buehler’s vs Dave’s Market
Our last grocery battle in the New Franklin/ Akron Ohio area is two smaller grocery store chains. Buehler’s has a total of 14 locations and Dave’s Market has 12 locations. Both chains mainly operate in the Ohio area.
We like to use real meal plans for families and use their grocery lists to make the price comparisons. Random lists are not really helpful, so this is a pretty realistic comparison that most families could easily do as well!
Both stores do use Instacart for their online orders, so the prices shown may be cheaper in store.
Key Takeaways
- Wow! Just wow! The prices are both Buehler’s and Dave’s were so high compared to other local stores.
- Buehler’s prices on some items were way higher than expected like over $20 for 3 pounds of Ground Turkey.
- Dave’s Market came out cheaper than Buehler’s but both stores were over $50 higher than the local Walmart.
Meal Plan and Grocery List
We have a $100 or less grocery budget plan this week. Here is our overview of all the meals:
Here is the broken down by department grocery list:
Our total came out to $91.68 at the local Walmart in New Franklin, OH so let’s see how these two stores compare to that.
Will we stay within our $100 budget?
Is Dave’s Market Cheaper than Buehler’s?
This will be a tough one since they are both smaller grocery stores, but hopefully they have some good deals and reasonable regular prices.
| Ingredient | Buehler’s Price | Dave’s Market Price |
| Strawberries (1lb) | $4.39 | $4.39 |
| Apples (3lb) | $4.39 | $4.39 |
| Lettuce | $3.29 | $2.19 |
| Tomato (x2) | $2.33 | $2.30 |
| Watermelon | $7.69 | $7.69 |
| Sweet Potatoes (x2) | $1.58 | $2.80 |
| Onion (x1) | $1.00 | $1.38 |
| Bell Pepper (x1) | $1.09 | $1.95 |
| Zucchini (x1) | $1.42 | $2.45 *on sale* |
| Yellow Squash (x1) | $1.26 | $2.28 *on sale* |
| Ground Turkey (3lbs) | $21.27 | $9.87 |
| Smoked Sausage (12-13oz) | $5.49 | $5.49 *on sale* |
| Ham Lunchmeat (1lb) | $5.29 | $5.49 |
| Hot Dogs (8ct) | $2.19 | $2.09 *on sale* |
| Chicken Breasts (3lbs) | $9.87 | $12.09 (2.5lbs) |
| Chicken Nuggets (30oz) | $6.59 | $6.59 (27oz) *on sale* |
| Pancake Mix | $3.29 | $3.89 *on sale* |
| Pancake Syrup | $2.99 | $2.89 *on sale* |
| Orange Soda | $3.09 | $1.99 *on sale* |
| Chicken Broth (32oz) | $2.99 | $2.49 |
| Pineapple Rings (20oz) | $2.79 | $2.79 |
| White Rice (1lb) | $1.49 | $2.49 |
| Green Beans (14.5oz) | $1.49 | $1.09 |
| Pasta (1lb) | $1.49 | $1.99 |
| Italian Diced Tomatoes (14.5oz) | $1.39 | $1.49 *on sale* |
| Teriyaki Sauce | $3.29 | $3.69 |
| Hamburger Buns | $2.79 | $2.19 |
| Corn Muffin Mix | $0.89 | $0.89 |
| Alfredo Sauce (16oz) | $3.29 | $3.29 *on sale* |
| Taco Seasoning | $1.09 | $1.49 |
| Potato Wedges (2lb) | $5.49 | $6.09 *on sale* |
| Vanilla Ice Cream | $4.99 | $4.39 *on sale* |
| Tater Tots (2lbs) | $4.99 | $6.09 *on sale* |
| Frozen Peas (12oz) | $2.19 | $2.59 *on sale* |
| Canned Biscuits (x2) | $7.78 | $3.38 |
| Cheddar Cheese (8oz) | $3.89 | $3.29 *on sale* |
| Parmesan Cheese (7oz) | $3.89 | $4.39 *on sale* |
| Milk (half gallon) | $2.79 | $3.09 |
| Eggs (12ct) | $2.79 | $2.99 |
| Total: | $150.30 | $142.40 |
I am honestly very surprised by these totals. Yes, Dave’s Market came out cheaper by $7.90, but both places easily blew through our $100 grocery budget.
Food for Thought
Since neither store came even close to our goal of $100, let’s see if shopping both stores could actually save us some money.
If we only bought what was cheapest at each grocery store, our total would have been $129.37. That is an additional savings of $13.03 (about 9%).
While that much savings is good, I can’t help but stress that both stores were over $50 more expensive than the local Walmart. Even with a total of $129.37, you could easily save another $30 just by going there.
I am highly doubtful that going to either of these stores for more than loss leaders and sale items, would be worth my time.
